The Story of My Relationship With International Justice Mission

A Little Background

A little more than three years ago I sat in the crowded living room of Megan and Luke.  This couple was leading a church small group that was discussing Francis Collin’s Language of God.  However, this was our last meeting and the week before they asked, “Instead of discussing the book we were wondering if we could watch a video about modern-day slavery next week.”  All of us agreed to this.

The video that they showed was called The End of Slavery and was produced by International Justice Mission (IJM). At the end of the video Megan and Luke informed us that they were recruiting guests for an upcoming IJM benefit dinner.  This sounded really intriguing, relevant and important so I looked into this benefit dinner a little more.  Upon discovering that the event loosely requires formal attire a light bulb went off in my head.

Those that know my wife and I know that we really dig the mountains and that we dress pretty casually almost all the time.  However, we try to do one date a month where we dress up in nice clothes.  This IJM Benefit seemed like it would make a great “dress-up” date.

Fast forward three years later.  Today is the day after our 4^th IJM Benefit dinner.  It has become our favorite date night of the year and we have hosted a table for the past two years.  We tried being table recruiters three years ago, but that is another story all together!

Reflection on Saju’s Keynote Address

When I got home from the event last night I had trouble falling sleep from the excitement of the evening and perhaps even more so trying to process what Saju, IJM’s Director of Operations in South East Asia, had shared with us.  Saju made an argument that identity and the process affecting change are interrelated. Saju used three contrasting vignettes to illustrate his argument of which I would like to share two.

The first was the fictional tale of the Ugly Duckling—a story that he told his kids at bedtime.  I am guessing that most of us are familiar with the details of this story.  So, what point would Saju make with this story?  It was not until the duckling happens upon a flock of swans in a lake and seeing his reflection that the duckling realizes that he is in fact not a duckling at all.  His identity is that of a swan and this realization of identity changes the course of the duckling’s outlook on life.

The second vignette that Saju shared with us began with a harrowing story of woman rescued from slavery in India.  It was heartbreaking to hear that when this women shared her nightmare with an official after being rescued from her persecutors the official began yelling at her and accusing her of lying.  Saju was shocked!  After some thinking about this experience, Saju hypothesized that this official, as a law-enforcement official, was not aware of what his identity should be with respect to helping the helpless.  Saju then went on to contrast this to a story of an experience for him when he was living in Philadelphia.

His son, who happened to be in kindergarten, had come home from school after learning about dialing 911 for emergencies.  To impress his older brother he decided to test out his new learned knowledge and he called 911 in front of his brother.  When someone on the other end picked up he exclaimed, “There is a monster in the house!” and then hung up.  Several minutes later a police officer showed up at the house stating that an emergency call had come from this address.  Obviously, this shocked Saju’s wife who had answered the door.  When Saju’s wife stated that everything in the house was fine and assured the police officer that there was not a monster in the house the police officer was not completely satisfied.  He asked if he could enter the home to confirm this.  Why did this officer of the law not take the mother at her word and just leave?  Because he knew his identity as on officer of the law was to protect the innocent and he wanted to fulfill the responsibility that came with this identity.

Saju went on to explain how there is a justice system in India where there are laws that protect the poor and the innocent.  Obviously, this system was not working when the official, with overwhelming evidence in front of him to convict the perpetrator in the case of the woman slave, instead lashes out at the victim calling her a liar.  However, Saju then shared with us a recent case where the opposite occurred in India, where the perpetrator was convicted.  He shared with us about programs that IJM has started in India that train the local police force to enforce the laws that protect the poor and vulnerable.  Moreover, the government there is beginning to be pro-active and asking IJM for advice on trafficking issues and how to address them.  Why?  Because with the help of this wonderful organization the justice system is seeing its reflection in the lake and realizing its true identity. Which was the final point of Saju’s address, when we help individuals realize their identities it will begin to change the identity of communities, governmental systems, countries and the world.

The current reality is that there are still millions of people in slavery in India.  Saju, however, believes that India is on the cusp of eradicating this disease from their society.  After hearing his message I share his optimism.

What This Means For Me

This brings us back to me falling asleep last night, or rather trying to fall asleep.  I could not get this identity thing out of my head.  What is my identity?  What is the identity of our systems here in the US?  Do these identities need to change (this is rhetorical hence the next question).  How?

I remember recalling a story with Helene last night about one of my favorite musicians named Phil Keaggy.  I use to be groupy of sorts.  I remember visiting his website years ago—probably ten years ago—and seeing that he had a concert in DC.  There was a number to call for ticket information.  When I called the number a sweet woman on the other end informed me that the show was for a benefit dinner for an agency that fights slavery, tickets were $100, and this was the kicker, Phil would only be playing two, maybe three songs.  I hung up the phone and said to myself, “Well, I guess I won’t be going to see that show, geez, who would pay $100 to see Phil only play two songs?”

Three years ago at that first IJM event was a catalyst for me to realize my identity, something that I was not ready for when I wanted to see Phil years earlier.  I think many of us, perhaps myself above all, plead with God, “Why is there so much suffering in the world?  Why don’t you do something about it?  Then we neglect to listen, because most of the time God whispers back to us, “My child do you not see your identity?  You ask for me to do something about the suffering in the world and I have.  I created you.”

To be honest, I am still very selfish in so many ways but I honestly believe that I have discovered my identity.  My identity is that I am a child of God which makes my purpose simple; allow myself to be loved by God and to share that love with others.

E-mail of Encouragement to a Friend

Yesterday, my wonderful wife and I along with two friends had the privilege to help pack 10,000 meals with Restore Church in Silver Spring, MD.  The meals are to be given to two schools in Silver Spring, MD where 90% of the students are on the reduced –payment lunch program.  Before this event, one of our friends Meg made some awesome chili and invited us over to her place to relax and hangout.  Meg shared with us about her experiences volunteering for the Girls Club and how challenging it was for her and that it was an intentional decision on her part to embrace discomfort.  It was such a great reminder to me that people are not born with innate talent of addressing needs and that God does not call the qualified, but qualifies the called when we step out of our comfortable spaces.  I have blogged about this several times in the past, because it is a reoccurring theme in my life.  I decided to write Meg and thank her for her candor and to tell her it was an encouragement and good reminder for me.  Reading over the e-mail I thought it might be an encouragement to others so I decided to share it.

Meg,

Thanks for sharing about the Boys and Girls clubs yesterday!  It was particularly good to hear your honesty about the challenge of meeting with the other--culturally other, ethnically other, affluently other, educationally other, other with respect to age.  That so reinforced a theme that has been re-occurring in my life for probably the last two years.  We are a society that is absolutely obsessed with comfort and frankly there may not be a person more apt to choose and desire comfort in his life than me!  Moreover, to put this in spiritual terms I believe the desire for comfort is a very clever as well as successful ploy of the enemy to severe the hands and feet of Christ. 

It would be an interesting experiment, albeit really difficult to do objectively, to take a week and track where I seek comfort and where I intentionally welcome discomfort with the intent of moving closer to God.

Anyway, I love to see that you have stepped up with and embraced being uncomfortable for Kingdom causes with the girls in S.E.  And the fact that you admitted that you were uncomfortable was an encouragement to me.  I think too often we see people doing great things for the world and to the outsider it looks like it just comes natural for them.  I believe that perception is more often than not false.  I believe that if people knew that the people who are taking a stand with the poor, those with AIDS, the drug-addicted, trafficked boys and girls do so intentionally putting them in a lot of discomfort and these tension-dwelling people shared their struggles openly and honestly others would be willing to see themselves as having the potential to make an impact.

I pray that as our small group grows and we see each other stepping out and doing things that disrupt our routine and thus creating tension--tension that we embrace rather than run from, it will mold and shape us into who God wants us to be both as a group and individuals.  I also pray that it will become contagious.  I believe openly and honestly sharing our struggles that we have in tension-filled environments is paramount to making it contagious though.

Peace,

Steve

Some Thoughts on Luke 9:51-56

I have been eating in the cafeteria here at work for years.  However, it is only in the last year that I began to add to that time the reading of Scripture.  It forces me to slow down; something that I am finding is more and more beneficial to my life.  I have been reading the Bible for a number of years, admittedly off and on.  However, Scripture has come to life for me in the past year.  It is such a huge book that for much of my life I focused on quantifying my reading rather than qualifying my reading—what can I say I am a Westerner?  In the past if something did not make sense to me I would just look past it, but not anymore.  There are times when I will get stuck on a part of Scripture and sometimes struck on a part of Scripture and I will end up reading it over and over and that, I have found, is when it really comes to life for me.  This is what happened today for me with Luke 9:51-56.

Most of the time when I see the actions of Jesus he seems to be a pretty laid back kind of dude.  For example these guys show up one day with a woman they claim to have caught in the act of adultery exclaiming that she should be stoned and Jesus decides to kneel down and draw in the dirt (I have to share a quick aside here about this).  There have been arguments about what Jesus was writing.  I remember being at an event where Shane Claiborne was talking about sharing this story with some kids and he asked the kids what they thought Jesus was writing.  The best response was, “Hey lady, if what I am about to do does not get these guys from wanting to stone you, you are going to need to run!”  Anyway, after writing in the dirt, Jesus casually states, “Hey, if any of you is without sin feel free to cast the first stone.”  Verse 51 however states that “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” He was a man on a mission, knew where he needed to get to and was focused on getting there.

This passage also mentions that Jesus was approaching a Samaritan village where he was hoping to spend the evening.  However, when the folks from this village find out that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem he is turned away.  Wow!  This certainly gives credence regarding Samaritans and Jews not being the best of friends.  When they are turned away the story starts to take twists and turns.  I have to think that Jesus had to be somewhat miffed that they would not let him stay the night.  James and John however, remove all doubt as to whether they are offended or not; “When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?’” Actually, offended is much too soft of word to describe the thoughts and feelings of James and John—they are really, really pissed off.  So Jesus is sort of put on the spot here—seems to be the life story of Jesus—constantly being put on the spot and from all sides of society.  So how will Jesus respond to James and John’s question?  Perhaps, “You know what, I am the Son of God and those sons-of-bitches actually turned me away from their town…Yes, absolutely you are right let’s call down some holy fire from heaven and destroy them!”  If I were Jesus that would have probably been my response, but his was just the opposite; Jesus turns to James and John and actually rebukes them for their comment!  The story ends with the three of them moving onto a different town for the night.  However, the story does not end there far from it!

If we look to the next chapter, which likely takes the place the day after Jesus, James and John are turned away from the Samaritan village, Jesus will exact his revenge on this Samaritan village. An expert in the law will ask Jesus “Who is my neighbor?”  And Jesus knowing that the night before that he had to walk a few extra miles before he could take a load off because of being turned away by the Samaritans will turn the tables on them and make the actions of a Samaritan the apogee of what it means to be a neighbor.  I would almost be willing to bet that there was someone from the Samaritan village that had heard about this Jesus guy and wanted to know more.  I bet he or she felt bad that his village had turned Jesus away, but was too afraid to take a stand. So taken was this person with the likes of this Jewish-Carpenter-Teacher he decides to follow him.  After hearing Jesus’ story the next day I am betting that he or she went back to the Samaritan village to share Jesus brilliant, just, restorative story that we know as the Good Samaritan!  I am also betting those Samaritans offered hospitality to the next Jew that graced their village.

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

If Being Relentless Is Right, I Want To Be Wrong

I recently had the privilege to be at the second stop of Brian McLaren’s book tour for Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? in Washington, DC. One of the first things that Brian shared in his discussion is this: “Simply put, we Christians already know how to do two things very well. First, some of us know how to have a strong Christian identity that responds negatively toward other religions. The stronger our Christian commitment, the stronger our aversion or opposition to other religions...Alternatively, others of us know how to have a more positive, accepting response to other religions. We never proselytize. We always show respect for other religions and their adherents. We always minimize differences and maximizes commonalities. But we typically achieve coexistence by weakening our Christian identity.”  This observation really resonates with me because I have spent time in both of these paradigms.  Early in my faith I was part of the former and today I am more or less in the latter.  That being said, I am trying to move into a third paradigm which is strong, yet benevolent.

Reading John Bevere’s Relentless was frustrating and challenging for me because he falls into the strong/hostile (first) paradigm that Brian mentions.  Frankly, while I agree that both paradigms that Brian mentions (strong/hostile and weak/benevolent) are in need of revision, it is only natural for me to assume that the paradigm that I exist in is the better one, just as I am sure that Bevere believes his is the better one.  Therefore, it is in this context that I write this review.  However, my hope is that I can be strong in my criticism, while at the same time be benevolent!

I strongly disagree with most of what is presented in this book.  However, the substance in chapters three and four are worth reading in my opinion.  In chapter three Bevere presents a decent argument that grace is more than just a free gift or remittance for our sins but is the power behind our ability to do Christ-like things (pg. 33).

In chapter  four Bevere clarifies an earlier statement where he says, “[we are to] reign as kings in life. You and I as God’s children, are to rule as kings and queens” (pg. 14) with “God expects us to walk as Jesus did.  So let’s further ask, How else did Jesus walk?

“It’s clear from the Gospels that Jesus met the needs of mankind.  He healed the sick, cleansed the diseased, delivered people from bondage, opened blind eyes and deaf ears, made the mute speak and the crippled walk, multiplied food to feed the hungry and even raised the dead.  Then he charged us, ‘As the Father sent Me, I also send you’” (pg. 40). 

Reading chapters three and four got me excited about the rest of the book.  However, after finishing the book, I really wish it would have just ended at chapter 4.  As I move forward I want to present some quotes from the book and share my thoughts and opinions regarding how and why I disagree with them.

 “For example, in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus intstructs us to pray, ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Luke 11:2).  He is literally saying, ‘Our Father in heaven, You are God almighty.  Your supreme powerful rule come.  Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven.’ But a problem arises because most people hearing these words think futuristically, when in fact God’s kingdom has already come!  It has not yet come physically, as Isaiah prophesied, for that is when Jesus will rule forever and ever and Satan’s influence will be gone for good.  Rather, the kingdom of God has already come spiritually.” (pg. 66).

I like that Bevere points out that God’s kingdom has arrived with Jesus, but I am not sure that I agree that it is only spiritual and not physical.  We are the hands and feet of Christ and I believe we are beset with the challenge of bringing the physical kingdom of God here on earth—I believe that Jesus came to demonstrate how we should do this.  Moreover, Jesus often states in the Gospels that “the kingdom of heaven is here.”  If Jesus was both the Son of God and human how can we say that the physical kingdom of God has not arrived?

“’Blessed are the poor,’ He says, ‘for yours is God’s supreme powerful rule’ (Luke 6:20).

“He is not identifying the financially poor; He is blessing those who depend on God’s grace.” (pg. 67). 

Interestingly, Bevere spends a lot of time in his book on Greek words, yet spends no time picking apart the word “poor” to back his contention here.  I contend that the financially poor are exactly who Jesus is identifying here!  Jesus actions support this because the financially poor are who he spends most of his time with very often blessing them with food and healing.

 “As we look at the words suffer with him, we must ask, How did Jesus suffer?  This is where many get confused, for there are two types of suffering.  One is for righteousness’ sake and the other is for the world’s sake.”  (pg. 74).

Sure, I can agree with this.  However, Bevere goes on to use three-miracle-healings to attempt to support his argument, which I really do not agree with (pg. 74-79).  Sure, these healings did cheat death and I am sure that these three people experienced suffering prior to being healed, but these situations are really biological occurrences that none of these people chose.  I believe suffering for righteousness sake requires an intentional decision on our part.  Paul, speaking his mind knowing that it would probably land him in jail is a great example of this.  Dr. Martin Luther King protesting the injustices against African Americans in the sixties and going to jail is a great example of this.  Jesus allowing himself to be arrested, brought before Pilate and executed on a cross is the ultimate example what it means to suffer for righteousness!

“A soldier going to war is well aware of whom he is fighting.  And if he’s wise, he’ll also know his enemy’s tactics.  There’s never a remote question in the warrior’s mind as to who is enemy is.”  (pg. 89).

This is the second book in a row that I have received free from Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes that seems to focus more on war terminology rather than love which is very disconcerting for this follower of Christ!

Here is another example of war terminology being used: “Imagine a nation sending its military into war without bullets, guns, cannons, bombs, tanks, planes or even knives.  How would that nation fare in warfare?  Would they conquer? Would they contend? Would they even survive?  My guess is, a good number would quickly be killed and the rest taken as prisoners of war.

“It’s a guess because, to my knowledge, such a ludicrous scenario has never occurred.” (pg. 101).

MLK Jr. went to war without weapons and succeeded and so did Ghandi.  And if those are not obvious enough show me in the New Testament where Jesus uses a weapon of war that Bevere mentions here.  Yet, Jesus was victorious!

“We live in a world that is completely contrary and even hostile to the kingdom of God.”  (pg. 102).

This is strictly a matter of opinion.  I know quite a few atheists that are totally about peace.  In fact, they are turned off from what I believe to be the true Kingdom of God, because they see its antithesis in the hostile actions of its followers. In other words, Christians are just as often found displaying hostility, when they are called to be inclusive and benevolent toward the other! I believe that Carl Sandburg was spot on when asked, “What is the dirties word in the English language?” and answered, “Exclusive.” Jesus, commands us to love not just our neighbor, but our enemies, and frankly there is not love in hostility!

“Every child of God is at war.   If we are not, then we’re actually of this world and deceived in our thinking that we belong to God.”  (pg. 117).

Yes!  Because Jesus constantly talks about war—it is the entire theme of the Gospels! (note: I am being sarcastic).

“Humility characterized David’s life, and we all know that this great leader was far from being weak, wimpy, or spineless.  He’s the one who wrote, ‘The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?’ (Psalm 118:6).” (pg. 128).

David seems to be so many people’s favorite character from the Old Testament and frankly I just do not get it!  He committed adultery with Bathsheeba and at the same time sent her husband to the front lines (murdering him in essence) to cover it up.  Yet, writers want to point out the story of Goliath.  Another David story that is very infrequently told is 1 Chronicles 28:3 which reads: “You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.”  Maybe, just maybe God is not the war monger that so many make him out to be.

“Suppose a wicked military force has invaded your country and held it captive for years.  To bring true liberation, you must not only confront the enemy in direct battle, but you must also eliminate the strongholds they’ve established.”  (pg. 179).

How would Jesus handle this? Interestingly, it seems that he did with the evil empire of Rome, yet Jesus did not fight fire with fire but with metaphorical water that Jesus would call love and self-sacrifice!

 “It is God’s will for you to prosper in every area of life, even financially.”  (pg. 99).

I just cannot agree with this—I really believe that if this were the case somewhere in the Beatitudes Jesus would have said, “Blessed are those who are prosperous financially,” yet it says exactly the opposite, “Blessed are the poor.”  Moreover, we find that Jesus states, “To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48).

“Quitting takes on different forms.  Most often it’s rooted in compromise—an antonym to relentless.”  (pg. 229).

I believe that compromise can often be a great path to reconciliation and conflict resolution.  This must mean that relentlessness can be a path to conflict escalation and a blockade to reconciliation—both things that Jesus came to break down.  I am not saying that we should not be relentless, but that we must be cautious in our approach to it and Bevere neglects to mention this.

“Sadly, I have witnessed our spiritual (scriptural) foundations shifting to accommodate the trends and times.  It’s gotten so out of control that a minister of a large church can stand before his congregation, declare he’s a homosexual, and receive a standing ovation.  Another can declare it’s no longer God’s will to heal, and his people will believe him instead of God’s Word.  Another can author a book declaring that all humanity is going to eventually enter heaven—that no person will burn in eternal fire—and he remains a ‘rock star’ in Christendom.  Another can challenge the virgin birth and the return of Jesus Christ and still be celebrated as a leader of the Christian faith.  More and more sad scenarios such as these play out among ‘Christians’ each day.” (pg. 233).

It appears that Bevere wants to live in the comfort of the early 20^th century paradigm of Christianity.  I contend that it is just too uncomfortable for him to walk through different paradigms and perhaps face the fact that his world view may not be the correct one.  There is no doubt that Bevere’s and my worldviews with respect to what it means to be a follower of Christ are diametrical on at least several levels.  And it is scary for me to think that he may be right, which he may be.  However, I believe he is way off on what it means to be a follower of Christ with much of what he presents in his book. 

When Bevere mentions that the scriptural foundations are shifting I would say that he is correct.  However, I disagree with his assessment that this is a sad turn.  Phyllis Tickle, in her book The Great Emergence makes a very convincing argument that the church goes through these shifts every 500 years, they are good for growth, and that we are presently experiencing one of these shifts. 

Bevere also uses the Barna Group’s data to support his argument about what he believes is part of the problem with Christianity moving away from its twentieth century model:

“Some recent surveys may help us understand these ludicrous shifts.  According to one national survey, only 46 percent of ‘born-again Christians’ believe in absolute moral truth.  More than50 percent of ‘evangelical Christians’ believe people can attain heaven through avenues other than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Only 40 percent of ‘born-again Christians’ believe Satan is a real force.” (pg. 233).

This same organization has also done research on how non-Christians view Christians.  Sadly, here are some of those results:

“Non-Christians aged 16-29 years old were asked, “What is your current perception of Christianity?

• 91% said antihomosexual
• 87% said judgmental
• 85% said hypocritical
• 78% said old-fashioned
• 75% said too involved in politics
• 72% said out of touch with reality
• 70% said insensitive to others”

We are in a sad state as followers of Christ and frankly Bevere does not present much in his book to change this.  As followers of Christ those percentages above should match with loving, forgiving, merciful, peaceful, poor in spirit, meek, giving.  They should also force us to take good, long look in the mirror!  However, if one reads Bevere’s book (many have—he has some bestsellers) and agrees with most of what they are reading it is not difficult to see why those non-Christians polled by the Barna Group answered the way that they did.

I certainly would not recommend this book to anyone and I continue to be frustrated by the exclusionary stance that so many Christians take with their faith.  “We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”  This puts us all in the same proverbial boat and the body of Christ needs to recognize this and be relentless in our focus on love and inclusiveness.

My Strength/Weakness: Thirst For Knowledge

My friend Brett from the Simple Way has a great blog that you should check out!  Recently, he started a series on taking a look at one’s strengths and seeing if there is also a potential weakness in it.  Being the embracer of paradox that I am becoming I could not overlook this opportunity to participate.

Martin Luther King Jr. penned the following words from the Birmingham jail, “I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.”

I recently turned 42 and have been following my savior and mentor, Jesus, for more than half of my life. This relationship started out with things pretty black and white in my mind. However, the more I get to know this Jesus, the more I honestly believe that he is into paradox. I am not sure how I missed his quote, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first” for so long! However, this quote and my friend Brett’s idea behind a strength having the potential for being a weakness both fall into paradox which creates the tension that MLK Jr. so aptly described from his jail cell. The list of things I see as black and white these days is dwindling rapidly as I am embracing the narrative of necessary tension.

So what is my strength that is also my weakness—or what is one of my strengths that is also one of my weaknesses? I almost actually typed out knowledge as my strength—but that would be very far from the truth! However, I do have a deep drive for obtaining knowledge. I want to know a lot about a lot so that I can make a deep impact for Christ. I believe that the more I learn about a problem the better equipped I will be able to solve it. There is certainly biblical backing for this. Mark 12: 30 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” However, if I am not careful with this strength it can so easily distract me from the relational aspect of what it means to be a follower of Christ. I can very easily bury myself in books and neglect just about every relationship I have. Moreover, it leads to dependence on me rather than God—if I know enough about this issue, I can resolve it and completely leave God out of the equation.  This attitude can quickly lead to pride. Finally, knowing this is one of my strengths makes me want to focus on it because it is easy for me. And this takes me away from the areas of conflict in my life, which involves me stepping out of my introverted cocoon and entering the “nonviolent tension which is necessary” for me to grow. Jesus was most often about building relationships, and while I believe that having knowledge is important I believe it is paramount to be in relationship and community!

CREATING PLOWSHARES AND PRUNING HOOKS

A year and a week ago today my wife and I did something a little unique for my birthday.  We drove up to Philadelphia to watch a variety show called Jesus Bombs and Ice Cream.  The premise of this show organized by Shane Claiborne and his friend Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, was what would the world be like if there were fewer bombs and more ice cream?  Well, perhaps there would be some bigger waist lines. However, there would also be more smiles and more peace—seems like a really good trade off to me.

Anyway, one of the things that I vividly remember from that birthday event was an artistic welder who took an AK-47 and turned it into a shovel and a pitchfork.  This weekend I was pleasantly reminded of watching this artist work.  My wife and I organized a whitewater rafting and camping trip with some of the folks that we went to Egypt with this spring. We were enjoying our breakfast Sunday morning when I gave two of the bat-houses that the owners of the property have installed a closer look.  These bat houses were made from 20mm ammo cans.  It instantly made me think of seeing the AK-47 transformed into the shovel and pitchfork a little more than a year earlier. 

 

My friend Brett "FISH" Anderson showing off the transformed AK-47.



“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3). Witnessing both the bat houses and the AK-47 was such a great reminder that God calls us to be creative and that there are, in fact, tangible ways of seeing scripture that we so often associate with metaphor actually become reality! 



These ammo cans are no longer products of war but are now homes for mosquito consuming bats.  How awesome is that?

It Is Not What You Know, But Who You Know

I have heard this saying many times in my life.  It seems ironically sad that, to my recollection, it has always been used in the context of personally getting ahead. I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about social issues both here in the United States, where I call home, as well as issues throughout the world.  My main thoughts are about the policies that governments could implement to bring justice to these issues.  While recently pondering governmental policies and social justice, out of nowhere, the saying popped into my head.  Suddenly I realized that this saying applies to more than getting ahead in the world--it also applies to social justice issues.  This forced me to acknowledge that, more often than not, I use my thinking on how government policy can affect change as an excuse to not be relational.  This is led me to think about some recent experiences and conversations.

My Friend Aziz

I met Aziz a little more than a year ago while participating in a dual narrative tour that his company Mejdi conducts in the Middle East.  Aziz is a peacemaker by trade and after spending a week with him I considered him to be a walking encyclopedia, or, to use the parlance of our times, a Wikipedia, for Israel /Palestine!  I imagined that Aziz probably read endlessly to gain this knowledge, and I admired that trait of his character.  It would not be until more than a year later that he told me that he really did not read that much.  I remember him saying that people are books and that he likes reading people rather than books.  In other words he spent all or most of his time in relationships and that is mostly how he learned the stuff he knew.  This was really convicting to me.  Until then, I never thought you could be incredibly knowledgeable about something without reading about it.  I am so much more comfortable sitting in a recliner with a book to learn about things rather than building relationships.

My Trip To New Jerusalem In Philadelphia

Since then, I have tried to take my conversation with Aziz to heart and step out and build relationships.  For the last year I have been a part of a small group with my church that focuses on social justice issues.  Having visited The Simple Way a year ago and really enjoying my experience, I decided to lead a trip there with our small group this year.  Describing the Simple Way could take an entire blog post all of its own, so I’ll just say that the Simple Way self-describes as “a web of subversive friends conspiring to spread the vision of 'Loving God, Loving People, and Following Jesus' in our neighborhoods and in our world.”  The highlight of that trip would be our last stop at New Jerusalem. 

New Jerusalem is a drug rehabilitation home that was started by a nun named Sister Margaret.  The entire program is based around community and relational living.  It was amazing to see the support that each recovering addict gave to each other as well as to hear the harrowing stories of how they got to where they are.  It was not difficult to see that it was because of who these addicts knew, not what they knew, along with the relationships of the staff with those recovering was the reason that New Jerusalem boasts a 60% recovery rate—nearly double that of most inpatient drug recovery facilities. 

Joseph’s House

For close to four months now my wife, Hélène, and I have been visiting and volunteering at Joseph's House in Washington DC.  Joseph’s House is a house that serves as a hospice for those dying of AIDS or other terminal illnesses who do not have another place to go.  We got connected to Joseph’s House through a program that our church calls Second Saturday Serve.  Every second Saturday our church has service projects where you can just show up and participate.  The person who had arranged for us to visit Joseph’s House was going to be out of town and asked if Hélène and I could lead this service opportunity.  We jumped in and since then have been blown away by the work being done at Joseph’s House.

This is another place that is entirely centered on relationships.  Our service project for Joseph’s House that first month was to help them clean their kitchen.  I still remember walking into the house and having an immediate sense of peace.  I also remember being excited to clean the kitchen, but also pretty terrified about meeting people with HIV.  While Patty, the executive director who also lives in the house with her husband, sat down with us to explain what we would be doing, that is not primarily what I remember.  I remember her telling us that we needed to be a part of the community there, that while we were there to work, it was not so much about the task at hand but experiencing community with those in the house and community within our group.  I also remember her sharing with us about Jose, a resident there, who was dying as we worked.  We found out the following day that he passed several hours after we left.

Some Final Thoughts

My friend Aziz has not succeeded in creating Peace in Israel/Palestine.  Forty percent of those who walk through the doors of New Jerusalem will not get clean.  Joseph’s House can only house 9 people in the U.S. city with the highest rate of HIV infection of any in the country! However, Aziz, Sister Margaret and the staff at New Jerusalem, and Patty and the staff at Joseph’s House are not pondering how government policies can affect change in areas of social justice.  Nor are they spending countless hours with their noses buried in books.  They are doing the dirty, uncomfortable work of building relationships to affect change.  Instead of pointing fingers at the problem they are trying to be part of the solution.  And frankly, to be a part of a solution requires a really close look at who you know.

What next?

I frequently talk with my pastor about the poor and my beliefs that our church is not doing enough in our city to address their plight.  By saying that our church does not do enough to address the condition of the poor in our city I indict myself since I am part of the church.  How can I know what to do for the poor, if my answer to the question, “Who do you know that is poor?” is, “Nobody”?

In the spirit of stepping out from behind the comfort of my books, I have committed to lead a “mission trip” in DC this coming spring.  I put quotes “mission trip” because all that we are going to be doing is spending 72 hours on DC streets as homeless people.  The thought of this is pretty terrifying for me, but I think there is no better way to understand someone than to take some steps in their shoes, which is so difficult and challenging. Instead, most of us, especially me, want to take the easy road of using what I know to accomplish tasks.  A have a friend named Jill who happens to be a social worker.  The following is a quote from an e-mail I recently received from her, “I have so many volunteers that want to stuff envelopes or paint houses but no one wants to actually just sit and talk to someone.”  Until recently, I was one of those people Jill describes so astutely.  But after meeting people like Aziz, Patty, or Sister Margaret, I am no longer content to sit home and read books and ponder intellectual solutions for the world’s problems.  I want to read people instead of books!

I RECALL JESUS SAYING, “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.” NOT, “MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL.”

In Ron Carpenter Junior’s The Necessity of an Enemy he writes: “I believe there’s a level of wisdom and maturity that finally comes to believers who realize they don’t have to condemn or even answer the tongues that are speaking against them.  Remember: Whatever voices you recognize, you’ve decided to give them credibility and allowed them an entry point into your life” (Pg. 171).  I certainly believe this is good advice.  However, I also believe that we need to at least sometimes listen to and heed the words of those that speak against us.  The title of The Necessity of an Enemy is certainly catchy and I agree that there is a necessity for enemies in our lives.  For the most part however, that is where my agreement with what Carpenter has to say in his book ends.  While my many criticisms of Carpenter’s book are my own,  there are parts here and there that I also appreciated.  If Pastor Carpenter were to read this review I would hope that he would at least consider allowing me an entry point into his life.

Before detailing some of what I disagreed with in Carpenter’s book I wanted to provide some context to my review.  Carpenter’s impetus for writing the book mainly stems from an event in his life where the church he pastors began a single mothers ministry that ended very badly.  This ministry was started as a result of a man not long involved with the church approaching Carpenter with the idea.  The ministry was doing great and was even receiving media attention.  It was also receiving monetary investments in large sums.  Not long after these investments came in the man with the idea of the ministry skipped town with the money, resulting in Carpenter being investigated by the FBI.  Carpenter was completely innocent and his church community had been swindled!

I have never experienced anything even close to resembling the kind of betrayal that Pastor Carpenter experienced in my life.  Personally, I like to believe that I live out Jesus’ words of, “Love your enemies.”  If I am honest though, I must admit that I have never really been in a situation that stretches my ability to follow this command and certainly not anything close to what Ron Carpenter had to go through.  This incident in Carpenter’s life sets the stage for the rest of the book.  While I do not agree with most of what Carpenter contends with respect to enemies, without going through something similar myself I cannot say that my ideas on enemies would be much different from Carpenters.  Therefore, I was concerned with how to write a negative review of a book without assassinating the character of the writer.  This, for me, is a challenge!  Therefore, please read what follows critically and with an open mind.  Feel free to disagree or agree—with parts or with the whole.  Also please keep in mind that while I am reviewing a book, I am not reviewing a person.

One, if not the biggest, issue that I have with Carpenter’s book is its failure to distinguish between enemies that are people and enemies that are not people.  By enemies that are not people I mean such things as chemical addictions, lust, greed which all stem from the ultimate enemy Satan.  His book does not have conventional chapters but is broken into small sections, each of which fall into nine different parts.  The following is the title of those parts:

-Part 1: The Necessity

-Part 2: The Plan

-Part 3: The Target

-Part 4: The Enemy Within

-Part 5: Weapons of Mass Destruction

-Part 6: Prowling Your Neighborhood

-Part 7: How to Fight to Win

-Part 8: The Spoils of Victory

Every one of these parts can be interpreted through the lens of war.  Failing to distinguish between human enemies and non-human enemies while using war language does not strike me as something that, in my opinion, Jesus would do.  I honestly believe that a book on The Necessity of an Enemy really needs to be broken into two very clear categories of enemy: our human enemies, and our non-human ones.

“They will beat the swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”  This passage is found in two of the Old Testament Prophets (Isaiah 2 and Micah 4) and if you are not going to start with Jesus’ command to “love your enemies” found in Matthew 5 this prophecy regarding war would be a good place to start for writing a book about enemies.  The story of the Good Samaritan would also be a good place to start.  Carpenter's book however does not really touch on any of these verses or stories in the Bible.

Carpenter’s book, however seems fixated on making our enemies footstools.  “God’s intent is to make all your enemies your footstools” (Pg. 166).   “As you move through life and ascend to new levels of potential and breakthrough, you’ll discover that your enemies are just as essential as your friends; in fact, they may be even more critical in your times of transition, if you’ll recognize them for the stepstools they are for you” (Pg. 11).  Personally, I believe God calls us to at least try to make our enemies our allies through love.  Nowhere in the New Testament does God call us to make our enemies our footstools if that enemy is another human being.  Of course, “Till I make thine enemies thy footstool” is in three of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. In those three gospels it is the same story of Jesus speaking to the Pharisees and quoting Psalm 110:1.  I contend that Jesus is using this quote to challenge the Pharisees regarding who Jesus is.  Psalm 110:1 reads: “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’”  Jesus is concerned with, “The Lord said to my Lord” part of this passage because the Pharisees know Jesus comes from the line of David and believe that he is not the messiah.  Jesus therefore asks the Pharisees to explain why David, being the King of Israel and therefore having no Lord, would start one of his Psalms with “The Lord said to my Lord.”  I further contend that Jesus continues with “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” to put the Psalm in context, that is, making sure that the Pharisees know that it is a Psalm of David. I honestly believe that Carpenter’s book has missed the point here—I would perhaps even say that the book has hi-jacked this verse and avoided the paramount topic of reconciliation.

Despite my belief that Carpenter’s book has really missed the point with the necessity of an enemy, some passages pleasantly surprised me.  For example, Carpenter mentions that he wants to “…confront racism in the church and to seek to help break the bondage of poverty in this region” (Pg. 38).  Both of these speak to me and I would be very interested in reading a book by Carpenter that addresses these issues.  Furthermore, toward the end of the book Carpenter pens my favorite paragraph from the entire book: “Jesus always had a way of creating an atmosphere where weakness could be revealed, but we have developed in families, in friendships, and especially in churches today an atmosphere where weaknesses are hidden.  This pressure to be okay and not have our problems show isolates us further from the people and places we should be able to go to for healing of our internal struggles”  (Pg. 199).  This reconciliatory paragraph appears paradoxical when taken with the context of adversarial-enemy relations that the rest of the book presents.  However, being toward the end of the book my hope and prayer is that it is reconciliation that Pastor Carpenter is moving toward rather than the adversarial confrontation  dominating much of the earlier parts of the book.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah, who I would like to express sincere gratitude toward for allowing me to share my honest thoughts, insights and criticisms.

Justice Work and Humility

I am currently reading Kenneth Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.  I feel really fortunate to be on a roll with books lately—I am both enjoying and being challenged by them.  I was compiling notes today on Bailey’s chapter on “The Parable of the Rich Fool” Found in Luke 12:13-21.  The following quote rings so true for my life regarding fighting for justice, “Another difficulty is that the person who fights for a just cause usually thinks that he or she is thereby a just person.  Everything such a person does in fighting for that cause usually becomes right in his or her eyes.  Woe to those who fall under the sway of this kind of self-created justice.  This parable presents a new perspective on the cry for justice.”  

This quote hits home for me!  The more I feel called to justice and the more I pursue it the more I realize how easy it is to become prideful and thereby believe that I am just.  The only way I have found to combat this is to ask for humility through prayer.  In fact, convincing myself to write this blog entry is helping me confirm how lacking I am in justice work—a definite answer to prayer in writing and sharing this.  

Sadly, I am thinking over the last week looking for a single example where an act of mine was intentionally done in the name of justice and I am drawing a blank.  I can think and have just thoughts, but they are really meaningless if they are not put into action.  This means it is time to start looking for and seizing opportunities to act on behalf of “the least of these.”

Quiet Speaks Volumes

Cain has written a remarkable book that is both thoroughly researched and beneficial not only to introverts but to extroverts as well.  While Quiet is not a biography, Cain uses many biographical references juxtaposed with psychological studies to support her argument that introverts are overlooked, oppressed even,  in Western society despite having just as much, even more in some cases, to offer than extroverts.  Of course Cain is writing subjectively being an introvert herself.  However, she does not use the book as a platform to bash extroverts.   She contends that extroverts and introverts both have much to offer and rather than societies favoring one personality type over another there needs to be partnership between both.  She argues that in current Western mentality, extroverts are exalted while introverts are viewed as weak or lacking in character.  According to Cain, this painfully overlooks the fact that there is strength in the quiet introvert. 

In her introduction Cain writes about the partnership of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Parks herself seemed aware of this paradox, calling her autobiography Quiet Strength—a title that challenges us to question our assumptions.  Why shouldn’t quiet be strong?  And what else can quiet do that we don’t give it credit for?...Take the partnership of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.: a formidable orator refusing to give up his seat on a segregated bus wouldn’t have had the same effect as a modest woman who’d clearly prefer to keep silent but for the exigencies of the situation…Yet today we make room for a remarkably narrow range of personality styles.  We’re told that to be great is to be bold, to be happy is to be sociable.  We see ourselves as a nation of extroverts—which means that we’ve lost sight of who we really are“(Pg. 2-3).

The book is divided into four sections: 1) The Extrovert Ideal; 2) Your Biology, Your Self?; 3) Do All Cultures Have An Extrovert Ideal; 4) How To Love, How To Work. In the first section Cain demonstrates how extroversion has come to be the standard for Western society.  Cain convincingly argues that the rise of the Extrovert Ideal began with Dale Carnegie.  She writes, “Carnegie’s metamorphosis from farmboy to salesman to public-speaking icon is also the story of the rise of the extrovert ideal…America had shifted from what the influential cultural historian Warren Susman called a Culture of Character to a Culture of Personality…when they embraced the Culture of Personality, Americans started to focus on how others perceived them.  They became captivated by people who were bold and entertaining” (Pg. 20-21).  Cain also shares stories about attending a Tony Robbins Unleash-The-Power-Within seminar and visiting Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church to further support her contention of the Extrovert Ideal.

Cain’s distaste for the Tony Robbins seminar and her experience with  Saddleback Church resonate with me—I completely indentify with her!  I feel like these kinds of institutions are pushed upon us by society and Cain convincingly argues that while these institutions may be good for extroverts they are not the best environments for introverts to thrive and our western society would be much better served if this was recognized resulting in more introverted-friendly institutions or environments.

Having established that the West lives within the paradigm of the Extrovert Ideal, Cain looks at the psychology and science related to extroversion and introversion in the second section.  The studies that Cain presents are both enlightening and fascinating.  It was interesting for me at least to learn that evidence suggests that 40 to 50 percent of introvertedness and extrovertedness is genetic (Pg. 108).  I was relieved to learn that a third to half of Westerners are introverted.  Moreover, the fact that introvertedness can be tied to genetics gave more credence to the fact that I am normal.  Finally, as a quick aside to this section if one is not familiar with the life of Eleanor Roosevelt the brief, yet fascinating, biography found at the beginning of chapter 6 alone makes Cain’s book worth purchasing.    

In the third section, Cain looks at Eastern cultures and shows that the Extrovert Ideal is not universal.  In this section she spends time interviewing Asian students from Harvard’s business school and high school students from a public school system in California.  Cain writes, “Individuals in Asia see themselves as part of a greater whole—whether family, corporation, or community—and place tremendous value on harmony within their group.  They often subordinate their own desires to the group’s interest accepting their place in its hierarchy.  Western culture, by contrast, is organized around the individual” (Pg. 188-189).  If there is one area that lacked research in this book this would be it—her research seemed to be limited to those from Eastern cultural backgrounds residing in our Western culture.  It would have been interesting to read about a more thorough discussion of firsthand experience with Eastern cultures.

The fourth section can be best summed up in Cain’s words, “Probably the most common—and damaging—misunderstanding about personality type is that introverts are antisocial and extroverts are pro-social.  But as we’ve seen, neither formulation is correct; introverts and extroverts are differently social” (Pg. 226).  Cain also argues that there is a time for introverts to put on an extroverted face, she writes, “Yes, we are only pretending to be extroverts, and yes, such inauthenticity can be morally ambiguous (not to mention exhausting), but if it’s in the service of love or a professional calling, then we’re just as Shakespeare advised…’To thine own self be true’” (Pg. 210). 

At one point in the book I wrote in the margins, “When you boil it down this book is essentially about relationships.”  Of course no one is a pure introvert nor a pure extrovert but all of us are going to lean one direction or the other and fall on different points along the spectrum.  Cain’s book has helped me realize that if we are more sensitive to these leanings we can be more productive as a society and more importantly we can have more meaning in our lives because our relationships will be deeper.

Frankly, this book spoke to me.  For my whole life I have struggled with the fact that I am a “quiet” person and very introverted—not necessarily shy but, yes, introverted.  I was frustrated that I did not fit what seems to be the norm for our society.  After reading Cain’s book I am both thankful for who I am and much more comfortable with who I am.  For the first time I believe that I have a lot to offer not in spite of my introvertedness but because of my introvertedness.  Moreover, this book helped lessen my animosity toward extroverts because I no longer need to be envious of them and this will allow me to approach them in love and community.  I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah for the purposes of this review.