Doris Betts, who taught creative writing at UNC-Chapel Hill for many years and who has written a number of novels herself, has a character in a story observer that people sure have changed. The character says that people used to go on trips to see how things are in other places. People used to go and see the wonders of creation. But people now have changed. They go to see what somebody has made. They go to see and visit what somebody sat in an office and made up. They designed it. They built it and now they charge you money to see it. People used to go see the Grand Canyon now they go to Las Vegas. They used to go to Florida for the beaches. Now they go to Disney Land (or World, I can never remember which is in Florida and which is in California). They used to go to see what we had been given. Now they go to see what we have made and have to pay.
I do not know whether or not that is true. I do not know whether you would call the number one tourist attraction in North Carolina, The Blue Ridge Parkway, something that was built or something that enables people to see what we have been given. I do know that when I mentioned that I was going to Tanzania to see the Serengeti Plains, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the Olduvai Gorge with all the wild animals, a man said you can go to a place in Florida to see all those animals and it is safer. Well, I want to see them as nearly as natural as I can, the way they have been given to us in the wild.
According to a number of religious traditions humanity was given responsibility for caring for creation. Looking at things in the Gulf right now it does not appear that we have done a very good job of that care or protection. On the one hand it means that we better go see nature as it was created quickly because it will not last very long, and we may need to study them to see if we can find a way to be better stewards of the gifts we have been given.
I am excited about the trip. It is a big world and it is a gift to be enjoyed.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Erosion
Words to a song get stuck in your mind and often can almost drive you crazy. So phrases and slogans can stick with us and ramble around in the brain. The picturesque point in the New Testament about "moth and rust" that destroy has been entertaining me. What continues to strike me as interesting is that it is the fragile thing that can destroy the stronger thing. The moth would certainly seem to be more fragile than the coat. Rust is just a powder yet it destroys the sword. There is a word of warning that we need to be careful of the weaker things because they have power to overthrown the mighty things. Of course, we have celebrated that when we claim that the pen is mightier than the sword. But there may be a down side as well
Certainly there is evidence from history that it is soft doubt and lack of convictions that can topple societies. I think there is a poem which suggest that anarchy comes when the best lack all conviction. The frightening thing, I think, about the current Terrorists is that they are zealots. They have great conviction and they are engaging a western civilization which seems to be so unsure of anything that it has no power or position with which to counter the attack.
The moth, the rust, the drip of water, the gradual assumption of moral relativity, the soft acceptance of "anything goes" suggest that it is so easy for the soft things to destroy the strong things.
Certainly there is evidence from history that it is soft doubt and lack of convictions that can topple societies. I think there is a poem which suggest that anarchy comes when the best lack all conviction. The frightening thing, I think, about the current Terrorists is that they are zealots. They have great conviction and they are engaging a western civilization which seems to be so unsure of anything that it has no power or position with which to counter the attack.
The moth, the rust, the drip of water, the gradual assumption of moral relativity, the soft acceptance of "anything goes" suggest that it is so easy for the soft things to destroy the strong things.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Source of Hope
First, a small point of personal privilege. I think it began in the 8th grade when I started playing basketball, but "getting into double figures" has always been a source of great satisfaction. To average double figures as a basketball player was a goal. Even in the pro's they count the double double and triple doubles of the stars. Then when I became the Pastor of Bethel Presbyterian Church I was the 10th pastor in their 225 year history. The first four ministers served for a 160 years. Yeah, the average pastorate was 40 years each. The next six did not do as well. But I told them how excited I was to be the pastor who reached double figures. I was the first one to get double figures. Now I am excited and pleased to get double figures in the followers of this blog. There are 10 people who follow this blog. And I am very grateful to all of them.
A friend just suggested that the Bible may be called the Good Book, but when it comes to reading a book, most people would rather have a naughty book. People claim to believe what the Bible says but they do not know what it says. Today is celebrated in the Christian tradition as Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples. The Spirit of anything is the power that gives it life. That is why Mary Kay and Wal Mart have all those pep rallies and associates gatherings. The power of the Marines is its spirit. The Spirit gives energy, power, determination, and joy. The Spirit comes to a group as it lives and struggles together for a purpose. The Christian spirit is in the church as it lives and struggles to be the body of Christ. Muslims have a Spirit.
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to give life to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit is the gift that brings us into contact with the story of the Scriptures so that those stories are part of our living conversation. The Holy Spirit brings alive the stories of the Scriptures so that we read those stories as stories of real people with real lives, with real challenges, with real doubts, and with real decisions. The Voice of God did not speak to Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Jeremiah, and the rest any more clearly than the Voice of God whispers to us. The Spirit of God enables us to realize that the presence of God is found in the give and take of every day life. There were lots of other voices and powers claiming to be God's voice in Jeremiah's day.
The Holy Spirit is given to give encouragement to us as we read the Scriptures to hope that whereas those in the past have found God in the midst of their daily, average, ordinary lives so too we will hear and find the voice of God as we struggle to hear it in our confused and complicated lives. The Holy Spirit comes to bring to life the struggle to hear and to be faithful to what we hear. The Holy Spirit comes in fellowship with others who are searching and who know that the search and the seeking after truth and justice matter. It is not so much that God did stuff in the past, the Holy Spirit brings those stories alive so that we might be alert to where that voice is speaking now.
A friend just suggested that the Bible may be called the Good Book, but when it comes to reading a book, most people would rather have a naughty book. People claim to believe what the Bible says but they do not know what it says. Today is celebrated in the Christian tradition as Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples. The Spirit of anything is the power that gives it life. That is why Mary Kay and Wal Mart have all those pep rallies and associates gatherings. The power of the Marines is its spirit. The Spirit gives energy, power, determination, and joy. The Spirit comes to a group as it lives and struggles together for a purpose. The Christian spirit is in the church as it lives and struggles to be the body of Christ. Muslims have a Spirit.
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to give life to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit is the gift that brings us into contact with the story of the Scriptures so that those stories are part of our living conversation. The Holy Spirit brings alive the stories of the Scriptures so that we read those stories as stories of real people with real lives, with real challenges, with real doubts, and with real decisions. The Voice of God did not speak to Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Jeremiah, and the rest any more clearly than the Voice of God whispers to us. The Spirit of God enables us to realize that the presence of God is found in the give and take of every day life. There were lots of other voices and powers claiming to be God's voice in Jeremiah's day.
The Holy Spirit is given to give encouragement to us as we read the Scriptures to hope that whereas those in the past have found God in the midst of their daily, average, ordinary lives so too we will hear and find the voice of God as we struggle to hear it in our confused and complicated lives. The Holy Spirit comes to bring to life the struggle to hear and to be faithful to what we hear. The Holy Spirit comes in fellowship with others who are searching and who know that the search and the seeking after truth and justice matter. It is not so much that God did stuff in the past, the Holy Spirit brings those stories alive so that we might be alert to where that voice is speaking now.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Not Getting What you Want?
We were driving through eastern North Carolina. We would go through these little communities. There would be four shops, a gas station, and ten churches. There was all the evidence you need for why the South is called the Bible Belt. The buildings were small. There were of all kinds of construction. They had all kinds of different names: First Divine Temple of the Living God; The Higher Hope; Missionary Zion Apostles; Redeemer's Home.
I mentioned that on the Henderson Board of Adjustment of the City Zoning, we had had more requests for special use permits for churches than any other request. The person I was riding with said something about how much better it would be to build one big church and bring them all together. But then she said that she could understand why people would keep looking for a church. "If they are not getting what they want from a church, they ought to check out others until they find what they need."
That thought provoked from me the response, "Get what they wanted? There is a very long line of people in the Bible who never got what they wanted from God. Moses did not want the job. Jeremiah did not want the job of being a prophet. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. Daniel did not want to go into the Lion's den. Jesus did not want to go to the Cross. Paul was opposed to the whole Christian movement. Where did we get the idea that we know what we need in our spiritual life? In fact, maybe the place where you are hearing exactly what you don't want to hear is the place where God is most directly dealing with you."
In fact, I would be willing to wager that it is more often than not where we are being told what we do not want to hear that we have the chance of being guided by the Holy.
I mentioned that on the Henderson Board of Adjustment of the City Zoning, we had had more requests for special use permits for churches than any other request. The person I was riding with said something about how much better it would be to build one big church and bring them all together. But then she said that she could understand why people would keep looking for a church. "If they are not getting what they want from a church, they ought to check out others until they find what they need."
That thought provoked from me the response, "Get what they wanted? There is a very long line of people in the Bible who never got what they wanted from God. Moses did not want the job. Jeremiah did not want the job of being a prophet. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. Daniel did not want to go into the Lion's den. Jesus did not want to go to the Cross. Paul was opposed to the whole Christian movement. Where did we get the idea that we know what we need in our spiritual life? In fact, maybe the place where you are hearing exactly what you don't want to hear is the place where God is most directly dealing with you."
In fact, I would be willing to wager that it is more often than not where we are being told what we do not want to hear that we have the chance of being guided by the Holy.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Greater of These
NBC Nightly News carried the story. The man had been in prison for thirty years. He had been convicted of rape of an eleven year old girl. Throughout those thirty years he always maintained that he had not committed the rape. Finally science and technology progressed, and out of an old blanket that had been kept in the evidence room, they were able to find some DNA of the man who committed the rape. It was not the DNA of the man who had been in prison for thirty years. The Nightly News story was about the man's release,declaration of innocence, and return to civilization.
While being interviewed all the man could do was talk about how grateful he was to be out; how excited he was to be home; what a delight to walk around and see all the things like cell phones, ipod, laptops, and ipads at the malls. He was planning on seeing a Cavalier basketball game in person as guest of the team.
It was not a long interview and it was only a few days after he had had the verdict set aside, released, and his record cleared when they talked with him. His reaction during the interview was all in the direction of joy, thanksgiving, release, and celebration.
The whole story caused me to wonder about our human responses to the things that happen to us. It would seem to me that there might be two major responses in him: great joy and thanksgiving for being released and great anger,resentment,sorrow and hostility towards the system that never believed him and took thirty years away from him. Thanksgiving is the dominant response now. Does the anger come later? Do they alternate in his days. Some days thinking how wonderful it is to be out finally. Some days tasting bitterness for all the years that were taken from him.
Is his thanksgiving and delight a personal response and others might be more consumed by bitterness? Is there a pattern that those who have been captured and imprisoned for a long time are so relieved and happy to be finally freed that the joy overwhelms the heart and thanksgiving is the dominant response? Will there come moments when he regrets being free and would like the security and routine of his former life?
The story is a source of lots of interesting questions about human emotions. Lots of people are in their own prisons and are offered freedom and pardon. Is thanksgiving and celebration the abiding dominant reaction to freedom?
While being interviewed all the man could do was talk about how grateful he was to be out; how excited he was to be home; what a delight to walk around and see all the things like cell phones, ipod, laptops, and ipads at the malls. He was planning on seeing a Cavalier basketball game in person as guest of the team.
It was not a long interview and it was only a few days after he had had the verdict set aside, released, and his record cleared when they talked with him. His reaction during the interview was all in the direction of joy, thanksgiving, release, and celebration.
The whole story caused me to wonder about our human responses to the things that happen to us. It would seem to me that there might be two major responses in him: great joy and thanksgiving for being released and great anger,resentment,sorrow and hostility towards the system that never believed him and took thirty years away from him. Thanksgiving is the dominant response now. Does the anger come later? Do they alternate in his days. Some days thinking how wonderful it is to be out finally. Some days tasting bitterness for all the years that were taken from him.
Is his thanksgiving and delight a personal response and others might be more consumed by bitterness? Is there a pattern that those who have been captured and imprisoned for a long time are so relieved and happy to be finally freed that the joy overwhelms the heart and thanksgiving is the dominant response? Will there come moments when he regrets being free and would like the security and routine of his former life?
The story is a source of lots of interesting questions about human emotions. Lots of people are in their own prisons and are offered freedom and pardon. Is thanksgiving and celebration the abiding dominant reaction to freedom?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Anger and Frustration
The room was full of politics. All of us there were waiting and watching the election returns of the May Primary. The distinguished gentleman next to me was observing that "the Tea Party Revolution" was going to be a major factor in the coming election in November 2010. "Whatever passion and anger that is driving that crowd is going to have to be acknowledged and dealt with," he said.
There was more conversation about the world of politics, and he later commented that there was an inevitable merging of government agencies that regulate industries with the industries themselves. EPA regulators become officers in corporations that have environmental issues and corporate officers are appointed to regulatory agencies. Security and Exchange Commission eventually gets identical to investment firms. The people who are supposed to regulate industries are best friends with the people in the industries.
Perhaps that is one of the sources for the anger and frustration of the Tea Party people. Government is not working for the people. I think a lot of us believe that Government is supposed to be on the citizen's side. Government is supposed, we hear so often, to work for the little people. But government is not working that way.
Government is supposed to protect miners from disasters, but the Government agency that regulates mines finds violations of safety issues but cannot make the corporation comply. Government is supposed to protect us from environmental crisis but the agencies that regulation the oil industry do not require planning for disasters. One chance in a thousand is dismissed as "never happen." The Food and Drug administration is supposed to protect us from tainted food, but again and again violations and no action.
There is great joy and celebration when agencies cooperate and capture a terrorists in 54 hours. That shows that government can work. That is what we want. We want government to protect us from the dangers. There is greed and evil in all of us and it is even greater in corporations. There are national problems that only national government is big enough to address. Government is suppose to keep those evil powers in check. But the anger and frustration is that government is no working for us.
The immigration issue is an issue that needs national solution, but Government is not working. Airline industries need to be required to do safety inspections but Government deregulated them. Who inspects sheet rock from China for construction or toys with lead paint? Why does the Auto industry get to tell Congress how many miles per gallon they want? Government is supposed to work to protect the people from pollution.
John Calvin set up the Presbyterian form of government because of the doctrine of depravity of humanity. All of us are tainted with selfishness and pride. The job of the committee is put limits on the temptations of each other. I try to limit your reach of selfishness and you limit mine. As the Supreme Court has just reaffirmed Corporations are individuals in the law. Well, we need some power to be the one who watches the reach of selfishness and greed in the corporations and government is supposed to be that watcher. It is not working or it is doing a very poor job of it. No wonder a lot of people are angry and frustrated and ready to "revolt."
There was more conversation about the world of politics, and he later commented that there was an inevitable merging of government agencies that regulate industries with the industries themselves. EPA regulators become officers in corporations that have environmental issues and corporate officers are appointed to regulatory agencies. Security and Exchange Commission eventually gets identical to investment firms. The people who are supposed to regulate industries are best friends with the people in the industries.
Perhaps that is one of the sources for the anger and frustration of the Tea Party people. Government is not working for the people. I think a lot of us believe that Government is supposed to be on the citizen's side. Government is supposed, we hear so often, to work for the little people. But government is not working that way.
Government is supposed to protect miners from disasters, but the Government agency that regulates mines finds violations of safety issues but cannot make the corporation comply. Government is supposed to protect us from environmental crisis but the agencies that regulation the oil industry do not require planning for disasters. One chance in a thousand is dismissed as "never happen." The Food and Drug administration is supposed to protect us from tainted food, but again and again violations and no action.
There is great joy and celebration when agencies cooperate and capture a terrorists in 54 hours. That shows that government can work. That is what we want. We want government to protect us from the dangers. There is greed and evil in all of us and it is even greater in corporations. There are national problems that only national government is big enough to address. Government is suppose to keep those evil powers in check. But the anger and frustration is that government is no working for us.
The immigration issue is an issue that needs national solution, but Government is not working. Airline industries need to be required to do safety inspections but Government deregulated them. Who inspects sheet rock from China for construction or toys with lead paint? Why does the Auto industry get to tell Congress how many miles per gallon they want? Government is supposed to work to protect the people from pollution.
John Calvin set up the Presbyterian form of government because of the doctrine of depravity of humanity. All of us are tainted with selfishness and pride. The job of the committee is put limits on the temptations of each other. I try to limit your reach of selfishness and you limit mine. As the Supreme Court has just reaffirmed Corporations are individuals in the law. Well, we need some power to be the one who watches the reach of selfishness and greed in the corporations and government is supposed to be that watcher. It is not working or it is doing a very poor job of it. No wonder a lot of people are angry and frustrated and ready to "revolt."
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