"Do you have good religion?"

Ever since reading The Children, by David Halberstam, I've been a huge fan of Rev. James Lawson. (Did I mention huge?? Completely in awe of him, might be more accurate.) So, I was excited when I got to church last Sunday and noticed that he was the scheduled preacher of the day. As expected, he did not disappoint.

"Do you have good religion?" he started. The topic already interested me.

"I know God has a hand on my life, but I have questions about what religion has convinced me to believe," he continued. I'm quickly getting sucked in and started wondering, "How is he going to break this down...and what is he going to say that I can apply to my life?"


It was very apparent to me that Dr. Lawson doesn't live in his Civil-Rights-hero past. He is very much in the present. However, to illustrate his point, he told about his experience on the Freedom Ride. He explained that during the stop where they were beaten and then arrested and put in jail, they experienced a lot of hatred and terrible actions. While in jail, they dealt with one guard in particular who was terribly abusive. Yet, even while experiencing the hatred and evil that came from him, Dr. Lawson recognized, "This man is a neighbor according to Jesus."

Wow. My faith just came alive again! All of a sudden, I had a new realization of what I do and why I do it! In the incidents I briefly explained in my last post, the drug dealer is a neighbor. The guy who was so "out there" on drugs that he traumatized several people is a neighbor. The guy who jumped me a few years ago for a few dollars is a neighbor.

Dr. Lawson went on to explain how they approached the situation in the jail cell. "We will try to treat that man the way he did not treat himself," he told everyone and then explained to the guard, "You are still a child of God and we will still treat you as our neighbor."

Again, wow. That is powerful stuff!

And what was the result of their actions? 

Change.

Did it work for everyone? No. Was it over night? No. Is racial reconciliation perfect today? No. But by approaching everyone as a child of God, what Dr. Lawson realized was that, "We have the opportunity to help our neighbor and to help them come alive--NOT by asking them if they have been saved!"

Dr. Lawson realized that the most powerful way to demonstrate Christ is not to ask if they've been saved or to work on "saving" them. After all, we can't save someone else, anyway, can we? The most powerful demonstration of Christ is to treat the person like a neighbor who doesn't even treat himself that way.

Our world is different today because of what people like Dr. Lawson did back then. How can I do my part today to make the world different for the generation behind me? The lesson is no different and it is no small statement.

Treat even the seemingly most "untreatable" as my neighbor.

A Portrait of Christ

A Portrait of Christ from Jeremy Cowart on Vimeo.

What does Christ look like? Is Christ male? What ethnicity?

All of these questions were very cut and dry for me as a child. It wasn't that anyone told me those answers, necessarily. We just knew. He's male. He's white. He has long, brown hair.

This video is a much better representation to me of who Christ really is. Christ is not a he or a she. Christ cannot be limited to a pronoun. Christ is Christ. Period. Christ represents us. And in representing us, Christ is a combination and compilation of every single person, no matter what color of skin, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic level, region of the world, etc.

I love that thought.

Book Review: Evolving in MonkeyTown

Evolving in MonkeyTown by Rachel Held Evans wasn't necessarily the most eye-opening or inspiring book to me. Perhaps that's because I've already started figuring out what she writes about--it's not about figuring it out! It's about the process and the questions...and that's ok.

"The problem with fundamentalism is that it can't adapt to change." ~pg. 18

Being a Christian isn't about biding my time until death. It's not about attending certain religious services. It isn't even about making sure to associate with other Christians. Christianity is about embodiment. It's about living as Christ lived and embodying that spirit with people. It's about messing that up on a daily basis and continuing to work toward that example. It's about having conversations with people...conversations that question and challenge each other in a back and forth seeking of understanding and coming to new realizations about what it means for me to be a Christian or a person of faith.

"...faith must adapt in order to survive." ~pg.212

"What my generation is learning the hard way is that faith is not about defending conquered ground but about discovering new territory. Faith isn'g about being right, or settling down, or refusing to change. Faith is a journey, and every generation contributes its own sketches to the map." ~pg. 220

My faith has been and is still a journey. It's my journey. Faith isn't a set of answers someone can hand to me to prepare for the "test." Faith is my own study, exploration, and discovery. And wherever I am on that point is just fine. It's a continuum that none of us will ever fully achieve. It's not possible. So there is no need to judge or ridicule anyone else for their journey. We challenge and question each other, have the conversation, and aspire to be better people.

See Rachel Held Evans' blog here.

Learning about Islam

I have a lot of opinions. If you haven't heard any of them, please feel free to ask. I would be happy to share! Of course, I also believe strongly in education. I think it's important to put the two together. You may not agree with me on everything...nor I with you...but I can respect your argument more if you have done some research on it.

Growing up, I also had opinions. I knew what I believed about gay people, religion, teen moms, poverty, and any other controversial issue. Once I moved to Dallas and met people who fit into every category I had already formed opinions about, my thoughts and opinions began changing. I began learning that everything is not as it appears on the surface. As a result, I have tried to challenge myself to be involved in various situations (that are sometimes uncomfortable). Invariably, what usually happens is once in the situation, I realize that the things we form such strong opinions are much different than we have created in our mind. I have learned to love these new experiences and love how they challenge my own opinions.

I started my New Year off right by going with a friend of mine to the Mosque. Since I had never been before, I wasn't sure what to tell people I was doing. I mean, I usually tell people I'm going to church if I go to a religious function. So, I asked my friends, "What do you guys say you're going to?" To which they replied, "We're going to mosque." Duh. It's no different. Just a different word.

My friend's wife allowed me to wear one of her abiyas. Some people wear western clothes with a head covering, but the majority wear the complete abiya, which is a beautiful dress-like covering that has a wrap that goes over and around the head. All women must have their head covered. 

It didn't occur to me that we would be separated into men and women so I was really glad that my friend's wife was going as well. Otherwise, I would have had no idea what to do! When we walked in, we removed our shoes at the door (there is a place for shoes). We (the women) went in a different entrance than the men. There was a cleansing place for people who haven't done their ceremonial cleansing before prayers. I learned there is a very specific ritual that goes along with that cleansing. We walked up the stairs to sit in a room that had lines taped to the floor so we would know where to sit (no benches or seats). Most people were kneeling already. Some were praying in preparation for the service. My friend's wife and I sat in the back since she had a child. She was great about explaining everything to me. 

Though the service was done in English and Arabic (though many people in the mosque don't understand Arabic any more than I do), I started realizing, "Wait a minute! This sounds like the sermons I heard growing up!"

The preacher, priest, speaker (...hmmm...I don't know what he was called) talked about the daily prayers Muslims are expected to do. He challenged the audience. "Do you even know what you're praying?!" and challenged them to not just allow prayer to become a ritual but that they really be meaningful prayers.

I remember sermons like that! In our church, they used to talk about how the service had become so ritual...two songs, prayer, sermon, two songs. They challenged us to take to heart the words of the songs and not just sing what we had memorized from childhood.

As we were leaving the service, we stopped because someone was saying something over the speakers. My friend explained to me that someone was just converting to Islam and was saying the standardized vows.

We have that, too! At the end of each service, people are asked to come forward and repent or convert. When they do, they are asked specific questions, "Do you believe in the son of God?" I can't remember the other things they tell them, but it was very similar to what we were listening to over the speaker!

As we walked out, people were hanging out talking with each other and catching up with their friends.

On the way home, my friends asked me what questions I had. We talked about some of the things that occurred and I will probably ask more questions as I think about them. If I want, the mosque is open on Sundays from 1:30-2:30 specifically for people to go in, ask questions, and learn about Islam (there's a sign in front of the mosque saying this).

Though there are some differences (like wearing head coverings and separating men and women...which makes a lot of sense to prevent distractions), the biggest and most important thing I learned from my experience is that "mosque" is not that different from "church." My friends are people of faith just as I am. The difference is the venue we choose, not the faith we profess.

Merry X-mas

I learned something the other day.

X-mas is perfectly legit. No more reason to panic because, "They're taking the Christ out of Christmas!" ...because they're not. X is a symbol for "chi" in Greek. (How did I forget that from my college years and my desire to be in a Greek sorority??)

I learned that tidbit of information the other day from a friend who is in seminary. But since you don't have access to her, here is an abbreviated version through Wikipedia:

Usage of X for Christ in ancient languages

The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as ☧, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches.

The occasionally held belief that the "X" represents the cross on which Christ was crucified also has no basis in fact. Saint Andrew's Cross is X-shaped, but Christ's cross was probably shaped like a T or a †. Indeed, X-as-chi was associated with Christ long before X-as-cross could be, since the cross as a Christian symbol developed later. (The Greek letter Chi Χ stood for "Christ" in the ancient Greek acrostic ΙΧΘΥΣ ichthys.) While some see the spelling of Christmas as Xmas a threat, others see it as a way to honor the martyrs. The use of X as an abbreviation for "cross" in modern abbreviated writing (e.g. "King's X" for "King's Cross") may have reinforced this assumption.

In ancient Christian art, χ and χρ are abbreviations for Christ's name. In many manuscripts of the New Testament and icons, X is an abbreviation for Christos, as is XC (the first and last letters in Greek, using the lunate sigma); compare IC for Jesus in Greek.

So, no more panic. When someone texts, writes, or says, "Merry Xmas!" be reassured that people over the years have not left Christ out of it. They simply had a broader base of knowledge than we do now. And now you know what they knew all along. In our day of 140 character texts and tweets, this is great news!

Merry Xmas everyone!

Who are mission trips for?

Bob Lupton does amazing urban ministry in Atlanta. He has a way of saying things I want to say, but he seems to always add a little twist that creates a profound challenge to my thinking.

Honorable Marketing
August 2009

Cheerios just got a black eye. For as long as I can remember, those little round “O”s have been a breakfast favorite of both children and adults. Kids have spelled words with them in their cereal bowls, moms have carried baggies of them in their purses for snacks, dads have shoveled down spoonfuls as they hurried out the door on the way to work. In recent years these nutritious, fiber-rich, toasted 100% whole grain oat delights have boasted an amazing ability to lower bad cholesterol. I believed them. Who wouldn’t believe in Cheerios? Then some whistle-blower or competitor cried foul and the Federal Trade Commission took a close look at these health claims. Cheerios may be nutritious but no longer can they claim to lower cholesterol. They got caught doing false advertising.

Is it buyer beware or do we want government watchdogs checking the validity of our marketing practices? Frankly, I’m glad there is some ethical standard in our society that attempts to maintain a modicum of honesty. Can you imagine living in a culture where you could believe nothing that you read or heard? What chaos! I’m disappointed in Cheerios. I wish their advertising were as wholesome as their 100% whole grain oats. But I’ll keep eating the little “O”s for breakfast. And I’ll also keep taking my cholesterol pills.

The Federal Trade Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government, is charged with keeping American business free and fair. Included in its many responsibilities is “to prevent the dissemination of false and deceptive advertising of goods, drugs, curative devices, and cosmetics.” False claims, whether by Cheerios, car dealers or snake oil peddlers, when detected are subject to public exposure, penalties and immediate corrective action. The FTC has jurisdiction over a broad spectrum of activities but there is one realm it cannot penetrate — the church. The church-state barrier offers protection against government intrusion into the practice of organized religion. Of course, one would expect that, since the Judeo-Christian traditions are foundational to the ethical and moral codes of American society, the church would be the last institution in need of ethical policing.

Certainly the church is not without its flaws. The moral failure of church leaders is legendary. The media feeds off such scandal. Yet, in spite of the damage caused by the occasional fall of religious leaders, the church as an institution strives to preserve and protect high standards of conduct. Though its members, and too often its leaders, fail to measure up to its high ideals, the church remains the primary guardian of moral and ethical values. It may wrestle with controversial issues of the day such as gay marriage and abortion, but it does so in pursuit of a moral high ground.

But there is one area that seems to have eluded the ethical scrutiny of the church. Churches from the left to the right, high and low, share the same blind spot. Perhaps it’s because the practice is so pervasive or because the claims seem so spiritual. But if the FTC were to shine the spotlight on the marketing of missions, the expose would be, well, perhaps not damning but certainly embarrassing. Take a look at most any promotional package for a mission trip and you will get the distinct impression that lost, starving, forsaken people have their last hope riding on the willingness of Christians from the US to come and rescue them. The pictures are heart-rending — a close-up of a child’s sad face, a tin-roof shack beside an open sewage ditch, an old woman struggling under a load of firewood sticks. The emotional call goes out for the “healed, trained, empowered and Spirit filled teens to be missionaries to the world.” Such experiences promise to touch lives, change the world, and have a dramatic, life-changing impact on those who will sacrifice their comfort to go. For a week!

Can we be honest? Mission trips and service projects are important. For lots of reasons. But the truth of the matter is that dropping into a strange culture for a week or even two creates far more work for the local leadership than it’s worth, except for the money and gifts we leave. And those gifts more often than not do more long-term harm than good. As one local leader told me: “They’re turning our people into beggars.” Much of the work we do is make-work — painting a church, digging a foundation, leading a summer Bible school — all work that could and should be done by locals. “Our men need the work,” a seminary president once told me as we discussed the impact of US mission trippers in her impoverished country.

But this treatise is not about the downstream impact of mission trips. Some ambitious young reporter seeking to make a name for himself will sooner or later handle that expose. This is about the dishonesty in our marketing of these trips. Our “people-are-dying-and-you-can-save-them” rhetoric may be effective spin to lure young people (and older as well) into signing up but we know that only on rare occasions is this actually true. Yes, there are Katrinas. But the overwhelming majority of our mission trips are to places where the needs for development are far greater than for emergency assistance. And development is about enabling indigenous people to help themselves, not doing the work for them. Development is much longer term, calls for professional expertise and planning, requires lending and investing — not the sort of things that lend themselves to a typical short-term mission trip.

I am not saying that mission trips don’t have value. They do. Great value. They open up new worlds, new perspectives, new insights. They expose us to fascinating cultures, connect us with new friends, allow us to experience God at work in surprising ways, inspire us, break our hearts, build camaraderie among traveling companions. Any one of these benefits might well justify the time and expense. But isn’t it time we admit to ourselves that mission trips are essentially for our benefit, not for the benefit of the ones our marketing material portray? Would it not be more forthright if we called our junkets “insight trips” or “exchange programs”? Or how about Kingdom adventures? Do we really need to justify our journeying to exotic lands under the pretense of missionary work? Religious tourism would have much more integrity if we simply admitted that we’re off to explore God’s amazing work in the world.

I know we have to have good reason to justify spending the kind of money we do on mission trips. US churches spent well over $2 billion (that’s with a “b”) on them last year. This is not at all inconsistent with our normative pattern of church spending, however. We typically spend upwards of 95% of church budgets on ourselves anyway. So to admit that mission trip expenditures are primarily for the spiritual benefit of our members would not be out of line, that is if we feel justified spending that percentage on ourselves. But that’s a discussion for another time. Our subject here is marketing with integrity.

So how do we capture the imagination, the compassion, of a younger generation if not by appealing to the tenderness of their hearts? Come to think of it, it was the story of fatherless children that drew me into urban work nearly 40 years ago. I wanted to make a difference. That was a powerful motivator. So maybe “touching lives” and “changing the world” is appropriate rhetoric after all. It certainly appealed to my compassionate side and it played at least some part in shaping my call into ministry. The idea of sacrifice was also appealing to me, to offer myself up to a cause of great importance. I wanted my life to count. That was important. But playing to those tender Spirit-sensitivities should be done with great care. Setting up unrealistic expectations can lead to discouragement. Portraying false representations can lead to cynicism. Is it not enough to simply say “come and see” and then allow the Spirit to do the touching and surprising?

Here’s my bottom line: the Kingdom doesn’t need our hype. The Kingdom needs people who speak the truth.

Bob Lupton

The Price of Silence

Rev. Charles Stovall presented the final meditation on this year's Good Friday Walk in Dallas, Texas. Rev. Stovall is the pastor of the Munger Place United Methodist Church, a church which recently hosted Rev. Joseph E. Lowery and the Pastors for Peace caravan.

I'm Charles Stovall, pastor of Munger Place United Methodist Church. God bless you on this walk, and we thank all of you who made the bold journey. I thank God for the Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance which has brought us to this moment, to remember on the Friday that Jesus was to die. We gather in memory of the price that Jesus paid. I simply want to say that Jesus did not have to die. Jesus did not have to die-if he had just kept silent. If he would have just shut up, he would not have had to die. If he had just "done church right," kept his sermons on love and brotherhood, kept his speeches on something light and not controversial, Jesus would not have had to die. Yet Jesus healed on the Sabbath day, knowing that that was against the rules of the day. Yet Jesus touched the leper, knowing that the leper was considered "unclean" by church and society. Yet Jesus talked to the woman by the well from Samaria, knowing that Samarians and Jews didn't communicate. Yet Jesus overturned the moneychangers' table.

If Jesus had just done church the way church was supposed to have been done, if he would have just kept his mouth shut, if he had just "gone with the flow," he would not have had to die. Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't have to die. If he would have just kept his mouth shut and stuck with sermons about brotherhood and sisterhood and stayed away from sermons about the Vietnam War, he would not have had to die.

Nurses who have called out for more nurses per patient and the rights of nurses didn't have to lose their jobs-if they would have just kept silent. The Tibetan monks wouldn't be under pressure right now if they had just continued to ring their gongs and done their rituals and stayed out of politics. The Dalai Lama wouldn't be criticized right now, if he had just stuck to the things that Dalai Lamas are supposed to do.

If we could just learn to keep our mouths shut. Say nothing about the abuse of gays and lesbians. Say nothing about policies that create homelessness and hunger. Say nothing about what has us in an unjust, illegal, immoral, impractical war in Iraq.

If you just learn to be quiet-perhaps you'll get a promotion on your job. Perhaps you'll get a better appointment in your denomination. Perhaps you'll gain friends and influence more people. There's a price to pay, though, if you keep silent. The most famous words of silence are still the words that were attributed to Rev. Martin Niemoller. Many of you can quote them along with me: When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent. I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent. I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak up. I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I remained silent. I was not a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one to speak out for me.

Jesus did not have to die. Jesus did not have to face the capital punishment of the Roman government, handed over to them by those religious leaders of his sect. But because the price of his silence, the price of his inaction would have ended in a world that has no hope, no redemption, no forgiveness, no God's spirit, he did not remain silent. What is the price of your silence and my silence? The silent walk that we take today is shouting out to the city, the state, and this country that we will not pay the price of silence, because the price of silence is the death of our values.

Continue to speak out. Continue to raise your voice and your actions, and continue to take up your cross. Jesus said that "Those who would be my disciples must take up their crosses, deny themselves, and follow me." He goes on to say that "if you do not take up your cross you cannot be my disciple."

Jesus did not have to go to the cross. He did not have to die. All he needed to do was be quiet.

Jeremiah Wright...in context, please!!!

I have learned over the last several years that there are well-intentioned people who end up doing some abhorrent things unintentionally (I'll give them the benefit of the doubt here).

On the other hand, there are people who are intentionally spiteful.

The sad part is, whether unintentional or intentional, both have the same result.

Without being educated on whatever message it is we are sending, even the "unintentional," well-intentioned people can end up perpetuating a stereotype that is hurtful at best. (My last post addressed this on a different issue).

For the last several weeks we've heard Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sound bytes played over and over again.

I can't say that I agree with everything he says...but I think before we condemn Rev. Wright for his "hate speech" and incendiary language, we need to look in our own back yard. I know I grew up with preacher's who spoke of being in the "wrong church" because it was a black Church of Christ. I grew up with sermons about Miriam and Aaron's sin being that they were an interracial couple. I don't think we can condemn Rev. Wright for all of his comments until we scrutinize our own church and our own pastors. And I don't think we can condemn Rev. Wright until we listen to his entire message.

Bill Moyers interview with Rev. Wright confirmed what I suspected. A lot of the inflamatory nature of his words were taken out of context and thus made to sound more "angry." As a White woman who knew nothing about the Black church or Black Liberation Theology until the last decade, I believe much of the media attention to Wright's soundbytes are to incite fear. (I have added the clips below so you can see the interview and the broader context for the soundbytes that have been played and scrutinized out of context incessantly).

Quite honestly, it is still somewhat uncomfortable for me to enter a Black mega-church. However, although there are people there who may resent my presence, what I find over and over again is that people are kind and accepting and my discomfort is more about me than it is about them. Though I don't always agree with everything the pastor says, I seek to understand it from his perspective (and all of the other people who are shouting "amen" to his words). Their experience has been much different than mine. Before judging, I need to listen, hear, and seek understanding first.

This morning I had the opportunity to hear Rev. Wright speak at Friendship West Baptist Church. He made some comments that I'm sure could be taken out of context and exploited just like the ones he made in Chicago. But the overall message was not about the oppressiveness of White America; it was about not making excuses for not being able to do something. The message was about accountability. And, since Friendship West is a black mega-church (though I saw several White people there...perhaps to hear Rev. Wright), Rev. Wright's sermon was primarily targeted toward Black people. Unlike what we have been coached by the media, he did not encourage Black people to bemoan the oppression by White people and wallow in their pity. Quite the contrary. ...But we don't hear that soundbyte.

We live in a free country. Everyone is free to have their own opinion. I know some of my friends may listen to Rev. Wright's whole sermon and still find him offensive. My only request is that you *do* listen to all of his words first. Listen to his message. Talk to other black people (not just *one* other black person who might agree with you!). Disagree with what you must. But base your disagreements off of informed and educated opinions.

How about challenging ourselves to begin open and honest dialogue with people who don't look like and think like we do with the goal of thinking more critically about the messages we are receiving?

Christians--how can we be change agents??

I wish we could find another identifying name for Christians so that everyone didn't have to be lumped into one category.

I received an email yesterday, sent out by some pastors. The email was frantically telling parents that many schools will be observing a "Day of Silence." In the pastors' words, this Day of Silence is to "promote the homosexual lifestyle" and they encouraged parents to keep their kids home from school if their school is promoting it.

Where is our outrage at this ignorance????!!!

First of all, the National Day of Silence does not "promote the homosexual lifestyle." The National Day of Silence exists to "bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools." This year they are honoring the memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.

I don't understand the rationale of removing ourselves from people in order to punish them for their choice or perhaps their genetics. As Christians, shouldn't we instead be standing with them to demonstrate to others that hate is wrong in any form or fashion??

Of course, I must go back to the distortion of the original email I received. Although I am appalled at their suggestion to pull kids out of school so they won't be exposed to "homosexuals," the pastors didn't even get the message right. The message is to stand with people who are being bullied, harrassed, and even killed simply because of their sexual orientation. The pastors (and many others in our society), stir up fear because of their own hate. Unfortunately, many buy into it.

As Christians, I think we have to fight against the "Christians." We need to speak out and say, "Any kind of hate is wrong!" ...whether it is against skin color, immigration, sexual orientation, poverty, etc. We need to be the stronger voice to stand up with our friends and neighbors who are experiencing injustice. My Bible speaks against injustice.

(If you're interested in learning more, you can watch For the Bible Tells me So, a documentary that addresses the issues of: "Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate?")

I just came across this Bible (The Poverty and Justice Bible) that may be of interest. It sounds like it focuses more on the poor and the injustices against them (which is another important issue in itself), but it is about "poverty and justice"--two important issues that have been consistently overlooked as we live out our Christianity.

Tomorrow is the National Day of Silence. I would encourage you to find out if your child's school is having a National Day of Silence. If they are, encourage your child to participate and take the vow of silence in order to bring attention to the bullying and harrassment that happens to our GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered) students. If they are not, talk with your child and their school and begin getting organized for next year. Here is an organizing manual.

Unifying faith

I grew up thinking that my faith...er...excuse me...my religion...was the only "right" religion.

I knew I was a Christian because I went to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I had all of my dogma down. As a teenager, I argued with friends over the fact that God created the earth in seven, 24-hour days and I argued that evolution was wrong and didn't exist. I was a good, moral person and very adamant about my beliefs.

Then I went off to college.

I began seeing the world.

I was thrown for a loop when I took communion at a church in Italy and they had wine instead of grape juice! (I had always been taught that any kind of alcohol was sinful!)

When I did an internship in Chicago, I was dumbfounded at the faith of recovering alcoholics who followed the 12-step program better than I followed my Bible...and who truly believed in a "Power greater than themselves."

When I went to Africa, I was taken aback when members of the church walked in, kneeled at the front, and made a "sign of the cross" just like Catholics.

When I moved to Boston, I had to re-evaluate my beliefs as women played important roles in the church.

Yet, no matter who they were, or how they worshipped, I began to see that people had a deep faith. I came to the conclusion that faith was more about actions and interactions than it was about dogma. I recognized that their faith may not be the way I profess my faith and that they may not call their "higher power" God like I do, but we all believe in something greater than ourselves...and what we believe in impacts the way we live.

I came to the conclusion that "different" didn't mean "wrong."

It's exciting to me to think that we can unite knowing that we all have "faith" in common...no matter how we choose to celebrate that faith. Faith that drives a people leads to good things--whether Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, etc. We are not that different.

The Baha'i faith has recognized this and has begun sponsoring Sunday School classes that do just that...bring people of different religions together to learn from each other and learn with each other about virtues. You can read/listen to the segment here: Class Teaches Virtues to Children of Many Faiths.

So many times, I think we bring up economic, racial, religious differences and we talk about "tolerance." I think we need to do more than "tolerate" one another. I have hope that classes like these would take people from "tolerance" and move us toward appreciation and acceptance.

What it means to live out justice

The Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance (http://www.dallaschristians.org/) is based on Matthew 25. Their mission is to live the radical love, compassion and justice of Jesus and to promote these values in religious and public discourse and policy. Below is an email I received that struck me as powerful:


-------------------------------------------------------------

"When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." (Isaiah 1:15-17)


An Open Letter to the "Light the Highway" Campaign

In December of 2007, a group of Christians, including members of Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, initiated a "Light the Highway" campaign focused on Interstate I-35, linking the freeway to Isaiah 35:8 (New International Version):

"And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it."

Beginning October 28 and ending December 1, the group engaged in 35 days of prayer, and several members conducted actions such as standing outside of sexually oriented businesses with "purity" written across the sunglasses they wore. Among the issues upon which the group focused their prayers were pornography, drug abuse, government corruption, and, somewhat surprisingly, workplace injustices. Their web site states, "As we, the church, walk in purity, we will see a new generation arise who will reform our nations so they can stay transformed!"The media that covered this initiative included CNN, Channel 8 and the Dallas Morning News. Below is the DACPA response to this initiative.


Dear Sisters and Brothers of the "Light the Highway" campaign:

The Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance (DACPA) is an organization of grassroots Christians founded with a mission to live the radical love, compassion and justice of Jesus and to promote these values in religious and public discourse and policy. We have become aware of your campaign through the media and would like to with your our own ideas as to how we can best respond to God's call to be just and righteous people.

The words of the prophet Isaiah provide a powerful challenge to us as we set about to bring the reign of God to "earth as it is in heaven": "Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight. And to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high." (Isaiah 58:3-4) Our piety means nothing if we do not act justly.

To tackle the "sins of I-35," the members of DACPA would look to Jesus' words as the focus of our concerns, just as we have done the last two Good Fridays when we conducted our Good Friday Walk to honor Jesus' teachings on the day of his death. In Matthew 25, he calls the nations to: Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Give water to the thirsty. Heal the sick. Welcome the stranger. Visit the prisoner. This is how the nations are judged. Our nation, unfortunately, has fallen short in these areas, as you recognize in some of your own efforts. How many of those around us living in poverty are often forced to seek out charity in sometimes humiliating circumstances that strip them of their dignity?

Jesus told us that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Along with Isaiah, let us look to the prophet Jeremiah, and to Jesus' brother James who, among so many others in the Bible, spoke so forcefully of the sin of not paying fair wages.

"Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbors work for nothing,
And does not give them their wage." (Jeremiah 22:13-15)

"Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." (James 5:4)

So as we reflect on the sins of I-35, let us think of the low-wage workers toiling in businesses all along this highway, often without insurance to pay for their illnesses nor those of their families. And let us also remember the low-wage workers who labor in back-breaking and dangerous circumstances in the fields not far from the road that connects us to our neighbors to the south. Every day they put food on our tables and provide the sustenance that we need to live.

Along that by-way, do those strangers who live among us feel welcome? Or will they continue to serve as political footballs when their "offense" was entering this country to seek a way to provide for their families? Following I-35, the Pan-American Highway, south of the border, we might see valleys that had once been a patch-work of farms that provided work for many all year round. Those valleys are now filled with crops for export that now only provide a month's employment. We pray for God's will to extend beyond our borders.

And when we visit the jails in the communities along I-35, what will we find there? Will we find humane conditions and the opportunity for redemption, or will the word "corrections" ring hollow?

In the Bible, God spoke over 2000 times of the poor and almost as frequently of the oppressed. Let us put our efforts into making this world a just place, along the I-35 freeway and beyond, a place that takes God's word seriously. A place where those of many faith traditions and where all those who care for humanity can live in a community based on our shared values of economic and social justice.

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Not a Penny More?

"Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins." (Amos 5:11-12)

What is one more cent for a pound of tomatoes? For Burger King the cost is $250,000 per year-more than the company is willing to pay the people who pick those tomatoes. It's a lot of money, except when you consider that the top 12 executives of one of its major shareholders, Goldman Sachs, paid themselves $200 million in bonuses in 2006. But the company can't, or won't, afford .015% of the cost of those bonuses for the migrant farmworkers who do the torturous work of picking the tomatoes served in their restaurants.

Taco Bell and McDonalds, after public pressure, can afford that penny. We can pray for Burger King to turn from its efforts to force those companies to reverse their one-penny-per-pound increase and to follow their example. And the next time we or our friends or our family members step up to the counter for that fast food meal, let's also reflect on what that Burger King Whopper truly costs.

Food for thought

Food for thought this Sunday morning from Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller:

"We started reading through Matthew, and I thought it was all very interesting, you know. And I found Jesus very disturbing, very straightforward. He wasn’t diplomatic, and yet I felt like if I met Him, He would really like me. Don, I can’t explain how freeing that was, to realize that if I met Jesus, He would like me. I never felt like that about some of the Christians on the radio. I always thought if I met those people they would yell at me. But it wasn’t like that with Jesus. There were people He loved and people He got really mad at, and I kept identifying with the people He loved, which was really good, because they were all the broken people, you know, the kind of people who are tired of life and want to be done with it, or they are desperate people, people who are outcasts or pagans. There were others, regular people, but He didn’t play favorites at all, which is miraculous in itself." Pg. 47


(Talking about watching a woman receiving food stamps):
"I realized that it was not the woman who should be pitied, it was me. Somehow I had come to believe that because a person is in need, they are candidates for sympathy, not just charity. It was not that I wanted to buy her groceries, the government was already doing that. I wanted to buy her dignity. And yet, by judging her, I was the one taking her dignity away.
I wonder what it would be like to use food stamps for a month. I wonder how that would feel, standing in line at the grocery store, pulling from my wallet the bright currency of poverty, feeling the probing eyes of the customers as they studied my clothes and the items in my cart: frozen pizza, name-brand milk, coffee. I would want to explain to them that I have a good job and make good money.

I love to give charity, but I don’t want to be charity." Pg. 84


"One night Rick showed up sort of beaten-looking. He had been to some sort of pastors reception where a guy spoke about how the church has lost touch with people who didn’t know about Jesus. Rick said he was really convicted about this and asked us if we thought we needed to repent and start loving people who were very different from us. We all told him yes, we did, but I don’t think any of us knew what that meant. Rick said he thought it meant we should live missional lives, that we should intentionally befriend people who are different from us. I didn’t like the sound of that, to be honest. I didn’t want to befriend somebody just to trick them into going to my church. Rick said that was not what he was talking about. He said he was talking about loving people just because they exist—homeless people and Gothic people and gays and fruit nuts. And then I liked the sound of it. I liked the idea of loving people just to love them, not to get them to come to church." Pg. 135

A different way of looking at things

My thinking was challenged today as I heard about the discovery of a new book of the Bible called, "The gospel according to Judas."

We all know the story about Judas. He betrayed Jesus, right? Maybe not. The newly discovered Book of Judas suggests that Judas was actually the favorite disciple...and the only one Jesus could entrust with his command to hand him over to the Romans.

Interesting perspective.

Of course, the thought that there might be a Gospel according to Judas challenges what we've always been taught to believe...that the Bible is a set of 66 books...and only those books. There have, however, been other books found--the gospel of Mary...the gospel of Thomas--each with their own interesting perspectives.

In fact, I remember hearing about the release of the Dead Sea Scrolls while I was in college. My questioning mind wondered who narrowed the documents down to 66 books and who decided which of those documents would and wouldn't be included.

It was at that point I realized the books of the Bible, in fact, were chosen by men...fallible humans. Over the years, the most troubling part of that, to me, is not that the books were chosen by man. (That makes sense.) What has come to bother me most is that most people don't seem to think (or maybe even care) that the books in our current Bible were chosen by men during a certain time period in our history. We don't think about the fact that who chose them and when they chose them could definitely have affected which ones they chose.

For instance...I was always taught to follow the New Testament, even though the New Testament encourages slaves to remain slaves...that it's part of God's plan. The New Testament also talks about women covering their head in public.

We know that is not the world we live in now. The Bible is contextual. It was written in a time when slavery was taken for granted and women covered their heads. We have no problem explaining why we do not abide by those commands today. So, like it or not, we filter out and choose which parts we want to follow.

I'm afraid, as Christians, we sometimes blindly accept what we've been taught and we listen to preachers and spiritual leaders without question. The problem isn't that we're blindly trusting God...it's that we're trusting man. We even let man tell us which portions of the Bible are important. What would happen if we read and used all of the scriptures? What would we find is important?

Then, what if we looked into all of the documents that have been left out? What would we find?? Would the message change?

Who knows...once we read ALL of the information, we might have a different outlook on our Christian beliefs.

For more information on Pagels' and King's book about "Reading Judas," click here.

Christianity and Diversity????

I'm at a conference for youth ministers this week. There are supposedly about 2500 people attending the conference. I'm staffing a booth for Urban Experience. As I was sitting here today watching people walk by, I saw an African-American man walk by. It dawned on me that that was the very first Black person I had seen attending the conference and I have been here for two days now. There is an African-American girl a couple of booths over and another African-American girl across the aisle staffing a booth. But as far as people walking through, I hadn't seen anyone other than White people except for that one guy. What is all of that about? Why is it that there are 2500 people here and only a handful are anything other than White?

And people say our world isn't still segregated??? Paleese!! Let me allow the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's just churches that are segregated...but that's even more depressing! I wonder...are there other youth ministry conferences that are primarily targeted toward Blacks? Hispanics? Asians? Maybe there are, but why can't we all come to the same one and why can't that one have something for everyone??

People say that I am too sensitive...that it's more about socioeconomics than race (even if that's true, I still have a problem with that as well, though). They tell me that middle class people are all mixed together and I just don't see it because I choose to stay in my corner of the world in the inner city. I beg to differ. This conference is obviously targeted toward an upper-middle class audience. There are flat screen tvs, multimedia presentations, and ipod, laptop, and overseas trip giveaways. Some groups have rented booths and equipment that cost thousands of dollars. Yet with all of that obvious upper-middle class marketing, there are still no people of color here.

I do agree that it seems suburban communities do oftentimes have a fairly diverse population and I probably don't see that. But if that's the case, what does a Christian conference that is primarily made up of White people say to everyone?? What message does it communicate??
Call me cynical. Maybe you have a different take on things. If so, I'd be interested in hearing.

(ok...just to make sure I'm being fair...since I started writing this I have seen one more African-American guy, one Asian guy, and an Asian couple. In fact, a lady just walked by who may have been Native American. So that's 6 people. ...out of 2500.)

Welfare checks for wealthy people???

"Nationwide, the federal government has paid at least $1.3 billion in subsidies for rice and other crops since 2000 to individuals who do no farming at all..."

Does this sound absurd to anyone but me and the Washington Post (click on the blog title to link to the article)?

Now I know there may be two sides to the story. My dad's a farmer. As far as I know, he doesn't rake in thousands of dollars every year because he no longer farms, but he may have a different opinion than I do about this article. Maybe there's good reason to give away billions of dollars to people who are doctors, large business owners, and other wealthy people who have never farmed a day in their life. On a less cynical note, I would guess that there are actually some people in this program who do need and deserve the subsidies. My problem is with those who don't yet still reap the benefits because of the plot of land they chose to buy.

In the days of cutting miniscule social services for poor people while cutting taxes for those in the upper tax brackets. In the days of voting not to raise minimum wage while voting to increase the salary of Congress, I shake my head. I do not understand why the low-income group is disparaged about taking government money, while the high-income group is graciously given money for doing less than nothing. The farm subsidies, from what I read, will not allow them to develop their land. So they are getting free money to play with and develop other interests. Why isn't anyone complaining about the wealthy, non-farmer's "welfare" checks?

Jon Stewart had a great segment about the minimum wage. Go to this link and click on the video entitled "Minimum Wage."

Our current administration is adamant about Christianity and having good values and morals. Perhaps they're overlooking all of the scriptures on how to treat the poor. Read below and see what you think.

But the Master said to him, "I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn't the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands."
Lk. 11:39-41 The Message

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favouritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-4

"Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?"
Jeremiah 5:26-29

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.
Isaiah 10:1-3

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
Proverbs 29:7

Shifting our thinking

I went home for a family reunion this weekend. It's always great to hang out with friends and family who unconditionally love you. I happen to have a really great family. I know not everyone is that blessed.

Most people in my family, whether or not we see each other in between the 5 year reunions, know that I work for an inner-city ministry and know that I work with kids. This is always difficult for me. I am always troubled by the way people approach me and tell me, "I hear you are doing such great work!"

I know that sounds odd and I probably should just take their comments at face value and move on. But let me explain my delimma. When people say that, I always have to wonder what they mean by their comment. I always wonder if they would make the same comment if I were working with a suburban, predominantly White ministry.

I think I have so much trouble responding because I know what we do at our ministry is not "typical" for most ministries I've seen. We are so much more than a charity stop. How do you explain to someone that our ministry is about handshakes, not handouts? It's about justice, not just crises management? It's about fighting for quality schools for children, not just providing them a "safe place" for an hour or two after school? It's about educating suburban, rural, and middle class people in order to help them understand that relationships are reciprocal, racism is real, and poverty affects a person's life more than people with money will ever understand? It's about building relationships and friendships with people. It's more than just handing out food. It's more than just a mission trip.

People have such good intentions. I know they mean well. I know when people ask if they can 'help' and volunteer for a day that they are trying in the only way they know how. I know when people ask about the kids I work with and want to know how much impact I have had on their lives that they really just want to know that good things are being done. I know when they say they are proud of me, they really are.

But what I want people to realize is that what I do is not 'helping underprivileged kids.' The 'underprivileged kids' and people I 'work with' are my friends. We are all in this together.

Do I encourage some of my friends here in the inner-city to make different choices and think differently about things? Of course I do! I do that the same as I do with my close friends outside of inner-city Dallas when I don't agree with a decision or choice they have made. But in addition to me handing out advice and accountability, my friends here in the inner city do the same for me. It's a two-way street. And in order for both of us to grow, we have to be willing to learn from each other. That's what I don't think people understand.

Ministry isn't one-way charity. Jesus built relationships with people...often with the most unlikely people for a man of his stature. Through his relationships, he held people accountable. He was critical of the upper-class religious person just as much as he was of the prostitute...no more, no less. He thought religious piety was just as bad as a woman who had slept with many men.

Jesus hung out with the people others (especially religious folk) condemned. He went to their homes and hung out. He did not go to their house to judge them. He went to eat dinner and enjoy their company. Through those relationships, ministry often came to him. He didn't have to seek it out.

We need a paradigm shift in ministry. Maybe we should approach life the same way Jesus did. Maybe if we lived our lives in a way that built relationships with all people, opportunities for ministry would seek us out instead of us having to contrive ways for us to "minister to" people.

Reading the Bible with new eyes

I grew up in church.

I went to a Christian university.

I work at a ministry.

Yet, instead of being inspired by Christians, I have become disillusioned by them. What truly bothers me is seeing "Christians" profess hate and intolerance in the name of Christianity! It amazes me that Christians feel the need and the right to profess their loathing irregardless of what anyone else might think or feel. It disturbs me that so many Christians profess these kinds of beliefs *and* it disturbs me that the media picks up on that and publicizes "moral" Christians as the people that are adamantly against certain groups of people.

Though these types of behaviors have made me question Christianity, a friend once told me that I need to remember that Christianity is a good thing...it's Religiosity that makes Christianity look bad. Following Christ's example is good. If we really did that exactly the way it is presented in the Bible, Christianity would look much different than the way it is portrayed in the media. However, religiosity and judgment have taken over. We, as Christians, need to reclaim Christianity for what it really is.

Let me reflect for a minute about the Jesus I read about in my Bible. Jesus hung out with tax collectors and sinners. He invited Zaccheus to hang with him despite his reputation. He forgave a woman who had been caught in adultery. He honored the faith of a lady who simply touched his garment. Jesus put himself in situations that caused other "religious" leaders to question him. Although he did not agree with their actions, he formed relationships with them. As a result of his willingness to be in relationships with them, he was also able to influence their behavior...not by preaching *at* them, but by being *with* them and having conversations...challenging conversations.

In response to my frustration with Christianity, a friend of mine told me the other day, "Read the Bible with new eyes." I hadn't thought about that before. She's right. The Bible has the answers. It's just that the "religious" part of Christianity has gotten in my way and blocked my view. I grew up thinking that Christianity was about being in attendance every Sunday, condemning those who are not walking the straight and narrow (as defined by the church I attended), disassociating myself from those who are leading questionable lives, and not playing musical instruments.

Instead, I have learned that Christianity is about building relationships with people, loving people through their issues, and modeling my life after Jesus.

The power of love

I attend a Bible study on Thursday nights that is very unique. It is held in a restaurant (Smokey John's Bar-b-que). The man who owns the place (affectionately known as "Smokey") decided quite some years ago to open up his restaurant for a "Bible study" with ex-offenders. He prepares a large buffet that serves the entire 50+ people that are there every Thursday and there is a very non-coercive passing of the hat that allows people to donate money for the meal if they can or want to.

There are a variety of people who attend. The majority are ex-offenders...people who have come out of jail or prison and are trying to get their life back together. Many of them have been caught up in drugs and are working to stay "clean" (free of drugs). Not all are at that point. Each Thursday there are at least a few who are intoxicated or high, but they are welcomed in just like everyone else. In addition, there are others who have been clean for quite some time and are there to support others as well as continue receiving support. Then there are others, like myself who have never been incarcerated or on drugs, but just come to be a "part of."

Though the speakers are usually addressing issues that relate to drugs, crime, doing time, or other similar issues, the messages are always about real life. I have found that I can always apply the message to my life as well, which is why I keep going back.

Cherrece is a teenager who comes every Thursday. Her dad, a wonderful man named James Reed who works with R.O.D. Ministries, coordinates the group. As I was listening to the speaker last night one of the regular men walked in late (I'll call him Israel). I noticed Cherrece get his attention so she could say hi. I see her do this every Thursday when he walks in. From what I can tell, there is a bond between them despite his more than questionable past and her youth. She looks up to him like a big brother; he treats her like a little sister.

Cherrece realizes what some adults don't. It doesn't matter what he has done in his past. She values Israel for who he is at this moment. Israel may or may not continue down a straight and narrow path. It doesn't matter. She knows who he is now and loves him unconditionally for who he is right now.

I love that James and Brenda (her parents) have set such a wonderful example of being around all types of people and loving each and every one of them for who they are (myself included). I can't help but think our world would be a better place if more of us looked at people like James, Brenda, and Cherrece do.

Homosexuality from a child's perspective

I watched a great documentary on the Sundance channel: Our House: A Very Real Documentary About Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents.

I know homosexuality is a very controversial issue for many people. I know some people have some very strong beliefs against homosexuality. It's always interesting to me that it's oftentimes Christians who make the snide and rude comments about and to people who are gay or lesbian. Regardless of what how we believe the Bible addresses homosexuality, I do not believe Jesus walked around making snide and rude comments to or about anyone of any sexual orientation, ethnicity, economic level, etc. That was not in his character.

For some reason, people feel it's their right to openly condemn people's decisions. I can't imagine that people who do that consider the feelings of the person they are talking about. I have heard some thoughtless...and hurtful...comments ("That's gay!" or "He's queer." or maybe more direct comments). I know you hear them just like I do.

This documentary was powerful to me because the interviewers talked to the children. They asked the kids how they felt about having homosexual parents. Though there were several different perspectives from several different states, every kid said they loved their parents. Not surprising, huh? They didn't choose their parents any more than I did. We love the people who nurture us and take care of us. It is no different for a family with two moms or two dads.

Whether we feel that homosexuality is right, wrong, or somewhere in between...and whether we say or hear a negative comment made about or to a homosexual, I think it's important to consider the message we send. Is it beneficial to anyone? The Jesus I know would not have openly disparaged and would not have listened to anyone else openly disparage someone.

Maybe we should try to be more like Him.

Being Different

Not too long ago, a friend of mine loaned me a book (Strength to Love) that is a compilation of Martin Luther King's sermons. King's commentaries and his breakdown of scripture give me a much better insight and connection to the scriptures than I have gotten in a long time. What I find so amazing about King's sermons is how parallel they are to current issues...particularly war and racism. He speaks truth. He speaks reality. And even though he gave these sermons some 40+ years ago, they still resonate today.

In his sermon
">A Knock at Midnight
King says,

"One of the shameful tragedies of history is that the very institution [the church] which should remove man from the midnight of racial segregation participates in creating and perpetuating the midnight."

What is any different today? Historically our churches have been segregated...and today our churches are still segregated! Granted, they may not be totally segregated. In any given church there may be one or two families that are of a different ethnic make-up than the rest, but overall, the churches segregate just like the rest of our society does. The church reflects the socioeconomic and ethnic demographics of the neighborhood where it exists. Yet, as a Christian body, we claim to be different.

I have come to the conclusion that many Christians are only different in their words and in their beliefs, not their actions. When we, as Christians, talk about being set apart from the rest of the world, are we talking about separating ourselves by our religious talk or are we talking about really acting on our beliefs? I know some people will argue and say that evangelizing is the way they act on their beliefs. But what about taking a stand for different issues? Isn't that what truly sets people apart? Evangelism is easy. It puts all of the responsibility on the person who is being evangelized. Whether or not they accept the Word is up to them. Long-term relationships are much more challenging and take much more time and effort.

Jesus was the type of "different" that I would expect of Christians. Wasn't Jesus so condemned by the Pharisees because he was hanging out and building relationships with sinners? The way I remember the scripture, it referred to him hanging out with, not evangelizing. I'm no seminarian, so I could be wrong. The Jesus I read about hung out with people, got to know people, and built relationships with people....people who were different than him.

Poor people.

Devious people.

Unethical people.

As he built relationships with people, he was then able to speak to spiritual issues...many times because they asked him his opinion. They asked questions and challenged him because he was so different from the rest.

Are we, as Christians, really that different from the rest? What issues do we stand up for? Do we notice that our churches, communities, schools, etc. are still segregated today? Do we care? What are we doing about it? Are we sitting back and waiting for people of other cultural backgrounds to flock to us? Or are we making the first, possibly uncomfortable, attempt to get involved in a church/neighborhood/community that is different than what we are used to?

What if churches and the people in them truly took a stand and fought for truth, justice, and peace? What if their actions spoke louder than their words? What would our churches and our communities look like then?