What Response?

The outrage, confusion and sadness which have come as a result of the recent shootings in Colorado have, yet again, in a time of tragedy, produced a wide range of reactions from the religious community.

"The gunman's actions are a result of the sins of others," we're told by some.

"The non-Christians among the dead are now in hell," others have pointed out.

"More guns at public events is the answer," I've heard more times than I care to hear.

Fellow believers, do these things seem right to you? Are these kind of pronouncements helpful? Most importantly, do they line up with the teachings of Jesus? His message is where our focus must be. A sick and twisted or evil mind, intent on doing harm, devised this plan of destruction, and carried it out, not anyone else, and it is also not for us to presume to know, or make public comment on, the eternal status of any of the victims. Give me some New Testament scripture, in proper context, which supports another view, and I'm willing to reconsider my position. But in the meantime, let's please stop the hurtful rhetoric.

There are those who think it is naive to say we should mourn, forgive and go forward without seeking answers. However, followers of Jesus need to take a long, hard look at what our response should be. What would he say about a case like this? Based on scripture, the answer would be give comfort and seek peace, not retribution.

One notion at the forefront is that had movie-goers been armed, the extent of the tragedy could have been lessened. But would we really feel safer attending a public event with the knowledge many others were there with weapons? I, personally, certainly don't believe guns should be outlawed, but the thought of more guns carried by more people is not comforting to me. In a time of chaos, imagine gunfire coming from several directions, and the confusion which would ensue. 

And where does it end? When does protection become preemptive? What if someone stands up down front to leave in the middle of a movie, with an umbrella in hand which is mistaken for a gun? Does the thought of a well-meaning citizen shooting an innocent victim in a darkened theater not give us all pause? Believers are required to consider the kind of community Jesus envisioned, and his teachings are practical, as well as spiritual. A violent or hateful response to violence solves nothing.

For those who seek to grow spiritually, there is a realization of putting aside our natural, human impulses as part of the growth process. We will not be able to prevent, fix or understand every tragedy, but we can do our part to not make the situation worse with hurtful, unloving words which bring those who are grieving no comfort.

Not Creeds Alone

"If the Church were trying to practice love in society, there would be a reason for its existence. With creeds alone I do not expect it to be able to save the world." I read that quote recently, liked the sentiment expressed, but I was not familiar with man to which it was attributed, Toyohiko Kagawa.

After brief investigation, I learned he was a Japanese Christian pacifist, reformer, and labor activist who was born in 1888 and died in 1960. Kagawa wrote, spoke and worked to employ Christian principles in the ordering of society. In fact, he wrote over 150 books and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947 and 1948, along with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1955. His vocation to help the poor led him to live among them, establishing schools, hospitals and churches.

He studied at several theological seminaries, including ones in Japan and also at Princeton, but he was not a fan of doctrinal technicalities. He believed the truth of Christian doctrines was Christianity in action, and he practiced what he preached. He not only was a champion of the poor, but campaigned for women's rights, voting equality and the plight of children. In 1921 and 1922, he was imprisoned for his role in labor activism and upon his release, helped organize relief work in Tokyo following the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake.

Kagawa is a wonderful reminder that Christianity is, of course, not solely an American institution and never has been, seeing as how Jesus was born several hundred years before the United States was founded. All around the globe, there are over 2 billion followers of Christ, with less than 300 million of them living in the United States. There are religious heroes everywhere, from all walks of life, in every nation, and I have found a new one in Toyohiko Kagawa who also said, "I read in a book that a man called Christ went about doing good. It is very disconcerting to me that I am so easily satisfied with just going about."

Wouldn't it be a different world if all 200 billion Christians put Kagawa's example into practice? Creeds alone are not what we need. We need love put into action.

 

Leave Aside Falsehoods

Some readers of my blog are probably aware my Sunday morning musings are usually a re-posting of my column which appears on the Friday religion page in the West Plains Daily Quill, my hometown newspaper. For those of you who typically read my column in the Quill, you might have noticed its absence this week. That was my fault. At some point on Friday, I realized what day it was and that I had missed the Thursday deadline.

Because I missed the paper, I'll use this opportunity to comment on an issue which is related to social media and the "interwebs." (That's a term our family sometimes uses because we collectively have an offbeat sense of humor which some of you might not expect if you only read my Facebook posts, which tend to be fairly serious in nature. If you're not familiar with it, you can look it up on Urban Dictionary. Not our sense of humor, the term interwebs.)

Nearly every time I log on to Facebook, I run across re-posts which are blatantly false. The vast majority are political in nature, but other topics are covered, too. There are at least three things I find fascinating (and frustrating, to say the least) about this phenomenon.

1. Fact checking is easily and quickly accomplished with several online tools. (Snopes.com being a good example.) Why post something which is a falsehood when it is easy to determine its veracity?
2. I believe most who post false information would not lie to someone face-to-face. Why lie on Facebook?
3. Many who are circulating rumors, falsehoods and mean-spirited observations will shortly be posting something which tells us how wonderful God is, often accompanied with a Bible verse. This one really leaves me shaking my head.

As the political season is upon us, and the vitriol is heating up, it will only get worse. I realize there are many of us who have differing opinions on many matters. That is understandable, and I know we have gone so far down the road of partisanship that unseating the opponent means more than progress, so there is little hope for actual civility.  However, I call on those who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus to:

1. Use some common sense, and check the facts.
2. Don't spread false information. Just stop. Okay?
3. Remember, whether or not you believe God is on your side in the opinions you express, I can tell you this: bearing false witness, strife, hatred and mean-spirited attacks are NOT in the guidebook for Christian living.
4. We all mess up, and sometimes, something which is not true might get through our "filters." If it happens you post something which is false, please have the courtesy to retract what you've said and admit you were wrong.

I will do my best to adhere to the these standards. Feel free to call me out if I ever miss the mark.

As we sort out what we believe and what is right and wrong, kindness and compassion are all-important in the process, whether in politics or anything else. Many will be disappointed with the outcome of the upcoming elections, no matter who is elected, but the key is to get over it, and get on with life without bitterness.

As scripture says, in the Book of Mark, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" As a nation, it is my hope we are not losing our soul in a political process which has adopted an "anything goes" attitude, as long as our favored candidate wins.

Regaining Community, Changing the World

Winter is my favorite time of year. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not merely saying that because new record high temperatures are being set here in the Ozarks. Summertime tends to zap my creativity, and I often feel less inspired. Such is the case as I struggled to write my blog this week. As a solution, I looked back through past entries and found one from two years ago which covers what I was trying to find the words to say. With modifications, what follows is mostly a repeat.

There are many factors eroding our communities. For example, as young people look for work in their chosen professions, they feel the pull to move away from their hometowns and families to find jobs, and when they do, it leaves a void.

Our consumer-driven, always-on-a-tight-schedule society prompts us to want "what we want, when we want it," leading us to not consider the source of what we're buying, where it came from and how, with a little more patience and shopping around, we might support a small business with a purchase rather than a huge corporation. Fast food drive-throughs vs. local eateries is a prime example.

We may not drive to California to buy our lettuce year-round, but we buy lettuce year-round which has been delivered to us from California.

Most of us know about the latest disasters in the rest of the world, but we may not be as likely to know the heartache and needs of our neighbor down the road, unless, perhaps, their situation has been posted on Facebook.

In the second chapter of Acts, we read of the early believers who were "together and had all things in common...and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need ...and breaking bread from house to house." Most of us are probably not going to give up all of our possessions any time soon, but we can all take a cue from scripture and make small steps to change the way society works.

Supporting locally-owned businesses, buying locally-grown food, taking time for face-to-face chats, re-instating the ancient practice of bartering and remembering we are all connected to one another are ways to help regain a sense of community. Our small, daily decisions have the potential to make the greatest impact in our own little corner of the world, and that's how worldwide change happens.

The Forecast

In stretches of weather like we're experiencing this summer, I have great sympathy for the local meteorologists. They don't have much to say other than it's hot, and it's going to stay that way, with no rain in sight. Nobody wants to hear the forecast, and on top of that, there are some who tend to want to shoot the messenger. Other than perhaps the times when a big snow is predicted and not a flake materializes, when school kids and teachers think they're going to get a day off, I can't imagine a worse time to be a weather forecaster.
 
Prophets face the same kind of job description. When they're talking about the imminent arrival of the Savior, people are happy, but when "tough times ahead" is the prophecy, nobody wants to hear it. And usually, few want to take the steps required to avert impending difficulties. The citizens of Ninevah, as recorded in the Book of Jonah, are a notable exception. They went on a city-wide fast to concentrate on the message Jonah gave them which said they would be overthrown in 40 days. The king also led his citizens in repenting in sackcloth and ashes, while proclaiming that everyone should "call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands." With their sincere change of heart, they were able to reverse the predicted doom of their city.
 
There are many prophets these days. In fact, it would seem almost everyone foresees difficult times ahead. The question becomes: What are we going to do about it? Will we sit idly by and seal a calamitous fate, or will we take action to achieve a favorable outcome? It should be noted, the Ninevites did not merely call on God, they put away wickedness and violence.
 
If there is agreement that our country faces adversity, then we should also find a way to be in harmony about the solution. Selfishness, greed and continued violence will not solve our problems. At every level -- government, corporate, church, individual -- we must see the way to open our hearts and put the needs of others above our own. We can pray that God will help us, but he has already given us the answer. It's the repentance shown by Ninevah.