God says, “I have a dream!”

This week has been a monumental week.  Anyone paying attention to the news, even remotely, would have noticed all the beautiful panoramas of our nation’s monuments and government buildings.  All of the footage of Washington D.C. makes me want to get back there and take a stroll down the mall and peruse our nation’s museum storehouses.  The symmetrical design of our capitol is telling of our desire for order and beauty.  Besides being taken back by our nation’s monuments, this week of course has been monumental in a different way: the swearing in of the first African-American president. That’s monumental.

 Although most commentators that I’ve read have stated that Obama’s speech was far from being monumental, another speech given, not too long ago (in terms of histories of nations are concerned), by Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln monument was indeed  monumental.  His famous words echoed out across the nation’s mall:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” …

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. …”

King’s words were prophetic words in 1963.  People had become accustomed to a segregated society, not just in the United States but throughout the world.  We are a post-Babel society where, because of our human hubris, God confused the languages of the people (Gen. 11).  But that’s not to say that diversity (such a “buzz” word these days) itself is a result of our human pride and sin.  

Right before Genesis 11 recounts the confusion of the languages, chapter 10 tells of the diversity of Noah’s descendants:

v.2-5 “The sons of Japtheth … From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language , by their clans, in their nations.”

v.6-20 “These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.”

v.21-31 “These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.”

How odd, then, that Genesis 11:1 begins with, “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.”  What?  I thought that the previous verses stated that the sons of Noah were divided by their own clan and their own language.  Perhaps, and this is a perhaps, although the languages were divided, although there was diversity, there was a sense of understanding and unity despite their differences.  In this way, when God confuse the languages because of human sin he didn’t create diversity as a curse but rather put an end to the unity in the midst of diversity.

Fast-forward to the New Testament, where I think we get a Babel-reversing and world-shaking picture of God’s church, diverse yet united.  The disciples had hunkered down following Jesus’ ascension, waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when “suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. … And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [languages] as the Spirit gave them utterance.  Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.  And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. …  And they were amazed …” (Acts 2:1-7).

Here the great reversal of Babel occurs.  Before Babel, there were diverse languages yet understanding and unity.  After Babel, diverse languages and division.  After Pentecost, by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit God’s people, men and women “from every nation under heaven” again are brought together despite their diverse clans, languages, lands, and nations” to praise and honor, not themselves as they did at Babel, but the living God. 

East of Eden

As I’m reading through Genesis, I’m struck by how often the Bible refers to us as being not at home – a wandering people.  Later in Scripture this gets picked up with the idea of exile, but already in the first few chapters we are no longer at home with God; we are a pilgrim people. 

Genesis 3:23,24:  ”…the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.  He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim…”

Genesis 4:12,16: “You [Cain] shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. … Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

Genesis 12:1: “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”

Genesis 12:10:  ”Now there was a famine in the land.  So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there…”

In Genesis (and later in Exodus), God’s people were physically wandering. Today that wandering continues until we return to God.  Jesus, too, tells a story the wandering son (the Prodigal Son) who left his loving father and wandered to a distant land only to squander his wealth and life.  Finally the prodigal wanderer remembered his Father and returned home.  St. Augustine nailed it when he wrote in his Confessions, “My heart is restless until it rests in Thee.”

Good-bye, Mr. President.

Tomorrow we welcome a new commander-in-chief in Barrack Obama, but today I would like to say good-bye and thank you to our current president, Mr. George W. Bush.

There are others who can give more detailed accounts of the strengths and weakenesss of your administration, but today I want to say what I’m thankful, on this, your last full day as President.

Thanks for the work of “compassionate conservatism” that you ran on back in 2000.  Many of us have forgotten that idea because of other significant events that steered your presidency in different directions.  But yo’ve sought to remind us (Americans) that being conservative and compassionate can and must go hand-in-hand.  Your work to curb the AIDs epidemic in Africa showed a deep love and concern for the weak. 

Although people may not fully agree with your approaches to education, your No Child Left Behind Act was a a serious attempt to reform America’s schools and to insist that all children regardless of location, race, and economic standing have access to high quality education.

Your Faith -Based initiative was another strong step toward equipping local communities of faith to serve and meet the needs of the hurting.  As a nation, we ought to be a place where communities of faith are encouraged to serve rather than defaulting to the government as the care-agent.

Clearly your presidency has been marked by other events and will be remembered by them: 9/11, war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq, Katrina, and a crumbling econonmy.  Abraham Lincoln’s famous words fit very aptly for you as well: “I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me”. 

No one knows how the history books will remember you  Will it be as the one who kept America safe for 8 years in this new age of terrorism or one  who used extraordinary means unnecessarilly ?  Will it be as the one who toppled a dictator and introduced democracy to Iraq or one who imposed American military forces and imperialism?  No one knows; time will tell.

But thank you for serving as best you knew how, with as much courage as you showed, and with as much heart and conviction as any other.

Defend the cause of the voiceless…

 Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the following day will be an historic inuaguration, the inauguration of President-Elect Barrack Obama.  As many political commentators have already pointed out, the symbolism of the event will be striking.  Just a day after honoring MLK, we will be welcoming as our commander-in-chief the first African-American president whose political hero and role model has been Abraham Lincoln, the great liberator of the slaves.  It will no doubt be a sight to see.  

One of the major reasons cited for Obama’s victory in 2008 was his stated concern for changing injustices here in the United States and around the world.  We’ll see how he and his administration seek to do this, but what is incredibly striking to me is the absolute lack of talk of fixing the injustice of the widespread murder of (unborn) children here in the United States.  In fact, even as he talks about working against injustice around the world, he seems to be working for this particular injustice through his positions on abortion.  (See Obama on Abortion.)

What is more striking and alarming to me is that many Christians seem to have abandoned fighting for the unborn in order to carry the torch for the global poor and other injustices.  On the one hand, I give thanks that these global issues are becoming increasingly important for the Christian church; however, on the other hand, many are blatantly seeking to remove the speck out of the nations’ eyes while we in the United States continue to stumble about with the plank of abortion in our own eye.  

There are numerous Bible passages that call us to care for the weak – whether they be poor, widowed, fatherless, or voiceless.  A nation and a church is marked by how well it cares for its weakest members.  This was the sin of church in the 18th and 19th centuries in helping defend the enslaving of thousands of black people; this was the sin of the 20th century church in helping perpetuate systems that intentionally kept African-Americans down in society; the sin of the 21st century church will be to not care for the weakest, most vulnerable members of our society – the unborn children!  My pastor recently quoted Jim Wallis, from Sojourners, stating that we ought to care for the “poor not because they are more honorable, but because they are more vulnerable.”  I think the logic then ought to go to defend the MOST vulnerable – the unborn children.

Michael Gerson, a wise political commentator at the Washington Post, wrote a very nice piece showing the apparent incompatibility of the Democrat’s s0-called concern for the weakest members of our society and their their strident support of pro-choice polices.  Let me quote an excerpt:

“Abortion is an unavoidable moral issue. It also has broader political significance. Democrats of a past generation — the generation of Hubert Humphrey and Martin Luther King Jr. – spoke about building a beloved community that cared especially for the elderly, the weak, the disadvantaged and the young.

The advance of pro-choice policies imported a different ideology into the Democratic Party — the absolute triumph of individualism. The rights and choices of adults have become paramount, even at the expense of other, voiceless members of the community.”

Obama ran on the strong promise:  ”Change we can believe in.”  I say let’s see the change.  Let it be that the Democratic Party no longer defends the status quo of Roe v. Wade and the flippant culture of abortion that it promotes.  Let it be that a Democratic president with an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress truly does seek to change.  Let it be that we CHANGE our nation’s position on abortion.  

That’s “change I can believe in!”

It’s 2009! Happy Birthday John Calvin!

As some of you may know already (but probably don’t care!), John Calvin will be celebrating his 500th birthday on July 10, 2009.  So with that in mind, I thought it appropriate that from time to time this year to reflect on some of Calvin’s legacies – not to bring glory to him, but to be reminded of his service to Christ’s church – both in the 16th century as well as how his ideas and work has been beneficial throughout the centuries since.  Of course there are plenty of Calvin celebrations this year, all of which Calvin would not have enjoyed seeing that he really didn’t want to bring attention to himself (the “Captain” of the Reformation, some have called him, requested to buried in an unmarked grave!).

Culture-creators

Tucked away and often skipped are a few verses from the opening chapters of Genesis that give an early indication of how the cultural mandate (Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…) was being fulfilled.  Notice all the italicized sections (emphasis added):

Gen. 4:17-22 (ESV) Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.  To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.  And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.  Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.  His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.  Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.

Already, only a few chapters into Genesis and we see the birth of culture (albeit from a murdering brother).  Cain the city-builder, Jabal the farmer, Jubal the musician, and Tubal-cain the metal-worker.

Liberalism: Defending the status quo?

Last week American Christianity lost a great leader, thinker, writer, and activist in Richard John Neuhaus.  (See Michael Gerson’s “Apostle of Life” for a summary of his life and work.)  After reading Gerson’s reflections on Neuhaus’s life, I was drawn to First Things - an online journal on religion, culture, and public life – where I read one of Neuhaus’s articles (published just this month). 

In his article, “The Pro-Life Movement at the Politics of the 1960s“, Neuhaus describes how ironic it is that the Left has abandoned their aims and objectives that they once held so dear during the 1960s.  Instead, Neuhaus points out, the Left has become a “conservative” movement defending the status quo of pro-abortion.  It is the Pro-Life movement that is the progressive movement chalenging the system and the established media in order to protect the rights of the society’s weakest members – the unborn.

It’s a fascinating read that highlights the intellectual sinking sand that pro-abortion folks seek to build their arguments.  The “intellectuals” who argue in favor of abortion admit that there is NO logical way to define when a “fetus” decidedly becomes a person.  (Some pro-abortion “intellectuals” are even as honest to say that their logic DOES lead to the conclusion that it would be okay to kill a newborn “fetus” !?!)

As we approach yet another anniversary of Roe v. Wade it is high time that our talk of social justice includes defending the cause of the helpless of the helpless – the unborn!

Modern-day slavery – Not For Sale

Tonight I went to a presentation by David Batstone, author of Not For Sale.  The topic was on modern-day slavery; what a startling issue.  Some 27 million people live in SLAVERY today around the world!  Half of them are children!  The startling thing is that this is not just an issue “over there” but right here in our backyards.  Check out the following website that they (Not For Sale) recently launched that tracks human trafficking in the United States:  http://www.slaverymap.org/

Living and longing for heaven

N.T. Wright, one of the premier New Testament scholars has been talking about the resurrection and heaven for quite some time in his books and his teachings.  Awhile back he was interviewed about his views on heaven and earth on ABC.

I really like his ideas because it seems to me that it makes sense of what the Scriptures teach about heaven and earth.

Genesis ABC’s – Im(A)ge, (B)lessing, (C)easing

Okay, so it’s a stretch, but it’s cute.  Genesis is about beginnings and within a span of a few short verses the building blocks of Scripture are laid.  It has been said that all good theology starts with Genesis (don’t ask me who said it or where – but I think someone said it – if not, I still think it is true).

‘A’ is for Im(A)ge

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.  And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26-27 ESV)

Of course there is much to ponder here.  What is meant by image and likeness?  Are they the same or are they to be seen as two different aspects of our createdness like the Eastern church teaches?  Do the words “Let us make…” give glimpses already to the Triune nature of God?  

There are some uncertainties to the passage, but what seems to be clear is that being made in the image of God has at least two characteristics that are mentioned here: having dominion and being relational.  On the first pages of Scripture God sets out how he intends life to work.  First, we are given charge of God’s good creation – what a responsibility!  Nathan Bierma has pointed out that we are to serve as lieutenants (tending God’s garden in lieu of the Master).  We are to run things and care for things just as he would.  Oh, how sin has twisted things!  Rather than tending to God’s creation with him in mind, we seek to DOMINATE creation for our own purposes and for our own pleasures.  Secondly, male and female, we are created in the image of God.  Just as God exists in perfect community in the Godhead, so we need community.  It is only in community that we find true communion with God.  

‘B’ is for (B)lessing

“And God blessed them.  And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves of the earth.’ … And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:28,31 ESV)

I’ve read these words a lot, but this time I was surprised!  In the past, for whatever reason, I mentally separated “And God blessed them” and the later so called cultural mandate.  This time, however, when I read these words it made sense that the blessing IS the cultural mandate.  It’s as if God’s work of creation is done and now He raises his words and gives Adam and Eve a concluding benediction: “Go, work, make culture in my Name!”  What a radically different view of work than the image ingrained in our modern minds (“Thank God it’s Friday” and “I’m working for the weekend).

‘C’ is for (C)easing  

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Gen 2:2,3 ESV)

There seems to be a repetition here that is interesting: ‘Done’ = 3x; ’seventh day’ = 3x; ‘work’ = 3x.  God has created us to have dominion, blessed us to do the work, and then gave us a pattern of REST. Eugene Peterson has pointed out that in the Christian order of events, the Sabbath is the first day of the week – Sunday.  We begin our work-weeks in restful worship and then join God in his work on Monday morning.  In fact, says Peterson, from a Jewish perspective a day begins at sunset rather than at sunrise.  Thus, we begin our days by going to sleep, by resting.  What a profound act of trust!  There’s so much work to be done and yet God invites us to rest, to go to sleep and trust that he is still at work!

On the first pages of Scripture, we have our biblical ABC primer – we are created in God’s im(A)ge to have dominion and to be in community, we are blessed to “Go, work, and make culture”, and we are invited to rest and trust in God.