Faithful Philly Forum

I certainly would be surprised if people in the pews were under the impression that they had to have the same politics or the same spiritual or religious beliefs that their pastor had! I know that my own parishioners never had that mindset! Yet, that seems to be the inference that the media is suggesting about Obama and his pastor’s politics. That it is pretty laughable in fact! Oh to have that kind of influence!

So, now Obama has shifted the focus away from his preacher and put it in the laps of the average American. Are you ready to talk about race? This huge elephant in the room? Coincidently, Tabernacle United Church in Philly has a 6 week series set to start 3/30 focusing the worship theme on “Liberating ourselves from Otherness” as a way of addressing racism. For as Obama said so eloquently in his speech “In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.”

The challenge is before us now. Will we finally be real about race and white privilege in this country? Will the churches take seriously this “most segregated hour” in US public life?

Before coming to work this morning, I saw that a prominent televangelist was going to be featured on a popular morning show under the rubric: “God wants us to be rich.” Creflo Dollar, pastor of the World Changers Church International in Georgia, has been featured on many news stations. Creflo Dollar, like many other televangelists, is an adherent to prosperity theology. Dollar has two jets, two homes, at least one amazing car, and wads of money. Whatever happened to humility?–to helping others? Dollar is a product of his United States context. In this country we are told that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. We are told that we can do things on our own: if you believe it, you can achieve it. The sad truth about these statements is that they are untrue. Unlike the proclamation of the constitution, we are not all created equal. One’s social location plays a major role in how one may fare in life. When we announce that God’s goal is that everyone prosper, we are simply not being real.

Under the lies/guise of protecting the culture of Islam against sexual inappropriateness, 133 women were murdered last year in Iraq. Although accusing them of being prostitutes and adulturers, the murderers are intent upon killing women with PhDs, that is professional women who oppose setting up an Islamic state. Petitions are online to try to persuade people in high places to do something. 

But this morning’s paper reported a 13 year old woman being hurt and harassed by a fellow student in her high school while another article was of a gang of girls who beat up and slashed and seriously injured two other girls whom they didn’t like, also in high school. Now one might ask what kinds of parents these young people have or what kind of perverted minds can justify murder and mutilation in the name of building a “religious” state. But it also seems  clear that when the news headlines indicate that violence (usually by men ) is an appropriate way to control those with whom we disagree or those we dislike, then our young simply take up the (war) cry and do the same. Surely it is the “sins of the fathers descending on the sons.” Yet another group of folks from various churches are meeting to talk about how to respond to this out-of-control violence that sweeps across the world and through our newspaper headlines. May we never be so complacent as to accept this as the way it has to be!

Labels have always been (and still remain) a problem. For many, certain labels denote negative stereotypes, especially with regard to racism. One thing that has been stressed in my seminary class on “Gospel and Culture” is the fact that we must be extremely careful how we read things because of the problem of labels. My professor for this class happens to be from India. One example he shared with us is how a term we use in the USA is distorted for someone from another part of the world: middle-east. From our geographical location, the region we label “middle-east” may be appropriate, but for someone from India, this term is nonsense. For someone from India, a better term may be something like “the near west.” The point of being aware of labels allows us to become decentralized and see the world around us with more understanding, open eyes.

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For most people, Christmas is a time of giving–and receiving.

Have you ever noticed how difficult “receiving” can be for some people–not only during Christmas, but any time of the year.  I am one of those people.  I take after my mom.  She LOVES to give gifts, but hates to receive them.  Whenever we go out to eat, my mom insists that she pay.  Having it any other way seems seriously painful to her.

It is only recently that I have come to embrace the notion of receiving–thanks to my husband.  He reminded me that other people enjoy giving just as much as I do.  Not receiving a gift thankfully–or joyfully, often does more bad than good.  What seems to be humbleness turns into unconscious rudeness.

Do you receive as well as you give?

Immigration seems to be a hot topic for swaying the U.S. vote for president in 2008.  Citizens of this country are concerned (and maybe too concerned) about securing borders.  In all honesty, I think that the U.S. has much bigger fish to fry.  Why is it that only a few of the presidential hopefuls are speaking about our bad foreign policy?  Those marginalized candidates who speak out against our foreign policy are well educated.  They realized that many domestic problems can only be resolved when we improve our foreign policy.  If we bring the troops (not only from the middle east, but from all over the world) back into this country, we can be prepared to help when another Hurricane Katrina strikes.  The ungodly amount of money that is used to fuel the war in Iraq could be put to good use right here in this country.  Furthermore, those people who are concerned about better control of the borders should be all for  a reformed foreign policy that would allow for troops stationed in foreign countries to man the border.

Many people become defensive when talk about scientific technology arises. There is a new program at the University of Pennsylvania, which will research stem cells in order to find treatments for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. I have a difficult time understanding why people are so opposed to this research. Why has science and technology become something that we fear? The world has changed. So too should our theology. Theology need not be stagnant.

When it comes to something like stem cell research, I applaud the advancements of our world. I think it is fabulous that we have been given the wisdom to find cures on our own. I do not think this is interfering with God’s “role.” Why can’t we find God in scientific knowledge?

In this new age where some of the answers to our biggest questions can be found outside of God, we can take our cue from Dietrich Bonhoeffer and ask, “Who is Christ for us today–in a time where religion has taken a back seat?” Christ can be found in our new knowledge and in our experiences in the secular world. Just as Christ suffered in the hands of a secular world, we too can participate in Christ’s suffering in this world. In the words of Bonhoeffer this is achieved by “living unreservedly in life’s duties, problems, successes and failures, experiences and perplexities. In doing so, we throw ourselves completely in the arms of God, taking seriously not our own sufferings, but those of God in the world.” (Letters and Papers from Prison).

This is in response to AIDS Day (Dec. 1st). I think that here in the USA we forget how relevant the AIDS epidemic actually is. We tend to think that this illness only affects people in places like Africa. But, according to http://www.avert.org/statsum.htm, AIDS in the U.S. should not be overlooked. In 2005, an estimated 437,982 people were living with AIDS in the U.S. Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., a purported 550,394 people have died because of AIDS.

What are we doing in this country about this problem? Has this problem been brushed aside so that other issues can be addressed?

As people with a heart toward social justice issues, can we simply put one issue aside in favor of another? There is an immensity of issues to be concerned about, so can we simply say AIDS is not my issue?

For AIDS Day, the LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania decided to bring huge sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to campus. Along with this, free HIV testing was available and a vigil was held.

There is something quite interesting happening in the evangelical churches now. Soul Force has targeted the megachurches to help members understand, appreciate and fully accept the sexual minority communities in their midst. The initiative is called the American Family Outing from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day and will include 40 families who visit these churches to instigate conversations that will educate and hopefully, build bridges. The churches being targeted are those headed by persons (Isn’t is strange the loudest anti-gay voices are men?) who are on record as making statements against homosexuality. They include Joel Osteen, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Dr. Rick Warren, Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., Bill Hybels and Bishop Eddie Long. But, in addition, to celebrate World AIDS day at an AIDS conference he hosted, Rev Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church noted that Christians must take responsibility for the spread of AIDS. These two announcements of course have stirred up the usual Bible-quoting legalists in response and civility can’t always be counted on by those most passionate. But, isn’t it exciting that the voices for inclusion and grace are finally being asserted? And, when the focus is to create understanding and tolerance, then compassion can’t be too far behind. Right? Let us keep that as our guiding principle. With compassionate people, justice will always follow.