paravanes:meditations

Photo credit: Jonathan Bachman/Reuters Does Christianity have any meaningful, realistic response to the violence that has swept across the United states during the most recent days? I have followed news reports and listened to responses from BLM, law enforcement leaders, candidates for political office, and citizens expressing themselves on social media and any location featuring a camera and a microphone. Yes, like many, I attended church services last Sunday. We prayed, sang, and listened to an inspiring and consoling sermon. We shared in Holy Communion. Then, we went home or to our next destination. Today, I read a blog post   about why one African-American woman is choosing to leave this country and live in South America. The post is about why she doesn't feel safe in the States. Her sense of vulnerability is not a recent development. Her story is compelling because the openness of her expression is not to be denied. As the saying goes, "You can...

Image from northbrunswicknj.gov The Bible has been criticized for listing, portraying, describing, and including violence. Would it be a credible book about the human condition if it did not? Of course, the Bible has much to say about other topics: life, love, death, goodness, sin, holiness, faith, purpose, etc. When you are describing the human condition, you cannot escape a discussion of violence. Violence has marked much of how we define human history. As a college student and a history major, I learned how much of what was defined as history was actually the record successive rulers and kingdoms. Their comings and goings were marked by violence: war, military conquest, genocide, and forced migrations. You cannot understand or address human needs without acknowledging we really aren't naturally good at heart. Original sin marks itself in our history through violence. God acknowledges this violence by giving us a revelation---the Holy Bible-- that clearly show...

Let's be honest here. There are too many ways for someone who does not need to have a gun to have a gun in America. Many people, who call themselves Christians ---and probably are -- continue to insist on the rights of anyone not a known felon to purchase and own a variety of firearms, including assault weapons and similar items designed for warfare and for killing large numbers of people in a short period of time. I live in the state of Michigan. The Michigan legislature, in a "lame duck' session, has just voted to expand the number of public places where someone can legally possess a firearm. This list includes churches and schools. Why does this happen in America? We have a lot of history here. We are a nation that expanded geographically by committing genocide against the native inhabitants of the continent. We are a nation that expanded financially by buying and selling people from another continent and keeping them in lifetime, perpetual slavery for hun...