Office Politics: Destruction or Life?
"Do I feel bad about betraying Jim? Not at all. That was the game-convince him we’re in an ‘alliance’ together, use him for info, then toss him to the wolves… It’s called politics, baby. It’s about getting what you can out of people and then destroying them."
Dwight Schrute
Assistant TO the Regional Manager
Dunder Mifflin, Scranton Branch
Politics: It’s about getting what you can out of people and then destroying them. It seems as though the writers of The Office have been paying close attention to recent foreign policy decisions. Since the "church" by and large has dropped the proverbial ball on caring for people, the government has implemented tax funded initiatives such as Social Security and welfare. Could it be that under our current systems of political functionality that the church must operate in cooperation with the government to care for people? If "followers of Jesus" don’t take care of the poor then should one be in favor of higher taxes so that said provision may be allocated by legislators? How should a follower of Jesus actively engage the public square so that money taken from people may be used in a life-giving manner rather than for destruction of a "lower class" or "other nation" (emphasis on quotation marks to distinguish language that represents something that doesn’t really exist)?
Shane Claiborne: Videos @ Princeton & on Empire.
A theme throughout the comments on my last post centered around the concept of action being of greater importance than dialogue. I think that most of us could say that Shane Claiborne of the Simple Way (link in right column) is quite socially active and intent on being the person of Jesus for those who are otherwise overlooked by many supposed of followers of Jesus. I was sitting with Shane at the Envision Conference at Princeton just before he gave a portion of his presentation on Jesus and the Church. Here is a clip:
While at the conference I met one of Shane’s friends, Jamie Moffett . Jaime was in the process of producing a documentary called "The Ordinary Radicals. " The documentary was finalized earlier in September. Shane contributed to the video along with Jim Wallis , Brian McLaren , Tony Campolo, Rob Bell , and John Perkins (I also hung out a little with Jim, Brian, and John at the conference). Here is a portion of what Shane said for "The Ordinary Radicals "which pertains the the previous topics of engagement with the empire.
The Ordinary Radicals - Trailer from Jamie Moffett on Vimeo.
Does it matter? Bantering and Battering RESPONSE I.
I found the amount of comments on my previous "Bantering and Battering" post much more intriguing than the content of the posts. I am not demeaning the value of anyone’s thoughts and contribution to the dialogue (they were quite insightful) but rather am expressing my observation that there are many and various opinions and stances that have generated much attention and use of time. Such popularity indicates that a post with political, governmental, and empire-ical themes unveils the value of Christian (or unChristian) involvement and engagment in the public square. Thank you for your thoughts and comments. I hope the virtual discussion will continue.
One question that I posed in the original post was, "Does my vote even really matter?" A comment indicated that the issues and implications contained within the decision of whether or not to vote "carry with them
enormous weight and responsibility." Am I held responsible for the decisions of another person if I voted for that person? Since I (regretably) voted for George W. Bush am I guilty of killing thousands of people in a vengeance-initiated war? Am I responsible for irresponsibly spending billions of dollars that could have otherwise been used to feed and clothe people and provide education and clean water for our national enemies and/or neighbors? Did my vote provoke terrorism? If my vote really mattered then am I really an enactor of love representing the kingdom of God?
Bantering and Battering.
I have been perusing some random blogs and reading all the different viewpoints on the U.S. presidential 
candidates and their running mates (when I say "their running mates" it seems as if they are possessions). There are people from all types of religious and socioeconomic backgrounds that adamantly support either Barack Obama or John McCain . I have several problems not necessarily with either candidate but rather with the election process itself. The first problem is that the candidates, those in the campaigning process, and supporters spend so much of their time bashing the "opposition." What is especially troubling is that a self-proclaimed follower of Jesus will point out everything that is suppossedly wrong and unchristian about Barack Obama and then another self-proclaimed follower of Jesus will point out everything that is suppossedly wrong and unchristian about John McCain. Is such language really reflective of the love of Jesus? Should so much time be spent degraging a human and attempting to unveil the wrongdoing of another? And for what? Power? Political gain? Kicks and giggles? Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the fun that comes with a new political season. I laughed out loud for quite some time after watching Saturday Night Live’s skit featuring "A Nonpartisan Message from Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. " We would go crazy if there was not some humor to distract us and interupt the bantering and battering that defines a U.S. election. But what does a follower of Jesus do when real hatred and degradation characterizes the core of each candidates’ campaign?
Should I vote?
Should I choose the lesser of the two evils, thereby still choosing evil?
Should I fill in John Ballenger as a write-in candidate ?
Does my vote even really matter?
What decision best reflects a life that exists for the kingdom of God?
They Like Jesus but…
As a part of my Master of Arts program through NNU I am leading a study using the curriculum by Dan Kimball, "They Like Jesus but Not the Church." There are about 15 college students from MVNU who are contributing their thoughts as we seek to uncover culture’s objections to Christianity. I also showed a clip from the DVD to my ITD1101 classes on Wednesday. The clip from Session One was an interview of college students who were asked, "What do you think of Jesus?" and "What do you think of Christians?" The responses were varying and intriguing. So…
What do you think of Jesus?
What do you think of Christians?
What do you think of the label "Christian" and why would you ascribe to it or not?
Space.
Is it more difficult in the current popular American culture to make space for community or solitude?
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Video Introduction.
EV08: Randy Balmer
© Clint Fisher. Aenon Fire.
Notes from my Moleskine at the .08 Envision Conference:
9.09A
06.09.08
Princeton University. NJ.
Alexander Hall
Plenary I:
History of Evangelicals with Randy Balmer
Professor of American Religious History at Barnard College, Columbia University
Green v. Connely
June 30 1971: More influential than Roe v. Wade
Anyone discriminating against minorities is not a 501(c)3 active organization
1971 Southern Baptist Convention
Passed Resolution calling for legal abortion and members favored Roe v. Wade
Enter: Polarization of/by Religious Right
Evangelicals of the "right" were trying to defend and protect their own subculture
IRS went after Bob Jones University due to racial discrimination/other discrim.
Religious right appointed Ronald Reagan as their czar in 1980
.80 - Divorce was an operating issue so for Reagan the issues were shifted by the right from divorce to abortion and homosexuality
JESUS
is very clear about divorce but not abortion or homosexuality
Use of Scripture citation to support segregation and discrimination :: 20 years prior
"Intelligent Design" is one of the surest proofs for evolution
President Bush appointed a judge that turned down creation theory for text books
The canons of rational enlightenment do not determine life
To denegrate Genesis to the sciences is to flee God
Cornwall Declaration
Most cynical document signed by Dobson/Colston/etc. that empowers corporate to make decisions best for corporations
1st Amendment
Equal to those who deny the Holocaust are those who adhere that the founding fathers wanted to separate church and state
Roger Williams: Puritan in Massechusetts "Garden of Church Protected"
The church shouldn’t look to the government for sanctions
Truitt: Issues affirmation as a baptist that lines must not be blurred b/t church and state
Prayer in schools always exists
Faith doesn’t need approval from science or government
JESUS
is not interested in being an arbitor of religion
Recover the SCANDAL OF THE GOSPEL
:: Get quote from "Thy Kingdom Come"
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THE PRECEDING TEXT COPIED AND/OR ADAPTED FROM MY TYPED OR MOLESKINE RECORDED NOTES ON THE ENVISION CONFERENCE MAY OR MAY NOT BE MY OWN THOUGHTS AND MAY OR MAY NOT INCLUDE DIRECT CITATIONS OF ORATORS/FACILITATORS. THE ORATORS/FACILITATORS SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE CREDITED OR HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR SPECIFIC WORDS OR PHRASES THOUGH SOME WORDS ARE THEIR OWN.
The Dark Knight: My Confession.
WARNING : Spoilers ahead. If you have not yet experienced The Dark Knight [now playing in a theater near you] then forgiveness may still be imparted and you may not want to read any further so as to avoid disclosure of the unveiling story that is the saga of Bruce Wayne and a nameless, unhuman.
Yes. Unhuman.
My favorite scene (currently) in The Dark Knight is when the man called "The Joker" is sitting in the Gotham City jail cell. When Police Commisioner James Gordon enters the holding area one of the GCPD officers informs Gordon of "The Joker’s" identity. He is… well… mmmm… no one. He has no name. He has no fingerprints. No DNA matches. Nothing. Even his clothing and shoes have no tags or identification. Though found in the form of man he doesn’t really seem to be… a man, a… hu-man. In addition to having no physical identity, the character doesn’t act or think like a human. His behavior and thought patterns caused me throughout the film to think of him as a genious, psychotic lunatic who can’t be… a man. So what is it that has stripped this man, now called "The Joker," of his humanity?
The evil in our world has quite tragically succeeded in the process of dehumanization. I must confess that, even in an attempt at good, I have been engaged in the dehumanization of others. In my poor attempts at "ministry" I have objectified people by seeing them as "projects" rather than as human beings loved deeply by God. I have been consumed by consuming "works of righteousness." I the more "good" I could feed myself, the more satisfied I thought I was from "helping others." When will I cease to pridefully desire the satifaction that seems to come from suppossed "good works?" When will serving others be something more than my very own Wayne Enterprises? How may I be a part of a community that goes about restoring humanity?
I am a dark knight.
Quite simply…
… beautiful.
