Holy Week Musings

Weekend musings ...

I've never understood why this day is called "Good Friday" ... it should be called "Dark Day" ... or "Hell's Victory," or "When We Killed Jesus because We Didn't Like What He Said or Did."

Everything that goes wrong in our time, went wrong in the last week of Jesus' life ... using imagery from "Something Wicked This Way Comes," the Carnival won ... or from "Ready Player One," the corporate machine won ... in both of these provocative stories, it's the children who are at risk.

I suppose we'd rather not be confronted with all of this, so we dress it up a wee bit, make it a little more palatable ... we call it "Good Friday," and hurry over it, and hurry through Waiting Saturday, the time in between (when no one was certain of anything), to get to the bunnies and bonnets. Whoopee Ding Dang, ain't it grand!

We don't have to live in a state of constant apology for being snotty, snooty, and selfish, but we do need to spend some time pondering how clever we are with avoiding the truth ... so that we can keep on being snotty, snooty and selfish and not feel so bad.

We need to stand at the foot of the cross, with some realization of the the dark materials in our times, and in our lives, and say, "Yup, I did this, too. I waved my palm branches on parade day, but, in the end, Barabas seemed the better deal when I weighed it all up."

Tomorrow, Holy Saturday, we wait ... because we're simply not sure what God will do with all the junk.

As for Sunday, well, God willing, we'll see ya' there ... but let's remember, it was the Resurrection that turned a whole lot of the world upside down, and folks weren't too happy about that, either, and when we see the Stone rolled away, the Stone of political power, the Stone of religious stubbornness, the Stone of wealth, the Stone of the status quo, the Stone of pride and bigotry, the Stone I use to control things and keep things in hand, manageable and tame ... my Stone, your Stone, and should God mess with our Stone, we all get a little nervous.

The challenge for us is to be mindful ... serious when needed (much of the time) and playful, too (when elements of joy and hope and peace seem so real, so close at hand, we can touch them) ... we keep on keepin' on, because what else should we do?

I believe, but LORD help my unbelief ... on this Dark Day, and with Tomorrow's uneasy waiting, and the Light of a Tomb that holds the energy of both death and life, life anew, and God said, "Let there be light."

And so it goes ... in this world of cabbages and kings ...

Temptations in the Wilderness

The temptations of Jesus in the wilderness all boil down to the easy way out.

1. Choose charity - make some bread.
2. Choose glamour and power - throw yourself off the Temple.
3. Relax and bow down - I'll give it all to you.

Charity, of course, makes the giver feel good, offers some temporary relief, but doesn't change the systems that produce poverty, suffering and hunger, even as those who indulge in charity go on eating.

Glamor and power? Religion is always given to these temptations - whether it be the "before and after" testimony, the stories of healing and conversion. Is there truth there? Of course there is, but it's ultimately flawed because it's all about the performer and the performance rather than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

False worship? So easy ... look at power and wealth, the kingdoms of the world and all of their splendor ... bow down, relax, kick off your shoes ... don't bother with anything other than yourself.

Jesus chose the truth, the hard way through ... and for that, I'm eternally grateful.

And eternally burdened, too ... for this is the Jesus Way, a Way that God, for whatever reason, has laid upon my life. Sure, I'll use charity, but warily, because charity is a snare.

I'm not about to throw myself off the pinnacle, but throw myself into ideas and marches and protests and letters ...

I'll not bow down to the splendor of the world, though I love comfort and tranquility ... but I'll not divert my mind and soul from the travail of the day and the evil that besets us.

As best I can, in Christ, and by the Spirit, with sisters and brothers of all sorts and persuasions, I will choose the Jesus Way through life.

The Spirit Has Seized Our Youth

Speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus reminds him that the Spirit has a life of its own - it cannot be claimed, manipulated, or determined, by a human being. Yet, the Spirit's purpose and joy (I would assume) is to draw close to a human being, infusing it with God's purpose and hope, giving energy, the kind of energy that hovered over the primal waters of Genesis and gave form to chaos.

Been thinking about the Spiritual Presence in our world, and how the Spirit is hovering over the chaos of American violence and guns, suddenly bringing forth an unexpected movement of youth, their voices crying in the wilderness of our shame and ignorance, calling attention to what might be, a better world.

There's something about their passion transcending the moment, coming from where the Spirit itself resides, in the heart of God, a God who doesn't give up on the creation, because the creation is essentially good, in spite of the existential chaos generated by human resistance to the Good.

The youth, in their singularity, and in their community, have been seized, I believe, by the Spiritual Presence, the greater good, the hope of the ages, the peace that surpasses ... taking them, as the Spirit did to Jesus, into the wilderness, tempted by the Evil One, to take the easy way out (I'm sure), perhaps wondering if it's worth it. But in the power of the Spirit, they speak truth to false power and false prophets and false voices, and in ways beyond expectation, as with Jesus in the wilderness, there are angels there with sustenance and mercy.

The Spirit blows where it will ... and in this case, in the passionate words of the youth, I see the kind of power that transforms, because its willing to shoulder great burdens and take up great causes (isn't this what the Cross is all about?).

The Spirit spoke to the youth, and to all of us: "How much more violence and death are you willing to accept for the sake of a few who have distorted American history and the Second Amendment in order to make money and possess a false and idolatrous power?"

The Spiritual Presence loves this world, because it's God's world ... and where's there's chaos, the Spirit hovers, and in the wind of its love, order emerges, and something new and good takes form.

The Spirit, indeed, goes where it will ... and to all the adults with their guns and their Bibles, how odd it must seem that the Spirit should alight upon the hearts and minds of our youth!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Can't we all just get along?
Good question, for sure.
But history doesn't offer much hope.

Cain killed Able.
Aaron crafted the Golden Calf.
The king threw Jeremiah into the well.

The Apostle Paul's vision of inclusion:
Met heavy resistance in the mother church.
Paul choose grace; others choose to build a wall.

Luther and the Holy Roman Empire and its Holy Church.
The Colonies and Britain.
Hitler and Churchill.

FDR and Big Biz.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and segregation.
Franklin Graham and William Barber.

The fault lines are real, and mostly severe:
The kind of world we choose to own.
The values we uphold.

LGBTQ rights?
Or condem them to exclusion?

The right of a woman to choose abortion?
Or criminalize all of it, and its providers?

Women's rights to life and liberty and limb?
Or the men who would abuse them for power?

NRA?
ERA?

MAGA? or ...
"America! America! God mend thine every flaw"

"We need more time to help some resolve the matter,"
Said I of LGBTQ rights some many years ago.
When a dear friend, said of her gay brother:
"But he has no more time."

Everyone told Martin Luther King, Jr. to be patient.
But too many people were ending up as patients.
Clubbed senseless, or chewed up by dogs.
Burnings, bombings and lynchings.

The Apostle Paul and the mother church never found the middle way.
And the fault lines of exclusion/inclusion remain frustratingly tense.

The Book of Acts tells the tale:
The Mother Church on the one hand.
The Roman Imperial Cult on the other.

Rome and Jerusalem were good together:
When it came to getting rid of Jesus.
And when it came to crushing the gospel.

The cults of Rome and the righteous cicumcized loved large gatherings: where the mob could
Outshout Paul and call for his death.

I hurt for those who seek a middle ground.
A middle way ...
Things upon which we might agree?

Or are we fated/determined/sin-driven:
To be at odds in our quest to be free?

The Disease Called Wealth - by Cindi Brady

From good friend and fine writer, Cindi Brady ...

You know me, rambles over breakfast. Coffee, waffles, and writing about social / political issues.  🤔

This is an old one.

*** 

It was 2005. boyfriend (now husband) Pat and I were renters in New Jersey, coveting a place near the shore.

We found a room in a beautiful 3-story Victorian, a half block from the ocean. The owner, Chris, was the 27-year-old son of an extremely wealthy local builder. It was his weekend home for the summer.

He didn't need our rent money, but as the home stood vacant five nights a week (and fully 7 nights when summer was over), there was no reason not to sit back and collect.

He lived a blissful life as the scion of extreme wealth. Still 3 years away from 30, he was the .1%. Wealth I'd never seen up close.

On the first night after Pat and I had moved in, Chris stumbled drunkenly into our room at 3 a.m. and urinated all over a box of Pat's still-unpacked clothes.

In the morning, he was appropriately abashed & contrite, but made no effort at amends. (No laundry or anything.)

Pat and I looked at the box of his urine-soaked clothes and made the obvious joke ("Wow, the world's most literal interpretation of "trickle down theory").

He was lazy, of course. When his dishes piled in the sink, he'd summon his parents' maid (named Carmen, I swear -- even though it sounds too cliched to be true. Are all maids to rich white families named Carmen or Consuela?)

Now, do you want to guess his politics? You have 3 guesses. (And if you need all 3, you're ADORABLE!)

Hard-core fiscal conservative, naturally. 

In America, anyone can make it if you work hard! If you're poor, you're lazy! Or less intelligent or you made bad decisions or have a multitude of moral / attitudinal deficiencies!

Pat and I once heard him yell to his girlfriend during an argument, defiant pride and righteousness pouring out in his voice "I worked hard for everything I have! "

And he believed it, too. Deep into his core, he absolutely believed it. They all do. 

It takes a very unusual person to recognize -- TRULY recognize -- the opportunities and advantages they've been afforded.

And if we tried to reason with him, and offered some simple truths like:

1.) "Who gave you first 'job'? Your father. You were the boss' son. Do you understand that other builders would have to labor for DECADES to get the contracts you got at age 21?"

Or:
2.) "Your father's company built this house and gave it to you. And now you pocket rental income , which is passive income. That's the thing about capital gains. WE are the ones working. Pat and me. WE are the ones working for everything you have. You sat back and collected the fruits of OUR labor.

Or:
3.) "In the 8 weeks of this summer, you've taken more time off from your job than Pat and I do in the past entire year, almost combined. I'm not really sure that 'I worked hard for everything I have had!' is a boast you can legitimately make....."

... he'd not have understood. Dismissed us a jealous, no doubt.

For the 1%, it is very convenient to believe that wealth is directly correlated to hard work and talent.

**
One night his parents were kind enough to invite us to a barbecue at their estate. I swear, it was like walking into The Great Gatsby. Outrageous wealth on display.

Chris' younger brother was holding court at one of the tables, expostulating on "what a great country America is -- anyone, rich or poor, can go the hospital if they break a leg....."

"Really??" I said. "Try breaking a leg, or getting cancer, as a poor person versus a wealthy. A world of difference, an entire universe! And PS: the care at the hospital isn't free. That poor guy will be so hounded for payment for the rest of his life, he'll start to wish he'd just let the leg stay broken!"

But how would he know that? How could he?

So he said: "Read Ayn Rand" and literally turned his back, signaling our conversation was over. He was done with me. Enough, peasant. 

So. That is my story of Chris and his family of 1%ers.

Now, I flip it over to the other side of the story. The working poor.

When the summer was over, we hired two movers to help us. They started at 5 a.m . (an hour Chris had never seen unless from the other side, after a night of carousing).

They were from Mexico and didn't speak English very well. Also, they were physically small -- wiry and barely taller than me, and I'm only 5'2".

Still, in spite of their size, they carried a queen bed, a massive dining room table, and so forth, up and down flights of stairs and into a waiting truck

Difficult to fathom what kind of mettle and inner strength was keeping them on their feet, step after step. 

They smiled, almost deferentially, the whole time. Just as kind-natured as could be.

We bought them lunch, burgers and soda, and they gobbled it on the porch. We begged them: "Please, come inside. It's so hot & humid out there! Please, come inside where it's cool and eat."

With those deferential smiles, they refused. They seemed to say, "Please, no, we couldn't."

It reminded me of the antebellum, plantation-era South. Like eating inside Chris' fancy house would have been over-stepping. It disconcerted to see that. 

A few years later, after candidate Obama had his interaction with the awful, cretinous "Joe the Plumber", I started to see bumper stickers that read: 

"Spread my work ethic, not my wealth."

On behalf of those two movers, I wanted to peel those bumper stickers off the cars and shove them up the, well, you know, the same same orifice on their bodies from whence most of their ideas came.  😏

See, a fair-sized percentage of citizens in this country would look at these movers in their poverty and call them lazy.

Or assume they spent all their money on, I dunno, booze or whatever the hateful stereotype is.

Or want them out of "our" country, just because.

It's as cruel as it is ignorant.

**

Last time I posted this, Pat reminded me of how our tenancy in Chris' home ended.

Chris sent us our share of the water bill. 

Impossible, we thought, this bill is far too high. After weeks of emails, he would not budge. "That's just how much you owe, and that's all there is to it," he's say.

Finally, Pat called the water company, who assured there was no way a private residence could run a bill that high. In fact, the water bill he gave us was for his family's collection of homes.

Further, without going too much into detail there was no way it was an innocent mistake.

Why a person who was born into more wealth than Pat and I could ever imagine would try to con us, I have no idea. 

Maybe he considered us, the dumb proletariat punching a clock and driving beat-up cars, so beneath him that stealing from us was no greater a sin than stepping on an ant.

We didn't matter. We're nothing. Ayn Rand told him so.

Truly, I think that explains a lot of how the very wealthy plutocrats can treat the working poor the way they do.

Big Questions for Our Times

Reading a Kay Boyle essay from The New Yorker, 1950, pondering how in the world a nation like Germany could succumb to such a vast evil as Nazism.

And reading Tom Wright's new book on Paul, which begins with a fascinating, if not frightening, chapter on Saul's "zeal" - it's long history and how some believed that violence is justified, indeed, God-approved against any and all who oppose God's plan, with a special vehemence against fellow Jews who were considered compromisers with the tenor of the times.

Zeal ... of the four gospel accounts of Jesus cleansing the Temple, John references zeal ...

So here's where Wright's book gets good, if you will ... the young Saul's zeal was for the Temple, whereas Jesus overturned its tables.

The young Saul a nationalist ... Jesus a reformer ... Saul despised anyone who deviated from the rule of law, whereas Jesus himself was a law-breaker, seeking not to be exclusive, but welcoming.

Zeal ... there's not much life without it ... without passion and vision and purpose ... but some forms of zeal turn narrow, nationalistic, and murderous ... other forms of zeal protest war and racism and anything that excludes anyone because of race, creed, or color.

Given the moment of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s crossing of Pettus Bridge, the murderous zeal of those who stood at the foot of the bridge, mounted and armed, saying "This far and no further," and King and those with him full of zeal for freedom and equality.

How in the world did young Saul reject his studies under Gamaliel and then turn to a more violent view of faith?

Kay Boyle asks how in the world did a young German youth reject his heritage and education to sign on with the Nazis and become a killer?

Or, for that matter, those who stood at the foot of Pettus Bridge, many of them church members, singing gladly of Jesus, come to look upon people of color as objects to be hated?

And collectively, how did so many Germans reject culture and Christ and then turn to a vicious anti-Semitism, and to a vicious cleansing of German society?

All of it driven by zeal ... which may, perhaps be some kind of emotional element we all possess ... but without formation, until the right moment comes along, and, then, like Saul, or young Germans, we turn to the Dark Side, if you will ... or like Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Karl Barth, or a Martin Luther King, Jr., we turn to the Light.

As the story unfolds, the young Saul (likely just a few years younger than Jesus) was given another chance, and in the midst of his darkness, a Light ... and in that moment, Saul's zeal was transformed into something life-giving and profoundly generous.

In times such as ours, dangerous times, I think, questions abound about young shooters, men with guns, and people, even evangelicals, who are just mean-spirited and hateful ...

And those who rise above the clamor and choose love and justice and welcome instead ... who go to bat for the voiceless, who raise a cry for mercy, who seek a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Big questions for our times ...

Protestants Abroad by David Hollinger - a Book Review

David A. Holinger, Protestants Abroad: How Missionaries Tried to Change the World but
Changed America.
(Princeton University Press, 390 pp., 2017).

Review by Franklin J. Woo ... resident of Monte Vista Grove Homes, Pasadena ...

In 1997 Lian Xi (History, Hanover College) published The Conversion of Missionaries: Liberalism in American Protestant Missions in China, 1907-1932. In interacting with thoughtful and ordinary Chinese, the Protestant missionaries became less dogmatic, more open, and more inclusive of cultures other than their own. They became better human beings: Frank Rawlinson discarded his Southern Baptist exclusivism tombecome editor of the Chinese Recorder which included Chinese input; Edward Hume became an engaged intellectual; and writer Pearl Buck became a post-Christian with social justice concerns such as anti-racism and adoption of children of mixed blood. She was the first “feminist” of her day leading to the Feminist movement (1970s) and the contemporary women’s marches of our time.

Using the Lian Xi model, David A. Hollinger (Historian Emeritus, UC Berkeley) did rigorous archival research and interviews with former missionaries and their progeny. Having no connection with the early missionaries, his book nevertheless is another first study of them by an academic historian. In his 80 pages of notes including Lian’s book, Hollinger is not limited only to China, but encompasses most missionaries in the rest of the world.

Hollinger names many former missionaries and their progeny all of which he categorizes as “Protestant Cosmopolitans.” These includes the three Johns (Davies, Service, Vincent) who sided with Mao and were accused by McCarthyism in the 1950s as having “lost” China; Edwin Reischauer (Japan); Ruth Harris (China); Pat Patterson (Japan); Margaret Flory (“Japan”); Richard Shaull (Brazil); and sons of Roberta and Dudley Woodberry (Afghanistan, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan) and many others.

Protestant Cosmopolitans were anti-racist and anti-western imperialism. During WWII some urged fair treatment of Japanese POWs as fellow humans and protested US incarceration of Japanese Americans. They were instrumental in establishing ecumenical councils in the U.S.A. and the world, not to mention the United Nations (1945) and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). They resonated with Re-Thinking Missions (1932) by William Ernest Hocking. As Lian so aptly puts it, “Even when they had lost their Call, they retained the momentum of mission,” which led to the of multiculturality in America, where “treasures long prepared--the wisdom, insight, gifts of grace of every culture, age and place--in Christ can now be seen and shared” (Brian Wren, 1971).

Protestant Cosmopolitans and Evangelical Conservatives are not monolithic; they overlapped in the porosity between them. “By the early 1970s, Hollinger claims, “the early evangelicals were emulating the liberals more visibly than ever before,” albeit without losing their basic Evangelical perspectives. Other than Hollinger and Lian, “value-free” academics tend to shy away from religion. Whenever they do write about missionaries, it’s invariably pejorative. Hollingerr urges Protestant Cosmopolitans to persist in showing the inclusivity of Christian faith, lest they lose by default to the religious right.

– Review by Franklin J. Woo