“Deliver Us From Evil”

Upon seeing the cover of “Deliver Us From Evil” and reading the back of the DVD case, I thought to myself, “Oh, not another piece about abuse in the Catholic Church. Isn’t that whole controversy over and done? Didn’t all the victims get their money and the Catholic Church do an overhaul of their treatment of abuse allegations?”

After seeing this movie, I conclude the following: the Catholic Church, as an institution, is still very much involved with the cover-up of sexual abuse perpetuated by clergymen. Here’s what’s missing: transparency. Piles of documents, paperwork, letters, and testimonies have been made inaccessible to the criminal justice system in this country. When allegations of abuse surface, it is the responsibility of bishops and hierarchy within the church to respond by reporting these allegations to the proper authorities. Instead, allegations are handled in-house and dismissed. The public has been fooled into thinking that this problem is solved. It is not.

Case in point: Father Oliver O’Grady. Admittedly, he is an extreme case. His abuse of hundreds of young children, as was described throughout “Deliver Us From Evil,” is a rare and tragic characterization. But what is most tragic, is that at the time of this movie, he was living in Ireland…even living with a family at the time. And they new nothing of his past. And it was the Catholic Church who put him in Ireland in exchange for not testifying against the hierarchy of the church.

Do I think it is a good thing to dwell on a person’s evil past? Not necessarily, but when the safety of children is at stake, their knowledge of his past is of the utmost importance. He was compelled to abuse in the past and he will be compelled to abuse in the future; he’s sick. Not because he’s chosen to be an evil man, but because he was abused as a child…because he continued to abuse even after allegations of his abusing children continued to come forward. And the church did nothing.

This movie does not rail against Catholics, rather it empowers them to take back their church. And all of us, Catholic and non-Catholic, must celebrate the Mother Theresa’s, Oscar Romero’s, and Dorothea Day’s of this world. They are witnesses to God’s love on Earth. And it is our love for the church that should propel us to seek the truth…and the utmost transparency about what has yet been uncovered concerning sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Here are positive reviews of “Deliver Us From Evil. And here are negative reviews of “Deliver Us From Evil.” Read both…they are very interesting.

The High Price of American Inequality

Here’s the first paragraph of an article by David Hilfiker: The High Price of American Inequality. It is an excellent analysis of growing income inequalities in the United States…and what these inequalities mean the future of our society.

The High Price of American Inequality
And What Might Be Done About It

In the March 17, 2008, Washington Post were two articles on toll roads. The first concerned the ongoing attempt by the current US Department of Transportation to get the federal government out of the business of funding road building, thereby “encouraging” states to move toward toll roads where the users pay for construction and maintenance. And the second article was about a report from a Metropolitan Washington regionwide council that in order to relieve the disabling traffic congestion in the area such toll roads are now an absolute necessity precisely because both state and federal governments are pulling back from the costs of roads. The council is recommending that most of the existing area highways, the bridges into the District and even major District thoroughfares be at least partially converted to toll roads. Those able and willing to pay would zip by on their toll roads while the rest would stay stuck in traffic. The impact of toll roads will be to give the affluent a further advantage over others. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. (more)

A New Christian Manifesto

A few weeks ago my friend, Bob Ekblad, called to get a copy of my Swords into Plowshares CD. Excited to hear from him, I immediately asked about his ministry and told him how much I enjoyed his last book “Reading the Bible with the Damned.” He told me he wrote a new book that was soon to come out.

I told him I was anxious to read it, so he sent me an electronic copy and I started reading it right away. When I finished it, I felt completely overwhelmed…almost disturbed. Why? Well, let’s say this much: though I’m totally into Jesus’ ministry and the power of what he teaches—and I am riveted by Jesus’ unwavering commandment that we love one another, I never quite got into the healing stuff.

Yes, I confess, my belief in all praying for this and that all the time, non-stop, Jesus do this, Holy Spirit do that is rather dim. Which is why “A New Christian Manifesto” rattled me. From my encounters with Bob in the past, I’ve not known him to be particularly into the charismatic stuff. When I first met him, he was solidly in the Liberation Theology / Theology of the Cross camps. (Whether or not he was truly in either of those camps is only for him to say; I’m only offering my past impressions.)

Well, folks, let’s say this much: Bob is into healing now. And a lot of it. The stories in this book blew me away. I read it weeks ago and they still blow me away. Not just because the idea of healing like Jesus sounds preposterous to me, but because it’s Bob; an academic, skeptical, critical thinker…who is devoted to Justice and the power of Jesus’ love…but not a charismatic healer. Um, but he is now. And after several rather riveting personal experiences, his life has changed forever…in ways that I could never explain in this short blog entry.

Yes, the book is about more than Bob’s tanglings with the Holy Spirit; it is also about “Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God.” It is about Bob’s ministry; his work with undocumented immigrants, with prisoners, with drug addicts, and all those who find themselves on the margins of society. It is about Jesus’ total ministry, which is a ministry of presence, of healing, of protection, deliverance and WHOLE LOT of Holy Spirit. Story after story in this book hammers home something very clear in my head. God is doing a new thing. Wow. Am I still as skeptical as ever? Well, yeah, kinda, but I now have hope that God is at work in ways that are far beyond my limited rational understandings of Divine power.

“A New Christian Manifesto” is a dense read; it is packed with enough material for a thousand Bible studies. (Okay, I’m prone to hyperbole, but you get the point.) And now that I actually have a copy of his book, I’m going to read it again. There’s something about these stories that never let my mind rest…or that never let me get complacent about what the Holy Spirit can actually do here on Earth, right now, today. I leave you with these two words: read it. To learn more about Bob Ekblad’s ministry follow this link.

Obama Osama Typo

I’m sure Reuters will love me for pointing this out. But they mistakenly called Obama, Osama in an article published minutes ago. This is probably the hundredth time that a publication has done this. I thought this one was particularly funny, though. It reads, “The New York senator dismissed Osama’s criticism over the economy, saying his plans fell short on extending health care to the all Americans, on dealing with the mortgage crisis and expanding the sue of renewable energy.”

She Loves Me

I’m in another show this winter: “She Loves Me.” It’s a Broadway Musical set in the 1930’s. So far at the Albert Lea Community Theater I’ve only done shows with three word titles. The show before this one, of course, was “Don’t Hug Me.” “She Loves Me” is actually quite different than “Don’t Hug Me.” For one, “Don’t Hug Me” is a contemporary reflection on life in a tavern in Northern Minnesota. “She Loves Me,” on the other hand, takes place in a parfumerie.

My character, Georg, the male lead, is the head clerk at Maracek’s parfumerie. He has a wonderful relationship with his pen pal, who he affectionately calls “Dear Friend.” And he has a terrible relationship with a woman recently hired by Maracek: Amalia. They’ve been arguing with each other since the day she sold Maracek’s first “genuine leather musical cigarette box.”

As the story progresses, however, Georg learns that Amalia, who he thought he couldn’t stand, is actually “Dear Friend.” At first he’s in denial, but by the end of the show Georg and Amalia finally get over their arguments, sing to each other, and prance off the stage together. An abbreviated synopsis…to say the least. There are really piles of wonderful subplots, characters and scenes throughout the show.

Being an untrained vocalist, the hardest part of this show for me is the singing. I actually had to get a couple voice lessons just to get more comfortable reaching notes outside my range. I do a touch of falsetto when I have to reach those notes. There were other regular chest-voice notes that I’d never thought I’d get that I can reach just fine now…thanks to my lessons and a ton of practice. It’s hard to turn a contemporary folk singer/songwriter into a Broadway-type singer. I figure I still have a ways to go. (big smile)

The show is a blast. We’ve got a fantastic director, cast and crew. I’m a little blown away, however, at how much different this show is from “Don’t Hug Me.” Both shows together have taught me a ton about singing and acting. All at once I’ve gained confidence and reached new heights of…humility. I’ve a great respect for professional, well-trained singers. They can do amazing things with their voices.

If you’re in Southern Minnesota this February 7, 8 or 9, come see us perform at 7:30pm at the Albert Lea Community Theater!! You’ll love it!

Does Hell Exist?

Questions about the existence of hell have been meandering through my brain over the last few weeks. Not just questions, but implications. Let’s say hell doesn’t exist. Do we all lose our reasons for behaving well? Or are there other reasons to do the right thing? Look at atheists. They don’t believe in Hell, yet most of them are not lawless, malevolent creatures. In fact, most atheists I know are conscientious, benevolent beings.

Most Christians believe they’ll avoid Hell if they ask for forgiveness, so it’s all about timing. If they happen to do something that earns them a trip to the fiery depths, and then right before they die they ask forgiveness, all is well. On the other hand, if they die suddenly and don’t have that chance, or they simply forget to ask for forgiveness because they were too busy saying goodbye to loved ones, too bad.

Can one be a Christian and not believe in Hell? Doesn’t Jesus talk about Hell? Weeping and gnashing of teeth? Furnace of fire? It’s all there, plainly spoken…no question about it.

Rather than argue what is meant there or whether it means folks will go to Hell if they do not behave, I’m instead entranced by a rather profound statement Jesus makes right before his death on the cross. He says, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Who is the “them” that Jesus is referring to? And is Jesus saying that we’re all clueless sinners? Can Jesus forgive us even before we’ve asked for forgiveness?

We can choose to be miserable on earth and not forgive ourselves and others for transgressions, or we can accept the fact that Jesus has already forgiven us…in advance. Hence, we love our neighbors as ourselves not because we’re afraid of flames, but because we love God. I don’t believe anyone ought to follow Jesus because they’re afraid of flames in the afterlife. And, frankly, if a kid comes up to me and says, “Jeshua, do you believe in Hell?” I’ll say, “You know what, I guess I don’t believe in Hell, but you’ll have to come to your own conclusions and reasons for why you believe what you believe.”

No one knows for sure whether Hell exists or not, but it does make for rather interesting discussion. And these kinds of questions, I think, should be a part of every follower’s faith journey.

Don’t Hug Me

Great news! I just auditioned for a part in the Albert Lea Community Theater Production of “Don’t Hug Me” and have been asked to play Aarvid Gisselsen, a fast-talking karaoke machine salesman.

Here’s the description from the official “Don’t Hug Me” website:

“Don’t Hug Me” is a national award-winning musical comedy that takes place in a colorful, rustic north woods bar in tiny Bunyan Bay, Minnesota. It’s the coldest, most bone-chilling day of the year and cantankerous bar owner Gunner Johnson is ready to sell the business and move to sunny Florida. Clara, his wife and former Winter Carnival Bunyan Queen, is perfectly content staying right where she is. Bernice Lundstrom, the pretty waitress, wants to pursue a singing career. Her fiance, Kanute Gunderson, wants her to stay home. It’s a battle of wills that tests their relationships until a fast-talking salesman, Aarvid Gisselsen, promises to bring romance into their lives thorugh the ‘magic’ of karaoke. And when Aarvid begins to woo Bernice, the lutefisk hits the fan!

Performances are scheduled for September 20-23 and 27-29, so if you’re going to be in the area, come check it out!

Run with the Wind

Last weekend Jen and I ran a road race in Marshall, MN (see photo); it’s a 10k run that we did last year as well. My latest preoccupation has been running road races…seeing if I can either get first or second in my age division in these smaller races that are at least an hour from Minneapolis-St. Paul. As a general rule, the further you get from the big city, the less stiff the competition is.

This morning my dad and I ran an 8K race in Janesville, MN. I lucked out and managed to get 1st in my 30-39 age division there. (My dad got 2nd in his age division. Nice job, Dad!) Though I’m not running as fast as I did in college, my pace seems to be good enough to place. In the Marshall race, I got second in my age division…and so did Jen. Earlier in the spring I won the Fountain Lake Five here in Albert Lea, but only because the folks who beat me last year weren’t there this year.

Anyway, all that said. As far as running goes, about the only things I’ve got going for me are my skinniness and my determination. When I started running in jr. high I was slowest on the team…and when I moved up to high school my freshman year, my coach would sometimes make me run with the girls because I was still mighty slow…for a guy. Over time, however, after dying nearly every day of cross country practice, I started to get better. Eventually I went on to run as a mediocre runner at Luther College; 25th man on a team of about 50. Only in the last couple years have I started to get back into racing. It’s so much fun.

I’ve been consistently running at about 6:36 pace per mile for 8k’s and 10k’s…without having done a huge amount of training. I’d like to see if I can get closer to 6:20 pace, however. My fastest mile pace for the 10k in college was about 5:40…so I’m a little ways off from that, but we did a TON of training in college…so I can’t expect to reach that pace given my current regimen.

“Kindom Economics”

This sermon by David Hilfiker is titled, “Kindom Economics.” His not the usual critique of capitalism. Instead, he uses the biblical illustrations to portray an economic system that takes us beyond the bottom line, or calibrates our bottom line to be based on peoples’ well-being rather than profit margins.

Of course, staunch supporters of the supposed “miracle” of market capitalism suggest that capitalism simply takes care of people by increasing production and making it so that there is more for everyone. Hilfiker responds, “The problem, of course, is that our earth won’t sustain ‘more for everyone.’ We simply don’t have the resources. But built into the fundamentals of the system are ever-increasing production and productivity.”

The above response is one piece of several issues he addresses in “Kindom Economics.” I recommend reading it. Whether or not you agree that capitalism is good, bad or indifferent, it is clear that society simply cannot sustain itself with capitalism in its current form.

Download the “Kindom Economics” sermon.

“Myth of a Christian Nation”

Greg Boyd’s “Myth of a Christian Nation” is the sort of book which unequivocally reaffirms my desire to follow Jesus. If I were to give his book another name it would be, “Greg’s Letter to the Americans,” following in the same vein as Paul’s Letters to the Ephesians, Galatians, Hebrews, etc.

Granted, Boyd would probably cringe if he knew someone was comparing something he wrote to the Bible. But he writes this book (or letter) to well-meaning fellow Christians who are bickering among themselves, and/or peeved about his stance on war, violence, his lack of oppositional aggressiveness toward gays, and his apparent lack of fervor in the war against abortion.

Boyd’s preoccupation is with an absolutely mind-blowing concept: the “power under” kingdom of God. This is opposed to a pervasive and often deceptive “kingdom of the world,” which yields its “power over.” Rather than ordering people to become followers of Jesus, Boyd argues that we use Jesus’ life as a model of how God transforms people into followers.

Though his book is pointed, Boyd’s instructions are not aimed at any one particular group of Christians, but toward the Body of Christ as a whole. Boyd writes:

Conservative religious people involved in kingdom-of-the-world thinking often believe that their enemies are the liberals, the gay activists, the ACLU, the pro-choice advocates, the evolutionists, and so on. On the opposite side, liberal religious people often think that their enemies are the fundamentalists, the gay bashers, the Christian Coalition, the anti-abortionists and so on.

Boyd continues with what are perhaps two of my favorite lines in the whole book:

If we were thinking along the lines of the kingdom of God, however, we would realize that none of the people mentioned in the above lists are people whom kingdom-of-God citizens are called to fight against. They are, rather, people whom kingdom-of-God citizens are called to fight for.

Part of why I like those two lines so much is because, as odd as it may sound, I don’t think I’ve ever heard “power under” taken so far. So often Christians want to remove or ignore that part of the Body of Christ that doesn’t suit them. But Jesus would have us serve them instead. Read this book. I’ve only touched on a smidgen of what Boyd gets to his Letter to the Americans. (Humorous note: if you switch the last two letters of ‘Boyd’ around you get ‘Body’…okay, time for me to get to bed.)