Sep
1
Happy Birthday CLC! The CLC is sixty and just in time for its birthday we are receiving congratulations, accolades and gratitude. Join the celebration!
:: Save The Date (pdf)
Just this month the CLC was celebrated: The US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack recognized the CLC leadership to fight hunger in Texas. Literacy Texas (statewide coalition of Literacy Councils) honored the CLC with a Texas Champions award for effectively leading the State of Texas on behalf of adult learners and the CLC was recognized by the Baptist World Alliance for hunger ministries around the world. In all these celebrations the CLC was cited as “relevant to the Kingdom-work of God in the world today.“
Sixty and going strong. The CLC is blessed with champions from generations past and a host of new friends and colleagues who are serious about their kingdom mission.
When did you become aware of the CLC? A while ago the CLC Commissioners brainstormed about the six decades of work – we asked of each decade: What was happening in the world at large? What was changing in the religious landscape? What was the work of the CLC?
1950’s – in a time of secular scientific expansion and nuclear threat, a major religious emphasis was on media and event evangelism (a million more in ’54). The CLC was championing religious expression and liberty, bringing an emphasis to faith in the workplace, and opening the dialogue on race relations in Texas. The CLC is formed and speaks with a prophetic voice.
1960’s – this decade saw the upheaval of many traditions and values in the streets, in culture and in the context of war. Rising rates of divorce, “just war” dialogue, civil rights legislation, even the “God is dead” announcements prompted study and action by the CLC in the areas of family life, war and peace and racial reconciliation.
1970’s – life was shaped by the US migration from the rust belt to the sunbelt, the defining women’s movement, Watergate and political cynicism. Religious factions began, the Jesus revolution and para-church organizations grew and the CLC was active in building the strength of the laity, clarifying the role of religion in schools, building bridges of trust for Baptists to other denominations and other faiths, and bringing leaders in ethics to Texas Baptists.
1980’s – saw the rise of the Moral Majority, the fall of the Berlin wall, the beginning of the desktop computer and mobile phones,. Mega churches emerged and fractious Baptist disputes strained the fabric of unity in Texas. The CLC responded with dialogue and action to clarify Baptist principles, sustain historic institutions and mobilize leaders on the ethics front to resolve violence in families, lead the opposition to gambling in Texas.
1990’s – a decade characterize by consumerism and economic boom. At home celebrity culture and the strength of fundamentalism grew. Abroad, Europe, Africa & Asia all responded to the fall of communism abroad. Missions felt the strains of conflict from US Baptist bodies. Support from the CLC Hunger Offering sustained worldwide missions and projects. The CLC lead Texas in advocating for children, supported substance abuse ministries and engaged a robust ethical conversation about bio-ethics and the environment.
2000’s – Global concerns exploded: terrorism, climate change, worldwide poverty. Technology and digital expansion changed the channels for conversation, communication and networking. Clergy scandals and religious pluralism stretched the fabric of faithful leadership. The CLC grew too, expanding its scope to international issues, adding an Austin office for public policy, beginning immigration ministries, advocacy to reform the criminal justice system, and a policy focus on hunger and poverty.
Sixty, they say, is the new….30? 40? This is certainly true for the CLC…Robust, strong, and committed to bringing conviction into action. The CLC is worth celebrating as a special ministry tool in the hand of a loving Father. Our joy is service and we are led by Jesus’ example of a transforming faith. This mission is aptly authored by Joe Haag in the opening paragraph of the CLC brochure, so I’ll brag about his work:
“To follow Christ means that we allow his life to gain leverage against our lives. Against our lust for power, he endures the cross. Against our pride and arrogance, he washes the disciples’ feet. Against our upward mobility, he preaches good news to the poor. Against our self absorption, he has compassion on the multitudes. Against our tight circles of family and friends, he reaches out to strangers. Against our safe noninvolvement, he confronts the powers. Against our violence and hatred, he demands that we love our enemies. Against our self righteousness, he welcomes sinners. Against our bigotry, he tells us about a Good Samaritan. Against our frenzy, he invites us to trust God. Against all the lies which enslave us, he tells the truth which sets us free. How can we be transformed into the image of Christ? One answer is that as we surrender our lives to God’s purposes, God changes us.”
Happy Birthday!
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Jul
27
A Word From Suzii – Religion and Foreign Policy, the world is on the doorstep
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“Once considered a private matter by western policymakers, religion is now playing an increasingly influential role – both positive and negative – in the public sphere.” This is the opening sentence of a major foreign policy report “Engaging Religious Communities Abroad. A New Imperative for US Foreign Policy.” Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs.
Historically, US government leaders and foreign affairs professionals have considered the light of the faithful firmly under a bushel – at least when they made decisions about public policy. But as global connections are more interrelated and policies cross boundaries of culture and belief, the old paradigm of ignoring religious content and context is changing. Dialogue and nascent relationships have begun. Major universities, think tanks, government agencies, denominational representatives and worldwide compassionate ministries are coming together.
Religion has gone from being virtually ignored in foreign policy to being acknowledged. This is clearly stage one of a relationship and is accompanied by many of the same awkwardness of any new encounter. If religion is being acknowledged in policy circles, the relationship is soon to advance to a process of more integration. In the past three years, I have participated in several forums that bring religious and foreign policy leaders together. Both sides are learning. The public policy folks are often strong on persuasion and information. The religious leaders are almost always trying to convey the diversity of religious interests and voices – there is no religious monolith in the 21st century either within religious traditions or among religious traditions.
One clear development is the inclusion of the study of religion and foreign policy at prestigious academic institutions. The level of analysis and the intriguing studies of religion and foreign policy are building a body of complex data and reference for current and future engagement. As a result of its robust initiative on Religion and Foreign Policy, the Council on Foreign Relations convenes a group of religious leaders with leading policy makers to focus on specific issues and countries every summer. The meetings have become robust and the reading list is growing as scholars add their important voices.
The next stages of engagement will surely be marked by more textured integration of religion and foreign policy. But when moving beyond curiosity and polite protocol to true engagement the defining questions for both the religious sector and the public policy sector yield powerful and complex responses.
At a recent consultation at Wheaton College, hosted by Bread for the World, the Micah Challenge and the Center Applied Christian Ethics, the topic was “Government, Foreign Assistance and God’s Mission in the World.” I am not sure I ever expected to see those topics together on a dais, but the reports and reflections from mission leaders and USAID program planners was unexpectedly robust. The consultation was guided by three questions: How do we understand the biblical and theological grounding for the government’s role in addressing global poverty? Why, should, and how can churches engage in the larger discussion of government responses to global poverty? How do we understand the church’s global poverty advocacy role in the context of God’s mission in the world?
The group of about a hundred evangelical leaders worked to articulate a position statement on Government, the Poor and Gods Mission in the World. It was valuable to articulate biblical and theological affirmations, and to begin to try to describe informed Christian engagement. Although the declaration is still a work in progress, it is clearly a discussion that needs to continue and my hope is that Texas Baptists can be an integral part.
Are you asking yourself about now, what does this have to do with Baptist Church, County Seat Texas? More than you think. Do you send or support missions in other countries the world? Do you have a returning veteran in your congregation from Iraq or Afghanistan? Are your church members relocating around the globe for school, work or for short term missions? What if the worldwide definition of religious liberty changed tomorrow to be only a position of anti-defamation? (no disparaging remarks) with no protection of free speech (especially for Baptist minorities)? Returning to the compelling report of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (opening quote) it asserts important patterns of the intersection of religion and foreign policy that will affect our future:
- The influence of religious groups is changing virtually every sector of society –politics, culture, business and science.
- Patterns of religious identification are changing worldwide. (For example: African nations are more than 80% religiously converted since 1980.)
- Religion is being transformed by globalism.
- Religion plays a role that government cannot and will not.
- Religion is being used to escalate tensions in many areas of worldwide conflict.
- The growing significance of religious freedom as a universal human right and the source of social stability.
“For God so loved the world” is still our call. The conference table of the 21st century has a chair marked for our participation.
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Jun
16
A Word From Suzii – Confronting Human Trafficking in Texas
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San Antonio District Attorney Susan Reed was among the important witnesses who recently painted a picture of human trafficking in Texas. Surprisingly, many of the victims she described had not crossed the Mexico border, but were local girls – mostly troubled teens – that had run away from home and had become victimized into prostitution. If they are fortunate, the cases made on their behalf can resolve their tormented life, but the path to resolution is not easy. If they are under age (and many are) they may “age out of services” before their case is completed. This can put a premature end to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of vicious perpetrator and the victims loses continuity in their case.
Early in June, testimony was heard in the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence committee (pdf) of the Texas House outlining the immediate steps needed in Texas to stem the flow of human trafficking in our state. Susan Reed, District Attorney in San Antonio played a major role with her testimony. There was a report from the Human Trafficking Task Force (pdf) of the Office of Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas; The Task Force is set up in workgroups to focus on four main areas: role for law enforcement personnel, training and outreach, legal review to enact ordinances and laws, victim services.
I am serving on the legal review workgroup and Tomi Grover (BGCT Consultant) is serving on the training and outreach workgroup. David Boatwright, Office of the Attorney General, said that human trafficking crimes by their nature have to be uncovered and are often uncovered in several ways: when force, fraud or coercion is used, when child abuse is found, when prostitution is found and also whenever drug cartel activity is found. In order to get a case to court, the officers must get to the “why” of a Human Trafficking case, looking into the initial drug, prostitution or fraud arrest.
Lt. Overstreet from Dallas Police Department reported on the developing trafficking patterns in three international organizations and believes they are all tied to drug cartel and/or gangs. Recent arrests were made, the organization was aware of police watch and in the process of changing locations to Houston. It is very labor intensive to go after these organizations and law enforcement partnerships and Human Trafficking taskforce cooperation is crucial for taking them down. Fusion support from technology centers that are capable of connecting dots for law enforcement is also crucial. He estimates that law enforcement is 15-20 years behind on Human Trafficking in terms of technology.
Mandy Kimble, Children at Risk, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs presented two proposals to the committee: pass a statute that aligns the Texas definition with the Federal definition of Human Trafficking and separate sex trafficking from general labor trafficking. Mandy called for a Safe Harbor effort in Texas. She articulated some of the unintended consequences of a criminal justice system when handling victims of Human Trafficking. Her request is to replace prosecution of child victims w/ social services via grant funding. She cited the paradox that we want to help children but treat them as criminals in order to keep them locked up and safe. Our state laws states that a child is unable to consent to sex but then criminalizes them to keep them safe instead of treating them as involuntary victims because we are greatly lacking a safe house infrastructure. Our law doesn’t have an age requirement for prostitution currently. If a juvenile states that they are 18+ and don’t have identification to prove otherwise, they are tried as an adult.
It is reassuring to see the progress that the Texas legislature, the Attorney General office and many local law enforcement offices are making on these issues. The need for victim services, safe houses, care for runaway teens, and attention to vulnerable populations is growing. The organization of these measures is crucial to prevent, detect or support prosecution of Human Trafficking. The largest Human Trafficking case prosecuted in the US was in Houston. The attorney managing the case said that it was the role of victim services from the domestic violence shelters, YWCA, churches and other compassionate communities that supported the successful prosecution of the case. Contact Traffick Stop, Tomi Grover (traffickstopinfo@gmail.com) or the CLC to connect to others who are building strength to meet these needs.
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Apr
21
A Word From Suzii – Wall Street, Main Street, Online
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“A casino economy” this phrase has been used widely to denote the flagrant risk, greed and exploitation characterizing the recent economic meltdown. “Casino economy” practices go deeper into the American mainstream, however, than a one-time crisis. Greed and exploitation can find their way into almost any American venture replacing Biblical values of thrift, stewardship and shared prosperity. Just this week the following examples of deception and predatory practice emerge on Wall Street, Main Street and Online. Sadly, they are lost news because they can be replicated in almost any week.
Just business ? Sanctioned fraud masquerading as investment: The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil lawsuit against Goldman Sachs for securities fraud on Friday, charging the bank with creating and selling mortgage-backed securities that were intended to fail. According to the complaint (pdf), Goldman let John Paulson, a prominent hedge fund manager, select mortgage bonds that he wanted to bet against because they were most likely to lose value and packaged those bonds into the “Abacus” investments, which were sold to investors like foreign banks and pension funds. As those securities plunged in value, the Paulson hedge fund made money on the negative bets, while the Goldman clients who bought the investments lost billions of dollars.
Just business ? Cheap, but you are supporting the criminally convicted: FLDS (the extreme Mormon sect in San Angelo) owns and operates a cement plant and building services business and will contract to build more cheaply than other local contractors offering San Angelo area residents low price contracts. The leader of this group, Levi Jeffs, plead no contest to sexual assault and bigamy charges of the 16 year old girl in question. He received two eight year prison sentences earlier this week. Jeffs is the fifth man to be found guilty in Texas on charges… based on evidence seized by authorities during an investigation at the ranch in April 2008. The other four FLDS defendants — among them the father of Jeffs’ victim — received sentences ranging in length from seven years to 75 years.”
Just business ? Financial service turned financial exploitation: As one example of hundreds of payday loan outlets (www.Nationalpayday.com) advertises their quick cash advances to help you in any situation. “If you need a quick cash advance or payday loan, let us help. We are the best quick solution for any cash flow problem. Our online payday loans and cash advances give you the emergency cash you need until your next payday. No matter what you need money for, our quick and easy check cashing service provides the assistance you’ve been looking for”… at 500% interest and above, is this help or an invitation into a cycle of debt?
Also from National Payday website: “The following table provides examples of the cost to obtain a payday loan or online cash advance. The APRs are based on example loan terms of one payment (“Check Amount”) due in 16, 14, and 7 days. (These figures do not include additional fees of up to $60 charged to each loan at many lenders)
Greed is classically regarded as one of the seven deadly sins because greed is so pervasive and harmful. Unlike ancient Rome, Americans have something to say about the laws which are supposed to enact justice in society. We vote for candidates who are charged with passing just laws. .. We are a people who overwhelmingly say that we are influenced by the biblical tradition which requires justice. We can’t very well plead innocence if the laws of society are unjust because we are the people who in a democratic society preside over the passage of these laws. Our laws are a reflection of who we really are as a society–not who we say we are–but who we really are.
And who are we?
Are we people who are willing to lament and raise our voices? The prophetic witness of scripture including Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Christ began with sincere lament over the suffering and injustice. A central calling for our Christian community is simple WITNESS. Speaking our values of thrift, stewardship and shared prosperity is an act of faithfulness. Will you consider voicing your concern over the expressions of greed and exploitation you see in your own workplace or community? Will you join others in your city and state to control the growth of payday lenders and auto title loan sharks?
:: Resolution on Financial Stewardship (pdf)
Are we a people willing to act with consideration of the interest of others? There is no need to forgo our own interests to support the interests of others. Our country has passed through ages of unbridled greed before – and there has been a correction through law, advocacy, incentives and market forces. We need a correction to “casino economics” so that there is a balance of fiduciary responsibility to millions of investors and employees, as well as to shareholders. The impact of ethical practice is to build an ethical IDENTITY, not just a whenever- it’s-in-my-own-interest incidental ethical action.
Businesses go to great lengths and great expense to construct a public relations face to conceal predatory or exploitive practices. One particular troubling trend today is for businesses to create charitable foundations that give away relatively small amounts of money with great fanfare and flourish. Not that the charitable work they do is undesirable, but if the charitable foundation is a public face masking predatory and exploitive business models that harm consumers, employees and investors, then the charity is merely a contrived device to perpetuate destructive greed.
This type of good face/bad practice trend is evident in many communities that embrace casinos in exchange for support for local nonprofit organizations. It is evident in the TV and radio ads claiming the Texas Lottery supports education when the money raised by the Lottery only supplants General State Revenue that is Constitutionally committed to support education. “A Lottery dollar in is a General State Revenue dollar out.” No matter how much the Lottery makes, the education budget remains the same, but the public message directs you to believe that your Lottery ticket will add to Texas education.
As Susan Hamill, a former NY tax lawyer and professor at University of Alabama law school, remarked, “Some people say that Christians should focus on charity, and withdraw our voice from the economic marketplace. The Bible calls us to charity, but charity is not the same as justice. Charity involves voluntary generosity, but biblical justice requires systemic and structural righteousness for all people, and particularly for the most vulnerable people in society. Charity and justice are both pillars of righteousness, but an abundance of charity does not substitute for the absence of justice. An “A” in charity and “F” in justice do not average out to a “C” in righteousness.”
Although the marketplace and other media of commercial interface are changing rapidly, we are not yet a generation away from the values of thrift, stewardship and common prosperity. These little embers of economic ethics need to be fanned into brightness as we approach an eminent turning point in local and global economics. We build the structures, we buy the products, we buy the stock, we invest and we elect the officials. If there is a need to return to the values and thrift institutions envisioned by Ben Franklin, then it is a faithful presence and prophetic witness that can usher in balance.
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Mar
18
Recently I did research on a little family history from 1923. I read the front page news for 5 months in 4 daily Texas newspapers in the spring of 1923. I found what I was looking for, but I was also struck by the daily headlines – they covered the beginning years of the Texas oil industry. Discord, risk and suspicion about the uncertainty of this speculative industry were major stories in the daily news circa 1923… policy fights in the legislature and business competition on the street.
Texans were used to relying on coal oil and whale oil and expecting very little from energy in their daily lives but pretty soon the oil glut began to affect ordinary Texans – at home, on the farm, transportation by land and sea, and motorized conveniences that were just imaginary 5 years prior. All this new energy activity was taxed – By 1919, the revenue from the oil-production tax was more than $1 million; by 1929, it was almost $6 million. And who were these nutty wildcatters? Names like Sid Richardson, Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Clint Murchison and Hugh Cullen were suspect…until 20 years later when they became the philanthropist millionaires of the 1940”s and 1950”s.
Texas remains at the forefront of the energy industry as the 21st century energy revolution eclipses our recent past. The total renewable energy “resources” in Texas, outstrip every other State. Energy from sunshine falling on a single acre of land in West Texas is capable of producing the energy equivalent of 800 barrels of oil – each year. Today, Texas in the midst of a revolution the echoes of 1923 are with us…
Pioneers and entrepreneurs are developing clean renewable energy – Like their 1920’s counterparts, wind wildcatters in west Texas have already proved Texas can be a leader in this industry; Thirty-five (35%) percent of the power Abilene Christian University purchases is generated from West Texas wind turbines-. Recent community college programs are offering all women workforce training in solar installation skills.
Energy moves in next door - thank goodness today’s energy innovations don’t bring black oil gushers into the neighborhood, but Barnett Shale natural gas drilling is now in churchyards, in parking lots and returning handsomely in urban neighborhoods; encouraged by Economic Development Councils in Texas, wind energy equipment is now manufactured in at least 3 Texas towns…more to come. In towns where a rebate policy is an incentive, churches, homes and businesses are installing solar collectors – one church installed it’s panels in the form of a giant cross. A 10 percent goal for solar energy can make a significant difference as the US transitions to a diverse energy future.
Odd sounding ideas and speculative endeavors hold promise of new industries – oil production changed the barrel from wooden spokes to steel drums – unheard of at the time. Solar collector and battery innovation is taking on every shape imaginable including inflatables, film, fabric, tiles, roof shingles and myriad forms of tempered glass. Randy Hill is the owner of a company that manufactures equipment that dries agricultural products; he has turned his moneymaking attention to drying mesquite beans for biomass within the alternative energy industry. Off shore towers that create energy from constant wave motion – tidal power – are a part of the energy portfolio in the North Sea.
Agricultural and urban Texas changes as energy changes – not every rancher or landowner of the 1920’s welcomed oil derricks, pumps and equipment. However, priorities in agriculture, forestry and energy research are yielding a productive focus on renewable energy. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture are retraining and advising. Resistance in the Texas Hill Country has been strong in response to a plan to put transmission lines across central Texas counties. The fact remains that wind turbines in sparsely populated West Texas, can supply needed energy to Texas populated quadrants, but transmission is a necessity.
New energy will mean new policies, encouragement to new leaders, incentives and business models that track our Texas ingenuity and get ‘er done mentality. Agricultural and manufacturing opportunities are emerging and the world beyond our borders will once again look to a Lone Star for guidance. We have a chance to act in the interest of our future. Welcome to 1923? Wow! Does history ever repeat itself.
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Feb
17
There is a legend of a wanderer who rounded a corner to see a large giant asleep on its side. Fearing that the giant would stir and threaten, the wanderer hid in nearby brush keeping an eye on the sleeping beast. After several hours the giant was gone – but not because it stirred and rose in gargantuan power. Curiously the wanderer watched as the extremities of the imposing beast shimmered and gradually dissolved into small, energetic dwarves – they eagerly exited out of the large form and headed out into the forests and byways. Then the arms one by one similarly dissolved into a host of duty bound sprites and so on until the giant was transformed into hundreds of energetic souls each slipping away to an appointed task. From the hiding place, the wanderer could see, there was no beast at all. The fearful form was transformed by the purposeful tasks of dedicated people one by one.
This is how I see hunger. Its shadowy, large, painful figure is blocking the road of hope. But this is also how I have seen the transformation of its beastliness….I see the hope of shimmering transformation through the simple energy of individuals willing to do their part. Like Eric Cooper, Director of the San Antonio Food bank telling of the search for his missing father. Surprised to find him hungry and on the street, he was changed forever when taking his dad to a nearby Denny’s the waitress ignored the elder man and asked Eric if he wanted a table for one. “No, no,” he blurted out, “this is my dad.”…. “No hungry person is invisible to me anymore,” Eric said. This is a picture of the Texas Hunger Initiative, a host of small acts that dismantle a giant. Bill Ludwig, USDA is sure that “No child should go to bed hungry in this country, especially in Texas.” And he means it – he passed out map after map showing where hungry children still have a gap for nutrition. “We are looking for matchmakers who can fill the gap for just a few children.” It is not much –not much effort, not much time, not much diversion from a busy life. But packing a backpack lunch or spreading sandwiches that are loaded on a delivery truck can dismantle a hunger giant.
As simple as 1,2,3….for summer 2010 a giant can be dispelled for thousands of Texas children. Every community has summer feeding sites but many of the families nearby, don’t know where to go, or when.
#1 Would you be willing to join others on May 22th to walk and pray through neighborhoods to pass out flyers that show parents and children where to get meals all summer? The beast would lose a leg thanks to you.
#2 would you be a willing volunteer to serve meals or help kids at a site that needs a few more hands on deck? This is as simple as a weekly shift, or even providing playtime games for kids that gather. Literally, it’s child’s play.
#3 Would you be willing to dismantle a beast of hunger by joining with a mission church, apartment complex or school to serve summer meals where none are available now? Many communities need a new summer site to fill the gap for hungry children, especially in neighborhoods that have recently grown or have new families moving in.
You are not alone. The Texas Hunger Initiative is marshalling an army of willing hands. Jeremy Everett, Director of the THI remarked that he looks forward to answering his young children in a few years. He wants to hear them ask incredulously, “You mean there were people in Texas who were not fed? I cannot even imagine that!” It is my hope that he can answer… “Yes, you see there used to be a massive hunger beast in the road, but little by little it dissolved away. And if you look right over here, you’ll see the ordinary people who equipped with nothing but compassionate Christian love made it go away.”
Be ye doers of the word and the relevance of the gospel will dismantle a dark and lingering beast.
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Jan
18
A Word From Suzii – Joe Haag honored for his service to the CLC
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Rich legacy is a characteristic of the CLC. This legacy of value has been carried throughout the history of the CLC by its leaders. So, it is with honor and respect that we celebrate the retirement of Joe Haag on January 31. His faithful service represents a major contribution to the character, quality and excellence of the CLC. He has served as an exemplary and thoughtful voice and faithful leader for the CLC. Although the pace of his service to the CLC will change with this step into retirement, he will continue to be associated with the CLC on a part time basis as a writer.
On January 22, during the Christian Life Commission meeting in Dallas, there will be a luncheon honoring Joe. This day we will have an opportunity to celebrate the biblical insight and clear thinking that have shaped many of the major emphases of the Christian Life Commission over the past 32 years. Joe has helped Texas Baptists follow Christ faithfully and discern rightly. As he has written for the CLC, “As we surrender our lives to God’s purposes, God changes us. …following Christ requires discernment. The better we understand the issues which frame our lives, the better our chances of following Christ faithfully.” In surrendering his life to Christ in service, Joe has pointed us towards discernment and faith.
Let me remind you of a few contributions from Joe’s hand with the following excerpts from his writing:
– “To follow Christ means that we allow his life to gain leverage against our lives. Against our lust for power, he endures the cross. Against our pride and arrogance, he washes the disciples feet. Against our upward mobility, he brings good news to the poor…Against all lies which enslave us, he tells the truth which sets us free.”
A Covenant of Ministry – “ The context of ministry is the covenant community, which is literally the people of God created and sustained in covenant…That God’s covenant community is the context for ministry shapes our understanding of ministry and ministerial ethics in several ways: First, ministry is rightly described in plural rather than singular modifiers; ministry is ours, not mine. Secondly, ministry presupposes trusting relationships. ..we subordinate personal agendas to building up the whole Body. “
Hunger & Poverty – “The witness of scripture to Jesus’ followers regarding hunger and poverty begins with Jesus himself. According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus’ inaugural sermon at Nazareth sounds an unmistakable theme which runs through the gospel: “…he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. ..The unique witness of each of the Gospels makes it clear that the ministry of Jesus was bound inextricably to his love for the hungry multitudes about whom Mark remarked in his preface to the feeding of the five thousand, “he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
Charity and Justice – “The Bible calls us to charity, but charity is not the same as justice. Charity involves voluntary generosity, but biblical justice requires systematic and structural righteousness for all people, and particularly for the most vulnerable people in society. Although charitable giving can provide an important complement to a community that has a fair tax structure, charitable giving alone cannot raise adequate revenue to meet community needs. For the sake justice, we must we must use the arm of the law to compel the payment of taxes and tax policy must be tested by standards of justice….Charity and justice are both pillars of righteousness, but an abundance of charity does not substitute for the absence of justice.”
Religious Liberty – “Baptists who appreciate the dear costs which our forebears paid to establish and defend religious liberty and separation of church and state cannot regard threats ( to religious liberty) casually. Rather, we must act decisively to understand, claim, and share our own ecclesiastical legacy… (we must) tell the truth about the unprecedented birth and protection of religious liberty in American life as clearly and forcefully as possible. “
The Nature of an Environmental Ethic – The…notion that the world was created for humans to conquer and to exploit finds its logical bearing not in scripture but in the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution….Confident scientists and engineers saw themselves exercising their God-given right to command and control the world, and business took full advantage…W.P. Rend, 1892 says “ Smoke is the incense burning on the alter of industry. It is beautiful to me. It shows that men are changing the merely potential forces of nature into articles of comfort for humanity.” This anthropocentric orientation collides with the theocentric bearing of scripture..in which God creates, blesses and calls forth humans in God’s image to share in the stewardship of creation. ..creation is a garden which God expects humans to tend.”
Christ in you the hope of glory – “ If Christ is in us, we are possessed by the One who brings good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed, fellowship with the sinners, touch for the untouchables, and welcome to the strangers. Christ in us IS the hope of glory precisely because and only if the One who indwells us is in fact the Christ who appears to us so brilliantly in the Gospels and in the faces of the world’s poor and destitute.”
It seems like there should be some new 21st century word for retirement since there is so much accomplished for so many in the chapters beyond fulltime work. We expect to be the beneficiaries of Joe’s added time for reading, writing , and reflection. So in anticipation we can say – “For all that has been thanks; for all that shall be yes.” Joe will continue to be loved and respected by the entire CLC family.
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Dec
16
“ACCEPTIVA” – this popped up (labeled as spam) in my email inbox about April 2009. It shows up every month and now instead of dreaded spam, it is my favorite recurring email. ACCEPTIVA is good news in the gospel sense. It is the e-version of a receipt for my recurring online gift to the Hunger Offering.
Frankly, I love recurring giving… but, come to think of it, I may love it for all the wrong reasons. First off, a recurring gift makes me appear much more generous than I normally am. Admittedly, I might put the cost of the meal in my Texas Hunger Bank every month, but I am pretty sure I wouldn’t actually be turning in the collected cash to the offering every month. The offering might have to wait 6 months to get my collected gifts. Also, I so rarely write checks anymore for monthly expenses, I know I wouldn’t be writing a monthly check. So by committing to an online a recurring gift, the offering is getting money on a regular basis and I am basically on automatic pilot going about the rest of my life, but actually being more generous than normal.
Try as I may, guilty as-all-get-out, I have never been able to live up to all the admonishments of scripture and impassioned special offering appeals to be consistently intentional, sacrificial and joyful in giving. I try, honestly, to be intentional, sacrificial and joyful but the pace and demands of my life seem to work against consistency …of many kinds, it seems….but especially when it comes to money. So my second reason that I love recurring giving is that it actually allows me to act consistently, even if it is not a conscious habit every month. The consistent gifts become intentional and they can approach sacrificial, at least a sacrifice of one meal.
On my worst day when I feel like I have done nothing even remotely worthy of Jesus’ name, there is an added bonus. My gifts to the ministries of the Hunger Offering are multiplying for goodness around Texas and the world. This actually feels like grace and reminds me that God is the true generous giver.
The third reason I love recurring giving is because of the joy of junkmail. I know it is probably not at all what scripture meant when it says “God loves a cheerful giver.” But when I see that ACCEPTIVA pop up every month, I am truly happy. ACCEPTIVA is my favorite email. It reminds me that even though I may be forgetful and slow, inconsistent and negligent, hungry people are being fed in Jesus name. In spite of my shortcomings, the offering is supporting water wells in Peru and Asia, children in Africa, hungry in the colonias of the Texas border, families in Brownwood, gypsy outcasts in India, farming and local vegetables for healthy eating…etc. etc. until through 125 projects my gifts are adding at least a bit to the $740,000 of ministry across the world.
So it turns out I AM a cheerful giver – smiling at my favorite junkmail. The sight of “ACCEPTIVA”, reminds me of another scripture…”where your treasure is, your heart is also.” That is a pretty good benefit of recurring giving – my heart begins to a take trip following this treasure, to the mission and ministry of changing the world, one bite at a time in Jesus name.
The slogan of the Hunger Offering is “Give Texas Something to Say Grace Over,” giving the cost of one meal once a month to the hunger offering as a part of the Prayer, Care Share strategy of Christian discipline and generosity. Small gift, significant impact. Great idea.
But HOW?? How do I give the cost of one meal once a month? Any person or church can go to www.BGCT.org , scroll down, click GIVE ONLINE and choose the World Hunger Offering from a menu of choices. The recurring gift option allows me to give any amount every month. Back in April, I set up a recurring gift, calculating the cost of a family meal and now every month, ACCEPTIVA pops up to thank me for my gift to World Hunger.
As far as I am concerned, it was a great experiment to develop online giving for the World Hunger offering. Many of you have become Hunger Advocates and made miracles happen. Join me in learning to love your junk mail. Get your own “ACCEPTIVA”.
Oct
31
Hollywood, from Cecile B De DeMille to the latest high-tech special effects studios have shaped our expectations of what the miraculous should look like. Whether in biblical stories or adventure tales or science fiction and fantasy, the miraculous on film is mostly loud, large, and awesome; it is often either overwhelmingly majestic or shockingly violent with lighting, sound and scale expanding to the limits of the screen or, with 3D glasses, even beyond the screen.
Not so with the Gospel.
We see Jesus traveling from place to place, doing the miraculous mostly on a scale that disappoints Hollywood producers. Spitting on a beggar’s eyes? Extending a hand to a crippled man? Reversing a family burial? Touching lepers and healing the outcasts? And when he does create a miracle of some substantial scale, say feeding 5000, or calming a storm, his purpose is so, so disappointingly commonplace. His purpose is to meet immediate human needs, bring peace to his friends, transform the life of one suffering person, restore the grieving; it is not to create spontaneous worldwide dominance, or brighten the entire universe with a cosmic lightshow. No wonder we miss miracles.
One of the important parts of our recent world hunger trip to Peru, was the way God reintroduced us to the miraculous.
The miraculous was on hand in Peru. It was of the Gospel scale and not the Hollywood scale. The miraculous started with dust, endless dust. In many places, there is so much dust because there is only water for 25 minutes a day. It is powdery and fine and constantly whipped into clouds by merely living daily life.
The clouds of dust and the bright orange and yellow paint of the building announce that you are close to a school in a Peruvian village. The World Hunger Offering supports the living water ministry of Peru and we drove up to the site where our Peruvian hosts, Jaime and Orlando, parked the vintage 1941 water drilling rig on the school ground, ready to open a well to serve not just the school, but the entire village. Waiting for a “milagro” (miracle) that would give safe water 24 hours a day to their homes and their school, the children were dressed in costumes to perform dances, poems, and songs. Community leaders read resolutions and recognitions, over a sound system that was run by car batteries, taking into account the undependable electrical power. “We know this is of God. We know that you are here because of your faith in Christ,” the school director says. “Your faith, rekindles our faith,” she says. “Clean water for our school means education year round and better health and attendance.” “Clean water for our town restores a treasure of our heritage” says a 6th grade boy dressed in a costume of ancient Inca finery (his proud family leans inside the school window.)
The well is common, small, and unremarkable. It is pumping out water into a new garden plot on the school property representing the fact that with water the village can have TWO harvests a year instead of one. Medical services can come because of clean water. We read scripture, Jesus saying he brings living water, and we pray sentence prayers, in English, Spanish and Portuguese and Ketchua. Meet the miraculous.
This is one village. Jaime and Orlando, with the leadership of Larry and Joy Johnson (FBC, San Angelo) have witnessed this miracle in Jesus name more than 300 times in villages throughout the Andes and coastal regions of Peru. Three hundred wells.
Circling back to a school with a well for five years, the kindergarten playground is positioned over the well. Boys sit on the jungle gym above the humming little pump and say in enthusiastic English “Thank you Texas Baptists.” The local pastor of Iglesia Bautista Monte Sion, Pastor Helmer beams; his wife teaches bible every day. Meet the miraculous. It sounds a little like a generator and it looks a lot like being loved in the name of Christ. The government doesn’t do this, the city doesn’t do this, the families can’t do this. The church does this.
Inside the first grade classroom, an eager student pulls me aside and begins to read from a picture book telling the story of Joseph, being abandoned by his brothers, becoming Pharaoh’s leader and then meeting them again during famine. As he turns to the last page, showing Joseph in reunion with his siblings, he gestures and says “muchos hermanos” (many brothers) and then he gestures to us and says in a quick phrase “hermanos de Cristo” (brothers in Christ). He’s off to play.
Forget special effects. Meet the miraculous. It is joy amid dust, and water and people in need. It looks a lot like the Gospel version of Villa Milagro, a small place of miracles.
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Sep
28
Giving and spending – these are two things I have done all my life.
Giving – I have long associated the rituals of giving with stewardship and gratitude toward God. As early as 6, I remember raiding Dad’s change jar on his dresser for enough coins to fill the offering envelope I brought to Mrs. Sanger at church. I learned about a tithe and was challenged to give, year in and year out for more than 40 years now. But it wasn’t until recently that I really took a look at the concept of stewardship beyond giving, to the stewardship of spending.
Spending – is such a rhythm of daily life that it is almost invisible. Spending for me, like most, has often been for necessities, but also spending for special occasions, spending for family and home and creating a comfortable life. In general, if I considered my lifestyle judicious, then I considered that I was a moral spender. I am not an extravagant spender so I was content. In my contentment, however, I must confess that I have been a completely unconscious spender for most of my life.
I never really considered that my spending could be a gift to God, like giving, until I asked a simple question: Who made this? Holding a jacket in hand at the counter of a department store, remembering the news story of a sweatshop in some distant place, I allowed this haunting little question to put a face on my spending. “Who made this?” My unconscious habit, of spending, just shifted toward stewardship thinking.
Not long after this Roger and I traveled to Turkey. The first day of our trip, our wise and generous guide made a suggestion, “Although you will end the trip in Istanbul with shops of every kind…” he said “as we travel through towns and villages, I will take you to the makers of Turkey’s treasures and if you like, you can buy from them directly.” Within a few days, we bought the same porcelain plates that we would have purchased from Istanbul, but we bought them from the 3 generation family pottery in a Cappadocia village. We were welcomed by the father and shown the whole factory by sons and cousins – the special family pride captured in signature designs is a story I would never have known without knowing who had made these beautiful plates.
At our next stop, we detoured down a dusty road until we scattered chickens with our van pulling up a long drive. Inside one of the four buildings surrounding us was a group of brightly colored pots steaming with yarn dye and a bustling group of women. Eager to show off the pure wool and brilliant colors, they dipped strands of wool from the vats that looked like steeping tea, “Never bright red, in my rug,” the interpreter said repeating the cheerful voice of one of the artisans, “only RICH red in my dye.” A color distinction I would never have known but I shall never forget because it was her sheer joy to make the best that she could. She was proud and skilled. Just how skilled I learned as she took to me to the loom and tried to teach my fumbling fingers to tie the knots that flew out like silk from her touch. My attempts were met with gales of laughter from the gathered women (no interpretation needed!), and in three compassionate steps she undid and redid my knots from lumpy to graceful. Come by my office and you can appreciate her rich red rug as I do, every day.
One of our last stops was along a mountain highway where Bedouin tribes camped in hand woven goat hair tents just off the shoulder from the modern roadway. From their goats and sheep they sheared, carded and wove the wool into coats and socks and mittens and blankets. The site was almost deserted as we drove in. Only the elderly grandmother was there. Colored socks, gloves, hats, blankets and rugs were pinned to the ropes and surfaces like nautical flags. She offered us tea and invited us in to the goat hair tent. Apologetic that the family wasn’t there to greet us for a sale, she explained that her son and daughter-in-law had taken their child into the hospital at the nearby town. Tears welled up in her worried eyes, and she brushed them away. Roger prayed for the child and the doctors (whom the grandmother did not trust, we learned) and she said “I will surely be blessed by my first Christian prayer.” She showered us with embarrassing gratitude for our simple compassion. Our bags were filled with socks and gloves, and now, every time I slip them on, I know for sure who made them and I remember her with grateful humility.
There are a million plates, rugs and socks in the world, but I am blessed by knowing who made these. They are not mere commodities, but treasures because I know that their lives are full of pride to craft them, that their families eat from apricot orchards supported by this work and that hospitality and connection were gifts given to the maker and buyer. Turkey turned out to be a spiritual outpost where I learned about the stewardship of spending.
Unfortunately, my life is still filled with too much anonymous and unconscious spending, but thanks to Good News Goods and other local and personal connections, I am trading in more and more of my unconscious spending for spending with a purpose. It is an added joy to know that I support the release of a woman from exploitation or that a child has uniforms for school because I am purchasing now with a purpose. There is justice and joy in a simple quest to know “Who made this?”It turns out to be a kingdom question.
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