Righteous Indignation, Ch. 6 (p 45-52)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 6 (p 45-52)
Religious Leadership and Politics -- Rabbi David Saperstein

Although I'm not Jewish, this is yet another essay that relates directly to concerns I have about my faith community. Here, I refer to the need for the spiritual leader to also be the social justice leader and the necessity of training in order to do this well.

(1) The commitment to social justice within the Jewish community is said to be bolstered by three converging forces:

1. The "texts of traditional Judaism" (p 46).
2. The Age of Reason (p 46).
3. "...a renewed interest in those manifestations of religion that bring existential fulfillment to our individual and communal lives" (p 47).

How do you think these three factors have influenced your faith and priorities? What else has influenced your personal path to care about and work for social justice?

(2) "...good people must never stand idly by while others are oppressed, persecuted, and victimized" (p 47).

Proverbs 31:8 teaches, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute" (NIV). Who needs my voice today? Who is destitute? Why? What intervention can I be a part of? Who else needs to get involved? How can I engage these other parties?

(3) Saperstein asks the question, "How should a synagogue or a rabbi balance the five basic types of social justice programming (educating the synagogue or broader community on issues, providing social services, community organizing, legislative advocacy, and tzedakah)?" (p 51).

Which of these are you currently engaged in? How many of these is your faith community actively involved with? In what ways? What is working? What is next?

(4) The questions about rabbinic courses (p 51) speak to me because I am contemplating attending a Christian seminary, and I am finding few that deal with these issue in any depth. So far I've found two--Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University (Ron Sider, Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne have ties to either the seminary or the university) and the Mennonite seminary in Indiana. This is a tragedy and a scandal. Surely, there are more. What can you share with me?

(5) "As we look toward this new century, it should be clear that if the Judaism we offer our community and our young does not speak to the great moral issues of their lives, their country, and their world, it will fail to capture their imagination or loyalty--and will fail to capture the authentic meaning of Judaism for our lives" (p 52).

This resonates with me. How do you react? What are the "great moral issues" to you?

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 13 (p 341-358)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 13 (p 341-358)
Crazy But Not Alone

(a) "In a world of smart bombs and military intelligence, we need more fools, holy fools who insist that the folly of the cross is wiser than any human power" (p 343).

That reminds me of Michael Card's old song, "God's Own Fool" (watch the simple revolutionary who goes before us + bonus).

Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind.
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind.
For even His family said He was mad
And the priests said a demon's to blame.
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane.

God, keep us a little crazy. Don't let us settle back into the normal that you are delivering us from.

(b) Community of Communities (p 348): www.communityofcommunities.us. Even if you're not in an intentional community housing situation, what is your community like? What kind of support group of fools have you put together?

(c) "Because it is small like the old mustard seed, it is possible to miss the little revolution spreading across our land, cross-pollinated by an ongoing web of relationships and a common vision--of alternatives to existing worldly structures, of bartering economies, of money collectives for emergencies (instead of insurance), of prophetic interruptions to war and theft, of sustainable urban gardening and eco-energy alternatives, of using trash and wreckage of the consumptive world to create things that bring life and beauty" (p 348-349).

That is one long and beautiful sentence. For those who want to pursue this in other venues, check these out: Papa Festival, A Sustainable Faith, School(s) for Conversion, CCDA Institute, Word and World, Geez Magazine, Sojourners, SC Faith in Action and Fight with Tools.

(d) "So to the young 'uns: we have to remind ourselves to stay anchored in the church, for we need roots and wisdom" (p 353).

Charissa reminds me of St. Augustine's quote from time to time: "The church is a whore, but she's my mother" (p 354). I found that quote again today in an article by Tony Campolo--Why the Church is Important (Christianity Today, 1 May '07). It's a good article to go along with this chapter.

Why is the church (i.e., the body of Christ, the community of disciples) still important to you, even if you have a bent away from institutional religion?

(e) "We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us. We believe in peace even though we hear only rumors of war. And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as if it were already here" (p 355).

Increase our faith! (Luke 17:5)

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Thanks for sharing the adventure of processing this book together.

Grace and Peace,
Jeff