Righteous Indignation, Ch. 1 (p 3-14)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 1 (p 3-14)
Can Social Justice Save the American Jewish Soul? -- Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD

(1) I appreciated the two-part answer to the purpose of Judaism on pages 4 and 5.

1. "Extend the boundaries of righteousness and justice in the world" (p 4; Genesis 18:19).
2. To be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (p 4; Exodux 19:6). The concept of "holy" includes being separate or apart.

"Judaism is a religion based on a paradox: Jews are expected to maintain a holy apartness as God's chosen people and, at the same time, are expected to be totally engaged with the world around them" (p 4).

Regardless of your faith orientation, do you feel this tension? Which do you find easier to maintain--holiness or engagement? Which do you value more at this point? Why? What do these words mean to you--righteousness, justice, holiness? What are potential problems of ignoring either personal transformation (holiness) or social transformation (justice/engagement)? Or do you disagree with the premise of this question?

(2) "Sinai consciousness is at the root of the Jewish understanding that to live true to the covenant that God established with the Jewish people at Sinai is to live a life of social responsibility" (p 5).

To our Jewish readers: Is it an improper gesture to co-opt this terminology for those not a part of the Jewish community? That is, can we say non-Jews are living with Sinai consciousness when they value and work for peace and justice?

It's my understanding that Rob Bell's new book addresses some of these issues--Exodus and Sinai consciousness. I believe it's based on 2 sermon series that I really appreciated--The New Exodus and Jesus Wants to Save Christians.

(3) "It is critical to recognize how central social justice is to Jewish consciousness. The concern for the stranger, the pursuit of justice and peace, the empathy for the poor, and the commitment to truth and fairness is buried deep in the soul of every Jew" (p 9).

That is a strong statement. Are these elements deep in my soul? In what ways are they manifested in my life? Is there anything I can do to help these values grow and thrive in my soul?

(4) I just want to highlight the lives of Michael Schwerner and Andy Goodman (p 10) who were killed along with James Chaney while working for racial reconciliation and civil rights in the South.

(5) The story of the $2 million synagogue project and the $1.5 million homeless shelter reminds me of Shane Claiborne discussing his similar frustration. What priorities does my local faith community demonstrate in its budget?

(6) As described on page 13, is your faith community more of a camp (defensive) or a congregation (nurtured by love)?

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 11b (p 305-314)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 11b (p 305-314)
Making Revolution Irresistible

(a) "The transformation begins with the people--with ordinary radicals, courageous mothers and grandmothers like Rizpah.... Nations will not lead us to peace; it is people who will lead the nations to peace as they begin to humanize the nations" (p 307).

If peace and justice are to begin with me (my intentions, attitudes and actions), what's my mustard seed?

(b) "Protesters are everywhere, but I think the world is desperately in need of prophets, those little voices that can point us toward another future" (p 309).

What is a prophet? The esteemed wikipedia explains that in Judaism a prophet is someone God chooses to speak for Him for the purpose of bringing social change, a spokesperson with the goal of transforming society into God's highest ideal. And what did the prophets speak?

Isaiah: "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

Jeremiah: "'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 22:16

Ezekiel: "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49

Amos: "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies." "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" Amos 5:21,24

Micah: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Solomon?: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." Proverbs 31:8

Here are God's spokesmen declaring in no vague terms His priorities. Are they my priorities? As I raise my "little voice," am I singing in harmony with the prophetic voices of the past? What picture of the future does my song paint?

Last week a Christian leader explained to me that military spending is not a waste of money because we are able to sell the weaponry to other countries for a profit. How/why have we veered so far from the voice of the prophets (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3)?

(c) The story on page 310 of the Camdenhouse crew wading into the demonstrations wearing clothes with the fruits of the Spirit is so great. What a brilliant example of using imagination. We do in fact need more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Which of these do I need to pray most passionately for today? What will it look like lived out in my relationships today?

(d) "I take great courage from the fact that many of us are taking steps toward a gentler revolution. We need more prophets who laugh and dance" (p 313).

How do you react to this? Are you a laughing prophet? Do you know a dancing one? Am I a speaker of only gloom and doom, or is there a positive twist of love, joy and peace with some laughter and dance thrown in?

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 11a (p 289-305)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 11a (p 289-305)
Making Revolution Irresistible

(a) "I got this [burn scar] making stuff for you" (p 292).

Though not Claiborne's main point in this chapter, still you can find fair trade businesses in this pdf (published by the Fair Trade Federation) or at this site (Fair Trade Certified). These related sites may also guide you: Corporate Critic, Ethical Consumer, EthiScore, Ethical Shopping and Get Ethical. Or learn to sew like Shane.

Production and trade aren't necessarily bad, whether local or (maybe even) international. They just need to be done in a fair manner with respect to all parties and the planet. Once every four years, (some) U.S. citizens vote in the presidential election. But we vote for the world of tomorrow with every dollar spent. Will it be fair trade or indifferent? Organic or carcinogenic? Win-win or win-lose?

(b) "There are times when injustice will take us to the streets and might land us in jail, but it is our love for God and our neighbor--not our rage or our arrogance--that counts" (p 293).

What issues take you to the streets? In the midst of protest, are you able to embody love and peace, or do rage and arrogance take over?

From a different perspective, Rob Bell talks about what we do with our anger in Store. Do I use it to make the world a better place like Jesus did (Mark 3:5)? Or do I get destructive?

The words of Kaj Munk on pages 294/5 fit this concept brilliantly.

(c) "Just as 'believers' are a dime a dozen in the church, so are 'activists' in social justice circles nowadays. But lovers are hard to come by. And I think that's what our world is desperately in need of--lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues..." (p 295).

Am I a believer? What do I believe about God and justice? Am I an activist? What actions and what attitudes will achieve the results God desires? Am I a lover? Of whom? Why? Who else needs my love today? How do healthy boundaries help me love more completely?

(d) View the life of Immokalee Workers (p 298-300). That cheap produce in the grocery store suddenly doesn't look so appealing. The answer isn't to stop eating it, but to help those harvesting it for us to get what they need. Our wage scales (both in the U.S. and for multinational corporations) may be legal, but God has a different perspective.

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. (James 5:4-5)

(e) "Degrees of separation allow us to destroy human beings we do not know except as the enemy" (p 304).

Smart bombs keep war de-personalized. "We have guided missiles and misguided men" (Chris Blake, Swimming against the Current, p 109).

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 8

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 8
Jesus Made Me Do It

(a) "Most of us live in such fear of death that it's as if no one really believes in resurrection anymore" (p 226-227).

What risks am I willing to take to defend my family or my country? And how does that compare with what risks I'm willing to take to spread the message of Jesus' love and resurrection? What am I willing to risk to love someone?

Shane's mom is pretty revolutionary herself, aye?!

(b) "But we are to be extraordinary; we are to love people who don't think and look like us, even our enemies" (p 232).

Who is someone in my life that is different from me? Maybe a coworker, classmate or church member. How can I show this person love? How far out of my comfort zone am I willing to go today?

(c) "...if it weren't for people who broke unjust laws, we wouldn't have the freedom that we have. We'd still have slavery. That's the story of this country, from the Boston Tea Party to the civil rights movement. These people are not criminals; they are freedom fighters" (p 235-236).

This week we're reminded that breaking unjust laws does not break the peace. Greed does that. Greed on Wall St. that leads banks to take on too much risk to make a buck. Greed in our hearts that leads us to use credit cards instead of delaying gratification and saving money for the purchase. Greed in buying a house just beyond our means, hoping nothing will go wrong. Greed, in one form or another, takes us down so easily. Following the law of love over the law of the land does not make a person an enemy of the state. That is the highest form of patriotism; demanding a higher standard for society when many have set a low mark on an important issue.

(d) "If you're wondering whether you'll be safe, just look at what they did to Jesus and those who followed him" (p 241). "But look on the bright side, if you end up in jail, historically, you will be in very good company. Jail has always been an important place for Christians. In eras of injustice, it becomes the Christian's home" (p 242).

If it weren't for jails, we wouldn't have some of Paul's best writing or King's Letter from Birmingham Jail (Stanford.edu PDF). I've visited three jail systems to tell the men that Jesus loves them, but I've never spent the night. If and when the time comes, may we each stand for justice over comfort. Have you been in prison for living what you believe? If so, please share.

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 5a (p 115-126)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 5a (p 115-126)
Another Way of Doing Life

(1) “…what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death” (p 117).

Does my life show the world another, a better, way to live?

(2) “And the kingdom that Jesus speaks so much about is not just something we hope for after we die but is something we are to incarnate now” (p 117).

Sometimes I’ve heard or read people express the idea that Jesus’ teachings sound good, but they just don’t work here on this planet—love your neighbor, forgive, turn the other cheek*. But Shane brings up a good point in the quoted paragraph. These teachings don’t fit heaven; they were expressed specifically for planet Earth with its sin problem. We don’t need the teaching “turn the other cheek” in heaven because no one will slap the right cheek to begin with. Jesus’ hard words might not sound like actions we can live here, but clearly he wasn’t giving us advice on how to live later. It is meant for here and now.

(3) “We knew that the world cannot afford the American dream and that the good news is that there is another dream” (p 119).

This is so true. Already the world is feeling the pinch of limited resources with growing demand. Prices from steel to corn are rising as countries grow their economies in ways patterned after the United States. Demand for oil, food, water and all value-added resources will continue to rise. It has been estimated that for the entire population of the planet to live like North Americans, we would need seven more planets of resources. The U.S. style of life and production is simply not sustainable on a world-wide scale (or even within our borders, but that’s another discussion).

(4) “We narrowed our vision to this: love God, love people, and follow Jesus” (p 121).

That about covers it. What is my mission statement? What guides my decision-making process? How do I decide what to say yes and no to?

(5) “We share life with our neighbors and try to take care of each other” (p123).

What a great statement; reminds me of Galatians 6:2. This line is in the fun description of The Simple Way on pages 122 - 126. I want to quote the whole section here. It’s like the Sermon on the Mount to me.

Our upstairs neighbor is a retired gentleman who likes to garden. He knocked on the door the other day to see if we wanted another tomato plant. He had a couple extra and wanted to share because Charissa’s tomato hadn’t made the move so well. It’s a little thing, but it was really kind of him.

Neighbors can build community with the smallest of kindnesses. Charissa had taken him a plate of homemade cinnamon roles when we moved in, and that had opened the way to more conversations. How can I build community with people around me today?

*As explained by Walter Wink in Jesus and Nonviolence: The Third Way.

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 4a (p 91-103)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 4a (p 91-103)
When Comfort Becomes Uncomfortable

(1) "I had been doing a study whose central premise was that rather than waiting around for God's special plan for your life, you should just go find where God is at work and join in" (p 93). What do you think? How does this fit your experience and biblical understanding?

(2) "He [Shane's roommate in the ROTC] explained to me that he did not believe Christians should go to war" (p 95). This is such a loaded topic. State: kill our enemies. Jesus: love your enemies. That's pretty hard to reconcile. Derek Webb has a great line, "I would rather die than to take your life. How can I kill the ones I'm supposed to love" (My Enemies are Men Like Me). I think this issue raises how closely we align ourselves with a given state or government as opposed to the government of God.

It's clear to a majority of folks, I would imagine, that Nazi soldiers should have disobeyed their leaders. They had a moral obligation not to commit genocide just because their leaders wanted them to. What seems less clear is how closely Christians in countries around the world should place their lives, hopes and futures in the armies of their respective governments. What would happen if the millions of Christians around the world refused to fight their secular government's battles? What if rather we embraced and lived non-violent social action? What if we refused to kill the ones we're supposed to love?

Even if you embrace a "just war" theory, how many of those have you seen in the past 100 years? We'll get back to this topic again. Developing a "consistent ethic of life" demands that we revisit and wrestle with this.

For those looking for thoughts on becoming a conscientious objector, click here--Wikipedia or Mennonite Central Committee.

(3) "So I learned not to be so quick to judge" (p 101). I'm still working on this one. Any stories of when you quickly judged someone incorrectly, or when you withheld judgment and were glad you had?

(4) "Jesus never says to the poor, 'Come find the church,' but he says to those of us in the church, 'Go into the world and find the poor, hungry, homeless, imprisoned,' Jesus in his disguises" (p 102). I rarely do this. I read about doing this. I talk about doing this. When have you gone?

[we'll finish ch 4 next week]

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 3 (p 69-89)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 3 (p 69-89)
In Search of a Christian

(1) “I wondered what it would look like if we decided to really follow Jesus” (p 71). Pretty basic. Pretty revolutionary. See number 2.

(2) “The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly” (Soren Kierkegaard, p 71). I do this.

"Love your enemies." "Sell what you have and give to the poor." "Store up treasure in heaven, not earth." "Forgive 490 times." But it’s all metaphorical, so that’s cool. What’s on TV tonight?

Michael Franti has a great line about “all the freaky people make the beauty of the world” (Stay Human). People like Shane and Andy (p 76) are pretty “freaky,” and talk about some serious beauty. My pride (ego, selfishness, whatever you call it) is so strong. Living the revolution isn’t something you all should do; it’s something I need to live. I want to make beauty of the world, and I want to load up on organic, fair trade Patagonia gear.

To my friends who are on this journey outside of cyberspace: it’s great partnering together as “ordinary radicals just trying to figure out how to love better” (p 76). It’s simple—compassion, forgiveness, generosity, empathy, courage, creativity. It’s only complicated when I’m looking out for me instead of you.

(3) Mother Teresa (p 78): “We are called not to be successful but to be faithful.” “We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it.” No discussion questions; just let those sink in.

(4) “We are the body of Christ, not in some figurative sense, but we are the flesh and blood of Jesus alive in the world through the Holy Spirit—God’s hands, feet, ears” (p 79). What is Jesus doing through the hands, feet and ears of your faith community? What’s your story?

(5) “Calcuttas are everywhere if only we have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta” (Mother Teresa, p 89). Where is my Calcutta? Where can I serve those in need? Who needs me today? What do I have to give today? Who needs me to listen today? Who needs my bubbles and sidewalk chalk today?

Check out Shane telling these and other stories at Mars Hill in a talk called Finding Your Calcutta.