Righteous Indignation, Ch. 12 (p 87-93)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 12 (p 85-93)
Redemption for Radicals: Jewish Congregation-Based Community Organizing -- Rabbi Jonah Pesner

(1) While the two primary examples in this chapter relate to health care (general access/coverage and nursing home care), the two over-lapping themes of community organizing and story-telling can be applied to any social justice issue.

The first example of community and stories was especially powerful for me because my wife and I personally struggle with health care access and cost. If there is a time for organizing on this issue, it is now as Daschle begins tackling this issue anew. What is your health care story?

(2) "Though the story of the recent Massachusetts health reform is powerful, it is not unique. It is but one example of Jewish participation in the emerging movement called Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO)" (p 88).

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation website lists three CBCO characteristics:

1. Congregants engage in one-to-one conversations within their synagogue, and often with other congregations, about their social justice passions.
2. Leaders engage in extensive clergy and lay leadership training and development.
3. Synagogue leaders work side-by-side with dozens of faith institutions and progressive organizations in their community, across lines of race, class, and faith.
   

Would your local congregation be open to telling their stories? What social justice passions would you want to discuss? What would it take to get the spiritual leaders of your faith community to engage in this conversation? How open is your community to working with people of other faiths? How open are you?

[More resources at/by Interfaith Funders, Unitarians, DART and YouTube.]

(3) "For people of faith, the first step toward justice is when we cry out" (p 89). The examples given of people who listened to the cry are Pharaoh's daughter, Moses and God.

I once prayed that God would open my ears to the cry of the oppressed. It wasn't long before I was overwhelmed. Cries from every direction were disorienting. Where to start? What to do? What was the first priority? "Okay, God. There is too much. Your kingdom come; your will be done. And how can I be a part of that right here, right now?"

What was the first cry for justice that you remember hearing? When have you cried out? Did anyone listen and respond?

(4) Since this blog is for "ordinary radicals," let's look at the definition of radical given on page 90.

"The radical is that unique person to whom the common good is the greatest personal value.... The radical is so completely identified with mankind that he personally shares the pain, the injustices, and the sufferings of all his fellow men" (p 90; quoted from Reveille for Radicals by Saul Alinksy).

How radical am I? In what ways do I share in the pain, injustice and suffering of others? How does this lead to their redemption? And to my own? If the common good is not my greatest personal value, what is?

(5) "First and foremost, [the Exodus story] teaches that in every time and place, redemption is possible. It begins with a cry... It continues with rage at the injustice, and a willingness to act. It requires leadership and relationships.... The people must begin to articulate their story..." (p 91).

Crying, rage, willingness to act, leadership, relationships and story-telling. Where am I at on these themes? Am I crying or hearing some else's cries (or both)? Do I have rage? At what? Am I willing to act? Am I acting? Am I offering leadership? Am I follow others who are more experienced than I? What condition and quality are my relationships? Are there key relationships I need to focus on to bolster community change? I am telling my story, listening intently on other's stories, providing an environment what words can be shared and heard?

(6) "In the globalized twenty-first century, justice transcends categories of race, class, and faith. Today, standing together for redemption means discovering our shared suffering and being challenged by each other's divergent traditions" (p 91).

What groups do I still not listen to? Why? What barriers am I allowing to stop their story? What stories am I telling myself about these groups? What suffering might I share in common with them? Am I open to hearing anything from this group's faith tradition?

(7) "The power for systemic change emanates from the Divine, but it comes only from authentic relationships both inside the Jewish family and beyond, with other communities who share a vision of a world redeemed. We can harness the power of our relationships and engage together in bold, public action, across lines of faith, class, and race, and address the structural sources of economic and social injustice" (p 93).

"Redemption isn't just for radicals. Redemption is for everyone" (p 93).

May we build relationships across barriers of faith, socio-economic class, age, ethnicity, political party, and every other characteristic we use to describe "them" and "us." And in these relationships, may we find divine power to build a more just world.

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 3 (p 23-30)

Righteous Indignation, Ch. 3 (p 23-30)
Divine Limitation and Human Responsibility - Rabbi Or N. Rose

(1) The story of the Lost Boys of Sudan was a harrowing and effective way to begin this chapter (film). Wow. The questions at the end of the story set up the rest of the chapter, and these are questions that we face too. "Could I, as a religious activist, develop a spiritual narrative that accounts for such instances of injustice? More importantly, could I help others--particularly those suffering from oppression and degradation--frame their experiences in meaningful theological terms?" (p 24).

In some ways this reminds me of Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Incredible book. What is your answer for evil, for injustice? Is it strong enough to help someone in the middle of their devastation? Does it need to? And is there meaning in all pain?

(2) Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev must have been one interesting gentleman. I appreciated the summarizing thought on page 27: "While God's heroic actions at the Sea of Reeds may have been necessary to impress the Israelites and to astound any would-be foes, at Sinai God wished to provide God's people with the spiritual and ethical tools--Torah--to function as an increasingly independent community, no longer reliant on God's supernatural intervention in human affairs."

I see here a father teaching the child to crawl, stand, walk and feed itself. But I'm not ready to move all the way to Deism, where in my understanding, the child is ultimately left alone and the father has no further role to play in the life of the offspring. I still believe in the power of prayer to effect change in the world, even if that change is primarily in me.

What about you? How active do you believe God is in altering events on planet Earth? Why do you hold this belief? Have you ever had or seen a significant answer to prayer? What is the role of faith in even attempting an answer to this question? What is your understanding of the interaction of divine and human in activism, justice and peace-making?

(3) "Among the deepest expressions of God's love and respect for humankind is the gift of free will" (p 28). The rest of that paragraph unwraps this idea beautifully. I can't imagine a response to the question of suffering without some reference to free will. Apparently, free will is more important to God than anything else, even His own heart.

How well am I using my free will? What is the best choice I've made today or this week? What is a good decision I made even though I felt like choosing a different option (e.g., a way to spend time, money, energy, etc.)? In what ways do I take free will for granted or deny its existence (two very different problems)? Do I value the free will of those around me, or do I feel a deep need to control their actions and opinions?

(4) "The question about Auschwitz is not where was God, but where was man" (p 28). Batman style Pow! Zing! Whack! to the gut.

(5) "The Divine may inspire, agitate, and comfort..., but human beings must act to create a just and compassionate world, minimizing the pain and suffering of all God's creations" (p 29).

Brilliant. I like that he included "all creation," not just humans.

I wrestled with this theme of God using humans in one sermon I gave in Korea (I only gave 3 real sermons in 3 years there)--I Don't Know Why. " “God, why don’t you do something to stop this?” “Jeff, why don’t you?” The wrestling match has not yet concluded.

God, I want to create a just and compassionate world. I want to relieve suffering. I want to give hope. I want people to have the liberty to exercise their free will. Teach me how. Take away my excuses and doubts and fears. Or help me to work despite them. Remind me of the power of little things, and open my eyes to bigger actions I can take. Let me be your hands and feet this day. Open my ears to hear your "still, small voice urging me forth in my efforts to help mend the world" (p 30).

The Irresistible Revolution (p 11-34)

For our first week of discussion, we're going to focus on the three intro sections. I can't comment on all of the parts I underlined in my book, so I'll pick a few of my favorites.

Speak your voice by (a) responding to my questions here or the general questions, (b) adding your own questions, (c) offering your thoughts and stories related to the reading, or (d) doing whatever creative thing you need to do. Let's roll...

FORWARD (Jim Wallis)

(1) "...experimenting with the gospel..." (p 11). I like this idea--experimenting. There are all kinds of ways to live and share the good news of peace and reconciliation and of a God who still cares. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8). In what ways are you and your community experimenting with the gospel?

"The monologue of the religious right is finally over, and a fresh dialogue has begun; it's a conversation about how to apply faith to social justice, and it is springing up across the land" (p 14). Thanks for being part of this growing conversation.

INTRODUCTION (Shane Claiborne)

(2) "But most Christian artists and preachers have remained strangely distant from human suffering..." (p 17). Include me in that. Most of my awareness of pain in the world comes from books and documentaries. Only in the past couple of years have I had to really face pain and disappointment (physically and emotionally) in my own life. These experiences are starting to open my eyes and ears to the needs around me. For example, I didn't really care about the health insurance issue in the U.S. until my wife and I were either sick or laid off. Homelessness starting meaning something completely different when we had to turn to friends and family to have a place to stay.

I recently watched Jared Diamond's the three-part documentary, Guns, Germs and Steel. He spent the whole time talking academically about these powerful forces that have shaped human history. He could talk abstractly about brutal wars and devastating illnesses, but when he actually saw the kids with malaria, he just broke down. What was your most recent contact with human suffering?

(3) "But rarely do we see that the sickness of the world has infected each of us..." The world's apathy isn't as big of a problem as my apathy. Ending the world's greed isn't as crucial as ending mine by moving from accumulation to generosity. This reminds me of G. K. Chesterton's response to the question, "What is wrong with the world today." He said simply, "I am."

(4) "...the giant triplets of evil: racism, militarism, and materialism" (p 26). Now that's an axis of evil. Which of these are you most passionate about ending? Any stories?

AUTHOR'S NOTE

(5) "We are all bound up in the filthy system, and if you find yourself particularly bound, take courage, you will then have more grace as you liberate others" (p 31-32). How are we bound up in it? I just deleted a list of ways; it felt burdensome. If you feel like you're not bound up in it, then either you have some great sustainable living ideas that you need to share in the comments section, or you don't yet realize the ramifications of the previously mentioned evil triumvirate. Let's keep talking.

And let's keep showing grace. There are few things more annoying than self-righteous environmentalists, religionists and social activists. May grace be in our conversations with each other here and with those we encounter daily as we "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). May we even find grace for the proud and annoying (cause it just might be me).

What say you?