Hope for Something Better

(Programming note: As a full-time employee, it seems like I'm just not going to have the time and energy to post as regularly as I had hoped. As someone who has failed at blogging twice before, I know that I am prone to feel frustrated when I don't post often enough by my own standards. That tends to lead to avoiding writing at all, which keeps me frustrated until I eventually give up on blogging altogether. With that in mind, I'm going to post when I can, do my best to write well, and give myself slack when I don't post for a week or two. It seems like my writing is more well received when I don't overdo it anyway.)

Presidential elections have fascinated me for years.

My love of following politics was born while I was half a world away from the United States, living for a semester as a missionary apprentice in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I didn't get homesick in the traditional sense, but I did feel very disconnected from my family, friends, and the world I had known.

I hadn't spent much time thinking about elections before my time overseas. My lone voting experience was in the 2004 election at age 18. As I have already described, I had not voted in a particularly thoughtful way. (I would like to note that Robert Edmonson, my first Democratic friend, was kind and persuasive without being pushy in telling me about Chet Edwards. His passion for politics and combined with a faith that drove him to serve kids at Camp of the Hills was one of the first indicators that a good Christian could also be a good Democrat.)

Suddenly, politics seemed interesting. The 2008 primary season was especially attention holding, and I was enthralled. Clinton, McCain, Obama, Richardson, Palin, and even that weird guy who stares into your soul then tosses a rock into a pond. I couldn't get enough. Even once I returned to the country, I kept watching, reading, thinking. I stopped following all the little nuances after the election, but kept up with the big stuff.

I say all that to say that I was ready to consume some news when the Republican primary geared up. Since early spring, I've been closely following all the inner workings of what ended up happening Tuesday. There were lots of important things that were said, argued, reframed, shouted, and said again. And while it would be disingenuous to pretend like there weren't a lot of issues addressed that I care about, I wanted to highlight what excites me most about the election results.

For years, I've worked with children from at-risk backgrounds here in Texas, many of whom come from Latino households. Though I haven't polled them directly, I have come to learn that many of the kids I have come to love and their families are living in the United States without documentation. Fearful of deportation. Unable to stand up for their human rights for without being found out.

I bet I've already lost some readers, but please stay with me. It's important.

I'm not happy with how either party has treated the Latino communities in this nation. The rhetoric against undocumented immigrants by both sides has been frustrating to say the least, and I can't imagine how it feels for the people spoken against. I have heard people suggeting electrified fences, border patrol "volunteers" with rifles, and making life for immigrants so miserable that they leave on their own. I watched Arizona pass laws legalizing discrimination if someone looked like an immigrant. I watched a president who had promised comprehensive immigration reform deport twice as many people as any other president in U.S. history, then have the audacity to paint all of them with the same brush, calling them "gang-bangers" in a live, televised debate in front of the world. Nobody's hands are clean.

Have their been bright spots for those who earnestly care about immigration reform? Certainly. Both parties have proved that some desire a change of policy. Several Republican candidates for the party's nomination had nuanced and thought-out immigration policies. President Obama made headway towards a possible solution for the children of immigrants over the summer. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio argued for a change in their party's stance. But these measures and words have not changed the reality for the thousands hoping and praying for a better life.

It was through this lens that I watched the results of our election on Tuesday night and on into Wednesday morning. I didn't know exactly what to hope for with regard to immigration, since it wasn't officially on the ballot. Would the nation reelect a man who had promised to change the nation's immigration policy, but had never even introduced such legislation over the course of four years? Or would they choose a man who had recently suggested "self-deportation" as a solution? Would our other elected officials choose to demonize those without a voice to defend themselves, or work to make their lives better?

I'm an optimist, as you might know, so I was ready to look on the bright side of any outcome. With that said, I thought some of the polling has created a perfect storm that could lead to Republicans and Democrats working together for a mutually beneficial solution to the challenges of immigration reform. Lemme break down my thoughts on how it went down.

According to articles from Fox News, the Huffington Post, and others, President Obama won the votes of upwards of 70% of Latino voters, while Governor Romney won less than 25%. A resounding tally, no doubt. But what does it mean?

It sure looks like the majority of Latino votes were more willing to give President Obama a second chance to make good on his promises, as opposed to giving Governor Romney a first chance to follow through on his. And while the election certainly did not hinge on only one issue for any group, including Latino voters, many pundits are explaining this overwhelming vote as a rejection of the Republican platform on immigration.

With the Latino population growing at such a rapid rate, neither party can afford to ignore this demographic in the future. For example, solidly Republican strongholds like Arizona and even Texas have such a high concentration of Latinos that forecasters are suggesting that within eight years, these states might become swing states, or at least much closer than in the past. That means Republicans are very interested in winning back the support they used to enjoy under people like President George W. Bush, who was much more moderate on issues of immigration, in turn winning a much higher percentage of the Latino vote.

Democrats, on the other hand, would probably not have won the White House without such overwhelming support from the Latino voters. President Obama and others on the left made lots of promises, which seem to have resonated with Latinos. Now that Latino Americans have given their support to the Democratic side, it's crucial for them to follow through on their promises. Additionally, the left would love having another voting bloc similar to African-Americans, who regularly vote for Democrats, especially if their support could create inroads in potential future swing states.

Suddenly, we have a perfect storm. For the first time that I know of, Latino Americans are going to be courted from both sides of the aisle with earnest vigor. That means that politicians are going to have to change their tune about some of the issues that matter most to the Latino community. That will certainly include immigration reform.

And here's the crazy thing: it's already happening!

Here are two articles that I've read that indicate that change is already coming. The first one comes from Colorlines, the other from Fox News. They both declare that Republicans are ready to switch their stance on immigration, facing the reality of a more Latino voting public. Democrats seem to be ready to work together for a solution as well.

Does this mean that everything will be changed for the better soon? Not at all. But I am hopeful that both parties will seriously work to reform our immigration laws, even if it is only because it's politically helpful for them. I have written, prayed, and preached about justice for immigrants for a while now. I feel invigorated by the ways our country seems to be shifting. I look forward to what the future brings!

Linking for Thinking - 10/21/12

Every Sunday, I'll be whittling my reading list down to a few links that I found particularly interesting from the past week. Some may be profound/deep thinking articles or news stories, others may be things that fascinate me or made me laugh. Some will be on issues I already agree with, others will be those that have challenged me to think in new ways. If there's anything you think I'd be interested in, or something you think might be worth sharing in this space, feel free to leave it in the comments section, email me at coth.guy@gmail.com, or hit me up on facebook.

Marijuana Prohibition Turns 75; Blacks 3 Times as Likely to be Arrested than Whites
Harry Aslinger, first Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics: “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.” 

Dear Christian: If the Thought of Either Romney or Obama Getting Elected Makes You Fearful, Angry, or Depressed, You Have What we Call a Theological Problem
If you are watching political ads, speeches, debates, and you find yourself growing fearful, angry, or depressed (the latter two are often rooted in deep fear), remember that your true trust is elsewhere.

“Holy Discontent” Towards American Immigration Policy
These pastors and their congregations do their best to care for the family left behind, but they see marriages strained by distance and stress.  They watch children struggle and rebel without their fathers; some make terrible choices with consequences that will reverberate throughout their lives.  Amidst all this, these pastors have heard too many broken promises from politicians, on both sides of the partisan divide, pledging to fix the dysfunction of our national immigration laws.  These pastors, who love and shepherd their flocks, just can’t stand it anymore.

Lifehack of the Week - Wool Balls in the Dryer
We covered how you can speed up laundry drying times by adding tennis balls but you can create the same effect without the loud noises by turning a skein of wool yarn into three felted wool balls.

The Long Journey of a Christian Pacifist
This much I know for sure. I am proud to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and if that puts me at odds with my country’s official policies about abortion, capital punishment, or war, well then— so be it. I want to be totally pro life until the day I die.

I Love the Bible (via Rachel Held Evans)
I have wrestled with the Bible, and it has left me with a limp. But I am glad. I am glad because this limp has slowed me down a bit. It has humbled me. It has forced me to stop running so fast and sure down the path of certainty that I forget to listen, to pay attention, to ask questions, to build altars, to wait.

The New Jim Crow (via Richard Beck)
Between 1987 and 2007 the national prison population tripled in America. In 2008 a dark milestone was reached: the US incarcerated one out of every 100 of its citizens. This is an incarceration rate higher than what is found in repressive regimes such as China and Iran.

Linking for Thinking - 8/26/12

Every Sunday, I'll be whittling my reading list down to a few links that I found particularly interesting from the past week. Some may be profound/deep thinking articles or news stories, others may be things that fascinate me or made me laugh. Some will be on issues I already agree with, others will be those that have challenged me to think in new ways. If there's anything you think I'd be interested in, or something you think might be worth sharing in this space, feel free to leave it in the comments section, email me at coth.guy@gmail.com, or hit me up on facebook.

Pew Research on Economic Segregation
Two cities in Texas -- Houston and Dallas -- rank the highest when it comes to economic segregation as measured by the so-called RISI Score (Residential Income Segregation Index). 

A Restless Patriotism (by Dr. Richard Beck at Experimental Theology)
I was thinking the other day about just war theory. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that there is such a thing as a just war. That there are times when going to war is the lesser of two evils. Evil, yes, always evil, but the lesser evil given the choices before the nation. If this is granted then is must also be granted that the nation could engage in an unjust war. That is, there are just wars and unjust wars and Christians should support the former, albeit reluctantly, and object and refuse to participate in the latter.

Jesus without Shane Claiborne (by Rachel Held Evans)
In short, I make the perfect the enemy of the good. I become paralyzed by my own idealism. 

A Rocker, Cornrows, and a Change of Perspective

Teen Week was always hit or miss for me. I seem to get the best of the best or the worst of the worst. More often I got the problematic kids in the past, but that changed for me Week 6. Five campers came through my cabin that week, and forever changed me.

When they began calling out who was in my cabin, I was nervous. I’d been given the oldest kids. They looked pretty hardened. Tattoos and corn rows. My five were very different. Three from inner city Houston, one who called Oklahoma City home, and one hailing from Waco.

I’m always wary when there’s one kid who doesn’t seem to fit in, and this week that appeared to be J.B. He was the only white kid, and had some pretty severe mental handicaps. He wasn’t able to speak much at all. He was the one from Waco, brought by the Church Under the Bridge, which works heavily with homeless people and the down-and-out.

Then again, James didn’t seem to fit the mold of the prototypical camper either. He was a self-proclaimed “Rocker,” wearing skull and crossbones belt and suspenders, tight jeans, and a black sleeve on his left arm. I could tell this week was going to be interesting, to say the least.

But lo and behold, within the first day or two, James tells us either during or right after a Bible study that while he believes in God and Jesus, he doesn’t really know much about them. That’s why he came to camp, apparently, for the sole purpose of learning more about God.

This is the kind of camper counselors have dreamed about. I felt like I had waited for seven summers to finally be ready for this one week, this one camper. During our chilling in the cabin time, I lent him my Bible, and started him out in Matthew. This kid reads twelve chapters in one sitting, pausing only when he got confused by some of Jesus’ deeper teaching to ask me what it meant.

Interestingly enough, everything he was asking about boiled down to one major point, a point I’m sure Jesus wanted to make clear back then, but also wanted me to share this summer. Questions about getting angry and calling someone bad names, looking at a woman lustfully being as bad as adultery, and most of his other queries boiled down to Jesus wanting more than obedient actions. He wants our hearts to be in the right place. If we have that, obedience and love in action will surely follow.

With J.B., things were more difficult. It took a lot to understand what he was trying to communicate, and he was frustrating at times. But my co-counselors and I were able to work with him, and he had a great heart. What I was most impressed with was how respectful and understanding the four other campers were. Even though he could be embarrassing and immature, they always treated him not only well, but as a friend. It was amazing to watch.

I talked to the two guys who really seemed to look out for him the most (Who happened to be the toughest looking ones in the entire Camp.), Darieon and Ray Ray. I let them know how much we appreciated them looking out for J.B., and both just sorta shrugged their shoulders at me. To them, it wasn’t a big deal to treat someone different kindly. Ray Ray even mentioned that there were similar problems in his family, and went on to talk about how that shaped the way he looked at people.

I was touched.

By the end of the week, I knew something special had happened. I don’t know where those guys are right now, or what they’re doing. But each of them left knowing more about God’s love than they did at the beginning of the summer. And so did I.

Linking for Thinking - 8/19/12

Every Sunday, I'll be whittling my reading list down to a few links that I found particularly interesting from the past week. Some may be profound/deep thinking articles or news stories, others may be things that fascinate me or made me laugh. Some will be on issues I already agree with, others will be those that have challenged me to think in new ways. If there's anything you think I'd be interested in, or something you think might be worth sharing in this space, feel free to leave it in the comments section, email me at coth.guy@gmail.com, or hit me up on facebook.

A Plea to Engage in Racial Reconciliation (by Grace Biskie via Rachel Held Evans)
I don't toss that list out lightly. Nor do I present it with judgment or condemnation. I am not looking to set you on a point-of-no-return guilt trip. None of that from me. Please consider this an invitation for you to love me, your neighbor. To disengage is to fail to love.

Porch Journal (from Larry James at CitySquare)
Before I left I told Art, "You have real community here.  All you lack are places to live."

Your God is Too Big (from Richard Beck)
Might our God be too big? Too big for us to see the smallness of God? Where is God? God is here--weak and hanging on the gallows.

Heartwarming Tearjerker
What happens when a ten year old Canadian's elation at his country winning bronze is shattered by a disqualification? He writes a letter to the sprinters to encourage them, with a surprise gift for them! Super cute and kind!

Council in Jerusalem

There's a professor at ACU named Randy Harris. I was blessed to have him for a class my first semester studying in Abilene for Acts-Revelation and later in my next-to-last semester for Ethics. In my first day in his class, I was fresh from the mission field in Thailand, ready to sink my teeth into some Biblical knowledge that I hoped would help guide me as I sought to be a minister in the future. My enthusiasm bled into my notes, which I saved onto my computer for later perusing. Rereading it years later, I still remember how excited I was to be learning from Randy, especially when I read through my notes, a piece of which I've copied for you to check out below.

Acts 15 Council at Jerusalem Crucial Moment

What must a Gentile do to become a Christian?

Accept circumcision? Nope. Don't hafta be a Jew to be a Christian.

Accept Christ. Boo-yeah.

Food laws? What the what?

TABLE FELLOWSHIP! OH SNAP!

One table, not two!

THIS IS DANG IMPORTANT!

Looking back, I get the feeling that my note taking style isn't especially helpful for most people, especially those who weren't in the class to hear the points that my notes reflect. Which is why I decided to decipher my scribblings. For starters, here's a link to Acts 15, in case you need a refresher. (I sure did!)

One of the things that jumps out to me in this passage is that the council decides not to put the yoke of extra rules on the Gentiles, and decides that only the most important rules will be passed on. This seems like a good idea for a group of relatively new believers. The idea of not burdening them with the cumbersome laws from the Jewish culture is astonishing, especially since the Jews placed such a value on their culture. This is not without good reason, either. Though many Jewish customs had been added to and amended over the years, their culture was still a product of God's choosing them. Jesus, Savior of the World, came from within this culture, and though he challenged many pieces of the culture that were not of God, Jesus was most certainly a Jew.

With that in mind, when these Jewish leaders of the early church were faced with wrestling about how to integrate Gentiles into an overwhelmingly Jewish faith, they opted to leave out as much of the cultural trappings of Judaism as they could. Anything they didn't believe was essential was left out of the equation, and the Gentiles were given a short list of what they needed to do. (This was obviously on top of the message that was preached to them by Paul, Barnabas, or other missionaries.)

And what were these stipulations? Avoid sexual immorality and don't eat some stuff. Don't worry about circumcision, you're fine without it.

On the one hand, this short list doesn't seem like the biggest of deals to me. Jesus has already mentioned the sexual immorality thing. Unless the missionaries conveniently forgot to mention the, "Oh, by the way, before you sign on: God doesn't want us to be sexually immoral..." part of Jesus' life and teachings, I think the Gentile Christians are already down with that point. (I don't know Paul personally, but that doesn't seem like the kind of mistake he would make while ministering.)

And to be fair, I bet the Gentile Christians were pretty relieved about the whole circumcision thing. I don't know how much the co-pay was back then, but I'm always thrilled when I learn I don't have to have surgery, and I imagine them being pretty stoked to hear the news.

But I had always been confused by the food laws part of this. Sure, Leviticus and Deuteronomy seemed to be chockablock full of commands about what the Jews could or couldn't eat, but this is part of the new covenant! I thought food laws got thrown out when God said to Peter, "Take and eat," otherwise, I've got a lot of fried shrimp and bacon on my conscience. I guess where I ran into a snag wasn't an unwillingness to give up those foods, but a lingering question of, "Why are these food laws so dang important?"

As Randy explained it, these requirements were imperative for table fellowship. If Jews and Gentiles were going to be a family, they had to eat together. It was a must. Christianity meant shared meals. The Jews were not in a place, theologically, to be alright with those foods. If Gentile Christians brought them to the table, it would fracture their unity. Maybe it would have been easier to split the table, with Jews at one and Gentiles at another, but unity was far too important.

The Jewish Christians were alright with not burdening their Gentile brothers with unnecessary surgery, but they and the Holy Spirit agreed that unity was worth sacrificing for. It was inconvenient and troublesome on the Gentile Christians. It wasn't even something Jesus specified as part of his teaching. But the unity of believers was of such great importance that the sacrifice was made.

I often wonder which part of this story I am called to live on a given day. Will I have to sacrifice freedoms in order to preserve unity, like the Gentile Christians giving up foods? Will I have to sacrifice important parts of my culture in order to ensure that the yokes of my sisters and brothers in Christ are not overly heavy unnecessarily, like the Jewish Christians not demanding circumcision, even though it had long been an outward sign of being one of God's people. Will I need to be like Peter, Paul, and James, speaking on the behalf of others when biases and traditions stand opposed to God's work in the lives of people?

I became excited when I learned what was actually happening in Acts 15. Randy taught me that God's people were trying to find what was most central to the Gospel in this passage, and helped me learn to seek the same thing in my own life.

Media Monday - Diversity's Symphony

Each Monday, this blog will feature a song, video, piece of art, or other type of media that tells part of a story. Sometimes the message will be light and funny, other times it will be deeper and more somber. I may not even fully agree with what is posted. My aim is to present narratives that are worth experiencing, knowing, and discussing.

For today, our media is a spoken word piece by David Bowden called "Diversity's Symphony." Check it out below.

Diversity's Symphony by David Bowden

One of the parts of this video that strikes me the most is David's wrestling with his church's lack of unity with other groups of Christians. His Southern Baptist congregation doesn't work with the Nazarenes, Catholics, or even other Baptists. He speaks to the need for unity among the Body.

I don't know about others, but I have heard more sermons on unity within the Body than I can count. But unfailingly, they all seem to center around the idea of one congregation being the Body, instead of the entire Church being the Body; "Don't act like our church doesn't need somebody just because they play a different role," instead of "Don't act like the Presbyterians aren't Christians just because they do things differently."

I come from a stream of Christianity that has a history of believing that only those who are a part of our faith community are real Christians. (And that many claiming to be in our group aren't really Christians either!) Though these beliefs are not nearly as widespread in the Churches of Christ today, they've been so ingrained, both in CoCs and in those who know of them, that I'm sometimes asked, "Is that the one that thinks they're the only ones going to Heaven?" This questions hurts, because it's so far from the truth for me.

Confession time: I have a huge thing for unity. If a person can have a crush on an idea, then I definitely have had it bad for unity for several years. When I think about what I consider the ideal future for the Church, I imagine something similar to what David Bowden described lyrically. I imagine congregations that are united by what they have in common, not divided by their differences. I picture churches that value people from diverse backgrounds, whether that diversity means races, ages, mental disabilities, languages, financial situations, or faith backgrounds.

Sure, it seems overly optimistic. But I have seen flashes of it in the past. Christian sisters and brothers from a wide variety of faith backgrounds coming together to serve a one Body for a season. A congregation that actively seeks to bring in and make welcome mentally handicapped, and serves them and their care-takers with love and dignity. Regular gatherings planned and led by a racially diverse mix of Christians, each mutually submitting to one another. These experiences have left me with hope that God can still unify us, even if it seems impossible at times.