The Institute for Cultural Engagement, an official program of Multnomah University and Biblical Seminary
In the long tradition of Christians spiritualizing poems about marriage, I offer “The Wild Rose” by Wendell Berry:
Sometimes hidden from me
in daily custom and in trust,
so that I live by you unaware
as by the beating of my heart,
suddenly you flare in my sight,
a wild rose blooming at the edge
of thicket, grace and light
where yesterday was only a shade,
and once more I am blessed, choosing
again what I once chose before.
When the Koinonia Community, an interracial communal farm in Georgia, found themselves the target of legal persecution in the 1950’s, the founder Clarence Jordan asked his brother Robert to represent them, to which he replied (taken from Stanley Hauerwas’ commentary on Matthew):
“Clarence, I can’t do that. You know my political aspirations. Why, if I represented you, I might lose my job, my house, everything I’ve got.”
“We might lose everything too, Bob” [his brother Clarence replied.]
“It’s different for you.”
“Why is it different? I remember, it seems to me, that you and I joined the church the same Sunday, as boys. I expect when we came forward the preacher asked me about the same question he did you. He asked me, ‘Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ What did you say?”
“I follow Jesus, Clarence, up to a point.”
“Could that point by any chance be – the cross?”
“That’s right. I follow him to the cross, but not on the cross. I’m not getting myself crucified.”
“Then I don’t believe you’re a disciple. You’re an admirer of Jesus, but not a disciple of his. I think you ought to go back to the church you belong to, and tell them you’re an admirer not a disciple.”
“Well now, if everyone who felt like I do did that, we wouldn’t have a church, would we?”
“The question is, ‘Do you have a church?'”
The culture wars have entered the economic realm. What are your thoughts? If you, like me, feel this is wrong-headed for a variety of reasons, then why? What may be a better way to engage this issue?
Two fish are swimming in the ocean. One turns to the other and says, “The water feels good today.” The other turns and says, “What’s water?” The things we take the most for granted are often what surrounds us, what from our perspective seem so universal as to be unquestionable. That is one reason why it’s so crucial to foster an atmosphere of cooperation and dialogue between ethnicities, so that our unquestioned cultural assumptions can be challenged and so true community in diversity can develop.
New Wine will be hosting a series of “Fireside Chats” beginning November 20th in the A-Frame. Come for prayer, food, and honest dialogue as a panel of speakers involved in the less-than-glamorous work of multi-ethnic integration will answer your questions and address such topics as: What is a multi-ethnic church? How does one create an open space for other cultures and ethnicities? How can Multnomah improve in this crucial area?
In 1993 the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Algeria left many Christians confronted with a difficult choice: go into exile or stay knowing that conflict would arise if they continued to practice their faith openly. The following is from a letter written by a monk named Christian de Cherge who decided to stay and who was later arrested and executed. I came across it in the course of my personal reading, and would love to hear your thoughts on what I felt was an incredibly moving peek at this man’s heart for his “enemies,” a heart that seems to understand grace a lot better than I do.
“Obviously, my death will justify the opinion of all those who dismissed me as naïve or idealistic: ‘Let him tell us what he thinks now.’ But such people should know that my death will satisfy my most burning curiosity. At last, I will be able – if God pleases – to see the children of Islam as He sees them, illuminated in the glory of Christ, sharing in the gift of God’s passion and of the Spirit, whose secret joy will always be to bring forth our common humanity amidst our differences.
I give thanks to God for this life, completely mine yet completely theirs, too, to God, who wanted it for joy against, and in spite of, all odds. In this Thank You – which says everything about my life – I include you, my friends past and present…
And to you, too, my friend of the last moment, who will not know what you are doing. Yes, for you, too I wish this thank-you, this “A-Dieu,” whose image is in you also, that we may meet in heaven, like happy thieves, if it pleases God, our common Father. Amen! Insha Allah!”