natalie's narrative

Now I'm not so embarrassed...

...about reading the Twilight series and watching the movie over and over.  The final scene of the movie includes an Iron and Wine song!  They are one of my favorites. 

Twilight and the telenovas my husband and I watch are the two things of which I don't allow myself to perform a feminist critique.  One of these days I'm sure I can enjoy a good story without getting miffed about how women are portrayed...

The Accidental American

I read The Accidental American by Rinku Sen and Fekkak Mamdouh earlier this year.  It's about Fekkak's journey of immigrating to the US, working in the restaurant industry, and organizing immigrant workers to fight for their rights, but it's also about immigration in general.  Although a bit disorganized, the book does provide one of the most succint and helpful explanations of why we are in this situation today, especially with regard to immigrants from Mexico.  I still have a copy if anyone would like to read it.

Racewire has a video up of Fekkak.  It can be found here.  I like his comment that we cannot ship the restaurant jobs to China.  A lot of our jobs have been moved elsewhere, where the pay is less and the labor conditions are less stringent.  But it is impossible to ship labor in the hotel/restaurant sector, construction, and other service industries overseas, which is why we need to be vigilant about making sure workers are not being exploited.

Hooray for non-law reading!

I finally get to read whatever I want for a while-- so I picked up The Nonviolent Atonement again. Maybe this time I won't let all the big seminary-level words get to me!

The main idea so far - "the crucifixion of Jesus cannot be interpreted as a divinely sanctioned or divinely willed sacrifice. [...] [V]iolence originates with humans and not with God."

Very interesting and very contrary to what I have been taught in church!

Political drama, snowstorms, books, and other miscellanea

A lot has been going on these past few weeks, so I've been too busy to even think about blogging... Corrupt Illinois politics have been at the forefront of the national media, I missed a final and spent 7+ hours in my car on the Eisenhour because of an ugly snowstorm (made the dean mad but of course took the exam at a later time!), and we moved to an itsy-bitsy apartment.

Moving to a smaller place has caused us to rethink how many possessions we have and how we spend our money.  We donated three giant trashbags of clothes before we moved, and one bag afterward.  I pared down my shoe collection and gave away over half of my books.  We just have too much stuff.  It was almost embarrasing, because I try to live simply.  In our new place, hubs and I both share a non-walk-in closet, and the only other storage space is a pantry.  So we've had to confront our accumulation of stuff.  I can totally understand how the growth of suburbia/new housing development and increasing square-footage of living spaces is linked to consumerism, debt, and environmental issues.  The more space you have, the more you're inclined to fill it with things--things that cost money and will eventually end up in a landfill somewhere.  Do we really need all this stuff?

Being on break from school these past few weeks means reading what I want!  Not that I don't love burying myself in 1,000-page casebooks, but it's been great being able to read things more in line with my interests.  I'm about to finish The Accidental American, which deserves a post of its own.  Although not a very well organized book, it does a great job of pointing out the double standard in U.S. immigration policy.  It also includes the most succint description of why people in Mexico have to move to the U.S.  Reagonomics.

I also started The Shock Doctrine, because I enjoyed author Naomi Klein's previous book, No Logo.  I'm not a head-over-heels Obama admirer, but I am seriously ready for Bush to leave.  I can't believe some of the things his administration got away with...I think we were asleep the past eight years!  

Here's to a corruption-free 2009, with less snow, less STUFF, and more enjoyable reading that challenges the status-quo!

Community economics

In Jesus for President, Claiborne and Haw discuss the way our consumerist, individualistic society may affect our ability to love our neighbor. Acquiring a lot of possessions, a car for each person, and “a house full of ‘my’ stuff purchased cheaply from China,” makes it more difficult to follow Jesus’ teachings (261). We become more worried about protecting our things—about theft, security, and getting even more—that we lose sight of loving our neighbors in need.

If a community focused on loving Christ and loving others shares resources among its members, it frees itself up to live out the gospel. Claiborne and Haw share the story of a group of farmers in Belize that has little wealth but a lot of co-operation—and creativity. When a robber broke into their homes, they responded by printing and circulating currency that is worthless to the national economy but useful to them, and they built this robber a home once he was released from prison. Such a communal act of deterrence and forgiveness wouldn’t be possible outside of a community setting. And since they don’t store up treasures on this earth, they don’t have the temptation to kill those who intrude (261). They can truly pray the Lord’s Prayer, “…as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Within our individualism and greed, we expend energy protecting our houses built on sand, while this farming community lives “free from the economic fear of being toppled by the enemy.” Free from fear, they can aim their focus outward to redeeming the enemy (261). A great quote from the book: “You cannot follow Jesus socially (in relation to your enemy) if you are not following Jesus economically” (261).

I was immediately reminded of the mess the U.S. is in, what with our “homeland security” and post 9/11 debacles. According to Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change, the U.S. has about half of the world’s wealth, while only comprising 3% of the world’s population. So here we are hoarding our assets, while continuing to build up our military. The U.S. military is exponentially bigger than that of any other countries, and we have hundreds of bases all over the world. 

It’s evident we’re pretty big on protecting ourselves and our wealth. If anyone so much as threatens us (by stockpiling “weapons of mass destruction” that we sold them in the first place, for example), we will pre-emptively invade their country, no matter how miniscule their military forces. While expending a lot of our resources on “defense” ($550 billion a year), our leaders urge us to continue shopping. George W. Bush has even uttered the words “I encourage you all to go shopping more.” Keep consuming, or else the terrorists win…

Our national situation is a great example on a larger scale of how hard it can be to love your neighbor when you put yourself and your possessions first. It would be difficult to prevent the 16,000 children from dying from hunger-related causes each day when $550 billion goes toward protecting ourselves. And although I recognize the problems with security-driven things such as living in a gated community, I still want to save up for things like a trip to Europe or a MacBook Air instead of focusing on others’ needs and creatively subverting the status quo. The gospel, and trying to follow Jesus economically and socially, challenges me on the most basic level as well: that I have to think critically about choices and systems that I didn’t even know existed before.

A change of heart

Another compelling and provocative part of Jesus for President is an excerpt from a speech made by a World War II chaplain. Not just any chaplain, but the one who blessed the men who dropped the Enola Gay and the Boxcar—atomic bombs—over Japan, killing an estimated 250,000 people. Father George Zabelka eventually grew to believe that he had been mistaken, and he addressed the church with strong words 40 years after the bombings.

 

First, he said that he was implicitly told by church leadership that the devastating air raids and murdering of civilians were okay. Father Zabelka then realized:

But yes, there it was in the Sermon on the Mount, very clear: "Love your enemies. Return good for evil." I went through a crisis of faith. Either accept what Christ said, as unpassable and silly as it may seem, or deny him completely.

For the last 1700 years the Church has not only been making war respectable: it has been inducing people to believe it is an honorable profession, an honorable Christian profession. This is a lie. (221)

Father Zabelka then reminds us that up until 300 years after Jesus’ resurrection, the Church considered Christ and the gospel nonviolent: “when Christ disarmed Peter he disarmed a

ll Christians” (222). He goes on to say, “There is no way to follow Christ, to love as Christ loved, and simultaneously to kill other people” (222).

Like a modern-day prophet, Father Zabelka said we’re putting our faith in “physical power, militarism, and nationalism. The bomb, not God is our security and our strength” (223). He encourages us to “stop this insanity of worshipping the gods of metal,” and to stand up to idolatry (223). He presented his message in undeniable black and white terms—for him, there was no grey area or wiggle room. After having given his blessing on one of the most horrific acts of violence in history, his change of heart should be encouraging to the church today, that there’s hope for us to stop going down the path of implicitly and explicitly supporting wars and violence.

Reading the Bible through the eyes of America

I loved the critique from Jesus for President that American Christians interpret Scripture through a very American lens. How else would we interpret the Bible? But when our culture honors war and violence, and when 36 cents of every dollar paid in taxes goes towards our military, we may run into some problems with “turn the other cheek.”

Claiborne and Haw write that “the empire of violence and nationalism has crept into the church” (193). We are faced with the danger of reading the Bible “through the eyes of America rather than read[ing] America through the eyes of the Bible. We just want Jesus to be a good American” (194).

 

Claiborne and Haw share a quote from Mark Driscoll, a pastor who wishes to hyper-masculinize Christianity. Although his intentions are laudable, considering many men feel driven from the church, Driscoll’s words betray the violence that has crept into our distinctly American faith:

 

Some emergent types [want] to recast Jesus as a limp-wristed hippie in a dress with a lot of product in His hair, who drank decaf and made pithy Zen statements about life while shopping for the perfect pair of shoes. In Revelation, Jesus is a prize fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is a guy I can worship. I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up. (194)

Later, Claiborne and Haw point out that the Christian icon is a slaughtered lamb. That image of Christianity, and of Jesus crucified on the cross, doesn’t fit well with Jesus as a prize fighter, or with God as anointer of our military endeavors. There’s also a quote in the book from a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describing then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield: “He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country” (198). I researched a little more on what this general said, and one article described Rumsfield’s leadership as “inspired by God.”

 

Does this inspiration come from the same God that teaches “Blessed are the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers”? Is God schizophrenic? According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 150,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war. I really hope that I’m not trying to follow a God that would approve of such a thing…

 

So I wonder if reading America through the lens of the Bible requires us to take a more visible stand for peace and for life (not just in the womb!). I wonder if it would cause us to rethink the American flags in our churches and the number of Christians in the military. I like the experiment that Claiborne and Haw encourage readers to try in their churches: Put up an Iraqi or Afghan flag alongside the American flag in the sanctuary, to remind us of the suffering and horror of war.

 

Sorry Mark Driscoll, the Jesus I follow wants to shape his church into people who will refuse a commitment to make someone bleed—we have enough blood and swords in the world as it is. This doesn’t mean that Jesus or peace-promoting Christians are wimps, since confronting evil without weapons seems like a much braver act!

Another great book from Shane Claiborne...

Today I finished reading Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Like most of Shane’s ideas, it was really challenging. Drawing heavily from Yoder’s Politics of Jesus, Jesus for President gives a compelling argument that following Jesus requires you to be a pacifist. It also prohibits you from being a patriot. I do struggle with being proud of my country, after seeing the shameful things our government has done in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Central America…the list goes on. So, I smugly thought I would be safe from Jesus for President’s challenges to the “typical American.” Was I ever wrong!

Although I call myself a pacifist and criticize the imperialism of the US, to be honest, I still find comfort in being part of an empire. At this point in time, I still wouldn’t be able to reject the protections of the largest and most powerful military in the world. I’m all talk and no action; it’s comforting, with news of more countries building up their nuclear weapons, to know that the nation in which I live would be able to fight back and protect me and my family. I’ve also forgotten that great-sounding people, like Barack Obama, are still involved in this new Roman Empire, and that if elected he would be the commander of the military. Anyway, I like the safest, easiest option. I won’t deny that. But I can’t hold on to that comfort, protection, and security and still consider myself a member of the worldwide church, a follower of Jesus…I can’t serve two masters.

Caesar called himself the Son of God, so when Jesus also used that name, he was making an overt political statement. But today we don’t think we have any Caesars. Claiborne and Haw summarize today’s line of thinking: “Calling a ruler ‘Son of God’ is out of style. No one really does that nowadays. We can support a president while also worshipping Jesus as the Son of God” (166). Au contraire. Jesus taught enemy-love and forgiveness, a mindset that directly opposes the policies of the United States. We can’t pledge allegiance to both! Claiborne and Haw continue:

When the church takes the affairs of the state more seriously than they do Jesus, Pax Romana becomes its gospel and the president becomes the Son of God. After all, what is the point in calling anything God if it does not also hold sway in every part of one’s life—especially one’s politics? (166)

Our nation’s “theology” revolves around democracy, liberty, and capitalism—and more American Christians have died (and killed) for those things than for the gospel. A quote in the book, from a US soldier in Iraq, stood out to me: “We are dying and killing for abstract nouns like freedom and democracy…but this is not the gospel of Jesus Christ” (183).

Jesus for President does a great job of pointing out the idolatry that many of us have committed. Although I don’t agree with everything (I’m bothered by what seems to be an emphasis on withdrawing from the world), I would love to continue to share the more compelling parts of the book. And I don’t have to return this one to the library, so I actually have time to do so! One last thing--this book has amazing visuals! It's so aesthetically interesting and creative...go here to see the actual first pages of the book to see what I mean: Jesus for President.

Underground America: Required Reading!

While on vacation, I finished Underground America, which is a collection of immigrants' stories. Edited by an immigration attorney/writer, this book will make your stomach hurt and also (hopefully) encourage you to take action. One man essentially trafficked himself from China, to Thailand, to Cuba, to Mexico, then finally to the United States, where he now owes over $60,000.00 in debt to smugglers. I wish every Christian and every American would check out this collection--or even better, get to know a few immigrants and their stories. Our immigration policy and civil rights record would see some changes, that's for sure!

Aside from a book plug, I also wanted to share our most recent, and one of my favorite, photos. Me and my fiance (what a fancy word! I feel weird using it!) spent some time at a forest preserve/lake over the 4th of July:

Reconciliation Blues

Today I finished reading Edward Gilbreath’s Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity. Like Divided By Faith, I found it really helpful in terms of better understanding how being white can affect my faith and my relationships with others.

Gilbreath discusses many black evangelicals’ struggle with a “double consciousness,” living inside a predominantly white faith and “see[ing] their faith through a white cultural lens” (18). Dwight Perry, a leader in the Baptist General Conference and former Moody professor, shares, “my perception of culture was altered, and my theology was filtered through a grid that reinforced middle-class white values” (18). Perry later realized that, while white-dominated evangelicalism helped him spiritually, it left him disconnected from his own community.

Another black evangelical shared that many minorities either leave evangelicalism in order to salvage their racial identity or begin behaving more “white.” The most troubling thing is that many Caucasians don’t see their culture affecting their faith in such a strong way. A friend commented to Gilbreath: “The white Christians I encounter often display a shocking provincialism—a real naiveté about the world around them. Frankly, it’s as if they are stunned to find out that their cultural, political, and religious frame of reference is not the only one” (18).

In fact, most white Americans would not consider themselves members of an ethnicity. I thought I would try that idea out on my boyfriend, who is from Mexico: “Hey, did you know that most gueros (white people) don't think they're a race?”

His first response was just, “Huh?” He couldn't wrap his mind around this concept--and believe me it's not from any lack of intelligence. “Well, of course you guys are an ethnicity!” I have several anecdotes about the clashes in our inter-cultural relationship that would definitely demonstrate my anglo-ness! To many, being white in a white-dominated, majority culture is just like the air we breathe...while non-majority culture folks just find it silly that whites consider themselves non-ethnic.

It’s more serious than “silly,” especially considering the accounts in Reconciliation Blues of my fellow Christians’ experiences. This misconception is one of the barriers to racial reconciliation in our society and in our church. There’s a lot more from Gilbreath’s book that I would like to share…he has a chapter on white evangelicals and Martin Luther King, and he discusses the embarrassing, racially-insensitive Southern Baptist VBS curriculum, Rickshaw Rally. Hopefully I can get it all in before the book is due back at the library!