The culture of war: a late Israel/Palestine reflection

I'd been meaning to blog about my Middle East trip for a while, but unfortunately, never got around to it!  With recent events in Gaza, I have felt moved to share my thoughts and personal experiences.  As a pastor-in-training, perhaps I may be getting too controversial in taking sides on this issue.  But please know what I am writing on comes out of my personal experiences with the area and my deep convictions in my faith.  In times like these, we must sometimes, as John Lewis put, "get in the way" or "in good trouble."

For those of you who did not know, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel/Palestine for a 3-week maymester with my seminary, Union-PSCE.  The journey was one I will never forget.  I learned a great deal about the ancient Biblical world through archeology and a great deal about modern day conflicts in all 3 countries.  The latter is what I will write about in this post.

We have been dealing with news of struggles in the middle east for close to 60 years now.  Over this time period, we have almost become numb to news from Israel/Palestine, just thinking its the "same old stuff." Unfortunately, it is basically the same pattern of cyclical violence. However, we have become numb to the cumulative effect of violence and war on the cultures over there.  

Several things stood out to me about the culture of Israel/Palestine during my visit:

1. The wall, or Israeli West Bank barrier:  Under construction since the 90's, this wall separates Palestinian territories from Israeli territories.  The wall is often 50 meters in length, consisting of barbed wire, trenches, and huge concrete barrier walls with electronic surveillance.  We learned of how detrimental this project has been to Palestinian farmers who have had their lands cut off from them.  Also, the bitter racism leads to brutal border guards who regularly harass Palestinians entering and leaving these borders.  Beyond this, Palestinians are often blocked off from essential resources on the other side of the wall.  For example, out of the 6 major water wells in the area, only ONE is located within Palestinian territory.

2. Guns in public.  One of the more shocking things to see was the off-duty army kids carrying rifles on their backs wherever they went.  They are expected to have guns on them at all times in case violence breaks out.  It's not uncommon to see young guys and girls out at bars and other scenes with these guns on their backs.  This is what younger kids look up to - being able to tote guns around in public.

3. The war-marketing.  T-shirt stands are very popular in the touristy areas of Jerusalem.  Often times these shirts have traditional designs and pictures of Jerusalem.  However, there are also many shirts that brag on the military might of Israel.  Many other shirts also brag on the relations with the United states, with slogans such as "jerUSAlem" and "don't worry America, Israel's got your back!" The shirt I bought was VERY rare.  It says PEACE in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.  Beyond t-shirts, the general advertising environment did not shy away from showing off guns and masculine, militaristic, lifestyles.  

4. The only English speaking news on TV over there?  coughfoxnewscough....  I mean you're not THAT surprised are you?

What am I getting at here?  We are failing to see what Israel has become behind the scenes.  The culture of war and brutal superiority over Palestinians, who are forced to live behind physical and metaphorical walls, has built a sense of arrogance and racism among many Israelis.  They fail to see the many humanitarian issues facing Palestinians.  Issues that drive many to terrorism, as it is the only way they see a path to freedom!  I am not justifying their acts of violence in any way.  Rather, I am trying to express the importance of understanding their situation, as this is something we hardly ever receive from our news sources.

The escalated war in Gaza is only proof of this.  The rocket attacks from Gaza, horrible and wrong as they may be, did not deserve the extent of war brought on by Israel.  With 800 deaths and counting, many being civilians, I hope the plight of the Palestinians may be realized.

From what I witnessed and heard, the patience of the Palestinians is incredible.  For what many face, the reality of violent resistance is relatively small.  However, this is no excuse for not making a push to deal with things more humanely.  

As Christians, I hope and pray we can learn to look at this situation objectively.  There is pain and death on both sides.  There are fellow Christians on both sides.  Both sides are populated with children of God who deserve equal treatment and love.  Both sides contain children who are growing up learning to hate the Arab/Jew instead of learning to coexist.  As Christians, I also hope we can pray for peace and justice more often.  Yes, there are many many many issues in this world, but let us not forget one just because it has been around longer.

I know this situation is much more complex than any of us can understand, and a resolution is probably not anywhere in the near future, unfortunately.  However, it is my hope that the world can view Palestinians as people, children of God, who are struggling to get by, not as a haven of terrorists.  

Peace, Shalom, and Shalaam,

Mike

p.s. I've attached some pictures of graffiti on the wall, check 'em out!

p.p.s. TIME recently put out a GREAT article about the conflict and recent escalation

p.p.p.s. There's 

a documentary out there about the wall...slightly boring but highly insightful.  It's called "the wall." 

My inner liberal unleashed!

So a brief biography of my life:

I spend 18 years of my life growing up under a blanket of conservatism.  I learn how to be a good Republican.  During an intense 4 years of college , I discover my identity and realize my inner liberal/Democrat.  Thanks to a great deal of energy out of the "Obama effect," I am finally compelled to take action and speak out.  Well, naturally, friends from my conservative past have finally come out to question my beliefs.  They are good friends and I don't see that ever changing.  I'm encouraged and honored that I am reaching a point in my life with these old friends where we can confront issues we never talked about back in the day.  I have distanced myself from home over the past 5 years, but I must recognize it is something that will never go away.

I recently wrote a long response to one of these friends who questioned how I could vote for Obama as a Christian, largely due to his support of pro-choice policy.  In writing my response, I realized I hadn't written out much of a summary of why I am supporting Obama.  The following is an excerpt from my response:

I'm voting for Obama because I believe he is a quality candidate. He's a genuine character with a natural ability to truly bring people together to find solutions. He will drastically improve our nation's standing in this world as he is greatly looked up to. He has ignited young people all across the world to start caring about politics that influence the way we live, and has become a role model for all people - but especially at-risk young african-american youth who desperately need a role model. He's a cool character who handles pressure very well, and is backed by a well-seasoned VP who would be a much more efficient president than Palin (God forbid that situation).

Abortion is a very touchy subject. However, I strongly feel that we must consider ALL issues facing the Presidency. Especially when we speak of how our faith influences them. In fact, I feel more in tuned with Obama's religious views than McCain. Christ's message of "love God and love your neighbor as yourself" seems to have been lost somewhere in the McCain agenda. Obama understands that Christ stood up for helping those in need, for treating all people as children of God. Economic policies and social programs should provide all people with dignity and freedoms that we truly deserve. I feel like Obama's platform is more in line with this. Beyond this, a war, which I believe is truly unjust and impractical, speaks out against the pacifism that christ promotes. Finally, Obama's message preaches hope to all people in a tone that empowers people out of love. McCain has been running a campaign of fear, grasping at straws to hopefully scare voters into voting for him. This upsets me.

There's no easy answer to the abortion issue. Like I told someone else recently, the more we get caught up in arguing legality, the more we fail to tackle the more pressing issues of better sex education, rape/incest prevention, and providing better homes for children. Until we do this, give women the options and treatment they deserve for having to deal with such a difficult situation, we only make situations worse by forcing them to face issues that can utterly destroy their own lives. We must fight abortion with better options from the ground up, not try to quash it from the top down.

Again, abortion is a tough issue and rightfully so, hurts everyone's heart. However, if we want to talk deaths, we've got all sorts of issues in this world where our country has not taken sufficient action (darfur, etc.). If we're fighting for sanctity of life, there's a lot more we must confront, and I believe Obama is more apt to handling this.

The Church is emerging...whether you want it to or not!

I can't help but think that an answer to the 'young adult' problem of our church lies within the Emerging Church discussion.

I'm currently at the Church Unbound Conference in Montreat, surrounded and humbled by a leadership I like to call the "Presbyterian all-stars." Plenary, worship, and discussions have centered around talking about the future of the church.  This hope-filled talk is very encouraging and fulfilling, though also very confusing and vague.  However, we keep going back to the beauty of being amidst the 'chaos' of the world in which we find ourselves and the church at-large.  Somehow, these moments of chaos are the times in which we can really find ourselves.

So what is emerging?  Generation X and Y are taking hold of this world more and more.  They are angry at systems of this world that have lied to them and held them to systems which are now dying out.  The traditional suburban church, as we all know, is losing its appeal among these youth and young adults.  If we take a surface look, we see kids bored to tears with church and unmotivated in their faith who go to college and are lost and gone forever.  The deeper level is that these generations DO want a church.  However, the church must meet them where they are.  THIS is what is emerging.  These generations are leading the way in taking a post-modern approach to what we have known about the traditional church.  They want honesty, open-mindedness, authentic community, dedication to service, life in deep relationship with one another.

And honestly...they do NOT often find this in the churches they grew up in.  

So where will they find it?

thus begins the conversation amidst the chaos...

In Cairo

Our group of 38 students, spouses, and faculty from Union-PSCE arrived safely in Cairo, Egypt yesterday afternoon. We had a nice dose of culture shock in the bustling city. I personally can't help but draw comparisons to Istanbul, where I have spent a great deal of time. The Muslim culture is clearly evident in mosques and women wearing scarves. However, European influence is also clearly evident in the way people dress. Cafe's and hookah bars are all over the place too. The Nile is a real significant part of this city and is bustling with activity up both sides. Our hotel has a great view of it too. Today we begin our journey to hotels and historical sites to begin to get a sense of where this world came from and where it is going today.

shalaam,
mike

peace in the middle east!

Hello friends. Tomorrow, I take off on a journey to the middle east with my seminary: union-psce! We're flying into Cairo, will spend some time in Egypt, then make our way up the coast to Jordan and Israel. I'll be gone for about 3 weeks. I hope to have some internet use over there, so look out for updates on by blog here about our travels!

We will also have our own blog for our group while travelling:

http://landsoffaithandhistory.blogspot.com/

Thanks

Mike

The Gunman's Letter: A modern day lament

Shivati is how you pronounce "cry out for help" in Hebrew. We find this word all over the Old Testament; in laments, poems, prophetic oracles, etc.. This prevalence tells us that lamenting is a normal, human response. Trusting that the Lord will bring good amidst this horrible terror filled world we live in is extremely difficult!

I was really blown away reading this "church gunman's" letter. Instead of giving a well-thought out manifesto of why these Christians must die, Matthew Murray spent a page and half lamenting before going out to shoot some church members and then commit suicide. The parallels to the Old Testament just jump out at you:

"Why didn't you ever answer my cries for help? Why do I have to be hurt by so many Christians?"

"Why couldn't you write your damn book more clearly?"

"Am I too lost to be saved? My soul cries for deliverance. I'm dieing (sp), praying, bleeding and screaming. Will I be denied???"

What we see in this letter is simply a loss of faith. This is the pain and torment we see when the light of hope gets extinguished in someone's life. When you desperately need answers, yet none arrive, what's left but death?

What do we do with this letter? Was he right? Is there no way we will ever get answers to the questions we seek? Is God causing us pain and anguish? Are all Christians hypocritical to the point of driving people to these extremes? To quote the letter, "WHAT IS THE TRUTH?!"

The shocking reality of Christianity is that it is not based on objective truths. I am of the opinion that the Bible is not a completely literal and infallible truth. We can't throw Matthew a Bible verse, tell him this is truth, and all will be ok. We MUST let our faith be the focal point of our lives. God grants us faith and through this faith we can interpret Scripture and how God is working in this world.

Thus, based in this faith, I would say we have ultimate Christian ideals that should be guiding our every action. These ideals are rooted in love and lived out in our relationships. Christianity is not a rulebook by which we can tell people what they should and shouldn't do. Christianity is a living relationship through which we enact our grateful lives of loving obedience.

Therein lies our problem in America. Our Christianity is teaching people to do certain things and they will get certain results. Its the consumerism Christianity. I am afraid that Matthew was a victim of this consumerism Christianity. What happens to those people whom we tell will get rewards for doing good things? When these rewards and answers don't come they begin to question if they are really living right. Questions turn into blame. Blame turns into hate. It's an ugly thing.

Prophetically, I read this news article about Matthew's letter as I was writing a Hebrew exegesis paper on Micah 6:3-8. I found the parallels to be shocking. Here's my translation:

3 My people, what have I done to you and how have I made you weary ? Testify against me ! 4 For I have brought you up from the land of Egypt and the house of slavery . I have ransomed you and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 My people, please remember what advised Balak, King of Moab, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and your passage from Shittim unto Gilgal, in order that you would know the righteous acts of the LORD . 6 With what shall I come in front of the Lord? Shall I bow myself to God on high ? Shall I come in front of him with burnt offerings or with calves a year old ? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams; with ten thousand streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgressions; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has declared to you, oh mortal, what is good and what the LORD demands of you; only to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

The last verse, the most common one, is the kicker. The author of this passage, speaking for a humanity that was losing hope in God, begs God to give him truth and answers to how to live right. Matthew Murray was in this position: weary with God and begging for truth...

God's answer is one that stands beyond and above time. The answer is one that all humans everywhere ascribe to in some form or another. The answer is not a list of 'do this and get that.' Despite the authors attempts in verses 6 and 7, there is no hint of consumerist Christianity in this answer. The answer is prefaced by the word that God loves and saves his children - we have no room or place to question God's sovereign plan.

The answer is threefold: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. Justice means fighting for the life and dignity of all people. Kindness (hesed in Hebrew) refers to the essence of living in loving relationships with other humans. Walking humbly is self explanatory. Going back to what faith means, we must simply trust in God's will and that he loves us no matter what. Martin Luther struggled to attain answers and favor from God and it nearly drove him crazy. He came to a similar conclusion, that there is nothing but faith and grace alone to save us.

God does not wish this pain on Matthew, I am certain of that. The world as it is now, painful and seemingly hopeless, can bring down the best of us. We have no response but what we know as humans and profess as Christians.

We must preach this love and embody this relational God instead of this consumer God that is destroying the essence of our faith. I truly with Matthew could have experienced this relational God more fully. I wish he could have kept faith and hope in God's unfailing love.

A Lenten sermon from last year

This is a sermon I gave last year about this time during the Lenten season. I share it not out of any ego, but just because these lenten themes have been on my mind, specifically how we can move from legalism into more simple joy. Anyway, here's the sermon in its entirety:
___________________
Sermon at Presbyterian College, April 10, 2007
John 9: 1-34
What does a blind man see the moment he is healed? This miracle would make a good movie trailer: Seth the blind beggar played by Brad Pitt was just a normal boy growing up in the streets of Jerusalem except for one thing, he was blind from birth. Little did he know one day everything would change forever. Jack Bauer plays as Jesus in this amazing story of a miraculous healing. What does Jonny see and do the moment he is healed? Find out this summer when the “Passion II: The Pharisees Strike Back” hits theaters. OK...yeah maybe not.
The moment of realization is both surprising and powerful. A man who has been blind from birth suddenly gains the ability to see. What was it like? Was he overwhelmed by light or did blackness slowly fade into vision. Did he see in color or black and white? Was he scared and overwhelmed as if he was watching Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D at Disney world? One thing is certain: His life was changed. He was left speechless after this miracle. As the Pharisees continue to inquire about this man who violated the laws of the sabbath, the blind man simply knows one thing: “he is a prophet.” He also exclaims the phrase we know from “Amazing Grace”: “that though I was blind, now I see”. The blind beggar is in utter awe and knows nothing more but to express the wonderful life changing power of Christ. He can now see things he couldn’t see before, well in his case this meant everything. Unfortunately for him the Pharisees would hear nothing of it as they were still so outraged at Jesus’ action. The blind beggar is like your friend who just returned from studying abroad and won’t SHUT UP about their trip. JACK, enough about New Zealand already. DREW Ok whatever you went to Africa, thats great! TINA, I’m sick and tired of all of your stories from the border! I don’t care about anyone’s life changing experiences. I’m perfectly content with how life revolves around my comfortable life down here in rural South Carolina and nothing you all say can move me. Somehow we tend to play the role of the Pharisees, missing all that God is teaching us. We remain blinded and hard hearted to how God is trying to move us and move others.
Being a senior, I am constantly on the lookout for my moment of realization. We as seniors are constantly asking the question, “what am I doing with my life?” We all eagerly wish for a moment when suddenly we are able to see into the crystal ball of our future. Could it be that sometimes we are so caught up in the mess of everyday life that we are blinded to what God is showing us? Perhaps we need a new perspective?
We are nearing the end of the lenten season and into Holy Week when we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ. Most of us are probably about ready to get back to drinking Coke again, using facebook again, or eating sweets after midnight again. Many of us have probably cheated somewhere along the way and felt guilty for not practicing self-discipline during the lenten season. I can’t believe I just ate that M&M from Dr. Hobbie’s office!! Others of us are probably extremely proud of the fact that we are able to give up something we love doing for forty days. Have we gotten too legalistic? Perhaps Lent has become more about doing something right for 40 days rather than eagerly anticipating the celebration of Easter with eyes that have been opened by God to see his miracles all around us. The Lenten season is for preparing the way for Holy Week through prayer, fasting, and spiritual preparation. I want to encourage that we take to this season as the man who was just healed of his blindness rather than as the legalistic Pharisees. Let us with new eyes be continually open to how God is working miracles in our lives. Let us with new eyes look forward to the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection. Let us with new eyes treat every new day like the moment of realization had by the blind beggar, so excited that God is working in our lives that we are not held down by legalism.
There is a popular song out now by the band Snow Patrol called “hands open.” This song is about a guy knowing how much he loves a girl and wishes she would just let down her walls to let him in. The theme of opening ourselves to love and be loved emerges in this song. The chorus of the song says: Hands open and my eyes open / I just keep hoping / that your heart opens. I get the image here of God standing there with his arms outstretched, OPENED eyes looking at us in loving anticipation that our eyes, our hearts will also open up. The song finishes with the words: It's not as easy as willing it all to be right / Gotta be more than hoping it's right / I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it / Collapse into me, tired with joy . Again I hear this as God’s words to us, wishing us to open up to him with a deep desire, not held back by the rules and little details. He is calling us to collapse into him, TIRED with JOY. As soon as the blind beggar is healed he reacts in utter awe, trusting God completely and wholeheartedly. In a similar manner God is working through us that we might confidently desire his will. May our eyes be opened so that we may approach God as the blind man did, Tired with Joy.