Bandits No More

One of the silly things bandied about since 9-11 has been that Islam is a “religion of peace.” Certainly peace has a place in Islam. As far as I can tell, peace has a place in most of the things we call religions. But the presence of that single word (in English translation, of course) doesn’t tell us very much. In today’s Al Qaeda message, for example, we’re told:

“Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Allah willing. And this time, don’t count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion,” the tape warns. “We are Muslims. We love peace, but peace on our terms, peace as laid down by Islam, not the so-called peace of occupiers and dictators.”

At least one self-avowed Muslim admits that there is more than one kind of peace. As Steve observed a couple of weeks ago (talking about the word “god”), the mere use of a word doesn’t get us anywhere. We have to do the hard work of contextualizing the word and figuring out what it means and how it functions.

I agree with Skevington Wood that “evangelist” may be the best one word description of John Wesley. Here’s my account of John Wesley on evangelism.

On a daily basis, our plans change as we become more involved in providing help and support to our brothers and sisters from New Orleans.

Future training will become general volunteer training.  We will still do some of the cooking and food preparation, but will be asked to do other tasks as needed.  We still need 240 volunteers per shift for the three regular shifts.  An additional shift has been added – 10 p.m.-4 a.m. The number of volunteers have not been determined for this shift.

A plan for organizing United Methodist volunteers for work at the George R. Brown Convention Center is as follows:

Wednesday, September 14 – Houston South District
Thursday, September 15  –  Houston East District
Friday, September 16  –  Houston Northwest District
Saturday, September 17  –  St. Luke UMC
Sunday, September 18  –  Windsor Village UMC
Monday, September 19  –  Houston Southwest
Tuesday, September 20  –  Houston North

We will staff four daily shifts:  4 a.m.-10 a.m.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; 4 p.m.-10 p.m., and 10 p.m.-4 a.m.  There will be six feeding trailers with each trailer having a team of 40 volunteers per shift.  Each of the trailers will be supervised by 5-6 Disaster Relief members.  Each trailer can serve 20,000 meals per day.  We are not responsible for meal planning and food purchase.  Food service in this way can be provided for about $1.75 per meal.

Volunteers from any United Methodist Church in any part of this conference are welcome to be a part of this effort.  Please e-mail the district office or church for the day you want to serve.  If you can’t work on “your district’s day, follow the same instructions.

“The churches are responding in a great way to the appeal for support,” says Bishop Huie.  “Your faithfulness and generosity is truly appreciated.”

Many are writing about lessons learned from our experience with Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath. Here are a few things I’ve observed.

1. People procrastinate. Whether it’s evacuating or ordering evacuations or any of the myriad other things that weren’t done in a timely manner, people tend to wait until “later.” Which is often too late.
2. Our culture is still consumed with race. I’ve been around enough to know that racism is real and still a factor in many parts of our country. Unfortunately, it is not just the “direct” racists – those who think negatively about a particular group of people – who cause difficulties. Because racism is a real problem – and many want to be good and sensitive – we find many subjects we think about but feel we can’t talk about for fear of offending. Take the word “refugee.” Consulting its etymology, one might think it means “one who seeks refuge.” I can imagine seeking refuge myself, and can’t imagine any negative connotation if I found myself seeking refuge. But from what I read many do take offense, finding it racist and not appropriate for describing any American. Not being married to the word, I’m trying to use the “correct” (at least last I heard) term, “evacuee.” Surely many have been evacuated, so it seems a fine term, though the passivity so easily inferred from its use may be taken as offensive by others.
3. Leaders – for the most part – dare not take responsibility for their actions. If they do, the first response is to cry “Impeach/fire/remove/convict” while the second is a lawsuit. Or multiple lawsuits. Any why not? When the only standard is perfection, and someone has publicly confessed a mistake, surely they must be held responsible. Two leaders who seem to have acted fearlessly, however, are Houston Mayor Bill White and our Texas Conference Bishop Janice Riggle Huie. Both have seriously committed –  and inconvenienced – their constituencies to do the right thing. Will there be negative consequences? Probably, but they consider that a small price to pay for doing the right thing.
4. The giving capacity in Texas (at least – this is the state I live in and am familiar with) is larger than the need. Many have lamented that in the GWOT (Global War On Terror), and particularly in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, most Americans aren’t suffering much at all, not sacrificing or being asked to sacrifice, like they were in the “good old days” of World War 2 with its rationing and mass conscription. Why should we consider it a bad thing that our capacity is so much larger now than it used to be? Whether the GWOT in its various manifestations is a Just War or not, one of the criteria in Just War theory is proportionality. While an effort proportionate to that of World War 2 may result in a quicker victory, I’m not sure it would be a good victory. We are discovering that we can do more than we thought we could. That leads into the next point.
5. Not every good thing can or should be done. First, there are competing goods. The good of increased refining capacity and energy production competes with the good of environmental protection. Entirely maximizing one or the other will kill many people. Second, I do not subscribe to the theory that government cannot do every good thing. Some good things are beyond the capacity of government – raising children, for example. Government also cannot protect people from their own willfulness (and stupidity) in every case. Reality has consequences. Though government can and should mitigate some consequences, it will be immoral (and deadly in the long run) for government to mitigate all consequences.

I have been working among the many churches in the Waco area in our cooperative planning for receiving and offering aid and shelter to evacuees from hurricane Katrina’s wake.

Several churches that have opened as shelters have done so in a very discriminatory way. There is a segment of the population that is strictly unwelcome in these shelters. People who will be turned away. It is ok, they say, because “there are other shelters for those people.”

The rejected class is those who are single. Some churches are setting up specifically and only for families, and thus are intentionally exluding single people.

When I asked about this prejudice, I was told it was valid because “You couldn’t trust an 18 year old single man in a shelter with women and teenage girls.”

….And I suppose you can’t trust any pastors because Jim Bakker once had an affair.

Curious thing is, one of these churches put out a call for clergy to call and volunteer to help with counseling. I was going to call until I realized I wasn’t welcome there. I’m single.

Dear United Methodists in the Central Texas Conference:

What a great spirit there is as United Methodists of this region respond to the needs of our neighbors from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I have mixed emotions these days. It is painful to see people suffer the way so many have as a result of the Hurricane Katrina and the broken levees in New Orleans. People are without food, clothes, medicine, and a place to call home. They have been dispersed all over the State of Texas and to many other parts of the United States as well.

On the other hand, I have witnessed the generosity of our people who open their homes, churches, and other public buildings to try to comfort and help the evacuees. As explained elsewhere on this website (www.ctxumc.org), we have churches who are housing evacuees, churches that are serving food, churches that are collecting flood buckets, medical kits, and money to provide for the needs of those hit the hardest.

UMCOR has been on the ground on our behalf from the very beginning of the crisis in those states affected. They will continue to be there long after the media has left the people and the areas to recover on their own. UMCOR reaches those who may not have been reached by other service agencies.

In addition, Jennifer Coggins, CTC Director of Humanitarian Services, has been organizing and coordinating efforts on our behalf, along with Rev. Chuck Graff, Chair of the CTC Disaster Response Committee. I encourage you to continue working through Jennifer’s office (817-877-5222) to offer your services, to report what your church or group is doing in this effort, and to find support and coordination of our efforts.

The spirit that I have witnessed among our people is, no doubt, inspired by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, who reached out to people in their greatest need. How greatly that spirit has been needed in this crisis, and how greatly it will be needed in the months ahead as many of these people and others will need comfort, support, and encouraging words. You are a great people of faith, and I am confident that you will continue to step forward when the need presents itself.

Faithfully,

Ben R. Chamness, Bishop

Fort Worth Area
Central Texas Conference

I think our country’s love of law has gone overboard. In Christianity Today we read of the case of Xiaodong Li, a Chinese Christian criminal, arrested and tortured for have a Christian gathering in his home. China, a country estimated to have at least 100 million Christians, strictly controls religion (they’ll also go after the Muslims & Falun Gong), allowing only registered, that is, government supervised, churches.

After his time of arrest and torture, Li managed to make his way to the US, eventually applying for asylum. The courts are deciding against him however, claiming that China has a right to make and enforce its laws, laws that Li broke Because Li broke the law, it is not persecution he faces, but prosecution. Li continues his appeals (the latest to rule against him was a panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals) but I wonder what China and other nations that systematically practice persecution think. They have long known that we (usually) don’t approve of persecution. They have also long known that we won’t let their practices get in the way of our pursuit of mammon. Now they know that we’ll even send them their victims for repeat treatment.

UPDATE: One of the consequences of operating in China is going by China’s laws. Sounds reasonable. But what happens when those laws lead to prison for a person whose crime is no crime in our eyes? Recently journalist Shi Tao was convicted of “passing state secrets” on the basis of information provided by Yahoo. “Passing state secrets” in China means talking about things the world doesn’t want you to talk about, in this case a ban on media mention of the 15th anniversary of the Tianenmen Square massacre. So what are companies like Yahoo to do? Well, they could forego the profit and stay out of China until China is willing to play by the rules Yahoo likes (Or are the most important rules about making a profit?). Perhaps Yahoo thinks the best way to bring change in China is to engage with the system – play by the rules and use its influence to bring change over time.

A Palestinian woman had a romance with a Palestinian man. Problem was that she was a Muslim and he was a Christian. Her family took the honorable way out – they killed her. Authorities heard something was up and decided to investigate. To impede the investigation, the family then riled up the neighborhood to go on a rampage through the Christian town, destroying and burning as they shouted “God is Great.” Those who are trying to build a Palestinian State certainly have their work cut out for them.

Just caught a discussion on the evacuation of New Orleans. The question was what ought to be done with those who are still refusing to leave their homes? The answer was something to this effect: “Since last hurricane season we have been educating people about the dangers and difficulties of hurricanes.”

Are we to assume that if everyone really understands that hurricanes are dangerous they will then choose to abandon their homes and property? Could there be more issues than simply an academic understanding of the strength of storms?

We must bash the Modern expectation that education is the answer. Education is beneficial, but not sufficient.

Here’s an MP3 of today’s message – Learning from John Wesley: The Christian Life.