Owner: the mindful mission URL:http://www.mindfulmission.com Join Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:34:02 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: One white, middle-class male's attempt to reconcile the deep inequalities of the world. the mindful mission looks at the intersection between faith, politics, culture, and justice. Site statistics:Click here
Sunday Worship - Poverty is so hard to see 2006-10-29 15:55:41 From Derek Webb - Poverty
is so hard to see
(remember...you can still download the entire album here):Poverty is so hard to see
When it’s only on your TV
And twenty miles across town
Where we'’re all living so good
That we moved out of Jesus'’ neighbourhood
Where he'’s hungry and not feeling so good
From going through our trash
He says, "more than just your cash and coin
I want your time
I want your voice
I want the things you just can'’t give me"
So what must we do?
Here in the west we want to follow you
We speak the language and we keep all the rules
Even a few we made up
"Come on and follow me
But sell your house
Sell your SUV
Sell your stocks
Sell your security
And give it to the poor"
What is this?
Hey what'’s the deal?
I don'’t sleep around and I don'’t steal
I want the things you just can'’t give me
"Because what you do to the least of these
My brother’s, you have done it to me
Because I want the things you Read more:Sunday
I hate my major 2006-10-28 20:32:53 I have a bachelors degree in Biblical Studies.
I hate that.
And I think it gets in the way of me getting a job that I am interested in.
I have been applying for jobs for several months now in an attempt to truly do something that I am passionate about. I want to be challenged, encouraged, and grown in ways that have not occurred in any job that I have been in. I want to be doing meaningful work, work that makes a difference, work that changes the world.
Yet I sit here teaching wealthy kids how to get better test scores while the poor cannot afford to even dream about paying for upwards of 12 hours a week of tutoring.
And I believe that I may have figured out one of the problems in my continuous job search. My undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies, from a conservative Evangelical University, makes me appear that I am an "Evangelical" Christian. Of course being an Evangelical Christian carries a lot of negative connotations these days.
Don't get me wrong. I am not as
Iraq Attacked the U.S. 2006-10-27 16:01:03 Does anyone remember when Iraq
attacked the United States or declared war on the United States?
I cannot remember when that happened...
But President Bush seems to remember:I believe when you get attacked and somebody declares war on you, you fight back. And that's what we're doing.Also...can someone tell me what kind of "reward" one receives if they kill during Ramadan?We'll have to see what happens here after Ramadan. I believe these people -- oh, I was going to tell you Abizaid believes Ramadan, no question, caused them to be more violent because he says there's some kind of reward during Ramadan for violence.Sometimes I am blown away at the things that this administration claims to be true. How do they get away with it? Read more:Attacked
The Scribe is Back 2006-10-27 15:32:18
The Daily Scribe
is back!!!
I am not running a Scribe Jamboree today, but I am letting all of you know that it is back, with some changing leadership and transition in the near future. Head over there and create an account - it will be worth it.
There are still great writers from all over the religious spectrum. The site is not about conversion, but about dialog. I believe so strongly in the concept of dialog. We cannot run away from those who hold to a different belief system than ourselves. We must engage with others. We must learn, me must become informed.
So go head to The Daily Scribe. You will not regret it.
Rich Whitney for Governor 2006-10-26 22:32:01
Rich Whitney
, the Green Party candidate for Governor
in Illinois recently polled at 14%!!
That is great news both for him and for the state Green Party.
Unlike the two major party candidates (Rod Blagojevich and Judy Baar Topinka) Whitney has real ideas that will benefit the state of Illinois. You can take a look at a small interview with the Chicago Tribune here. Further, he refuses to submit to the ridiculous attack ads that the two major candidates have run (which I talked about here).
Whitney has received little media attention, has little money to mount a campaign, and was kept out of debates, yet somehow has been able to put together a solid campaign and solid support.
He isn't perfect (as is evidenced by his more than strong support for gun possession), and he probably will not win (but you never know). But if he is able to maintain a significant percentage of the vote all he needs is 5%) he will allow the Green Party to be on the ballot for the next election witho
No more pregnancies 2006-10-26 21:20:45 Mo judge tells woman: No more pregnanciesA St. Joseph woman who has three children says she was shocked when a judge ordered her not to have any more children out of wedlock while she is on probation for three years.WTF? How can a judge get away with this? How can a a judge be allowed to tell a woman that she cannot have a child because she is on probation for forgery?
So much for a punishment fitting the crime...
Choose life? 2006-10-26 21:04:10 Jeralyn Merritt, the brains behind the great TalkLeft, has a great editorial on "choosing life" and the death penalty: Choose life and end the death penalty:I have never understood how those who refer to themselves as "pro-life" can support the death penalty. Time and again in recent years, I have read an op-ed supporting life and nodded along in agreement about how every life has meaning, not realizing until the last paragraph or two that the author was talking about abortion, not the death penalty.
If all life is sacred, why is it not wrong to support government-sponsored executions, in which the state knowingly and intentionally causes the death of another human being? ...Go read the entire thing.
Hugo on Condoms 2006-10-26 20:45:22
Hugo has two very good posts on condoms that came out of a enw campaign called Condoms
4Life. you can take a look at Hugo's posts here:
A note on Condoms4Life
More on condomsCondoms4Life is a campaign that is encouraging the Vatican to end its ban on condoms. Their campaign slogan is great:We believe in God.
We believe that sex is sacred.
We believe in caring for each other.
We believe in using condoms.Condoms are an important part of preventing both diseases and unwanted pregnancies. I have never understood the Catholic ban on condoms, and I am not sure that I ever will. Condoms are a cost effective method of being sexually responsible, and one that can be and is very effective in both developed nations and poor countries.
You can join in the campaign by signing a petition here, though as Hugo said, I am not sure that the Pope is going to be influenced by a petition.
Good News for Gays? 2006-10-25 22:44:47 Ha...I almost titled this post "Gospel for Gays," but I thought better of it...
New Jersey Court Backs Rights for Same-Sex Unions:The State Supreme Court in New Jersey said today that same-sex couples are entitled to "the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes." But the court, in its 4-3 ruling, that whether that status would be called marriage, or something else, "is a matter left to the democratic process."The actual ruling can be found here.
I am not quite sure what I think about this...
First of all, I think it is important for same-sex couples to have everyone of the same rights as opposite-sex couples. So in that sense, this ruling is a positive one.
But secondly, this ruling stops short of where it should be. This ruling actually states two contrasting points:
Same-sex couple are entitled to "the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes"
"we cannot find that a fundamental Read more:Good News
Middle East, Democracy, and Freedom 2006-10-25 21:07:15 I was listening to conservative talk radio again this week and, as always, heard some interesting assertions and thoughts that make no sense.
Here is one of them - I cannot remember who it was from, but it was either from Dennis Prager or Rush.
Here is a rough summary: The host was talking about Iraq and the "liberals" wanting to cut and run. He asserted that in order for the liberals to want to cut and run, they had to admit that the those in the Middle East
could not handle freedom and democracy. He then of course attempted to attack the "left's" view of multiculturalism and diversity, essentially saying that the left were hypocrites for claiming to desire multiculturalism while saying the Middle East could not handle freedom and democracy.
I could go a lot of directions with this, but I will try to keep this brief.
It was the wrong decision to attack Iraq, and it has nothing to do with Iraq culture. It has everything to do with attempting to violently force a nation to ac Read more:Freedom
Kerry and Money 2006-10-25 20:27:09 I have been on John Kerry
's e-mail list since the lead up to the 2004 election. I rarely even read them anymore, but recently they have caught my attention.
John Kerry is asking for money to help fund a few key senatorial campaigns, specifically in Tennessee, Missouri, New Jersey, and Virginia. I understand the need to fund these important races, because the next two years will be greatly impacted depending on the results of the elections in these four states.
But here is my problem. John Kerry has only contributed $15,000 to the Democrat's senatorial committee. $15,000 may sound like a lot to your or me, but he has 14 million dollars in his campaign accounts that he does not know what to do with. Of course, this would cause one to think that Kerry wants to run for President again, and would like as much money as possible as a foundation to kick off a new campaign.
Don't get me wrong...I understand the need for politicians to save up money for a national campaign. But I h Read more:Money
Following Jesus 2006-10-25 17:11:48 As some of you know, I am trying to figure out what it really means to follow Jesus
, especially in light of the American Christian sub-culture that exists around me. I don't always know what it means to do this, and I don't always know what it looks like. I have big questions, and I have big doubts about a lot of things. But I am pretty convinced that I want to what I can to be a "Christ follower," to model my life after Christ. I constantly screw this up, but I can say that I want to try.
This is a quote from Exiles, by Michael Frost, which I found over at the journey. It really speaks into what I believe Jesus was about - engaging in meaningful interactions with people, and in turn what we need to be about:Following
Jesus means engaging meaningfully with the lives of others. How could we possibly believe that we could model our lives on him and remain distanced from the poor, the confused, the struggling, and the lost? Following Christ means more than not drinking or not sw
IMPORTANT - (Red)emption 2006-10-24 22:04:59 Mike Todd is running a great campaign related to the Product (Red) Campaign.
If you don't know about the Product (Red) Campaign, here is a summary from the Gap press release:(RED)'s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a percentage of the sales from that product to The Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express, Emporio Armani, Converse, Gap and Motorola. MySpace.com is the first media sponsor.But Mike has some better ideas:We’ve been looking at the (RED) iPod specifically. When you spend $200 US on the iPod, Apple will contribute $10 to the Global Fund. (Robert has changed his mind about Christmas, BTW, so don’t bother emailing his wife.)
I don’t have a clue what the profit margins are like on the iPod, but $
No Morally Acceptable Justification 2006-10-24 17:49:04 Go read this speech, it is too good to just excerpt. It is from Fifth Circuit Judge Carolyn Dineen King, speaking to a Red Mass in Corpus Christi.
There can be no morally acceptable justification for vengeance Read more:Acceptable
End of the Scribe 2006-10-23 22:32:16 [read update at bottom]
Well that did not last long.
The Daily Scribe
has come to an end.
Well, not quite. It was actually abruptly cut-off by the creator of the site - Shawn Anthony. If you are curious as to the reasons, you can view them here. But if you want to know what really went down, read what Colleen has to say.
Hopefully something else will rise up out of this.
The Daily Scribe was an interesting place with tremendous diversity of voices. Some did not like that. The diversity of voices also created tension between the some of the voices. Certain members of the Scribe did not feel that they could be sincere in their beliefs and be part of a collective of writers who may have contrasting beliefs.
This issue did not bother me. I was able to learn from my Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, and Humanist friends. I did not need to agree with everything that they said in order to be part of a community with them. Others were unable to see past this.
The Dai
Five Things Feminism Has Done for Me 2006-10-23 21:33:19 While I didn't get tagged, I got this from Adam...
Five Things Feminism
Has Done for Me:
Feminism has taught me to see and understood in more meaningful ways. It is helped be explore both the traditionally masculine and feminine aspects of God and my faith. I am now quite comfortable referring to God as "She", and often even find myself wishing that more did so.
Feminism has taught me to embrace the full abilities and gifts of women. I have learned to fully embrace women in any and all aspects of leadership both inside and outside of the church.
Feminism has enabled me to serve my wife in amazing ways that were often not even considered in the past. Even little things like cleaning, doing the laundry, doing the dishes, etc go a long way in a husbands ability to serve his wife. A woman's place is not in the home cleaning and cooking. A woman's place is using her gifts and abilities in order to fulfill her greatest potential. And while a marriage involves sacrifice, it involv
Death in Wisconsin 2006-10-23 18:15:19 Killing people is a bloody stupid way to demonstrate that you don't approve of killing people.(from here)
In two weeks Wisconsin
will vote on a referendum on whether or not to reinstate the death penalty.
You know my thoughts, but in case you don't, take a look at these two posts:
Death in Theory
Death in Practice
The issues surrounding the death penalty seem pretty clear to me:
Race and class have a significant impact on who actually receives the death penalty
Innocent people die
It does not reduce violent crime (meaning it is not a deterrent
It is given out in an unfair and arbitrary manner
It is extremely expensive
Etc, etc, etc.
I could go on, but I do not believe that it is necessary. For more information on these facts and others, visit here. Of course, this does even take into consideration that significant moral, ethical, or theological reasons to completely abolish the death penalty.
The La Crosse Tribune has more on why Wisconsin voters must vote against this refere
Savagely Crazy 2006-10-23 17:58:57 The National Review has an interesting look at Michael Savage [hat tip Between Two Worlds], far-right hateful bigot whom I refer to as the "Howard Stern of conservative talk radio." Savage will say anything that he can in order to shock people.
Michael Savage has actually played a significant role in where I have ended up politically. He is the first talk radio guy I started listening to, and has been instrumental in me becoming more and more liberal! Listening to him helped me formulate arguments against him, which progressively pushed me further left. Of course, his emotional and factless points made it pretty easy, but that is besides the point.
One of the interesting things that the article brings up is this:Interesting that he should mention money — which brings us to the smoking gun. Supporting a candidate out of your own wallet may be the most accurate gauge of what a donor believes in his heart. So it should come as a shock to fans to learn where their hero distribut Read more:Crazy
More Obama for President 2006-10-23 17:20:38 Obama Says He Is Considering Running for President
: Senator Barack Obama, the first-term Illinois Democrat who has rapidly emerged this year as one of the most popular figures in his party, said today that he was considering running for the White House in 2008, a shift in position that he said was in response to many Democrats pressing him to join the field.
"I don't want to be coy about this — given the responses that I've been getting over the last several months, I have thought about the possibility, but I have not thought about it with the seriousness and depth that I think is required," Mr. Obama said. "My main focus right now is in '06 and making sure that we retake the Congress. After November 7th, I'll sit down and consider it."As Gringo says:This may be the time for Obama to do it... hmmmmmmm? Read more:Obama
The nature of Forgiveness 2006-10-22 18:26:13 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a LifeLines conference in London yesterday. They are always enjoyable events, with great speakers and lots of friendly members to chat to.
We had two guest speakers, both of whom had lost a parent to murder. Renny Cushing of MVFHR, whose father was shot dead in his home, spoke of how the death penalty prevents the victim’s family from going through normal stages of grief. He also said that in not supporting the death penalty, he was made to feel like a ‘bad victim’. He felt that relatives often feel obliged to support the death penalty as if the punishment they demand is somehow a measure of how precious the person was that they lost.
Celeste Dixon was not allowed to testify during the penalty phase of the man who murdered her mother, due to her opposition to the death penalty. Asked if she had forgiven her mother’s murderer, Celeste said that some people felt she was a saint for opposing the death pen Read more:nature
, Forgiveness
Interesting Rulings 2006-10-22 16:17:15 Here are some interesting court cases in the news:
Picture? Or a veil? A brief summary - a Christian woman refused to be photographed for her driver's liscense due to the second commandment which prohibitis "any graven image, or any likeness." She won in court. A Muslim woman wanted to be photographed with a traditional niqab, or veil. She lost in court.
Doubt standard anyone?
Judge: Exposure law is gender specific:A judge dismissed an indecent exposure charge against a woman accused of disrobing in front of a 14-year-old boy, saying the law only applies to men. Superior Court Judge Robert W. Armstrong said earlier in the week that the law only mentions someone who "exposes his person."
"It's gender specific," Armstrong saidI all in full support of having every and all laws being gender neutral. But this judge appears to be taking the literal words of the law a bit too far, don't you think?
Indigo Girls - Still Amazing 2006-10-30 00:54:43 I went to church last night.
Except it was at a concert venue with the beer flowing.
I have talked before about the power of music, a power that transcends the concept of secular and sacred, bar and sanctuary, Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The "pastors" of my church service were Amy Ray and Emily Saliers - the two women who make up the IndigoGirls
. They sang about acceptance, they sang about God, they sang about questions, they sang about doubt, and they sang about love.
Once again I was blown away with the ability that the Indigo Girls have to perform for an audience. My first time that I saw them was at Ravinia, a large outdoor venue. Yet they were still able to perform an intimate set of powerful music. Last night I had the opportunity to seem them at the Vic Theater, a great place to see a show, large enough to have energy and small enough to feel intimate. The setlist was great, with a good mix of songs from the new album (Despite our Differences) and old classic Read more:Amazing
Convicted 2006-10-30 17:47:54 Grits for Breakfast takes a look at the Christian Restorative Justice Mentors Association, a a prisoner re-entry group that works with the Texas justice system.
CRJMA works with prisoners so that they will be able to better adjust to the "outside world."
But here is the convicting part. Grits ends the post with this:Christ once asked his disciples, "When I was in prison, did you visit me?" They replied by asking him when were you ever in prison? He responded that if they'd never visited the "least of these," their sin was as great as if they'd failed to visit Christ himself.
If you're a Christian, answer me this: If you died today and met St. Peter at the pearly gates, and he said you can enter depending on the answer to just one question: When Christ was in prison, did you visit him? Would you get in?While the theology of "getting in" based on one question is flawed, it is still a valid point. And it is a point that I write about often and act upon rarely.
Did you visit Chris Read more:Convicted
More Obama 2006-10-30 19:03:30 Some more on Obama
palooza.
I may need to start an Obama category! If you notice, Obama is running away with my poll looking at possible presidential candidates in 2008. Of course, it helps that every other hit I have been getting on the site comes from a search related to Obama/2008.
Faithful Democrats: Interview with Barack Obama
Slate: Obama's New Rules - In the past 10 days, he has turned American politics upside down.
Explaining Income Inequality 2006-10-30 20:29:08 Kevin Drum takes a great look at income equality.
He is his summary: Here's the answer: the top 1% have a lot more money. The rest is left as an exercise for the reader. Read more:Income
, Inequality
Good News, Bad News 2006-10-30 22:18:31 From Ezra:
The good news: The gap between male and female salaries is narrowing, with women now making .81 cents for every dollar a man does.
The bad news: That's because salaries for males are dropping.
Read more:Good News
, Bad News
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