UPDATE: Jason Coker has pushed back on this post over on his blog here. While he ain't pithy, he's a smart one!

Source: World Christian Encyclopedia

What does this map say to you about the church in the west?

I'm intrigued by the themes in Douglas Rushkoff's new book, Life Inc. Initially, what caught my attention was his use of the term "radical abundance." It's a term I've heard/read (and used) to describe the intent of Jubilee and Sabbath principles in Scripture. But there's a term used in Douglas' material that grates me a bit: getting rich. Getting rich tends to imply scarcity: you take all you can of said resource–at the expense of another–because it is a limited resource. Check. Rushkoff explains scarcity well. But by ending the video clip (above) with those who get on this cluetrain will get rich, it appeals to something that doesn't seem to place as high a value on the commons. As my friend Lee put it, "Private wealth will always move into a paradigm of scarcity." Certainly, there are those that think this an appropriate view of biblical economics (see The Atlantic's recent cover article). But I'm not one of them. In the perspective from which I read Scripture, "abundance" doesn't imply excess for the few but enough for all. This is how I put it in my recent article on theOOZE.com:

In the book of Exodus we read the story of manna falling from heaven, providing the sustenance that everyone needed to survive in the wilderness. There was one problem: no preservatives. It didn't keep. You couldn't save it for tomorrow or the next day. God provided just enough for everyone, every day. In the New Testament, when Jesus teaches his friends to pray he draws upon this story when he tells them to ask God to give them their daily bread. The concept is that God provides enough for everyone. Not enough for some to hoard, or have more than others, but enough for all of us to have what we need... not necessarily what we want, but what we need. This concept runs all the way through Scripture.

Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of what Rushkoff says. And I bend towards the kind of theologically-framed economic ideals framed by people such as Ched Myers. But I am increasingly aware of how difficult this is in our culture. How do we get there? The one common thread that I see hope within is going local. Bill McKibben speaks well to this in his book Deep Economy. Without a local community trying to develop a new kind of economy together, it's going to be virtually impossible. Yet, even with that it is difficult.

All this to say, the motives to get rich don't seem to be helpful if we care about more than ourselves. But the future isn't here yet and in the meantime some of these ideals are just plain hard to live into. It's gonna require a kind of shrewdness and wisdom to balance both survival in the existing economy while attempting to live in to the emerging one. My ideals don't like hearing that, but I fear that those of us trying to establish models that function on a different set of values often teeter on too much utopianism.

... and all of that from one closing statement.

illustration by Sam Flores
My son is a huge superhero fan. Last time we were in San Francisco, we found a shirt his size with an illustration of several popular superheros as children by Sam Flores. I've tried to keep up on his stuff from time to time. When I saw this piece to the left, I felt a connection with it and it sparked a few thoughts in me...

Personal finances seems to be one of the most argued over issues within marriages. For Brooke and I, this is certainly true. Growing up, I remember my parents arguing about money quite a bit. This tension often increases for couples who are homeowners.

Today, a homeowner may find themselves owing more than their house is worth. You can end up feeling tangled up in a constant mess of home maintenance and projects that often end up costing more than people figured into your budget when you decided you could afford to buy. At times, Brooke and I have felt constrained by our home mortgage–binding us to a lifestyle that doesn't measure up to our dreams or ideals... Suddenly, your home owns you, to paraphrase Tyler Durden. Coming to this realization is what I like to call, "Waking up from the 'American Dream [Nightmare].'"

This sense of being "trapped" adds a huge stress to relationships. I find a lot of strength in my life through my relationship with Brooke. Her love for me gives me endurance in chasing my dreams and remaining faithful to my convictions. I want to protect and nurture what I have with her.

So, how do those of us that are idealists balance relationships and mortgages with our ideals?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

I just finished reading William Cavanaugh's Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. In this book, Cavanaugh discusses the place of the Church within "free market" economies. Pulling from Scripture as well as St. Augustine and others, he challenges the Christian to discern what responsible economic practices would be today. He further challenges the reader to be informed by our Christian tradition just as much if not more than the current marketplace. During these rough economic times, it was a timely read. And I highly recommend the book. Cavanaugh is clearly an academic writer and unashamedly Roman Catholic. This may make him unapproachable for some. But I would encourage people to give this book a shot. It is short and worth the thought provoking concepts.

I have often thought recently that the news and media today are quite... hopeless (ironic?). We are confronted constantly with how bad things are getting financially. To simply talk about cutting back, living with less, or espousing philisophical and theological alternative economic ideas isn't enough. We need tangible, practical ideas to spark imagination. Cavanaugh doesn't do enough of that in this book, but it's better than most that I've read whom I agree with conceptually but am frustrated with the little assistance they provide for imagining creative, practical application.

I had started reading Torture and Eucharist a while ago but after enjoying this book so much I have picked it back up.  With my commitments to nonviolence, I'm also looking forward to his forthcoming book, The Myth of Religous Violence.

I've updated my music and books sections on the right. Yes, I do tend to have that many books next to my bed side at any time. Just ask Brooke. And while the music list isn't encompassing, it does highlight some of the stuff I'm currently listening to in heavy rotation.

Other Stuff
M. Iafrate has started some great stuff on "'ecclesiology/ies' of DIY punk rock" over at catholicanarchy.org. Check it out. (Dude's got some good tunes too.)

Speaking of bands with banjos, check out Dark Dark Dark. Nice. They are also working on what looks to be an interesting film project with the visual artist Swoon–whose art I really dig.

And my other musical find I'm digging is Blood Red Shoes. A little Pretty Girls Make Graves with a little English refinement (another way to say more mainstream, but still good stuff).

We just canceled our home phone number. We're trying to cut back on expenses that we don't need. Just seems ridiculous to have a cell phone AND land line. So, today, we canceled the home line. Next up, we're going to fix up the truck a little and sell it. No need to have two cars in the city when we both work out of the house mostly.

So, if you have our home phone number, you can delete it.

On Saturday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m. the Collective is throwing another house party! Dr. Ulrich Duchrow from Germany will be hanging out with us and speaking on the Global Economy and Empire from the Vantage of the Victims in the Philippines, Middle East, and Colombia at the Hawthorn House (3143 Hawthorn Street, San Diego). Dr. Duchrow is a professor of theology with special focus in economics and ecology. His international work is vigorously ecumenical and interfaith. He has authored books such as Property: For People, Not For Profit among others. Visit Jubilee Economics Ministries website for details of other speaking engagements during his visit.

Please leave us a comment to RSVP.

See you then.

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Listening to: James Brown - Night Train