jason evans

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

Week one of Biblical and Practical Peacemaking is winding down. I'm enjoying Just Peacemaking, edited by Dr. Stassen. And here is the question they have posed to us: What obstacles do you think might prevent churches from teaching and preaching about peacemaking?

Many obstacles prevent churches from teaching and preaching peace. I would like to focus on one particular obstacle that I see as a pre-cursor to others: consumerism. Often our theology reflects the consumer-oriented norms of Western culture. Over time, consumerism erodes the social awareness and commitment that our Scriptures and history remind us of. Unaware of this approach to the Christian Story we begin to lack the imagination for an alternative, peacemaking society. Instead, we begin to reflect popular culture ideals for social engagement–we become increasingly concerned only in that which brings us safety and comfort, while increasingly uninterested in the plight of anyone that does not directly effect our lifestyles.

In order for us to become peace making communities, we must challenge a self-understanding of church as an institution that delivers religious good and services. Instead we must re-discover an understanding of the church as a those called to embody the Message of Jesus today. One way in which we might begin to do this is by beginning to reinterpret our sacred consumptive practice: communion.

No matter what a person’s politics may be, few San Diego residents show concern for the thousands of migrants that die alone in our mountains and deserts. In our faith community, a step towards addressing this apathy was celebrating communion with a tortilla instead of the common bread or wafer. Before passing the elements, we remember why we use the tortilla. This simple act has radically effected our desire to build peace in our community.

Communion understood as the moment in which all divisions are exposed, yet no longer divisive, may be a tangible tool towards helping us develop a new self-understanding, moving us towards an atmosphere where the desire and energy to be peace makers is a potential.

What do you think?

The Hawthorn House hosted/coordinated our first "Urban Plunge" group here in the city. A group of 20+ students from Bluffton College in Ohio came down for the weekend for a urban experience. We met Friday night for introductions and to go over logistics of the weekend. Brooke and I shared a little about what we do, how we live and why.

I also handed out the "Siamese Twins" chapter in Mike Davis' book, Magical Urbanism. The chapter deals with unique relationship between Tijuana and San Diego. For those that may not be aware, TJ and SD are separated by a line that divides affluence from poverty, even though our two cities are completely dependent upon each other. We talked briefly about finding the kingdom in this context.

The next morning the group headed for the border and went on a maquiladora tour, with a wonderful lunch served by locals. That evening we were back at our place for a vegetarian meal prepared by my lovely wife. Our friend, and local prophet, Lee VanHam from Jubilee Economics Ministries debriefed with the group talking about their experience, globalization and choosing devotion to the gospel or the market (the good news or the good life).It was challenging, for sure, but well worth it. Lee did an amazing job!

I ended the night by giving each of the students a hand-out with questions for the following morning. We split up the group of students to visit three churches the next day. The questions were meant to engage the students in looking at church differently as they may have in the past. One group visited Mission Gathering, one St. Luke's (and Arab speaking Episcopal congregation) and the other visited Mid-City Nazarene (a collection of 5 different language based congregations). We then gathered for lunch again at our place (with another fabulous vegetarian meal prepared by Brooke). I read to the group Matt Casper's closing words in his book, Jim and Casper Go To Church (Matt was going to meet with us but was out of town). We discussed what they saw, what they appreciated, what made them uncomfortable, where they saw devotion to the market and where they saw devotion to Jesus.

Thanks to Joel Shenk at CAL for all of his hard work in pulling this together, to Matt and Brooke Gonzalez for all their help on Saturday night, Lee for his genius and gentleness, and Herb and the rest from San Diego Maquiladora Workers’ Solidarity Network for their humble, necessary work. We had a lot of fun showing off our city(s). Lee was asking us if it was hard to put it together and we admitted that is was a lot of fun actually! Sure, it's not easy after a full week of work but still fulfilling to watch peoples' eyes open up to new ideas and realities.

Guy Kawasaki, Internet/Tech Guru, interviews Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, over at his blog. Great interview. Stearns makes a few good statements. Here's a clip:

Question:How can people who do not want to radically change their lives make a difference in the lives of the poor?

Answer:To really change the world, values must change. Consider the civil rights movement. Racial discrimination was once openly accepted in the United States. Today it is unacceptable to our mainstream culture. Very few of us are civil rights activists, but we let our values speak in our work places, our schools and to our elected officials.

Today, we live in a world that tolerates extreme poverty much like racism was tolerated fifty-plus years ago. We can all become people determined to do something to change the world. We can speak up, we can volunteer and we can give. Ending extreme poverty will take money, political and moral will, and a shift in our value system. When enough ordinary people embrace these issues, things will begin to change. Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

>>read more

For the past two months, the three Muñoz children have not slept in their rooms. They pile together onto their parents' queen-sized bed, comforted by the familiar scent of the covers. A photo of the couple is tucked under one of the pillows, a reminder of better times.

Nine-year-old Adilene's room across the hall lies just as it has since late February, the pink bedspread unruffled. They seldom venture upstairs to 16-year-old Leslie's room anymore because it brings back bad memories. That's where the girls had dozed off on the plush yellow comforter, tired from doing homework, the night everything changed.

Read the rest here.

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I appreciate people such as Mr. Sider because they have a quality that I do not: patience with the evangelical right. In reading Sider's book, Living Like Jesus, page after page it becomes clear that he has a particular audience he is trying to relate to. That audience seems to be fundamental, right-wing, evangelical Christians. Sider speaks their language. His jargon, theological leanings and tactics all seem that of one attempting to reason with a particular breed of Christian. His goal is quite clear; Sider believes fundamentalist Christians can live and worship in a more holistic, biblical pattern.

In order to convey his message to his readers, Sider breaks up his book into three major categories. The author presents his argument for a truer pattern of living as Jesus did by first addressing "The Individual", second "The Church" and third "The World". In the first segment, Sider attempts to address how an individual person might live more like Jesus. Within this portion of the book he addresses issues such as personal holiness or piety, family life and Spirit-filled living.

On the matter of personal holiness, Sider argues in the first two chapters of the book that Christians by and large do not have a proper perspective of God, sin and salvation. Here he offers that the majority of Christians confess an orthodox faith but do not live, in practice, and orthodox life. Sider pleads with his readers to take their lifestyles into question, to reconsider if how a person lives might bring honor to God.

Sider evidences his position in the third chapter by addressing the case of marriage in the West. Using his own marriage as an example he explores how modern, Western trends have lead towards what amounts to a more and more selfish demeanor resulting in frail marriages. He goes on to discuss forgiveness, an understanding commitment and selflessness as primary components of restoring the establishment of marriage.

From here, Sider takes a stark turn and discusses a charismatic understanding and practice of interaction with the Holy Spirit. Sider summarizes this segment of the book by conveying the importance of the indwelling of the Spirit in the life of a Christ-follower. Without this he seems to believe that our attempts to rectify our personal lives and re-align them with God will reap little results without the filling of the Holy Spirit. He shares several stories of great accomplishment by those that centered their lives on Christian practices and experienced a deep intimacy with the Spirit of God.

Moving from the personal life into the life of the Church, Sider addresses how the Church may also re-align itself with the purposes of God. Sider offers that the Church ought to rediscover it's civic duty within a community, take a more humane approach to it's ministry and learn to get along. This does not come without his own dreams and hopes for what this would like being drawn out for the reader. Sider has a clear idea of how we might go about such things.

The author begins his segment discussing how the Church might exist more like Christ by addressing the divisiveness with the greater Church body. As the saying goes, Sunday is the most segregated day of the week. Using personal experiences and other stories, Sider relates the dire need for the Body of Christ to reconcile differences, offer forgiveness and move on together within a region. He discusses the universal, geographic and immediate, gathered expressions of the Church randomly to convey the need for accountability for and imperative nature of this kind of witness to the world.

Sider goes from here to articulate the need for the Church to address the whole person in how it ministers within a particular community. It becomes quite clear that Sider expects the reader to approach this concern with humility. He understands that a Church prepared to share a Gospel that brings Good News to not only the soul but to the whole person it will require the determination to not overlook but look beyond the shortcomings of many within a community. But Sider is convinced that the results of implementing a more holistic approach to ministry will result in as many salvation stories as any other approach.

In chapter 7, Sider addresses-once again-the issue of reconciliation. But while in chapter 5 his concern is primarily a racial division, here he discusses the division that exists amongst Christians theologically. For Sider, he sees these divides as resulting in hate and distrust manifested throughout the history of the Church. He believes that in order for the Church to be more like Jesus it must resolve itself to look beyond the many differences between denominations and sects and come together as co-followers of our one Savior, Jesus. In the mind of the author it would be possible to see this divisiveness mended in practices that stem from practical to organizational; all testimony to Christ's love within us.

The closing segment of the book addresses "The World". Here, Sider discusses how Christians might function more like Jesus in light of politics, economics and the environment. Recognizing his audience, Sider addresses these concerns biblically and theologically to portray a common ground from which to build his argument upon. He begins by diplomatically and historically exposing how political progress has often been feared by some Christians and embraced-through conviction-by others. He offers biblically sound suggestions on how Christians might approach the political realm no matter what their inclination might be.

The chapter following his discussion of political involvement provides a biblical explanation of God's concern for the poor. Sider adds to his apologetic of the poor a resolution through micro-loans. He shares through stories and numbers how micro-loans have provided an avenue for Christians, of the west primarily, to share their wealth and carry burdens more equally. In the same pattern as previous chapters, Sider shares his vision for how embracing this ideal may reverse the global concern of poverty in large ways.

Continuing on his focus of global concerns that the Church must adjust its perspective on if it chooses to live as Jesus, Sider brings the uncommon environmentalist, evangelical perspective into view. Sider makes it clear that this world is God's and we must have concern and care for it. He conveys his concern for the state of the environment while providing means for which churches can not only care for the earth but also engage non-Christians in the task as well. Overall, his appreciation and reverence for creation comes across clearly

Sider closes his book echoing what was made clear throughout the book: that the virtue of humility is of dire need within the Church and within Christians. The author explains how Jesus primary example to us was one of a servant. He explains to the reader that at the heart of following Christ is becoming a servant as Jesus was. This is written between the lines within each chapter. In order for the audience he seems to be clearly addressing to approach the re-focusing he prescribes, one must do so with humility, a willingness to consider that one might not have always had the right perspective. As well, he sees that love is the driving force behind that person who chooses to serve another and that this must be in place in order for one to truly live like Jesus.

While Sider's synopsis of the Christian life, rightly lived, is sincere it is neither convicting nor convincing. While it can be assumed that he is speaking to a conservative Christian audience he never states clearly that this is in fact who he is speaking to. Therefore, his frequent conjectures on theology, biblical interpretation and orthodoxy are unconvincing. Additionally, he speaks on many issues with little to no documentation of statistics, such as his chapter discussing the ill-state of marriage today. All of this makes it difficult to understand who he is trying to relate to. Is the reader supposed to already know the statics and agree with him theologically? What if they don't?

The author's own conviction of each of the topics he addresses is evident. His heart and concern come through candidly. But even in his attempts to provide a practical entry into his way of approaching Christianity he falls short. Many of his recommendations come through his own very particular dreams and ideas which sway a reader's own creativity and does not recognize the reality of varying contexts. His excitement of his own ideas bring disillusion at times. He ends most chapters with a weak-knee'd platitude of "Boy, if we all did this what a wonderful world it would be!" By the third chapter one can expect this and most anyone could predict his jovial finales.

Structurally, Sider segments the book into three areas that are somewhat detached from his content. Throughout the whole book it is clear that who Sider wants to speak to is the whole Church. Even in his "The Individual" segment it has a very corporate tone. While some elements fall rightly within these portions, others feel as though they are a bit forced.

That said, Sider's book is not without value. As stated before, the tone, use of religious language and conviction could speak very loudly to a particular segment within the Christian community. He also provides helpful building blocks for those within that framework to begin structuring a kingdom ethic. His convictions and concepts are based on strong biblical standards that are far from common in contemporary society. He speaks honestly from his own experience on how to build a practical ethic not unlike that which Jesus proclaimed. In these regards, Sider provides at a minimum a helpful tool for contemplation and discussion for those moving together towards discovering what it might look like to participate in "your kingdom come... on earth as it is in heaven."

Yesterday, I woke up at 3am, finished two papers and drove up to Pasadena to finish my last session for the class I've been taking on the Kingdom of God with the School for Urban Ministry. A large portion of our class was devoted to discussing Walter Wink's perspective on powers. We watched this Greg Palast documentary, Big Easy to Big Empty, as part of the class. I highly recommend you watch it. And contribute what you can to the CommonGround Collective in New Orleans-a group highlighted in the documentary. We discussed how Malik Rahim and the collective embodied an alternative way against the powers which could be viewed as a kingdom way.

I've now finished all of the SUM courses that they have available. It feels good to have completed this-it's been stretched over a three year period-but it's given me a real appetite for learning. Been looking into other options that might be available for me. I seriously don't understand why Jeff Wright isn't teaching at a major seminary. I've learned so much from him as well as the other teachers with SUM.

Fascinating idea.

Ched Myers' speech at the Posada sin Fronteras last month entitled, “Be Not Afraid: God’s Solidarity with All Who are Displaced by the Push and Pull of Empire":

I want to thank the intrepid organizers of this extraordinary public liturgy for the great honor of bringing a brief Word to this gathering. I too want to remember and honor Brother Ed Dunn, who I knew only a little, and especially Roberto Martinez, my friend and colleague with whom I worked for many years at the AFSC. Roberto tirelessly, courageously and compassionately defended the rights of immigrants at this very border—and of course, was one of the founders of this Posadas sin Fronteras tradition. I spoke to Roberto Thursday night—as you know his health has been failing and he wasn’t able to join us—and he sent his greetings to you all. So I want to call upon his spirit to join this wonderful gathering of companeros/as on the journey toward justice.

We gather here this afternoon to reenact the ancient pageantry of Posadas, which remembers the story of a poor couple, pregnant with a prophet, who became homeless because of the push and pull of imperial forces. The center of this liturgy is a conversation that takes place through a door, a tense, dramatic exchange between insiders and outsiders. This door represents the ultimate liminal space, the threshold between home and homelessness. And here we stand, bearing witness to a story that continues in our time.

We are gathered at the new “Golden Door,” to borrow Emma Lazarus’ metaphor for the Statue of Liberty. But at this door what immigrants and economic refugees see first is not the hospitable face of a woman holding aloft a “lamp,” which a century ago meant to welcome the poor “yearning to be free.” Rather they encounter the stern face of the Border Patrol, whose intent is to apprehend, incarcerate and deport the “homeless and tempest-tossed.” It is difficult not to be afraid.

At this conflicted, contested, and increasingly militarized door we again re-enact, for the 13th straight year, the old, sacred story about how God struggles to enter our world, and about our hard-hearted inhospitality. The word “hospitality” comes from Latin roots; it originally connoted the room set aside for the guest or stranger. Which is exactly what is lacking in the drama of Posadas.

We find this story in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, two distinct narratives about the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that have few details in common, but which agree on one important theme: namely, that God-in-Christ slips unnoticed into a world of brutal rulers and hard-pressed refugees; and that a few ordinary people manage to recognize the divine Presence, and act conscientiously.

The classical literature of antiquity focused exclusively upon powerful and famous personalities—not unlike the media in our culture. Our gospels, however, portray poor people as the true protagonists of history. The central characters in the Christmas story are a rural peasant couple displaced by political, economic and military Powers beyond their control and understanding. Maria and Jose are not pious super-heroes, but peasants of low estate. Their qualifications to bear the One Christians call Messiah had nothing to do with social stature, but rather with their sensitivity to dreams, as in Matthew’s story, or to visions, as in Luke’s; and with their courage to endure harsh conditions and to make hard choices.

This struggling couple is surrounded in the story by equally marginal folk: animal herdsmen and elderly women and fellow refugees. Yet they are also accompanied by angels, who offer startling interpretations of these obscure events at the margins of history. These mysterious messengers assure the Holy Family and their companions not to be afraid, and furthermore suggest that somehow Maria’s back-alley birthing will pose a sharp challenge to the rule of domination by Caesar (Lk) and Herod (Mt), and that this humble family will bring up the greatest of prophets, who will remind his nation that God calls them to become a House for all peoples.

The Holy Family is indeed buffeted by the winds of empire. In Matthew’s account, Maria and Jose are pushed out of their homeland by the national security policies of a paranoid king named Herod. Jesus thus begins life as an undocumented political refugee, as his parents flee across the border to save his life. In Luke’s account, they are pulled from their home by the imperial demand for a census: “All the world should be registered” (Lk 2:1). Residents of colonially occupied Palestine were compelled to travel to the village of their ancestors to be counted, so that they could better be “managed” by the military government. Maria and Jose thus end up homeless and give birth to Jesus in the feed trough of a barn.

We forget that the very scenario we enact in the Posadas litany tells us a lot about the struggle of poor folk to survive the profound social disruption of empire. It would have been inconceivable that Jose’s relatives would have denied him and his pregnant wife lodging in Bethlehem. This can mean only one thing: all the people they knew from their ancestral village had also been displaced by the push and pull of empire. Just like our sisters and brothers today from villages in Oaxaca or Zacatecas or Chihuahua; or from Chalatenango or Morazan; or from Jalapa or Coban.

Our churches need to recover these Christmas stories as real-world sagas, ones that are all too familiar to poor people forced to do what it takes to support their families in a world of violence and exclusion. We must rescue the Nativity from its trivialization by both pietism and commercialism. Similarly, we cannot grasp the issues of migration today—particularly here at the US-Mexico border—without also taking into account the push and pull of global economic and political forces, past and present. This is perhaps why Pope John Paul II, during the Church’s Jubilee Year in 2000, suggested that amnesty for undocumented immigrants would represent a proper form of reparation for the historic wrongs done to Third and Fourth World peoples around the globe.

Yet unfortunately the opposite is happening. For example, Tuesday this week, on the Fiesta de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Federal agents raided Swift & Co. meat processing plants in six states—Colo.; Neb.; Texas; Utah; Iowa; and Minn—a similar sweep was carried out at the Smithfield hog processing plant in Tar Heel, NC several weeks ago. In order to exonerate the company and instead to scapegoat these low wage workers, however, this time agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies are charging undocumented workers with “identity-theft”—a new wrinkle in the war on immigrants.

To criminalize undocumented immigrant workers—already the most vulnerable among us from both an economic and human rights perspective—is to willfully obscure the deeper and wider issues of justice, the push and pull of empire that forces people to leave their homes in order to survive. This is the Christmas story, then and now, and we Christians need to get it right. Identity theft indeed! It is we who have lost our identity as an immigrant nation, our identity as citizens of a nation that used to raise the lamp of Freedom beside the Golden Door, and most importantly, our identity as Christians who follow a refugee Messiah and call upon an utterly undocumented God.

As we stand here on the U.S. side of this threshold, beside the not-so-Golden Door, taking on the role of the hard-hearted casero in the Posadas litany, let the words of inhospitality we must recite cut our hearts open as citizens and disciples. Then let the angels’ assurances not to be afraid, and the power of this Posadas liturgy, give us courage to stand ever stronger with those who today retrace the footsteps of Jose and Maria. For only by offering solidarity and forging justice will the gospel be vindicated and our nation healed. Amen.