Best Politics

The best politics is right action.

–Mahatma Gandhi

Political Insight

Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first then you are a parasite; if the second then you are an oasis in a desert.

–Kahlil Gibran

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is as relevant today as it was in 1963. Here’s the entire text. Powerful. Where are the Dr. Kings today? We’ve lost the art of Christian public oration that is seen in this beautiful moment of U.S. history August 28, 1963.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Now on Burnside: “Art & Faith: Spare the Son”

Last week presented a debate over masculinity between Pastor Mark Driscoll and author/blogger Rachel Held Evans. My latest post on Burnside examines this from an artistic lens. Rembrandt’s Sacrifice of Isaac has particular poignancy when seen in its historical and contemporary contexts.

Please read and comment there.

The War in Afghanistan

Sojourners sent this in my inbox today. It’s worth sharing and voicing our need to depart from Afghanistan. It is the longest conflict in U.S. history. And, all for what? Our presence there is curious to me.

______

Dear Michael,

There is no more room or time for excuses. The war in Afghanistan, now the longest war in American history, needs to end. On moral, financial, and strategic grounds, the continuing of the war in Afghanistan cannot be justified.

President Obama has promised to start troop withdrawal in July, but he’s being pressured to reduce the effort to a “symbolic withdrawal” and to continue on a path to many more years of war.

We cannot wait any longer to end this war; its costs are simply too great.

Financial: The U.S. is spending more than $100 billion per year in Afghanistan
Human: 1,570 Americans killed, more than 10,000 wounded
More than 10,000 civilian Afghan deaths, 3,000 in 2010 alone

Congress has a big role to play in what happens next. Representatives Jim McGovern and Walter Jones have introduced important legislation that, if passed, would require the Obama administration to present an exit strategy for U.S. forces from Afghanistan(1).

This bill will show President Obama how much support he has in the Congress for a real withdrawal plan beginning this summer — but only if it has robust support by legislators. We can help build support for this bill by asking our senators and representatives to sign on.

Email your members of Congress and tell them to support the “Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act.”

Thank you for your partnership. We know that our scriptures and history teach us that war is not the way to achieve the peace and security we are striving to build in this world. Sometimes things seem bleak — but together, as part of a community seeking a new future, we can make a difference.

Blessings,

Elizabeth, Duane, Tim, and the team

Footnotes:
HR 1735, the Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act:
Specifically, the bill (The “Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act”) would:

Require the president to transmit to Congress a plan with timeframe and completion date for the transition of U.S. military and security operations in Afghanistan to the government of Afghanistan;
Require the president to report quarterly (i.e., every 90 days) on the status of that transition, and the human and financial costs of remaining in Afghanistan, including increased deficit and public debt; and
Require that in those quarterly reports the president disclose to Congress the savings in five-year, 10-year, and 20-year time periods were the U.S. to accelerate redeployment and conclude the transition of all U.S. military and security operations to Afghanistan within 180 days (i.e., six months).

Why I love Anglicanism.

The Archbishop of Canterbury knows how to buck the system. I love it! Articles of Faith: Archbishop of Canterbury condemns manner of Osama …: “Archbishop of Canterbury condemns the killing of ‘unarmed’ Osama bin Laden Ms Ruth Gledhill The Archbishop of Canterbury has caus…”

Be Careful America

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:43-48)

We need not forget there are enemies on all sides of this Middle East conflict. We have perpetrated violence and senseless loss of life, too. As Christians, let’s love our enemies and pray for them today.

Consider Signing, I Did

Please consider signing the Peace and Civility Pledge. It is a crucial response to the recent violence in Arizona. I appreciate Jim Wallis’ efforts to address this tragedy.

Here is the full text.

Jan 11, 2011Sojourners Petition++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Petition,The church in the United States can offer a message of hope and reconciliation to a nation that is hurting and deeply divided. We urge those who claim the name of Christ to "put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).We pledge to God and to each other that we will lead by example in a country where civil discourse and peacemaking are rare. We will work to model a better way in how we treat each other in our many communities, across religious and political lines. We will strive to create safe and sacred spaces for common prayer and community discussion as we come together to seek God's will for our nation and our world.

1.)  We believe Jesus' teaching that "Blessed are those who make peace" (Matthew 5:9). We acknowledge that most of us have been guilty of violence in our hearts and with our tongues. We hold ourselves to the higher standard to which Christ called us: to refrain from not only physical violence but violence of the heart and tongue. "Do not commit murder. Anyone who murders will be judged forit," and "Do not be angry with your brother or sister" (Mathew 5:22-23).2.)  We commit that our dialogue with each other will reflect the spirit of the Scriptures, which tell us, in relating to each other, to be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).3.)  We believe that each of us, and our fellow human beings, are created in the image of God. This belief should be reflected in the honor and respect we show to each other, particularly in how we speak. "With the tongue we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God....this ought not to be so" (James 3:9,10).4.)  We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully, without falsely impugning the other's motives, attacking the other's character, or questioning the other's faith. We will be mindful of our language, being neither arrogant nor boastful in our beliefs as we strive to "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).5.)  We recognize that we cannot function together as citizens of the same community, whether local or national, unless we are mindful of how we treat each other. Each of us must therefore "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body" (Ephesians 4:25).6.)  We commit to pray for our political leaders - those with whom we agree or disagree. "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made -- for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).7.)  We believe that it is more difficult to hate others, even adversaries and enemies, when we are praying for them. We commit to pray for each other, those with whom we agree and those with whom we may disagree, so that we may be faithful witnesses to our Lord, who prayed "that they may be one" (John 17:22).

Now on Burnside: “Re: Nude Art”

Just posted on Burnside “Re: Nude Art.” Spencer Tunick is the focus of this piece. His mass nude stages are discussed with a positive outlook. Please read and comment here and there.

Photo credit: Art Info

Artist’s Site: Spencer Tunick

A Beat for Peace and Save Darfur

I loved this the first time I saw it and it has grown since then. Sudan365.org is keeping our attention on Sudan before the Referendum next year. This is a highly volatile time for the country to decide whether it will be a unified or split nation. A possible split could have serious military implications. The Northern government is not willing to lose the resource rich South.

The degree that the government has waged war in Darfur is just a small indication of the scale of conflict that may occur if the South votes to separate.

Much prayer and grace is needed.

Vindication (or my addiction to change affirmed)

Recently I have discovered that I am in good company. Any of you who have read me for any length of time realize that I my addiction to re-manipulating this site is beyond imagination, reason, words. I apologize, but I acknowledge I am a fool, trying to perfect the art of religious writing, which is clearly an impossible, and ridiculous, feat. Have we ever had more dialog, dispute, out right violence in human history on the religious scene? If so, I would suggest this is at least ranked among the most contentious periods of religious tension.

All that to say I realized that Scot McKnight of the Jesus Creed fame has recently moved from Beliefnet to Patheos. This puts me somewhat at ease. I am not the only one whose obsession with trying to perfect the imperfect and master the unmasterable is manifest for all to see.

Eighth Letter

I am grateful to Rachel Held Evans for informing me about this upcoming event. Eighth Letter is something which has the potential to shake the North American Church if we have ears to hear and hearts to receive whatever may come.

I have chosen to speak from the voice of Jesus as I envision what He would say to us in North America in the style of the letters to the churches in Revelation.

Please comment below and share as you feel led.

Peace to you all.

~~~~~

A Letter from Jesus Christ to the churches in North America:

My precious children who have been given so much. I want you to know how much I love you, how much I gave myself for you, how much I have blessed and equipped you to reach my Creation. I pray you have ears to hear and a humble heart to listen to my pleas to you – for you.

You have been made a unique body for such a time as this. The future challenges you will face are going to require all the wonderful talents, abilities, strengths, resources, and convictions that you have been bountifully bestowed by my Father, by my Spirit and by me.

I simply state what I need from you so that you may fulfill all that is given you before my return.

I am the creator and sustainer of all life. The sanctity of life must be preserved in its entirety in my Church. I have given life and I need my people to preach a message of life. Remember this truth.

I am the savior. North American churches you are my Church. Allegiances are to me first. Everything else is secondary. The world needs a Church, not churches.

I am the peacemaker. Peace is first spiritual – a condition of the heart, which must start from within you churches into the World.

I am love and the lover of all souls. Love is willing to suffer with, laugh with, share with, bear with. Love is your commission. This is not merely acceptance of others as they are. Love is showing my love for you through you to the world.

I am the lover of sinners and the Judge of the self-righteous. Honestly assess yourselves. You are sinners whom I love. If you do not agree, you will meet my judgment.

I am the father to the fatherless and the defender of widows. See clearly whom you are called to serve and care for as a richly blessed Church. I will avenge and protect these precious ones. Woe to whomever exploits these for personal gain.

I am a missionary. You are my ambassadors. I now send you into the world to be my arms of compassion; my ears to hear the cries of distant lands; my eyes to see the outcast, the oppressed, the exploited, the lost, the despairing, the homeless, the helpless, the hopeless; my mouth to speak words of clarity, conviction, truth, and freedom; my legs to go and walk to the hardest places, the unreached people, the calloused hearts.

Go now, my Church, and be My Church. You have so much to do and so little time for your petty disputes. The time has come to be all that I have made you to be. You must be Christ to all. I commission you now until my return to fulfill your mission.

Peace be to you and to all those who call upon my Name.

Calling All Pastors!

Where were the Francis Chans and the John Pipers ten years ago? It’s so ironic when I reflect upon the nature of pastoral calling Piper is one example of ministerial Sabbath buzzing through the blogosphere. The passionate pit bull in Minneapolis played a huge role in my departure from America to pursue missions at a break neck pace. God’s sense of humor manifests once more.

I would have loved the public example of balance and freedom to draw upon as seen by the recent decisions by Chan and Piper. My gut impulse felt it was okay to take a break (Piper). There are seasons of pastoral ministry (Chan)! Oh, for a time machine to know what to say and how to say it! Instead, I have grappled with many questions about my calling in life and have mounted up ample frustrations with the practical theology which depletes our pastors nationwide.

I recall vividly the inner wrestling and lack of clarity about the question presented by the pastors at a small southern California church.

“Michael, do you feel called to be a pastor?”

“I don’t really know,” I sheepishly retorted.

In my honest uncertainty, I asked for some time to reassess this question and search my soul. Was I “called” to be a pastor? What is a calling really anyway? I felt that it was my duty to figure out what the Biblical calling entailed. So as a good fundamentalist, I scoured the Good Book and looked up every reference on pastoral ministry, church leadership, and calling to ministry. Of course, I took the liberties to make the Scripture conform to my perspective in order to translate what I should have known all along. No one chapter or verse assuaged the doubts or erased my deepest fears. But, I had to present something, right? My own sense of personal identity would be inadequate. There had to be a textual indicator. So, I fasted, prayed, read, fasted, prayed, read, wrestled, doubted – you get the idea. How would I respond? Calling. Is that the best way to consider a heart that wants to reach out to the hurting. A heart full of compassion for the poor. A heart that looks to benefit the Church as a whole body.

Going back to the Scriptures, to my surprise, I found a variety of roles in which the early Church operated that no longer had significance in my local church. As a young, single man on the mission field I identified more with the apostolic and prophetic ministries in the early church. But, I didn’t really know if I was a weekly message deliverer – aka a “modern day pastor.” I had public speaking experience in a variety of churches. Denomination did not really matter to me. I just wanted to share a unique word on a Sunday morning with a group of people. Hopefully we both would be refreshed and challenged in the process. This was where my calling appeared most evidently. I felt like I belonged there, but we did not have a staff position for persons like me. I did not fit the assistant pastor mold or the mold did not fit me.

As I searched my heart and attempted to find a clearer answer for my pastoral board, I faced even more questions about the way church is done in America. If the early Church had many positions of leadership, why have we boiled down the focus upon one, or two melded together into one? The pastor-teacher function is most prominent in our local churches today, so what could be two distinct individuals or groups of individuals, now boils down into one person. One ego. One celebrity. One cult of personality. It makes perfect sense in our individualistic, rationalistic society that we value the thoughts of one person over the entire congregation in our weekly meetings.

But I look at the Scriptures and I see there were many persons involved in making the Church function on a regular basis. There were the apostolic, itinerant ministers like Jesus. There were the prophetic individuals who had a word in season at one particular time and did not have to continue weekly messages or contributions. There were pastoral figures who had leadership abilities. Notice this next one: there were distinct persons known as teachers who were gifted at instructing members. There were also those who brought new members in. I imagine that these evangelists were nothing like the ones seen on television today. We do not know their names, we do not see them in a prominent place, and we do not attribute to them a pompousness that repulses the unchurched.

Chan and Piper are distinct reminders of why our current system needs to be discussed and revamped.

Piper has been productively, passionately laboring, speaking, teaching, and writing for decades; he finally reached a point as an individual – whose successes are remarkable – that Sabbath rest is necessary. Listening to him in my early missionary days, I still hear his shrill, intense voice calling an army of youth such as I to go do the hardest work in the hardest places. I chose Uganda among Sudanese refugees. These persecuted believers had experienced some of the most atrocious acts of violence since the Holocaust. I pushed, I pressed, I did all that I could to embody Piper’s message of the one who would die for the gain of Christ. (I nearly died a few times.) God mercifully spared me despite me. I believe part of His calling now is that I can deliver a message that Piper finally gets. Pastors are people, too.

Israel had an annual Sabbath as a nation and their collective disobedience to let the land rest one year out of seven brought forth their exile from the promised land. I see this as a principle and a warning to leaders today. There must be a Sabbath rest in our ministerial lands. Pastors need a break from their churches, and churches need a break from their pastors. The burn out that is so common among contemporary pastors illustrates the wisdom of the Scriptures. A team of leaders working together, sharing the load, just as the early Church embodied, is far more profitable and efficient. Burn out is less frequent when the individual becomes a collective. It’s just plain statistics and math. Sharing the load is not compromise or failure. Look at Piper, even the great man himself needs to stop at times.

Chan is a rapidly rising superstar. Notice when he chose to move on. Not at the decline or the slightest sign of slowing down in his popularity. He left his position during the ascent. His choice to move on baffles countless young seminarians who would dream of being in his position. All their studying, hoping, praying, dreaming to be like, well, like Francis Chan. He’s a great example of making it to the top, right? Uh, oh! He did what? How could he hand it over? How could he entrust all of that to someone else? I suggest he got the Biblical vision of ministry and saw that no one pastor is really called to shoulder the burden. No one personality is big enough for hundreds or thousands of people to be directed by and led into maturity. He got it. Thank God for Francis Chan. This is one of the best examples of the second principle I felt down deep all these years. Ministry can be a season or there can be seasons of ministry.

I have not spoken from a pulpit in five years. I am not a missionary. I am a married man with a beautiful three year old boy. My church consists of three members if you count myself. And even in my little sphere of influence I share the leadership with my dear wife. Even in a church of three I need a partner.

So, we consider Piper and Chan. Calling all pastors! Calling all pastors! It is okay to rest. It is okay to share. It is even Biblical.

5 Weeks for Freedom

Stop Injustice: 5 Weeks For Freedom from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

This is wonderful. Check out IJM. They are doing it right this summer.

Untitled

This simple video captivates something that is one of the most challenging aspects of the teachings of Jesus. If we all merely applied this principle, there would be a much more beautiful world. The hard thing about life on Earth is that humans have a natural tendency to seek retributions for wrongs done. I was just talking to my wife last night and, in light of the atrocities going on in Nigeria right now between Muslims and Christians, it dawned on me that this is why the path of the Christian life is truly a harder, higher calling. We are called to transcend the gut impulses to react to the first stone thrown at us and to not only receive the blow but continue approaching our enemies without a motivation of vengeance. Ouch! This is something I need worked deeply into my soul. May we all consider how to use the stones thrown at us by our enemies to build bridges.

Read this on Michael’s Blog

Non-retaliation

Now on Burnside: “Protestant Planks”

Please come on over to Burnside where you can find my latest thoughts on some “Protestant Planks.” In this piece I address the two sticky issues of homosexuality and evolution. You may be surprised what you find. I welcome your comments and remarks both here and there.

Petition Against Craigslist

Here’s a petition that is really worth signing. Craigslist has been notorious for its record in the sexual trafficking industry. Online access has made so many wonderful changes in the way we navigate life, but having a call girl or sex slave at your request is certainly not one of them. If you have your doubts, click on any of these Times Colonist, Change.org, Huffington Post as just a sampling. However, I would caution you if you are sensitive to stories of exploitation and sexual oppression. Change.org posted a great story associated with this petition. Amanda Kloer makes it clear Change.org is not completely opposed to Craigslist. They do want to see it used for good, exclusively.

Michael D. Bobo

Fragments of My Life

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