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In the eye of the hurricane: Those who are unseen

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  The first time I heard the term “faceless people,” I was a student in sociology class. The professor used the term to refer to persons who – for several reasons such as economic situation, race, place of origin, physical or mental conditions and age – have been silenced and ignored by the rest of society. Sometimes they are simply invisible. With time, I have discovered that the term is constantly changing and adapting to different situations and moments in history. Recently, I participated in a training for the Sphere program through ACT Alliance. Ernesto, one of the members of the Cuban Council of Churches, chatted with me about their work and attention given to people with disabilities. Ernesto, who is also a person with disabilities, spoke about the part of his work that deals with creating awareness within churches and communities of those persons with disabilities who have always been there, but are in many instances invisible to others. Reflecting on the events … [Read more...]

Tagged With: disaster relief

And on this rock: Presbyterian disaster ministry

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Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Some come with ample warning, some come as a thief in the night. Some disasters are a result of the forces at work in nature and, tragically, some disasters are the result of dark forces at work in those that mean to do great harm. For those who have experienced a disaster, the impact can be overwhelming and one is shaken to one’s foundation. When looking for hope in the midst of chaos I am reminded of the words of the late Fred Rogers: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.” As a person of faith involved in disaster response ministry I would add, “And look for the communities of faith.” In my 20-plus years of disaster ministry I have … [Read more...]

Tagged With: disaster relief

Creating together at Coastland Commons

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SEATTLE – What is the role of creativity in worship? How can music and art and poetry be gateways for connection to the sacred — particularly for people who would never show up to sit in a church pew on a Sunday morning? That’s part of what Coastland Commons, a new worshipping community in Seattle, is exploring — and a question that organizers think has implications for life in more traditional congregations as well. Coastland Commons was born of a conviction: “We believe that everyone has the capacity to be creative,” said Zac Calvo, a minister who Seattle Presbytery ordained to be the organizing pastor of Coastland Commons. Dani Forbess is pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church in the Ballard neighborhood, and leads Seattle Presbytery’s New Worshipping Communities task force. With Kyle Turver, director of worship ministries at Bethany Presbyterian Church, she is co-director of Coastland Commons. Calvo also serves as director of community and youth engagement at … [Read more...]

Welcome to Bar Church

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SEATTLE – It’s called Bar Church and yes, you can get a beer at worship if you want. But don’t get stuck there. Go beyond the surface and think about what church might look like in 20 or 30 years. Think about the idea of people gathering for spiritual conversation and connection in places that aren’t churches. Think about the reality that more and more Americans – particularly young people – have no connection to the institutional church. Think about the idea of “third places” – places where people of faith build relationships with the local community by really listening to what the people who live there want and need. Think about what might happen by creating such a place — even if it is nothing like people think of as Sunday morning church. Seattle – full of young adults and located in what’s considered to be one of the most secular parts of the country – is in some ways serving as a testing ground for what religion of the future could look like. It’s a fluid mix of … [Read more...]

Strengthening reckless minds

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Mark Lilla’s “The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics” is a cautionary study for all of us. Rather than an indictment of intellectuals in politics, he broadly examines how some of the most well-recognized philosophers of the 20th century – the smartest people on earth – so egregiously misjudged the ideological ramifications of their intellectual commitments. Take German philosopher Martin Heidegger, for example. Heidegger published “Being and Time” in 1927. In the philosophical world, “Being and Time” was cataclysmic. It reset the agenda for conventional philosophy, and secured Heidegger’s place as the most influential thinker in Europe. And yet, perhaps as early as 1931, Heidegger, influential thinker of continental and international renown, began voicing support for Nazism, and even gave propaganda lectures across Germany, ending them with the standard, “Heil Hitler!” It’s easy to pick on people like Heidegger — breathtaking geniuses whose thinking is exposed as lacking. … [Read more...]

Tagged With: faith & public life

An agnostic’s guide to moral persuasion

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These are divided times in the United States. The country was trending toward polarization anyway, but 9/11 activated the “fight, flight or freeze” part of our collective brain. Conversations about difficult topics increasingly became the means of defining who is “us” and who is “them.” With recent elections and the increase of hate speech and hate crimes, the divide grows wider. Pastors to the left and right can find these to be the best of times for preaching about social issues as long as they preach to like-minded congregations. With no pressing need for self-examination, it is empowering – and sometimes fun – to give voice to shared convictions and fears, identify with snark and scorn those who stand opposed to the clear mandate of the gospel, and win a rhetorical victory in the righteous cause. The congregation is easily moved — in the direction in which they are moving already. For pastors serving congregations who vote both red and blue, fun is not likely the word they … [Read more...]

Tagged With: faith & public life

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