Blessed Oscar Romero, pray for us.

Updated. Another Irish Bishop has resigned. The Pope's apology to Irish Catholics missed the mark. His valid observation about the effects of secularism has been undermined by his inability to accept responsibility for his church.

It occurs to me that the speedy boilerplate condemnation of Mary Glasspool's consent and the long silence after an attempt to assassinate or kidnap the Anglican bishop of El Salvador last week, along with the Pope's response to sexual abuse in his church, shows a kind of persistent decay of moral leadership at the highest levels of two major Christian traditions.

I guess when they are left to their own devices and the counsel of their advisers and lawyers, the Bishops of Rome and Canterbury will choose institutional peace over the victims of abuse and the outcasts of our church and society almost every time. Maybe that's unfair, but neither is it new or particularly surprising. It was not for nothing that Nicodemus came to visit Jesus at night. As one watches these leaders spin, you can just see their authority--and with it the dignity and message of the Church--just drain away.

We remember Oscar Romero, a Roman Catholic bishop who was killed by an assassins bullet while he celebrated a mass. That was 30 years ago today. We also remember the martyrs of El Salvador, the priests, nuns, and lay people who were murdered, raped, jailed, and who simply disappeared because they gave voice to the poor and ministered to them. They spoke out against the injustices that robbed ordinary people of food, shelter, land and the ability to make a decent living and basic human dignity. They spoke out against a government that favored the rich to the exclusion of the poor.

In the mid-1980's, I found myself studying with one of the surviving Maryknoll nuns served in El Salvador in that period. Four other women, Maryknoll nuns and a lay worker, were kidnapped, raped and murdered for their work with the poor. She described her experience to me and others in our group. It was hard to imagine how a 95 pound school teacher with gray hair and a bookish manner could be such a threat that they would send three or four goons to beat her up. Evidently, she was more dangerous than she appeared. I think she was the courageous person I have ever known. And the gentlest. She taught us where the real church lies: whenever the people serve the poorest of the poor, the lonely and the outcast in Jesus' name, there is the church.

On our own every day level, what we do in this parish and diocese may appear very mundane by comparison to standing up to a military junta. But being a friend and apprentice of Jesus among his people is still costly, a little scary, and very important. It may involve welcoming a mentally ill young man into your church who has walked through the rain from his group home into your congregation with open arms. It may mean choosing to welcome the homeless into your church when it gets too cold outside. It may mean driving around bringing meals to the homebound who would otherwise go hungry. It may mean standing up to the media no-nothings and pot-stirrers who tell us mean-spirited lies that Jesus had nothing to do with the poor--or at least gently but firmly correcting those who are taken by their harangue.

I am certain that Romero's own journey was not easy. He was not raised to be a radical. He was raised in privilege and was appointed to care for the church in his archdiocese in a rather conventional way. Appoint priests, oversee schools, manage the books...don't rock the boat. But he had a heart for faith, and was willing to go where Jesus led him. At first tentatively, and later boldly, he began to connect the dots. He believed that the job of the church was to care for the weakest of God's people. For Romero, this was a death sentence.

The thing about walking with the poor is that may feel like death. Maybe we won't get beat up by goons, or shot by an assassin. It might mean that we are not invited to few parties or considered a little crazy by our relatives. But we are going to the places where Jesus went, we are seeing the faces that Jesus sees, and we learning love from the people for whom Jesus died and rose again.

Almighty God, you called your servant Oscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

For more on Oscar Romero, see Elizabeth Keaton's post on Telling Secrets.

See also this post on Episcopal Cafe, which describes the various observances and other stories arising out of Romero's life and the anniversary of his martyrdom.

Two more biographies: Garrison Keillor and Renny Golden.

A Catholic, an evangelical and a Mormon

This has the making of a good joke. A Catholic priest, an evangelical pastor, and a Mormon are all in a boat one day and they agree that Glenn Beck is out to lunch.

Fr. James Martin, SJ, went on Steven Colbert's show to answer some questions in response to Glenn Beck's recent attacks on Churches that are concerned for the poor and who work for social justice.

Glenn Beck Attacks Social Justice - James Martin

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Okilee dokilee, that's the Catholic point of view. Surely evangelicals are lining up behind what Beck has said.

Oops. Maybe not.

Here is what one evangelical pastor had to say about Beck's recent pronouncement. The Rev. Charles M. Redfern, Jr., is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is ordained in a (ahem) "non-conformist" tradition (let the reader understand). This is not nearly as insulting as as it sounds. I've known Chuck (Mind if I call you "Chuck?" Thank you very much.) since high school when we both went to the same Baptist church and asked embarrassing questions about a certain passage in Matthew chapter 25. Chuck is the poster child for "non-conformist pastor."

To: Glenn Beck

Dear Glenn (Mind if I call you “Glenn?” Thank you so much):

I confess. I’m guilty. As charged. ‘Cuff me. Throw me into the van. Cart me off and toss the key.

I always thought of myself as an evangelical Christian with a slightly liberal political bent: you know, one of those pro-life Democrats in the heritage of Tip O’Neill and Bob Casey. I’d love to high-five a Thomas Dewey/Teddy Roosevelt Republican, but they’re drowning their sorrows with former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and the ghost of Nelson Rockefeller.

But you set me straight. You recently told America that Christians should clear out of churches whose pastors advocate social justice. You said this: “I beg you, look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words … If you have a priest that is pushing social justice, go find another parish. Go alert your bishop.” You held aloft cards with a hammer and a sickle in one hand and a swastika in the other, hinting that preachers like me are commies and Nazis.

Wow. And here I thought both World War 2 and the Cold War were over. Naïve little me.

I guess I fell asleep with the remote in my paw and missed the big news. You’re a Mormon. My seminary professors told me Mormonism was outside the pale of traditional Christianity and was grist for anti-cult literature. Now I wake up and I find many fellow evangelicals invoking you against Nazi-commies like me. Like, Rip Van Winkle and everything. I guess they’ve taken the scissors to Proverbs 29:11 (“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control”) and a knife to Proverbs 12:18 (“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”).

Those professors quoted passages like Amos 5:11, where God rails against ancient Israel because “you trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine;” and verses 21-24: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” They pointed me to Psalm 72, where the good Israelite king is marked with justice and defends the afflicted; and Daniel 4:27, where the command for kindness to the oppressed is extended to non-Israelite kings. And never mind Leviticus 25, which provides for the elimination of institutional, generational poverty.

So arrest King David, Amos, and Daniel along with me – and those seminary professors, who polluted my mind and curbed my spine. And lock up the great revivalists as well: John and Charles Wesley, Charles Finney, Phoebe Palmer, and William Booth of Salvation Army fame. Into the brig. And them Catholics: Thomas Aquinas, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Pope John Paul II. They all preached social justice, so they’re all commies and Nazis. And don’t forget the nasty, commie-Nazi Mennonites and Quakers — plus the early Pentecostals, who were pacifists. And Saint Francis. And Mother Teresa.

Oh, there have been debates galore over tactics since the fourth century: What role for government? Most agree it should have some role, what with the structure of things. Why, average Joe and Josephine Christian can be key players in pushing leaders away from inhumanity and toward mercy (hello, Clara Barton). Churches can have their soup kitchens and clothe individuals, but they cannot enact child labor laws, set up police forces, and enforce regulations so coal mines don’t cave in. Benevolent government is …

Nazism and communism.

Or so it seems in your world, Mr. Beck, the one who caws from your perch outside traditional Christianity: “Fly. Fly away. Fly away from those churches that are trying to apply the Bible in a pluralistic society. Fly away from preachers who are teaching what the church has taught for two thousand years.”

And arrest me — because I am one of those Nazi-commies who embraces social justice.

As Chuck points out, Beck is a Mormon. Converts can be pretty intense. Often they take it on themselves to learn more about their adopted tradition than those born into it. So in his intensive study of his new-found faith, has Beck found the heart of Mormonism? Apparently not, says Jana Riess on Beliefnet. He may need to go back to the old chalk board on this one.

Dear Glenn Beck,

Have You Read the Book of Mormon Lately?

As you know, Glenn, during the last week, Christians of all stripes have debated your advice about exiting any churches that mentioned “social justice” or “economic justice” on their websites or preached it in their sermons. As you apparently hoped, you have dominated the airwaves. The good news for me is that, if you follow your own advice, you must soon be exiting The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which we are both members. And if that happens, I will dance a little jig.

You may have missed it, but social justice is a dominant feature of all four of our key sacred texts, including the Bible and the Book of Mormon. We could look at hundreds of relevant scriptures, since poverty was the thing Jesus preached about most often, but let me turn your attention to a scripture you might have missed: King Benjamin’s sermon in the Book of Mormon. A tweetable highlight:

And now... for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. (Mosiah 4:26)

See, Glenn? Not only are Mormons supposed to feed the hungry and all that, but we do this so we don’t lose our salvation. It’s not just a nice thing to do, or a civilized thing to do, or an optional thing to do. It’s a commandment of God. And if I were you reading this passage, I’d be quaking in my tailor-made Keds....

...It’s all wrapped up in that hymn we often sing: “Because I have been given much, I too must give.” Most Mormons could and should do more to live out the ideals of that song, and of our heritage. I know I ought to. But you most of all, Glenn. You most of all.

So the Roman Catholic, the evangelical and the Mormon all agree that what Beck said is a joke, and could be laughed off if so many people did not hang on his every word. He has found success and fame by trading on the things which scare people most. Beck is not the buffoon we like to paint him as. He knows exactly what he is doing.

This whole flap when Beck referenced Father Charles Coughlin on his March 11, 2010 radio show as proof that the phrase "social justice" and fascism are intertwined. Beck knows he stands four-square in the same tradition of radio-and-tv demagoguery that Coughlin pioneered, and he would gladly throw his hero under the rhetorical bus to further his own ambitions. Coughlin, of course, turned the phrase "social justice" on it's head by making the phrase a platform for a kind of American facism, grounded in popular anger against both the government and the poor.

Beck is counting on most of his listeners having no idea who Coughlin is. The thing is that what Beck stands for today, a religious faith that is selfish and without compassion and a political life founded on fear and hatred, is the exactly what Coughlin stood for then.

Personally, I think Beck should do what a lot of Mormon 18 year olds do. He should give up everything for a year, go someplace far away and do mission work. A year of shutting up and listening while doing a little physical work in the service of others might be just the thing Beck needs to really embrace his new-found faith.

Show what we have seen and heard

Updated. Here is the latest ad from same folks who gave us the Ninja video, just in time for Easter.




But, besides the fact that this is an Easter ad that manages to avoid talking about resurrection, here is why I won't be using it.

1) The ad starts with the premise that most Christians are indeed those judgmental, hateful jerks that we see on the TV-machine. The ad focuses on what we are not instead of saying who we are. This is a tempting trap. Stop it. Except for saying that Jesus is against hate and in favor of love, so what? As Jesus said, even the gentiles believe such things.

1a) There is only one picture showing what we presume Jesus wants and that is none too clear. The only pictures of recognizable human beings in the ad are of people doing things we said Jesus said never to do. And was that a fist or was someone giving me...? ...never mind.

2) The ad makes no compelling case for belief in general or for the Episcopal Church specifically. After saying the Christians are hateful jerks, we say go ahead and go to the "church of your choice." Really? Even if it is a church full of hateful jerks? Besides, that phrase was used in PSAs when I was a kid! The ad is saying it would be nice if you went to some church, any church and maybe, possibly, if it isn't too much bother, an Episcopal Church.

When we market the Episcopal Church, can we start with a different premise? I don't own a computer compatible video camera nor the right software, so I am asking for some help.*

Can we try for a different kind of Easter ad?

• What is it that makes following the risen Jesus a laudable and transformative thing?
• What is it about our common life in Christ that we Episcopalians would want to invite people into?
• What earthly good does our particular form of worship, community and action make in people's lives?

If you have ideas, send them to me. I am willing to entertain suggestions and will post them here.

Here are the rules: It has to be 15-30 seconds long. It has to hit on the above themes. It cannot be mean or abusive but I will certainly welcome edgy. Humor is a plus. If anyone actually does this, be it known that I am the final, arbitrary judge as what I post on my own blog. My main criteria is this: would I show this on behalf of my own parish or diocese on the public airwaves?

* = Full disclosure: I am chair of my diocesan evangelism commission, and we in the Diocese of Bethlehem are getting ready to cook up a second round of television ads for our diocese. Who knows? Your idea may come to fruition! So I am both trolling for ideas and trying to generate discussion.

In the "Holy Roseanne Roseannadanna!" department: I originally thought this ad came from TEC. I was wrong. My humblest apologies for my error.

Going through the motions

Fulcrum has produced the expected mini-screed.

Fulcrum Response to Consents being given to the
Consecration of Mary Glasspool

This is a clear rejection of the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates' Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council.

We believe that it is vitally important for the Primates' Meeting planned for January 2011 to go ahead, and that for this to happen the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church should not be invited to attend. Actions have consequences.

While we are at, I think that the Primates meeting should proceed without the Archbishop of Canterbury for allowing same-sex clergy couples in the first place let alone to allowing them to get equal pension rights or for allowing the House of Lords to let non-conformist churches bless civil unions. Clearly, The Church of England (and apparently England itself) has a problem with the ABC's authority. As they say, actions have consequences.

And maybe that the Primates meeting should proceed without the Archbishop of Uganda for failing to stop the Kill-the-Gays bill in Uganda and for the weak, this-is-really-about-culture, condemnation of the "kill" part. Actions have consequences, you know.

And we should have the meeting but dis-invite the Archbishop of Nigeria not only for supporting another imprison-the-gays-for-life bill that failed, but also for insufficiently repenting from encouraging violence against Muslims. Actions have consequences.

Let's have the Primates Meeting but dis-invite every one who has made a stand or choice of anyone who has made a questionable or objectionable decision. Because the Primates Meeting is not for actually meeting and discussion and working out the hard questions of humans living in Communion this side of heaven. And forget about actually doing mission. The point of these meetings is apparently a reward for good behavior.

You know, this sounds so 2000's, doesn't it?

Actually, compared to those heady days, the Fulcrum screed is really rather mild. It is really is "mini."

Come to think of it, the "official" response from Lambeth is not even posted on the internet yet. The various blog and news sources only had the little paragraph they got because they asked for it and it came via e-mail. No news conferences, no big pow-wows, no urgent essays.

The petition from the Communion Partner dudes says nothing particularly new (or clear) and just enough people signing it to fill a church van.

We have been reduced to going through the motions. Someone does something someone else doesn't like, and we barely have the energy to hit Control-P. No one wants to walk back their previous statements, but no one has any heart or energy to fight the battles, either.

Maybe the time for screeds is past? We beseech to hear us, Good Lord.

Astounding

Thought at the end of the third week in Lent:

The amazing thing about being in parish ministry is that one is privileged to see all kinds of people in every stage and situation in life: from births to life's major milestones to death. This week I have witnessed grace happening in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways at the most unexpected times. You'd think that after all this time, one might get used to it, but it always surprises.

This too shall pass

It has been a while since I've seen a good Rube Goldberg machine. As I've said before, I love these things...it probably explains my interest in parish ministry which could be seen as a kind of divine-human Rube Goldberg contraption....but we'll save that for another day.

This is the "official video" for a song called "This too shall pass" by OK Go on their album "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky". .



Here is an article in Wired with more video on how it was made.