Little Mosque on the Prairie?

Check out this great article from Sightings on how Muslims and Islam are portrayed on TV. I didn't know that Chappelle and the others he mentioned are Muslims. I think I'd like to see Little Mosque on the Prairie!

Teens at War

What's life like in Iraq for teenage soldiers, some of whom are barely out of high school? I thought that this CNN video was pretty interesting.

You Need to Read This

Several years ago I was introduced to the work of theologian and Bible scholar Walter Wink. Wink has spent his career advocating--in both practical and academic ways--for the importance of nonviolent resistance against oppressive powers. Some of his most famous "on the ground" work took place in South Africa. Some of his most important books have been about how Jesus taught a "third way" of resistance to violence and oppression. Neither returning violence for violence or being passive in the face of oppression, Wink argues that Jesus' third way was one of active non-violent resistance. In addition to Jesus, whom Wink portrays in a way that is new to many Christians, this form of non-violent resistance has been exemplified in modern times by Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Yesterday on Jim Wallis' blog, I read an incredible story about two young people who have clearly been influenced by this way of thinking. Shane Claiborne writes about how he and his young friend responded to an act of violence in a way that follows in the footsteps of Jesus' non-violent resistance. You need to read this remarkable story. I don't know if I could have acted the same in this situation.

We live in a violent world, from the streets of Chicago to the streets of Baghdad. I believe that Jesus' "third way" of creative and active non-violent resistance could go a long way toward bringing peace to our hurting world.

Did God Die on the Football Field?

Last week, Stephen Colbert, who has a long running and hilarious bias against bears, claimed that "If Saints can't beat Bears, then God is officially dead."

Well, as you know, the Bears won. You can watch Colbert's report of the Saints' loss here.

In the wake of this victory and as the Bears head to the Super Bowl, I'm not quite ready to pronounce God dead. (For a conversation about the death of God completely different from Colbert's, check out Death of God Theology.) I am, however, quite interested in some of the issues that Colbert's statement raises.

As usual, Colbert's satire strikes at the heart of some deeply held American attitudes. Many people do indeed think of sports in a theological or spiritual way. Most certainly, football is one of the sacred rites of American civil religion; the Super Bowl is practically a national holiday.

And last Sunday's contest between our hometown Bears and the New Orleans Saints did take on something of a religious urgency for some. Many had christened the Saints as "America's Team". The Saints' "worst to first" season was viewed by many as a reflection of New Orleans' recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. At the very least, it was suggested that a Saints Super Bowl appearance would provide much needed hope for a recovering city.

Before the game on Sunday, we discussed this issue in Senior Highs. We asked some good questions and made some good observations, some of which I want to share here.

Does God really care who wins this football game?
While we were almost unanimously passionate in our support of the Bears, most of us agreed that in the grand scheme of things, this game was trivial and didn't really matter. Especially compared to the real problems the world is facing, including those in a still struggling New Orleans, a game between a bunch of ridiculously overpaid athletes doesn't seem so important.

However, this question did give us an opportunity to think about that oh so Presbyterian doctrine of providence. Does God control the outcome of football games? Did God pick who would win and who would lose? Why do we pray before athletic competitions? Answers for these questions were harder to come by, but made for a great discussion.

The Saints and New Orleans
While most of us could appreciate why a Saints victory would be an inspiring thing for New Orleans, we also recognized that the problems in New Orleans are much bigger than a football game and that a victory here or in the Super Bowl could never come close to fixing those problems. In fact, some of us felt that the hoopla over the Saints was actually giving a false impression about New Orleans' recovery. There is still much to do and we all need to pitch in to help.

Several people were also dubious about lifting up these incredibly rich athletes as the providers of hope for a hurting city. By comparison to the masses, these players were largely unaffected by Katrina. The real heroes are the survivors and those who have given so much of themselves to help those in need.

Sports as a Metaphor for Faith
We also had a good conversation about sports as a metaphor for the life of faith and looked at some biblical passages that use athletic metaphors very effectively.

Is God Officially Dead?
I don't think so. I certainly don't think that the Bears' victory or the Saints' loss is proof of anything. Much more important, I think, is what happens to New Orleans in the long run. If we don't come together to pull New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast up from ruins, it might not be a signal of God's death but it would certainly have something to say about our willingness to listen to God's call to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Inspired to Serve

On Monday (MLK Day) Gabby, Jeff, Natasha, Jessica, and I spent several hours with the Interfaith Youth Core at an event called "Inspired to Serve". IFYC is the group that sponsored the Jordan trip that Gabby and Cassie went on earlier this month.

This was my first event with IFYC and it was a great time. We spent the morning thinking about the importance of listening in our faith traditions and in general. It was neat to think about how much time we spend listening at church and how listening was also central to the other religious traditions represented. Listening is also an important part of inter-religious dialogue, which is an absolutely crucial endeavor in our world today.

In the afternoon we interviewed representatives from Chicago organizations doing great work in the fields of education, health care, immigration, and the environment. The goal was to further the planning of IFYC's day of interfaith service on April 22. I can't wait to see how the plans for this day shape up and I know that it will be a great event and the Senior Highs are planning on participating.

What a great way to celebrate MLK Day!

A Modern Day Prophet

I love Martin Luther King Day, because I love Martin Luther King. I think it's important that we set aside a day to remember him, because he reminds us of the best and worst of humanity. The best: his passion for justice and equality and all that he inspired. The worst: the fact that his vision also inspired someone to kill him. He reminds us of how powerful love can be and at the same time how fragile that love is.

Many people have said that King was one of our "modern day prophets". This doesn't mean that he predicted the future, though he definitely had a vision of better days to come. Instead, it means that he spoke truth to power, that he called our society to task for its injustice and unrighteousness. King had a vision of how the world should be and he shared that vision with others and lived his life to bring it about.

For Christians, it's important for us to remember that Martin Luther King was a preacher and a theologian. Our society remembers him as a civil rights leader, but we need to remember that everything he did was a result of his deep faith. He reminds us of what it means to be a Christian.

One of my favorite pieces of writing from King is his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. If you haven't read this letter, you should. Right now.

In this letter, King calls on southern white pastors to join his struggle for civil rights, telling them that their commitment to the gospel demands that they act for justice. According to King, our faith is not just about "otherworldly" concerns, but is very much about this world and the evil that plagues our world. King was disappointed that some of his Christian brothers and sisters couldn't see this. His letter is a powerful indictment against an apathetic church.

Is the church today any better? How many evils persist in the world while we do nothing? How often do we think only of ourselves and not of others? What does our faith compel us to do?

We need Martin Luther King Day, not just for a day off from school or work, but to remind us of who we are and who God is calling us to be.

Fast Food Justice

So what can teenagers do to help fight poverty and injustice? How about not eating at Burger King, McDonald's, or Chipotle?

As it turns out, none of these fast food chains have been paying their tomato pickers fairly for years. You can read all about it here:

http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07029.htm

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is currently taking action to address this injustice. What part can we play?

Do we care enough about treating others fairly not to eat at our favorite places? Giving up Burger King or McDonald's might not be too hard. But what about Chipotle? I love that place! But if every tomato I eat in my giant burrito comes from exploiting someone for cheap labor, I'm not sure that's something I want to swallow.

A Prayer for Airplane Travelers

Earlier today I flew from Chicago to Nashville for a Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry. Probably since I was in high school, I've had the habit of saying a short prayer before the plane I'm flying on takes off.

After saying my prayer this morning, I started thinking about how some faith traditions have a lot of these kinds of prayers. The old Book of Common Prayer and even the old Presbyterian Book of Common Worship have collections of short prayers for all sorts of occasions in life. The Jewish tradition has short blessings and prayers to say before and after all sorts of things. And I'm sure this practice is reflected in s wide range of other religions as well.

I think this might be a nice practice to adopt with a little more frequency. Whether the prayers are spontaneous or written, saying a prayer to mark even the smallest aspects of our lives is a way to recognize the sacred in the midst of the ordinary and profane. It's a way to open ourselves to the reality that God is always with us.

So, in this spirit, I'm writing down for the first time the basic gist of the prayer I say before flying. Maybe someone else might find it helpful. Maybe someone else might like to share a prayer themselves.

Dear God, may this machine that we have entrusted our lives to function properly. Thank you for the pilots that fly it and may they use their training well. Deliver us all safely to our destinations. In Christ's name, Amen.

The Oprah Effect

Oprah's latest high profile act of good will is the construction of a $40 million school for girls in South Africa. Is this a genuine act of compassion or just another example in the latest wave of popular Hollywood acts of charity in Africa?

Don't get me wrong, I think this school is great, and I think that the recent attention celebrities have given to Africa opens the world's eyes to the many crises that exist there, but I'm always a little suspicious when Oprah does something like this.

Oprah has successfully fashioned herself into a spiritual (if not religious) leader for our culture. Few in America have a pulpit that reaches as far as Oprah's. She is a role model for countless numbers of her fans. She recommends books and they become best sellers. I'll leave my full thoughts about Oprah for another time, but because of the fact that when Oprah speaks and acts so many people listen and watch, the message she delivers needs to be scrutinized.

In a recent edition of Showbiz Tonight on CNN's Headline News, TV critic Linda Stasi rips into Oprah and her funding of this school. Stasi's main point is to question why we should spend so much money on projects a world away when there is so much need here at home. I think that this argument is actually quite shortsighted and misguided. There is plenty of suffering to go around and I think that it is a good thing to help wherever we can.

What I did find interesting about Stasi's rant, however, is her point that Oprah can go to Africa and do this great thing and get lots of public praise and attention, but she isn't really addressing the root causes of problems, especially in places like our own city of Chicago. More importantly, I think Stasi has shown that Oprah herself may be part of the root problem.

Stasi claims that Oprah's rationale for building this school is that, in her experience, American kids are only interested in high end products like iPods and don't care about education. But as a role model, Oprah isn't addressing this issue. Instead, she is feeding it with her own shopping sprees and by giving away high end products on her shows. Oprah contributes to the problem of American consumerism and materialism. Why not give away scholarships instead and use her star power to get kids interested in learning?

You can listen to the entire interview here: Critic miffed Oprah spent $40 million in Africa.

Do you think that Stasi's critique is fair?

Is Oprah doing more harm than good in the overall example that she sets?

Fourth Church Youth in Jordan

Two of our high school youth, Cassandra Kildow and Gabby Boateng, are currently on a study trip in Jordan with the Interfaith Youth Core. I've received an email update from Cassie and want to post it here on the Fourth Church Youth blog. We're so proud of what Cassie and Gabby are doing and can't wait to hear all about their trip when they return. Please continue to pray for them and their experience!

Marhaba everyone,

I greet you all from the far-off city of Amman, Jordan where Gabby, I and a group of other Interfaith Youth have been spending time together. We are here with the Interfaith Youth Core on a trip to make connections with a similar Jordanian group. So far this trip has been beyond amazing; I don't think I've ever had this much fun or felt so fulfilled. We visited Petra (the ruins of an ancient city carved out of sandstone) and the Dead Sea (where there is so much salt that ability to swim is optional; in fact you cannot swim because you are forced to float on the surface). We brought in the New Year by dancing like crazy fiends in the gorgeous desert Wadi Rum, sleeping in Bedouin style tents. In Amman you are awakened at the break of dawn every morning by the call to prayer which is broadcast from every mosque five times a day. Best of all, however, has been the people I have met. They are generous, gregarious, funny, warm and welcoming. Everyone speaks at least a little English, so although I know only 10 words in Arabic we can all communicate just fine.

The whole point of the trip is to have interfaith dialogue and nothing has been more fascinating this whole trip than learning about how people practice their faiths here and everywhere. In our group from Chicago we have Muslims, Christians, a Buddhist and a Hindu, and in the Jordanian group there are Muslims and Christians and we have all learned a lot about other faiths, but also about our own faith. For example, one of the most amazing things I have done so far was tagging along with one of the group members as he visited his family on Eid, the Muslim holiday which is roughly comparable to Christmas. On Eid the family is supposed to sacrifice a goat or sheep, then cut it into three roughly equal pieces (one for the poor, one for the rest of the family and one for themselves), and then go around visiting all of the extended family, giving out gifts and socializing over Arabic coffee (which is amazing, and very different from American coffee, but I am completely unable to explain what it does taste like) and sweets.

Anyways, I need to go and eat dinner now (pita and humus and Arab-style salad and rice and yogurt and stuff), but I hope this is informative.

Salaam (Peace), and see you all soon In sha'allah (If God wills it),
Cassandra Kildow

PS. I hope you are all enjoying your breaks!