Going Green

Tuesday of this week was Earth Day and on Sunday Fourth Church will observe Earth Sunday. At Senior Highs I will be leading a special worship service with an environmental theme.

As part of my own observance of Earth Day, and as part of a broader move on my part to be more environmentally friendly and financially frugal, I've been riding the CTA a lot more lately. I used to have something of a mental block on public transportation, because Hyde Park is not the most accessible neighborhood in the city. It takes 20-30 minutes for me to drive to work and 45-60 to take a combination of bus and train.

But, I've found that I enjoy time to read while I'm riding. It provides an opportunity to walk a little more than I would otherwise. And I think I'm less irritable and rushed when I don't have to drive, even though I have a pretty easy commute. The extra time it takes to do public transportation forces me to slow down my pace a little bit, which is definitely a good thing.

But my feeble attempt to make a difference, as earnest as it may be, is nothing compared to Colin Beavan. Maybe you've heard of this guy; he's been on the news a lot lately. He got tired of thinking about the environment but not doing anything about it. So he and his family have been undergoing a year long experiment to live as best they can without making an impact on the environment. You can read about this adventurous endeavor at his blog, No Impact Man.

Here is a short description of his experiment, taken from a page on the blog:

For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets…

Wow, you've got to admit that this is pretty cool...and maybe a little crazy too. I really respect Beavan and his family for making such a big commitment.

What if we all did this? What kind of difference could this make?

I wonder if I would be able to do it? What about you?

Story About Cuba

One of the youth that went with us on our Youth Choir trip to Cuba, Abby Canfield, was interviewed about the trip by her local newspaper, The Doings in Western Springs. Abby did a great job describing the significance of this important trip. Follow this link, or check out the full story right here. Nice job, Abby!

Take a trip to Cuba through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl

April 21, 2008

By Viki Gonia | TOWN COLUMNIST

People in Western Springs do some of the most amazing things. I received an e-mail from resident Anne Canfield telling me about her 14-year-old daughter Abigail traveling to Cuba with her church choir. That's right. Cuba. When I was 14, traveling to Cuba certainly wasn't something we considered. Why would anyone want to visit a place from which people escaped over the ocean in boats made from upturned refrigerators or late model Chevys lashed to empty barrels?

Anne was fortunate enough to accompany her daughter and the 11 other members of her youth choir on their trip. Their church, Fourth Presbyterian in Chicago, has traveled to Cuba to visit their sister church, First Presbyterian of Havana, for the last several years on religious and humanitarian missions. As Anne told me, "The kids adapted and took everything in stride. It was the adults who had the most trouble adapting. We were the only Americans we saw. The people were warm, interested-Americans were a novelty."

I asked Abigail what it was like to visit a country that few Americans, especially those her age, have seen.

"It was really neat knowing that we were in a place that most Americans aren't allowed to go. It meant that we would be the ones to represent American culture to the Cubans, and tell other Americans about Cuban culture."

How were you received by the Cuban people you met?

"The Cuban people we met were some of the kindest and most welcoming people. After each service, almost everyone in the congregation would come up to us and give us hugs and kiss us on the cheek!"

What was it like to meet Cuban young people? What is their life like? How is it different from your life here in the states?

"Meeting the young children made us realize how much we have in common. They liked singing, and had a youth choir that we got to see in church. We really liked one of the songs that they sang, so, now that we're home, our choir director is teaching it to us. Singing that song is a great way to remember the kids we met.

"The Cuban children also love baseball. We brought them baseballs because there is such short supply of them. They often have to play with small rubber balls or practice with bottle caps. The kids were thrilled, but were so generous and gave some of these new baseballs to the opposing team to keep! Before the game started, they said a chant in Spanish that means something along the lines of: 'Who Lives -- Christ! ... His Name -- Glorified! ... His house -- Victorious!' Then they asked the boys of our group to sit in the dugout with them ... and later invited them to join in the game with them! Everyone had a lot of fun, and it was really cool to see two groups of kids from two countries whose governments don't agree getting along so well and playing together in what my youth pastor John Vest calls 'the universal language of baseball.' It also helped all of us see that although our cultures and our governments are different, there are a lot of things we have in common."

(This is where you pause in your reading and think about what a 14-year-old girl just taught you about the world.)

"However, their lives are very different than ours. They don't have nearly as many material things as we have and their food is rationed. Because of this we brought vitamins and other things like toothbrushes and even some small toys. We got a chance to visit some of the Sunday school classes and talk to the kids. The younger kids thought it was hilarious that we spoke English instead of Spanish. They would ask us to count to 20, then they would smile and giggle and ask us to do it again."

Honestly, I don't have much to add to all of that, aside from noting how easy it is for us as adults to forget to see the world through more innocent eyes.

doingsnews@pioneerlocal.com * (630) 320-5443

Simple Presence

On my way to work on Monday, I read a story in the Redeye about the Pope visiting Ground Zero on his American tour. "Pope's visit restores faith at Ground Zero", it was called.

I was fascinated by the account of a man whose firefighter son died on 9/11. "Our faith was destroyed that day," said Deputy Fire Chief James Riches. "We said, 'Where was God?' on 9/11, but he's come back here today and they've restored our faith."

Wow, that's pretty powerful. I totally understand where Riches is coming from. 9/11 was a significant theological challenge for me, and I didn't personally know anyone who died on that day, and certainly not a close family member.

What strikes me the most is that the Pope's visit alone seems to be so restorative of this man's faith. Granted, I'm a Protestant, so I look at the Pope differently than Riches does. But this is still pretty incredible to me.

What I find fascinating is that the simple presence of a representative of God did so much to heal this man's wounds. And what I find sad, is that in the 6 1/2 years since the terrorist attacks, this kind of presence has evidently been lacking.

Again, I know I'm getting all Protestant here, but we all ought to be able to provide the kind of presence that makes possible the breaking in of God's love and healing. It shouldn't take the Pope to do this.

In Protestant lingo, we call this the priesthood of all believers. In biblical terms, we are all created in the image of God and are in a sense God's ambassadors or representatives here on earth. We were created to be in community with each other, and I think God's presence is most fully felt when in community. "God is love," says a passage of scripture that I use every time I perform a wedding. God's presence is felt in the love we share with each other, the love that binds us all together as one.

I hope that we can be this for each other. I hope that God can use each of us to heal wounds and stop pain. If we can open ourselves up to this, our world will get a little closer to the world as God created it, the world God wants it to be.

Elevation WorkCamp Deadline

Hey, if you are reading this and you participate in Elevation, or you are a random 6th or 7th grader looking for something meaningful to do this summer, the deadline for registering for our Elevation WorkCamp to the Illinois State Special Olympics is this Sunday, April 20.

The dates for this trip, which is guaranteed to change your life, are June 12-15.

If you sign up after Sunday, there will be a late fee, so get you registration in now! If you need a registration packet, download one here.

Trust me, you won't want to miss this!

The Best Pancakes in the Neighborhood

Our "second annual" Pancake Breakfast was a huge success! We probably had twice as many youth helping out as we had last year. I think we served at least 100 more people. We had a highly organized plan, set in motion by the "Queen of Pancakes" Janet Reed. And our regular adult leaders, along with some new faces, pitched in for a nearly perfect morning.

The Pancake Breakfast is a fundraising idea we cooked up last year (pun mostly intended) to help support our Senior High WorkCamps. Last year was a great success, and this year was even better!

The money we raised—around $4000—will go directly to support our two Senior High WorkCamps this summer: one to New Orleans and one to Presbyterian Camps in Saugatuck. Not only will this money help us with travel and other expenses, much of it will go directly to the building and repair projects we will be working on. All the hard work making and serving pancakes, and all the generous support we received from the congregation, will directly contribute to this important mission work.

Equally important as the money we raised, I think, is the sense of community that these Pancake Breakfasts are able to generate. Not only do we come together as youth (among other things, this is a great time for our 8th graders from Fourth Church Rising to continue to integrate into Senior Highs), but the congregation is given an opportunity to come together and enjoy the fellowship of a shared meal, something that is not always easy to do at a big church like Fourth (though we do a pretty good job of it throughout the year). Numerous members of the congregation, especially some of our older members, remember events like this from the past and are so grateful that we've revived this type of church tradition.

A big thanks to all the youth and adults that made this happen! And a big thanks to the congregation for supporting us!

Since I was busy making special-order omelets (I've seen enough eggs to last me for a while), I couldn't take pictures myself, but several of our youth and adults stepped in and made some good shots. Check them out here:

• Pancake Breakfast 1
• Pancake Breakfast 2
• Pancake Breakfast 3

A Thousand Words

Today I asked our kitchen manager how we did cleaning up from the Pancake Breakfast on Sunday. She said we did pretty well, with the exception of a few drizzles of pancake batter that were left on the side and between the ovens and stoves. It's a good thing she didn't see this:

That pretty much sums things up!

Youth Choir in Cuba

If last week hadn't been so crazy with the Pancake Breakfast (more on this soon) and a quick trip to Florida for a friend's wedding, I would have blogged about our trip to Cuba sooner. But, better late than never.

What an amazing trip this was! Twelve members of our Youth Choir and fourteen adults (including many parents, our incredible Children and Youth Choir Director Beverly Escuder, our Associate Organist—now known as "keyboard guy"—Thom Gouwens, Children's Minister Donna Gray, and myself) travelled to Havana to sing and preach at four worship services in the Havana Presbytery. We were graciously hosted by Hector Mendez, the pastor of our sister church in Cuba, the First Presbyterian Church of Havana.

The youth sang their hearts out at four very different worship services. Our first stop was at the Presbyterian church in Guines. This is a church that I had visited when I first went to Cuba in 2001, but I didn't remember much about it. The pastor there did a great job of gathering a large congregation for worship, including several members of the Catholic church down street. The youth were amazing in their first performance, Jaime played his guitar beautifully, and Donna delivered a thoughtful sermon. This stop was also special because Guines is the hometown and home church of our beloved translator, Frank.

The next night brought us to the Presbyterian church in San Antonio. I know this congregation very well because my last church, Community Presbyterian in Clarendon Hills, has a sister church relationship with them. Through this relationship I've gotten to know their pastor, Daniel Izquierdo, very well also. It was a personal joy for me to return to San Antonio, especially since I came with so many new friends from Fourth Church. This stop was almost canceled, though, because Daniel's mother-in-law died quite suddenly the previous day. But Daniel and the church leadership were committed to honoring our relationship and our trip to Cuba and graciously went ahead with their plans to host us for dinner and worship. Probably because of these unexpected events, the congregation was a little smaller and more intimate than had been hoped, but our group learned what I already knew so well: the people of San Antonio are exceptionally warm and loving. In addition to the Youth Choir and Jaime's guitar solo, Beverly also sang and I preached. It was another great night.

The next day, Sunday, was a busy one. We began with a chance to sit in and observe various Sunday School classes at First Church in Havana. Most of us didn't understand the Spanish lessons, but the messages were clear nonetheless. We were then treated to a very special and spirited worship service. As Donna remarked, Hector outdid himself. To celebrate along with our Youth Choir, First Church shared music from their incredible salsa band, their adult choir, several smaller ensembles, and their amazing youth choir. It was such a joy to add our voices to theirs in worship. Donna preached again and we were warmly welcomed and gifted by our Cuban friends in this congregation.

After lunch, we traveled to a Methodist church near the University of Havana for the regular worship service of the International Christian Community in Havana. This is an interdenominational all-English service, apparently the only one of its kind in Cuba. This service was quite a bit different from the Presbyterian services we had been participating in up to this point, incorporating more contemporary praise music and a somewhat more evangelical style of worship. After our choir sang one last time, I preached, and we shared Communion with this congregation. It was a different and unique worship experience for us, something I know I won't soon forget.

In all, this was a very remarkable trip, and this report pretty much just covers the itinerary. There is much more I could say about it...much more that I expect I will say about it in the days and weeks to come.

For now, though, check out these galleries of my pictures from the trip:

• Youth Choir Trip to Cuba 1
• Youth Choir Trip to Cuba 2
• Youth Choir Trip to Cuba 3
• Youth Choir Trip to Cuba 4
• Youth Choir Trip to Cuba 5
  

What I Learned About Homelessness

Back in February, Fourth Church Rising participated in a great homelessness immersion experience with the Interfaith Council for the Homeless. You can read about it here.

When I was cleaning off my desk last week, I found and filed the notes I took during our learnings and conversations that weekend. I thought I would share some of the more interesting facts and figures.

There are approximately 75,000 people who are homeless in Chicago every year. This covers the entire year. On a given night, there will be about 20,000 homeless people in the city. 10% of these people are between the ages of 12 and 18. That's 2,000 homeless teens in Chicago every night.

Across the country, 28% of Americans have been concerned about homelessness at some point in their lives.

It is often assumed that homeless people have become that way because of drugs, mental health, or because they just don't want to work. These are not the main causes of homelessness. The top four reasons for homelessness are:

1. People who are employed and do not make enough money. There are 168 hours in a week. You would have to work 100 hours at minimum wage to earn enough to afford a one bedroom apartment in Chicago.
2. No affordable housing. Public housing really doesn't exist in Chicago anymore. There are ten times as many people on the public housing waiting list than are actually in what's left of public housing. The minimum wait is about eight and a half years.
3. Unexpected expenses caused by health issues or other emergencies. 70% of low income people do not have health care.
4. Other causes: drug abuse, domestic violence, recently released from prison, mental health.

Some thoughts on how to solve these problems:

1. Raise minimum wages to a living wage. It has been demonstrated that the common assumption that raising wages will cause expenses to go up is not true.
2. Build affordable housing.
3. Universal health care and emergency funds.
4. Provide social services that can help people with these needs.

Beyond these statistics, though, the thing that surprised me the most and has haunted me since, is the information I learned about teen homelessness. Here are the top causes of teen homelessness:

1. Youth that come out about their sexuality to their parents and are kicked out of the house.
2. Pregnancy.
3. Drugs.
4. Domestic violence.

The first of these, teens coming out and being disowned by their parents, blew me away. It never occurred to me that this could happen in such a widespread and common way.

Teen homelessness and this particular issue of gay teens coming out to their parents is something that I think we need to get involved in. Religion has often been used to create atmospheres of suspicion and prejudice that result in these types of situations.

We need to work toward creating a societal change such that teens are not afraid to accept their sexuality and feel free and supported when bringing this up with their parents. This won't be easy, but I truly believe that we are being called to this important work.

John Buchanan on Jeremiah Wright

This past Sunday, our senior pastor, John Buchanan, delivered a profound and eloquent statement about the controversies surrounding Jeremiah Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ. I posted about this issue here.

Follow this link to read John's statement, which is wise, discerning, and right on target.

Life from Death

At one point in his Easter sermon, our senior pastor John Buchanan waded into difficult waters and connected the Easter message about death to the realities of death in our world today.

"We think we know all there is to know about death. Barbara Brown Taylor says you go to the funeral home, view the body, go home and eat fried chicken and green bean casserole with your neighbors, and get on with your life (Journal for Preachers, Easter 2008). Will Willimon says we live in a world that thinks death has the last word, a world in which we can be convinced easily that the way to deal with death is more death: lose 3,000 civilians in a terrorist attack—invade a country that had nothing to do with it, kill tens of thousands. Deal with death with more death (Thank God It’s Friday)."

I imagine that this statement might have made some people in the congregation uncomfortable. I'm glad he said it, though, because it boldly spoke of the reality of the Iraq War.

Holy Week was unique this year because it came so early in the calendar, as early as it will come for over two centuries. In Chicago, this meant that we had some snow on the ground on Easter Sunday.

Holy Week was also unique this year because it coincided with the five year anniversary of the current war in Iraq. It also marked the 4000th American death in this war. And while we spend most of our time focusing on American and Coalition casualties, the death toll for Iraqis is staggering. Just think about the almost 90,000 people who have died in Iraq during the past five years.

Dealing with death with more death.

The story of Jesus' resurrection tells us that God is in the business of bringing life from death. In the resurrection, and in the return of exiled Jews from Babylonia before that, and in the liberation of Israel from Egyptian slavery before that, we discover a powerful truth about our God: nothing is beyond God's redemption.

This is a truth that I cling to time and time again in the face of the many tragedies we face in this life.

As we look to Iraq at the beginning of year six, after celebrating the hope of Easter, we must ask ourselves: will there be life from death there too?

And if so, what role do we play in bringing it about?

(For a collection of blog posts marking the fifth anniversary of the war, see the special series on God's Politics, The Cost of War.)

Green Bay's Saint Job

Even though I'm a Bears fan, I can't help liking recently retired Brett Favre. I mean, really, who doesn't like Favre? He's hard working, down to earth, fun to watch, and simply one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football.

I was interested to discover today that he's also a devout Christian. Check out this great essay from Sightings: Brett Favre, Catholic Hero.

Usually, when high profile athletes are involved in Christianity, you know all about it. They make a big deal about it. They make a show of praying on the field. They thank Jesus all the time. Sometimes they go evangelical and start speaking at churches and Christian gatherings.

But not Favre. That's just not his style.

What I really like about the essay, written by Joseph Kip Kosek, is that it points out that so much of Favre's life and career have been marked by tragedy and pain: his own addictions, the death of his father and brother, his wife's cancer, the destruction of his mother's home by hurricane Katrina. Kosek argues, therefore, that Favre's faith is akin to that of Job, a constant faith in spite of, or perhaps because of, suffering.

If you think anything of Brett Favre, you should really read this fascinating essay.

Maundy Thursday Reflection

Now that Holy Week has come and passed, I'm able to catch my breath a little bit and catch up on the things that didn't get done last week.

But before this Holy Week is a too distant memory, I also want to make sure I write about some of the things I (and we) experienced.

The first experience of the week that really caught my attention happened during the sharing of Communion at our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service on Thursday evening. In case you don't know, Maundy Thursday is the day when we remember and celebrate Jesus' last meal with his disciples. This is the meal that we remember when we share in the Lord's Supper. At Fourth Church, Maundy Thursday is also when we observe the traditional Tenebrae service, which involves the gradual extinguishing of candles until the sanctuary is left in darkness. Both elements--the last meal and the darkness--make this quite a powerful service. (Some churches also participate in the washing of feet, an even that also happened at Jesus' last meal with his disciples.)

A funny thing happened this year as I took the bread and juice of our Communion. Instead of just thinking about the original meal that our observance commemorates, my mind was swept away into a series of memories of all the Communions I've shared in over my years.

My first thought was of the Southern Baptist Church that I attended when I was in high school. Though I have changed a lot since those days and I currently disagree with much of what that church believes and how it practices its faith, it was very influential for me as a teenager. It was there that Christian faith first began to mean something real to me. It was there that I began to feel the call to ministry. It was there that I shared the Lord's Supper with friends and family.

I then thought of a Communion of tortillas and real wine at a small Baptist church in Cancun, Mexico. I had naively led my senior class on a trip to Cancun, which turned out to be quite an experience. On the Sunday we were there I found my way to a Baptist church in the central part of the city, not the tourist area. They graciously welcomed me in. I didn't speak a bit of Spanish, but I felt the Spirit move in that service. It was an eye opener for me in many respects, my first religious experience in an environment very different from the comfort of my home.

My next thought was of the Communions of pita bread and wine at the Narkis Street Congregation, the church I worshiped at when I lived in Jerusalem. That, too, was an incredibly formative time in my life and that church was truly a sanctuary for me as I grew in new directions, both spiritually and academically.

There are many more I could mention and describe, but you get the picture.

What was powerful for me on Thursday night was that this was much more than just a trip down memory lane. This rush of memories and emotions and tastes reminded me that all of these faith communities, as different as they are, are all bound together by love--God's love for us, our love for God, and our love for each other.

This is a big part of what Communion is all about. We may differ about many things, but our common calling in faith binds us together as one.

As I write this, my Eastertide prayer is that the church throughout the world might truly act as if this mysterious unity of Communion were real in their hearts. And in doing so, we might show the world what humans can do when inspired by love for God and love for each other.

"Doubting" Thomas

Here is a devotion I wrote for Fourth Church's Daily Devotions.

Scripture Reading: John 20:24–31

Reflection
More so than the other canonical gospels, the Gospel of John is deeply concerned with the notion of correct belief. The cluster of Greek words from the root pistis, which is usually translated as both “faith” and “belief,” appear more times in this gospel than in the other three combined.

It therefore makes perfect sense that scholars think that today’s passage was the original ending to the gospel. For one last time, our story returns to the question of belief, personified in the figure of “doubting” Thomas, with whom we as readers are surely intended to identify.

In the end, Thomas is transformed into a paradigm of faith as conceived by the author of the gospel. The implication, it seems, is that we are to surpass the faith of Thomas and believe without the luxury of seeing Jesus firsthand, a situation in which the vast majority of Christians, both ancient and modern, find themselves.

But I always wonder if the lesson of Thomas is really about finding faith through blind trust. It seems to me that Thomas is a paradigm of faith at least as much for his honest questions as for the belief he ultimately discovers. Christianity is at its best when we allow people the freedom to ask questions and encourage them to do so. This, it seems to me, must be the starting point of faithful discipleship.

Prayer
Patient and gentle God, thank you for listening to my questions and being with me as I search for truth and seek to follow the ways of living to which you call me. Amen.

Summer WorkCamps

This isn't too fancy, but check out this video with information about our three WorkCamps this summer. I'm getting excited already!



Check out these links for more information and registration:

• Elevation WorkCamp
• Senior High WorkCamps
  

This is a Religious Issue

Here's one more post to read: For Whites Only: Things to Consider When Entering the Race Conversation (by Sondra Shepley).

Now, don't think that I'm just trying to promote God's Politics by offering links to all these posts (though I certainly do support Jim Wallis and Sojourners). I'm just really excited about this moment in American history.

But this is not a political thing either. I'm not trying to promote Barack Obama on our Fourth Church Youth blog.

Don't be mistaken: this question of race relations in America (and across the world) is most definitely a religious issue.

This point is clearly made in Shepley's post, which is why I wanted to highlight it as well. In fact, her argument reminds me of one of my favorite theological writings of all time, Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail (read an earlier post about this here).

What always moves me about King's letter is that he takes white Christian leaders to task for not realizing that his civil rights movement was (and is) deeply rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. White pastors made the mistake of assuming that this was a political issue with which the gospel is not concerned. King took this fallacy head on and made a strong case for why white Christians should be joining him instead of condemning him.

The same is true today. I don't care what your politics are. You can support Obama or Clinton or McCain or Nader or whomever you want. But to not recognize that racism is a gospel issue is to miss the point of Jesus' life and teaching...and since we are in the middle of Holy Week, his death and resurrection too.

When early Christians would baptize each other, they recited the following creed: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

This short little statement sums up a major part of the Christian message. We are all equal in God's eyes. We are one people, with one common fate, one common responsibility for each other. Anything less than this is a failure to live up to what God wants for God's children...all of God's children.

McLaren on Obama's Speech

Here's another great post about Obama's speech: Engaging with "A More Perfect Union" by Brian McLaren. McLaren is an early and leading figure in the emergent church movement, which I have become quite interested in.

In his post, McLaren suggests that we should use this as an opportunity to truly engage with each other about this important issue and he offers a great discussion guide toward this end. This type of engagement is how transformation (social, political, theological) actually happens. Maybe this speech can indeed be a catalyst for such change.

Pastors, Prophets, and Politicians

The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright has been in the news quite a bit lately. He is the retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's south side, which happens to be the church of presidential candidate Barack Obama. For 2o years Pastor Wright has been a spiritual shepherd for Obama. He officiated the Obamas' wedding. He baptized their two children.

But he caused quite a controversy in the past week when clips from some of his sermons surfaced that included heated comments about Hillary Clinton and comments very critical of the United States immediately after 9/11. Here is one of the early news articles about the controversy. And here is an article about Obama removing Wright from his campaign team.

Yesterday, Obama delivered an incredible speech about race in America, a speech that I can only describe as prophetic, in the sense that he spoke directly and honestly about the realities of racism in our society. He spoke as a man of mixed race, a unique position of having immediate experiences of both white and black communities. He acknowledged that there is enough bitterness and resentment to go around on all sides and spoke sincere words of hope for a better future that actually lives up to the ideals on which our country is founded. Obama's underlying values, it should be noted, are in my opinion decidedly theological ones, founded on faith in the equality of human beings created in the image of God.

If you haven't heard it already, listen to this speech. It may be long, but it is worth the investment. This will go down as one of the great speeches in American history.



In this speech, Obama also distances himself from Wright's most offensive statements, while maintaining his relationship to his pastor. I feel compelled to note that Fourth Church Rising visited Trinity earlier this year, as I wrote about in this post. I've been to Trinity before and both times I found it to be a deeply moving spiritual experience. The preaching and the praise at this church is energetic and phenomenal.

During Obama's campaign, claims have been made that Trinity is racist and prejudiced against white people because it takes such pride in its African heritage. I can honestly say that when I was there, both times with a group of out of place white kids, we never once felt unwelcome. Quite to the contrary, our hosts were most gracious and hospitable. To be sure, there was a distinctly African and African-American flavor to the worship, but not to the point that we in any way felt excluded or marginalized.

I was very impressed by Trinity UCC and will certainly bring youth groups back in the future.

For some good blog posts that have come out today on the controversy and Obama's speech, check out these three from God's Politics, a blog maintained by Jim Wallis of Sojourners:

• It’s Not About Him Now—It’s About Us
• Exorcising Racial Demons: Part I
• How Wrong Was Rev. Wright? I especially like this post because the author points out that Wright is indeed a prophet in the biblical sense, and that biblical prophets were often considered offensive, and that biblical prophets were typically at odds with political leaders and did not mix with them particularly well. Perhaps, then, it is a good thing for Wright to be off Obama's campaign--now he can be free to speak his understanding of God's truth without fear of bringing down a political leader.
  

Coexistence

On Sunday, March 9 Fourth Church Rising took a field trip to the Muslim Education Center in Morton Grove.

Like most pastors and youth workers who lead confirmation classes, I've been making trips like this for many years. I've taken groups to Jewish synagogues, Hindu and Buddhist temples, and Muslim mosques.

As a religious leader passionate about inter-religious education and dialog, these trips are often a highlight of the year for me. I love seeing young people step outside of their comfort zones and realms of familiar experience to encounter people that are very different from themselves yet very similar at the same time. I love seeing prejudices and false presuppositions dissipate through direct interaction with those who act and think differently from ourselves.

As expected, this trip had many of those elements. But what made this trip different, and what got me even more excited about it, is that our young people had a chance to speak with Muslim young people their own age. These trips usually involve hearing a presentation from an adult, which is often good, but not nearly as effective as speaking with peers.

We spent most of our time in small groups, two or three of our students and two or three of theirs. Some of the groups talked about substantive religious issues. Most of them talked more about school and video games and other realities of being teenagers. This was probably the most valuable thing, a real opportunity to see that Muslim teens aren't really that different from Christian teens when it comes right down to it. This is what trips like this are all about, and we were blessed to share such an experience together.

When I sat down to write this blog post, I searched the internet to find a website for the Muslim Education Center to link to. I didn't find one (they should really get on this), but I did find several news stories that reminded me that the mosque attached to this school was recently the center of controversy. It seems that some residents of Morton Grove were very much opposed to the construction of this mosque, an all too common trend in the post-9/11 world of fear and prejudice against Islam. You can read about it in this USA TODAY article.

Being reminded of this sad controversy made me even more glad that we visited this particular Muslim community. I hope that our small acts of inter-religious partnership might be a sign of hope for even greater cooperation and coexistence among the various peoples and religions of our communities and country and world.

I believe with all of my heart that this is what God is calling us to do. And I'll keep looking for opportunities like this one to live out this call.

Visits to the Creation Museum

For your consideration, check out these two articles about visits to the Creation Museum, one from The Christian Century and the other from Sightings:

• "Dinosaurs in the Garden" by Jason Byassee
• "The Creation Museum" by Joseph Laycock

If you haven't heard about the Creation Museum, it's a $27 million museum in Kentucky built by a "creation science" group called Answers in Genesis. These are "young earth" creationists who believe that the universe was created in six 24-hour days about 6,000 years ago. Creationists who think it is possible that the "days" in Genesis 1 could represent longer periods of astronomic and geologic time and the newer waves of apologists defending "intelligent design" don't have anything on this group, who take the Bible about as literally as possible.

This approach to the Bible leads, of course, to some interesting theories. Dinosaurs lived with humans and ate only vegetables before the flood. The biblical flood is suggested as the cause of much of the geological and biological anomalies typically explained through evolutionary biology and geology.

I must admit that this sounds like a fascinating place to visit, though it seems that one stands to learn more about the people who believe in theories such as this than anything actually scientific. But that alone is probably worth the price of admission.

More Wimpy Kid

I plowed through the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Roderick Rules, and pretty much enjoyed it as much as the first one. It was a little less engaging because Kinney attempted to work in some bigger story arcs, but it still managed to tell an interesting story of adolescence with the same wit and humor as the first go around.

I'm still not sure if these will be all that useful for youth ministry, but they'll be fun to read regardless. But who knows, maybe I could squeeze a "Gospel According to the Wimpy Kid" out of it...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Last month I heard an interview on NPR with a cartoonist and writer named Jeff Kinney. He has published two books in a projected series of five called Diary of a Wimpy Kid, about a middle school kid named Greg Heffley. The book is set up to look like the handwritten diary of Greg, peppered with stick figure illustrations that go along with the stories.

The interview led me to believe that the books might provide some comical insight into the lives of middle school kids, so I ordered a copy of each, just for fun.

I read the first book this week, and I thought it was hilarious. Much like the beloved Calvin and Hobbes of my youth, the stories are ridiculous, but not so ridiculous that you can't imagine a kid actually finding his way into such situations. Plus, like Calvin and Hobbes, the "diary" entries of Greg are really written with the dry wit and perspective of an adult in mind, which provides some great commentary on the parallel and intersecting worlds of both youth and adults.

I don't know how much of this will preach, but it is definitely worth reading and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

Homelessness Immersion

From February 8 to 9, a group of youth from Fourth Church Rising participated in a homelessness immersion experience that we organized in cooperation with the Interfaith Council for the Homeless. "In cooperation" is actually probably being too generous about our end of the deal, because ICH really did the heavy lifting in terms of putting this all together. Big thanks to Bill Johnson, Mark Wendorff, and the staff at ICH!

The idea behind this event was to give our youth an opportunity to experience and learn what homelessness in Chicago is all about. We asked our youth and adults not to eat after lunch on Friday and plan to fast until dinner on Saturday. We modeled this on the 30 Hour Famine and even collected some money for ICH.

We began by gathering at Fourth Church and then hopped on a CTA bus and El train to make our way to the PADS shelter at First United Church of Oak Park, which was not in use that night. We arrived and engaged in an incredible discussion about the realities and root causes of homelessness.

After this conversation, we were ushered out into the parking lot to experience what it's like to be checked into a shelter. After waiting outside in the cold and snow, we were all checked in and picked pads to sleep on for the night.

We were awakened early Saturday morning and forced to leave the shelter at 7:30. We hopped back on the Green Line and headed into the city, getting off on Kedzie and walking up to Sanctuary Place, ICH's residence for women and families who have transitioned out of homelessness.

We were immediately thrown into another immersion experience, participating in a "game" that simulated what it is like to attempt to obtain documentation and services as a homeless person. This was a fascinating exercise that left many of us frustrated. We all learned how difficult it is to obtain these services when you lack resources.

After processing this simulation, we prepared lunch for some of the residents at Sanctuary Place, which was painful because we still weren't eating. Over lunch, we had moving conversations with women who were formerly homeless but who are now working on stabilizing their lives and the lives of their families.

After this we had some free time for homework or hanging out, which was followed by two great speakers from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. One of these speakers, currently a college student, was homeless for most of his teen years. It was powerful to hear his story of teen homelessness and how he managed to escape it.

After doing some cleaning projects for Sanctuary Place, we rode the bus back to Fourth's neighborhood and broke our fast with more pizza than we could eat.

In all, this was an amazing, powerful, and transforming experience. We learned a lot about homelessness and thought a lot about what we can do to help. We distinguished between the concepts of charity and justice and thought about ways we can do both. We'll continue this conversation for years to come as we think about this persistent problem in our society and world.

Check out this link for some pictures from the weekend.

Video Games and Violence

Once again, the debate about violent video games rages on.

Check out this article, posted today on CNN.com, that posits a link between violent video games and aggression in teens. To be sure, the study notes that similar links have been shown in relation to violent television and movies, but that doesn't change the overall argument. According to the study, such video games and other entertainment increase aggressive emotions in teen brains and normalize violence for gamers, desensitizing them to the realities and consequences of violence.

This is not a new argument, and it will probably go on for a long, long time. And the positions of those invovled in the debate are pretty clear and consistent: critics of video games decry the amount of violence in these virtual worlds while teens and video game enthusiasts say that they are being unfairly singled out and that playing video games or watching a violent movie doesn't translate into real life violence or aggression.

Let me be clear: I grew up playing video games, many of which had violent aspects. I would still play video games today if I didn't think it would devastate my productivity. I watched, and still watch, many movies and television shows that contain lots of violence. I've always been a fan of comic books, which are full of violence. I have listened to very aggressive music, and sometimes still do. Throughout my youth I played the violent sport of football and still love to watch it, almost religiously.

Violence has been and continues to be integrated into almost every aspect of my life. Beyond entertainment, the news I watch is full of violence, reflecting the world of violence we live in. The religion I practice and teach has violent themes and stories woven through it from beginning to end.

And I use to think that I proved the point that violence in the media we consume doesn't affect who we are as people. I'm not a violent person. I've never killed or even seriously hurt someone. Sure, I can be aggressive and competitive from time to time, and on occasion I'll "Hulk out" in my own way. But am I violent?

This line of reasoning used to make sense to me. But now I'm not so sure. As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, my thinking on this has been greatly challenged by the theological work of Walter Wink. I see the pervasiveness of violence in our society and I wonder what this does to us. Does it reinforce what Wink calls the "myth of redemptive violence", the idea that violence is the best way to right wrongs and accomplish our goals, even when they are just and noble goals?

If Wink is right that Jesus teaches a different way, not violence or pacifism but rather nonviolent resistance, what does this say about the violence that pervades our lives? How can we teach ourselves, and our society, that there is an alternative way if we are constantly bombarded by the violent way?

These are difficult questions that I continue to wrestle with. And I must admit that it's a whole lot easier to stop thinking and go see the new Rambo movie. But that probably just proves my point.

Ash Wednesday

"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

I remember the people killed in tornadoes last night.

I remember the people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

I remember those without food or a home.

I remember those who don't have health insurance.

I remember those without a family.

I remember the people of Iraq.

I remember the people of Afghanistan.

I remember the people of Israel.

I remember the people of Palestine.

I remember child soldiers in Africa, and now in Iraq.

I remember my grandfather, my Uncle Buster, and my cousin Jay.

I remember my family.

I remember my friends.

I remember my wife.

I remember that I am dust, and to dust I shall return.

Another Great Souper Bowl

The Souper Bowl of Caring is an awesome national movement among young people to raise awareness, money, and food for those who are hungry. It's a cool program because it builds on the excitement around the Super Bowl (great game this year, btw) and allows youth to choose which organizations their work supports.

You may remember that we set a Fourth Church record last year when the Bears played the Colts in the big game and we agreed to a challenge from Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Check out this post for more info on what happened last year.

The Bears let us down this year, but we had something even more important to get excited about: the 25th anniversary of the Elam Davies Social Service Center, which was once again the recipient of our collection this year.

Our Elevation youth came out in force to blitz the congregation after worship this past Sunday, collecting money and non-perishable food items. As always, the collecting was a blast and we had a great time, followed up by a great football themed Youth and Families Lunch.

The totals are in, and we are pleased to announce a great collection to help the hungry in Chicago: $5,701.98 and 724 non-perishable food items. This brings our 7 year total up to $31,016.26 and 5,829 food items. Way to go Elevation and all those who contributed to this great cause!

For more information about the Souper Bowl of Caring, check out this cool promo video:

Feel the Spirit

Of the three persons of the Trinity—God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit—the Spirit is probably the most difficult for many of us to understand and relate to. The Spirit seems like the less "personable" of the three. It's not so clear what it means to engage with the Spirit.

I'm not going to try to offer a definition or some kind of sophisticated explanation. But I had a series of three experiences on Sunday that, for me at least, help make sense of some parts of what the Spirit is all about and how we might experience her in our lives.

On Sunday morning (and stretching into early afternoon), I took our confirmation class, Fourth Church Rising, on our annual visit to another Christian church. The point is to expose the confirmands to expressions of Christianity that are different from our own. It helps us understand others as well as ourselves.

This year we went to Trinity UCC on Chicago's south side. It was a 2 1/2 hour tour de force of spirited worship in classic and contemporary styles of African American churches. People sang and clapped and maybe even danced a little. The congregation was welcoming and gracious. The preaching by new pastor Otis Moss III was simply amazing—perhaps one of the best sermons I've ever heard. I was sincerely moved by the entire experience.

Immediately after returning downtown, I hopped in a cab and just barely made it in time to sneak in for the second and third acts of La traviata at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Since moving to Chicago I have tried to take advantage of one of the great cultural treasures this city has to offer and learn about opera. I've been to many performances and have found that I actually like opera quite a bit. This performance featured the great soprano Renée Fleming. To hear her sing the tragically sad songs of Violetta is nothing short of a spiritual experience. The pathos of opera is what most draws me in, and this performance was stunning.

Finally, I went home that night to watch the Packers ultimately lose to the Giants in overtime in the NFC championship game. I'm always amazed at football games and other sporting events. I love watching a stadium full of tens of thousands of people, all focused on the events happening on the field. The bond of the crowd creates a special atmosphere, a spirit if you will, that renders the entire stadium into something like a living organism. Add to that the millions who are watching on their televisions at home and you really have a massive collection of humanity focused on a common cause.

Church, opera, and football. The Spirit is a little like that.

Rich Jesus/Poor Jesus

Check out this great column about the ridiculous fallacies of the so called "Prosperity Gospel". Hilarious and right on!

Sweeney Todd and Violence

Here's another great post about violence in pop culture, this time about Sweeney Todd. Check out this post by Gareth Higgins on God's Politics.

I haven't seen the film version of Sweeney Todd yet, though I really want to. I saw the stage version several years ago at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and loved it. Hopefully, I'll see the film soon and post some thoughts...

Repackaging Comic Book Violence

Check out this post from Supernaut, a blogger on one of my favorite entertainment sites, Comics2Film.

Supernaut talks about a line of toys based on Marvel comic book characters aimed at younger children. The characters are rendered in child friendly proportions, with over sized heads and smiles. In short, the tiny figures are...cute.

Supernaut goes on to raise a good point. What does it mean to take these violent characters based on very adult themes and repackage them in child friendly versions?

Wolverine has razor sharp claws that he regularly uses to disembowel his enemies.

The Hulk is fueled by rage and leaves a path of destruction wherever he goes.

The Punisher is a vigilante assassin who won't hesitate to kill.

Ghost Rider made a deal with the devil and is possessed by a demon.

Supernaut takes this question in two directions. First, he wonders what we are actually selling our children. We call these character heroes, but they are clearly flawed heroes that deal in violence. Second, he wonders if these children versions water down the "real" versions consumed by adults.

I think Supernaut has really raised a great question. Those of you who know me know that I love comic books. I grew up on these characters and they are a big part of my pop culture canon.

But ever since reading Walter Wink's book The Powers That Be, I've had some serious questions about the pervasiveness of violence in our culture.

Wink's point is that our society is obsessed with violence as the best (or at least easiest) answer to our problems. This obsession has worked itself into our culture through what he calls the "myth of redemptive violence". This myth is clearly seen in our comic book and adventure heroes, who routinely save the world through the use of violence. Wink and others have pointed out how dangerous this kind of thinking is when elevated to public policy, such as our current propensity for war over diplomacy.

Violence is bad and Wink argues that through Jesus God has shown us an alternative way to address our problems. But this alternative vision is hard to promote against the entertaining myth of redemptive violence.

So I've been doing a lot of soul searching over the past few years and I still feel torn.

In the meantime, I join Supernaut in his questions about these toys. But, like him, I'm sure I would buy them for my children (and myself) as well.

Hairspray

So I finally watched the movie version of the hit musical, Hairspray. I had heard good things about it, including a rave review from my buddy Josh Patty, but I must admit that I didn't necessarily expect a whole lot. Boy, was I wrong. This movie is great!

The music is fantastic and a lot of fun. The cast is incredible. I didn't think I would care for John Travolta as Edna, but he really pulled it off well. The entire film is bright and energetic. It is the epitome of that old description, "a feel good movie".

I have never seen the original John Water's version, so I didn't really know what the story was about. Beyond all the campiness (which is half the fun), I was surprised to discover a story about serious issues.

At the heart of this film are themes of acceptance and equality. Ultimately, this is a movie about social justice. Tracy is on a mission to convince others that we should accept all people for who they are, regardless of how they look. Prejudices about appearance and race are confronted head on.

But this is not a preachy or moralizing movie. The message is delivered in the midst of all the singing and dancing fun in such a way that it doesn't beat you over the head. In fact, I sometimes found myself caught off guard with the realization that this movie is really about something.

If you haven't seen Hairspray, go out and get it now. You won't be disappointed.

Desk Excavation

Wow! I can't believe that it's been almost three months since my last blog. The fall and early winter blew by so quickly. So much has happened with Fourth Church Youth that it's hard to keep up!

For the past several months, my office has been evidence of this blur of time. My days have been so full that I haven't had time to keep things straight. The papers and books stacked up to dangerous levels. Things have remained untouched for months. I've been too embarrassed to hold meetings in my office. I haven't seen the surface of my desk or the cushions of my couches in ages.

Today I made some progress on excavating my desk. "Office archaeology", I'll call it. I found things that haven't seen the light of day for some time.

I'm hoping that things will slow down enough--or that I'll be organized and disciplined enough--to make some more progress.

And now it's time to start blogging again...

God Questions Are Good Questions

These questions were written by the youth and leaders of Fourth Church Rising, the 8th grade confirmation program at Fourth Presbyterian Church, at our fall retreat earlier this month. The questions are not listed in any particular order, but have been loosely grouped together by topic. The questions could be further subdivided into more specific topics, but this would begin to suggest answers, which we will explore together as we go along…

God

• How is it possible that God was always here? How did he exist in the first place?
• Why does God allow evil?
• If God created everything, who created God? (…and all the other deities mentioned in the creation story?)
• Why does God let people die of AIDS?
• Why does God let babies die?
• Does God listen to people’s prayers?
• Why does God let bad things happen?
• Is there really a God?
• How do we know God is real? Nobody has ever seen him in the last thousand years.
• If God can intervene, why do disasters happen? Were Darfur, Katrina, the tsunami, and 9/11 really in God’s plan?
• Does God answer our prayers? Does he hear them?
• Why should we worship someone who doesn’t answer?
• How does God smite people?
• How does God communicate with us?
• How does God deal with prayers?
• Why does God let bad things happen?
• Why does God let those kids in Africa starve to death?
• Why must we worship one who does not answer?
• If God created people in his image, why are there bad people?
• Are disasters a way of God getting around Noah’s covenant?
• Is God always with us?
• Why does God let innocent people get hurt?
• Why did God create guns?
• Why did God kill the lead singer of Sublime?

Creation

• Why was the earth created the way it was?
• Why were there dinosaurs?
• How did God create the universe?
• Why are there floods?

The Human Condition

• Why do people die?
• Why is it that when we try really hard to do something and make a genuine effort, it never seems to work out? (Not physical or academic things, but things in life in general.)
• Why do the Cubs keep losing?
• Why did God create humans so they have to sleep and eat?
• Is there a purpose for all the suffering on earth?
• Why am I the way I am?
• Why are there so many unanswered questions?
• Why do people have to die of cancer?
• Why were we created?
• Who am I? Why can’t you tell me who I am?
• Why do bad things happen?
• What is God trying to show me when I fight with my mother or boyfriend?
• What did I do wrong to deserve such horrible health issues? And why have I come out of surgeries successfully and others haven’t?
• If everything happens for a reason, why do people get hurt or die?
• Does everything happen for a reason?
• Why are some people liked more than others?
• Why are there hermaphrodites?

Jesus Christ

• Why do we believe in Jesus Christ?
• Was Mary a hermaphrodite?

The Bible

• How do we know the Bible contains real stories?
• Why didn’t God write the Bible himself?

Justice

• Why don’t Africans have water or food?
• Why doesn’t God protect those who can’t protect themselves?
• Why is segregation still in the world?
• Why are there people in Africa who are still starving?
• What’s the reason for poverty?

Christianity

• If Christianity is the true faith, what happens to non-Christians?

After Life

• If we go to heaven for eternity after life, what is the point of life?
• Does everyone go to heaven?
• What is heaven and hell?
• Do heaven and hell exist?

The Gospel According to TV

Mark Pinsky, the author of The Gospel According to the Simpsons, has written a good summary piece for Sightings about the presence of faith on TV. Check it out: "TV's Leap of Faith". Anyone who has heard me preach or even had a conversation with me knows that I agree with Pinsky'sbasic premise, that TV (and all of pop culture) is an important place to find religious discourse in our society and therefore an important conversation partner for the church as we think about God and humanity. As Pinsky and others observe, more people will watch these shows than will ever hear our sermons or Bible lessons...so we better be paying attention and we better be willing to join the conversation.

U2charist Rocks Fourth Church

On September 5, the U2 tribute band Elevation teamed up with Fourth Church Youth to create a worship experience unlike anything in the over 90 year history of the Fourth Church sanctuary. You can read more about the service here. You can check out a few pictures here.

It was definitely a unique experience, and I was somewhat serious that evening when I joked that I hoped to have a job the next morning. Thankfully, I am still the youth pastor at Fourth Church and I look forward to other opportunities to explore alternative worship experiences for youth and others.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect for this U2charist. We had about 200-250 people there, which isn't bad for the first time trying something, though I had secretly hoped for a packed house.

I worked hard to be sure that the U2 music we used in the service had integrity as worship music, and I think we mostly succeeded. I followed some of the basic contours of previous U2charists, but I made sure to give it a Presbyterian spin and made some different music selections than I had seen before. I also tried to weave the themes of the service together in my sermon, and folks have reported that this worked as well.

In the end, I think this was a great part of our fall kick-off (I know that the youth in attendance loved it) and a great experiment for us here at Fourth. It was moving to see youth and others connect with worship in a way that they hadn't before. It took us a while to loosen up (we are still Presbyterians, after all), but the congregation eventually got into it. The dancing in the aisles and pews didn't happen until the extended "Postlude" at the end, but that's okay. The music was loud in the sanctuary, but our ears eventually stopped ringing.

We were also able to collect a great offering for the PC(USA)’s Self-Development of People ministry, which is a good thing.

Finally, the experience raised lots of important questions about worship. Here are a few thoughts to ponder:

• Can "pop" music like U2 be used in worship in a meaningful way?
• What are those U2 songs really about, anyway?
• Does music need to be specifically written for worship in order to be worshipful or appropriate for worship?
• Is there a line between worship and entertainment? What is it? Does an experience like this blur the line too much?

There are many other I could list, but this will do for now.

In the meantime, for those interested in how we structured the service, here is the order of worship. Enjoy!

Prelude
"Beautiful Day"
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"

Welcome

Call to Worship

Song of Praise
"Elevation"

Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon

Response
"All Because of You"

Prayer for Illumination

Scripture
Genesis 1:24-31

Psalter
"40"

Scripture
Galatians 3:23-39

Sermon
"The Paradox of One"

Sermon Response
"One"

Apostles Creed

Prayers of the People

Offering
"Love and Peace or Else"

Doxology

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
"Peace on Earth"
"Yahweh"

Sending Song
"Walk On"

Benediction

Postlude
"City of Blinding Lights"
"Vertigo"
"New Year's Day"
"When Love Comes to Town"
"Pride (In The Name of Love)"
"Sunday, Bloody Sunday"
"Where the Streets Have No Name"