a letter to Jason Altmire

apologia: Some might have questions about my decision to write to Congressman Jason Altmire concerning the current Gaza situation.  I admit, I have struggled with several questions.  What is my motivation?  Will it do any good?  What can Altmire actually do?

As one who tries to follow Jesus of Nazareth, I’ve struggled with my role as as a ‘citizen’ of the United States.  I tend to ally with the Anabaptist traditions concerning the church’s relation to the nations of this world.  My beliefs are still being formed, but I definitely look with skepticism at the nations, including the United States.  I believe my ultimate citizenship is of an invisible nation, the kingdom of God.  At the same time, I cannot deny that Jesus seems to teach that we must be responsible citizens of this world.  I did not ask to be a US citizen, but I am one, and therefore I must be the best citizen that I can possibly be.  All too often Christians suggest this just means voting.  Well, I did not vote this year because I found it impossible to endorse any candidate for any office.  I do however, strive to obey the laws of this land, including the speed limit.  I think citizenship goes far beyond the political, and enters the social and economic realms as well.  I keep informed on what is happening politically, but it generally just saddens me.  It is a corrupt system run by money and power which stands in opposition to the service, sacrifice and submission taught by Jesus.

So comes the present crisis, which is just one of many which constantly hail us.  Why has this situation pushed me to actually write a letter to a congressman?  It is not so much the present crisis so much as the current state of my life.  I have written before of my ideals and my struggles to manifest them in action.  How do we connect the man of thought with the man of action?  How do we live out our convictions?  I think the unification between ideals and action is something that takes a lifetime.  I am getting better, I hope, slowly.  Gradually, I hope that I will be able to share my opinions and convictions solely through action.  And so this letter is just one of my baby steps in that journey.

One last thought, I believe that the nature of democracy demands protest.  All governments claim to be serving their people, whether their leader is Hugo Chavez, Mohmoud Amidinijad, or Barack Obama.  The United States claims to be doing all of its actions in the name of the American people.  Well, what when they do things in my name that I do not, indeed, cannot endorse?  I have a right and an obligation to speak out, and so I will attempt to.

The letter: So I have composed this letter to Jason Altmire and I placed it in the mail today.

January 7, 2009

Dear Congressman Altmire,

It is under the gravest and most sobering of circumstances that I feel compelled to write to you this letter.  Today marks the twelfth day of an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.  While the British Prime Minister has called the situation a “humanitarian crisis,” this could easily be seen as a politically charged understatement.  Women and children, who were living their lives normally two weeks prior, are now dead.  We hear about them in numbers, but their loss will be grieved by family until their memory too parishes.

And what of the international response to this crisis?  It appears that the United States will continue to support the Israeli offense in the region, arguing that Israel has a right to defend itself. Tell me, how long can the argument of self-defense be used to destroy the homes and lives of innocent civilians?  Some nations, like Great Britain, have verbally condemned the attacks.  Though their motives are no doubt questionable, only Venezuela has taken serious action in the situation through their removal of Israel’s foreign ambassador from their country.

Israel’s aggression and blatant disregard for civilian life must be brought to accountability.  Those responsible for the targeting, of innocent civilians and schools must be tried for war crimes. Likewise, those who ignore the humanitarian crisis, which is already present in Gaza, must be held responsible.

You, Congressman Altmire, have been elected at this time, for such an occasion as this.  You represent the American people.  I write to you as both a citizen of this nation, and as a citizen of humanity.  As both I urge you, by the means you have been grated by your office, to push for international accountability in this crisis.  Already your fellow congressman, Dennis Kucinich, is appealing that existing law be upheld and that Israel be held culpable for their breeches of humanitarian law.  I ask you to do what justice and mercy demands, by the power granted you by your election to office.

It is with sincere request that I conclude this appeal,

Dean Baldwin

the impotence of international law, the power of the individual

I thought this article was well written, and I empathize with the frustrations of the author.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin: Obama’s ‘Hope’less Response to the War on Gaza.

But is it realistic to think that the international community would actually condemn Israel and their blatant breeches of international law?  Perhaps this is cynical, but I don’t think it is possible.  The United States, which many see as the most powerful nation in the world, has been participating in illegal wars (Iraq, for example) for years, completely  unchecked by the international community.  Is it any surprise that Israel, who the US continues to back unconditionally, would follow in US footsteps?

And, need I write of the irony of the situation?  Here, on one hand, the US and Israel condemn international aggression (Hamas, Hezbolah, and of course, Russia’s invasion of Georgia), yet all the while both nations are the worst of perpetrators of international aggressive conflict.

We tout ourselves as an ethical nation.  We’ve agreed to the UN charter and international law.  We’ve agreed to limit our nuclear arms.  All the while we’ve violated our commitments.  We have one of the largest caches of nuclear arms in the world, yet we condemn other nations for trying to create their own.  We condemn international aggression, yet we are perhaps the worst offender.

Granted I in no way support the aggression of Hamas, Hezbolah, or anyone else, I’m just continuing to find the double standard laughable.  I’m convinced that because of corruption, the only solution to these issues is grassroots.

If there is to be international peace, it will not come at the hands of agreements between corrupt governments, it will come from Christian, Muslim, Jew, et al, looking one another in the eyes and acknowledging our common humanity, our common dignity, and our common enemy which is our own desire for gain.  It will be through on-the-ground work by organizations like Christian Peacemaker Teams, that progress will be made.  I wish it could be otherwise, but I don’t think it will be possible.  It has been said that means are ends in the making.  Therefore peace, security, and safety must come through non-violent means or they will too become violent ends.

Prayers for those who are currently suffering.

Blessed art thou Lord God of the Universe, who art the only true judge…May he pour out his mercy on mankind.

on gaza

This is a video that the world needs to see:

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Inside Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital.

I found this video extremely discomforting.  I hear people keep saying that Israel has a right to defend themselves, but I fail to see the benefits of disproportionate and misappropriated force.  How many women and children have to die for the world to do something about this?

And, according to this article, Israel has lost five soldiers and four civilians to the reported 195 children they have killed (not including men and women).  It is only slightly comforting that the Israel has agreed to open “areas for limited periods of time, during which the population will be able to receive the aid” in order to “prevent a humanitarian crisis”.

The humanitarian cirsis is already beyond prevention.  It is happening now and it should stop.  Unconditional support of Israeli military offense must stop.

young evangelicals: an identity crisis (part 1)

Alright, so I’ve  learned that some people actually read my blog.  That gives me some satisfaction (even though half read it because they know me, and half stumble upon it by accident).

I’ve been thinking about the topic of young evangelical identity lately as a possible paper topic for a conference being held at my Alma Mater.  Carson Clark, a friend of mine who is organizing the event, asked me to participate, though I’m not sure I will.

Regardless of whether I submit a paper or not, the idea of young evangelical identity has been fermenting in my mind recently.  Since graduating from a very conservative evangelical Bible college, I have had some time to think.  For me, and for several of my friends, attending a Christian college like Toccoa was one of the most difficult experiences of my life.  Surrounded by Christians I found myself feeling alone, especially when it came to issues I found important (reverence, art/aesthetics, pacifism/non-violence, social issues, environmental concern/sustainability, church history, racial reconciliation).

Over the course of college, I had several friends who felt the same way.  One converted to Anglicanism, one to Catholicism, and one is seriously considering Eastern Orthodoxy.  I knew of several others who considered themselves post-modern Christians (whatever that means,  I guess they were aligning more with McClaren, etc.).  At the same time I was reading material like Irresistible Revolution by other young evangelicals who were calling themselves a New Monasticism.  And then there were my friends who left the faith completely…With my interest in the anabaptist faith then, here were a handful of young evangelicals that I knew, or knew of, who were literally flocking to everything save the faith they were raised in.

This past month I had the opportunity to visit another fairly conservative Christian college out in Indiana.  I was intrigued to discover that there were several folks out there having the same conversations and issues regarding the evangelical faith they were brought up in.  I stayed for four days with a couple of guys, one was in the process of being confirmed in the catholic faith, the other was working as a catholic minister, both were raised evangelical protestant.

My hypotheses is that this is a nationwide trend.  Young evangelicals are leaving the faith in droves.  They are becoming catholics, anabaptists, emergents, anglicans, eastern orthodox, and new monastics in order to become better disciples of Jesus.  I’m not sure all that is involved in this radical departure from the faith of our youth, but I have some ideas which I hope to explore in later posts:

• The American evangelical protestant expression of Christianity seriously lacks an appreciation for mystery, beauty, and art: Most (if not all) of the people I’ve met firsthand who have left the faith, have been artists of one kind or another.  I think this is a serious issue and I’ll explore that later.
• The American evangelical protestant expression of Christianity has all but aligned itself with outright support of unjust and economically motivated wars, and our American culture of violence and “right to self-defense” (I think this trend is slowly changing).
• The American evangelical protestant expression of Christianity has adopted the American ahistorical culture.  We are disconnected from the previous generation, and every generation prior to our own.  “Church History” means, all to often, studying the Book of Acts.  We have little or no knowledge of the saints or much of the rest of Christian history.  This has created a movement wide identity crisis: we call ourselves evangelical but we don’t know what that means or where we come from (though we call it Luther and brag about the 95 Theses).
• The American evangelical protestant expression of Christianity is divorced from nature (again, like the predominant American culture).  As Wendell Berry has wisely, and simply, put it, “Land that is used will be ruined unless it is properly cared for.”  The story of America has been the exploitation of our natural resources, and of all people, God fearers should be most appalled by the damaging of his creation which is under our care.

I’m definitely starting graduate school.  I graduate with my BA May 17th, and less than three weeks later I will begin working on my MA in Urban Studies.  I’m pretty darn excited, so excited its making concentrating on my current classes a bit more difficult.  Nothing to kill your motivation like being accepted into grad school, eh?   I’m so tempted to just throw in the towel, but I seem to be temperamentally incapable of quite rolling over and dying.  My first residency and classes will be June 4-11.  I’ll be taking the following:

1. Foundations for Arts in Transformation
2. Arts, Creativity, and Human Development
3. Arts and Spiritual Development
4. Arts in Education
5. Organization for Community Arts

I’m sure there will be lots of fuel there for future pontifications.

I’m really nor sure where I’m going to be working so if you know any place that is hiring English Majors, besides Wendy’s, then feel free to pass along some information.  I was listening to The Prairie Home Companion the other day and they told me that, “An English Major’s prize, is a job selling fries, or making lattes nice and hot…”  I’m afraid that might end up being my lot, at least for the next couple of years.  I do have an interview next week with Americorps for a possible literacy position in Pittsburgh.

On April 1, 2008 Kurt Vonnegut, Jr’s latest work, Armageddon in Retrospect, was published.  I received it in the mail on the 9th, and was done with it by the 12th.  I really do love old KVJ (not to be confused with KJV).  He really did respect Jesus, I’m a little disappointed he never really became a full, outright, follower of him.  Anyway, Armageddon is a series of short stories and essays about war and peace.  KVJ served during WW2, and even though he was not in combat for very long he saw some gruesome pictures of humanity.  His accounts of his German captivity in Dresden is haunting.  His depictions of Americans as just like their German enemies, as well as the Russians, helps remind us that we are no better than our enemies most of the time.  The allies firebombed Dresden into rubble.  Dresden that was a civilian city filled with hospitals, schools, the arts, and churches.  Over 100,000 lost their lives overnight, many of them women and children.  Vonnegut and his fellow prisoners spent weeks digging out bodies from the rubble.  One corpse he found was of a young boy with his dog still leashed to him.

Anyone who likes KVJ will like this book.  It is much more reserved than some of his other books.  It has an older feel to it.  Anyone interested in some creative arguments against war should pick it up too.  Fiction is capable of making the truth digestible, even if not desirable.

A peacemaking pilgrimage

This summer I will have the privilege to travel to Israel and occupied Palestine for two weeks to work with Christian Peacemaker Teams.  More information will be coming soon.  You can read about the delegation, as well as Christian Peacemaker Teams’ other delegations here:

http://www.cpt.org/participate/delegation/schedule

I’ll be writing about this more extensively in the future.  I also read a very interesting article today about the practicality of non-violent peacemaking.  Very thought provoking.  You can read it here:

http://www.gmu.edu/academic/pcs/nagler.html

Why we use the phrase “social justice”

After my last post I received an email from someone who I believe was a very well intentioned individual. They expressed some reasons why conservative Christians often have a very negative reaction when people, like myself, throw around phrases such as “social justice” when referring to working with the poor, or in the case of my last post, Christian peacemaking efforts. He suggested that this reaction is often because they have too often heard it used as code for liberal social policies which he believes actually contribute to the problems by looking to the Government as a secular Messiah rather than stressing the teaching of individual responsibility which is actually required to make a long-term difference. To quote him directly, “It seems that what you are really talking about is not social justice–as if the poor somehow deserve to have the effects of their irresponsible decisions ameliorated–but social grace.” Now, before my socially conscious readers react too strongly to this, let me just say that I have no doubt that this person is incredibly well meaning. And he is correct in pointing out that some people are poor because of their own bad choices. He also believes that regardless of the reason why someone is poor, or in a rough situation, a Christian is still called to be compassionate.

What I think he fails to recognize, and I do not think he is alone in this failure, is that those of us who seek social justice are not trying to pardon people who have made bad choices. We simply acknowledge that people do not make bad choices in a vacuum. The young man who has young children, and fails to adequately provide for them, and is accused of objectifying women, is the same young man who was exposed to pornography before he went to kindergarten. The addict who prostitutes herself to get a three dollar hit of crack-cocaine is the same woman whose boyfriend began lacing her cigarettes with crack in order to get her addicted. People make bad choices, but there are also systems of evil in place that encourage these bad choices. Social justice is concerned with exposing these systems that encourage people to make evil choices. To deny personal responsibility is to deny moral reality, but to deny that these systems exist is an equal denial of moral reality.

Injustice in the social realm exists.

• It is an injustice when African-American minors are 48 times more likely to be incarcerated for the same crimes that their white counterparts commit.
• It is an injustice when inmates are forced to manufacture lingerie for companies like Victoria’s Secret for about a dollar an hour.
• It is an injustice when Palestinians are denied their natural rights because of Israeli occupation.
• It is an injustice when the poor of our country have no representation in government because it costs so much to run a political campaign.
• It is an injustice when alcohol and tobacco companies spend disproportionate amounts of money to target youth and minorities in poor communities.
• It is an injustice when our military uses depleted uranium munitions which causes radioactive materials to enter people’s food and water systems.
• It is an injustice when almost 900 Palestinian minors have been killed by Israeli security forces since September of 2000.
• It is an injustice when our nation, one of the key figures in the United Nations and a signer of the U.N. charter, willfully breaks U.N. policy by executing minors, waging preemptive war, and torturing prisoners.
• It is an injustice when U.S. soldiers rape and murder Iraqi women and murder their families and are not held accountable for it.
• It is an injustice when American Christians sit back and do not hold their government to accountability in these areas.
• It is an injustice when Americans are overweight and obese when millions in the world are starving.

If these are not examples of social injustice and oppression then I do not know what are. These are the reasons we use the term “social justice.”

“I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Every one has those things in their life that they are passionate about. For some it is sports, or a particular sport, for others it is music, or any number of things. We form a connection with these passions to the point that, when they are rejected by others, we sometimes take the rejection personally and feel the need to defend ourselves and our passions.

So when I mentioned to one of my professors my dismay that I hadn’t found a single evangelical peacemaking organization, my disappointment in his response was certainly a normal reaction. “That’s because Jesus said that he didn’t come to bring peace but a sword,” was his reply, as if that was the end of the issue. I was probably visibly shocked, but I decided not to argue just then.

 

My disappointment in my professor’s response goes beyond a personal feeling of rejection as a result of someone rejecting a personal passion. I think my professor’s response is indicative of an overarching problem in evangelical Christianity, namely, a poor understanding of the social aspects of the gospel. It is attitudes represented by my professor that have prompted certain accusations that evangelicals only care about the soul and spiritual salvation and care little or nothing for the body and social justice.

The gospel seems to self-evidently concern itself with justice. In fact, the entire Bible is riddled with the issue of social justice. The Israelites are constantly being reminded to care for the alien, the fatherless, and the widow. The prophets repeatedly condemn rulers for exploiting the poor. The first chapter of Isaiah addresses the rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah and pleads with them to cease their vain spirituality and exercise justice and end oppression. Jesus specifically mentions that those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit prisoners are performing those very actions for Jesus himself! Social justice and oppression’s end is close to the heart of Jesus.

 

At a time when many evangelical denominations were focusing only on the spiritual aspects of the gospel in a reaction to the social gospel, A. B. Simpson presented a balanced approach to the gospel of Jesus. He argued that Christianity must seek to minister to both body and soul. To quote Simpson:

 

“There is room not only for the worship of God, the teaching of sacred truth, and the evangelization of the lost, but also for every phase of practical philanthropy and usefulness. There may be, in perfect keeping with the simple order and dignity of the church of God, the most aggressive works for the masses and the widest welcome for every class of sinful men; the ministry of healing for the sick and suffering administered in the name of Jesus; the most complete provision for charitable relief; industrial training and social elevation for the degraded classes, workshops for the unemployed, homes for the orphaned, shelter for the homeless, refuges for the inebriates, the fallen and helpless; missions for the heathen; Christian literature for the instruction of the people and every agency needed to make the church of God the light of the world and the mothering of the suffering and the lost. And there is no work that will be more glorifying to God than a church that will embrace just such features and completeness.”

(Simpson Body and Soul, 5)

 

It is easy to see, at least in the tradition of the C&MA that social justice was seen by some evangelicals as central to the church’s mission.

 

So, why the aversion to Christian Peacemaking?

 

In defense of my professor, I’m guessing that the misconception is that Christian peacemaking is viewed as social activism instead of social welfare work, and indeed it can often take on an identity of social activism. The Christian peacemaking I would like to see, however, is peacemaking that is service oriented. I think Christians need to place themselves in fractured, violent, and war-torn communities in order to be a peaceful presence, and demonstrate the Christian alternative to this world’s ways of dealing with conflict.

 

What would happen if Christians devoted as much effort to waging peace as nations do to waging war? This is the question posited by the Christian Peacemaker Teams (www.cpt.org). Would this effort not be an incredible witness to armies on both sides of conflicts? Picture Christians moving to war-torn Iraq, helping widows and orphans and those injured by conflicts, providing medical care to victims of collateral damage and food supplies for the poor who cannot get access to food due to embargos, etc. What a powerful witness that would be, and a demonstration that we are not afraid to love in the midst of physical danger.

 

I think there is a responsibility on the part of Christian peacemaking organizations to make sure they emphasize the social welfare aspects of their ministries in greater proportion than their activism aspects. There are several reasons for this. First, it would be in beneficial in creating a united Christian support for peacemaking from both pacifists and just-war theorists alike. Even Christian proponents of just-war theory should hate war as much as pacifists due to its obvious and unavoidably destructive nature. Consequently, if peacemakers focused on alleviating these destructive effects, while offering the victims of this destruction hope in Jesus Christ, rather than just picketing wars, perhaps their just-war counterparts would be in full support of their efforts. Perhaps just-war adherents would even JOIN in peacemaking. What I am suggesting is, rather than only fighting war by trying to change policy (still an honorable task, in this man’s opinion), work to alleviate the effects of war and prevent war through peaceful ministry. We can create peace through presence much more readily than we can through policy, and we might get some of our just-war friends to join us. There is no reason we cannot work together to alleviate the ill effects of war; even if we disagree on the justice of war, we all agree that the ill effects of it are tragedies. And even if there will always be wars (as there will always be poor amongst us), that does not diminish our responsibility to minister to war-torn regions.

 

I’ve many more thoughts on this subject, and this is certainly not a comprehensive look on the issue. This is a brief survey of the issue and some of the ideas I’m toying with. I think I will be expounding on some of these ideas in the future, but wanted to get this out there initially. I welcome critiques and further ideas on these subjects.

Mixed Thoughts on the DREAM act

The internet is an interesting thing. It is a tool that has great potential for good, and astounding potential for evil. American freedom of speech is an interesting thing too. I think I said in a previous post on here that under American democracy, which claims to be representing the American people in its legislation, every citizen has a right and responsibility to speak out when that government promotes legislation that he/she opposes. The internet is a forum by which individuals can voice their dissent.

Here are some concerns I have with recent legislation. The DREAM act was recently shot down by congress by a close 52-44 vote, a mere 8 votes away from the 60 needed for it pass. (You can read about this and the DREAM act itself here http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20816.html) The bill has been advertised by many as a bill promoting amnesty to young immigrants. It would provide immigrants who graduate high school to gain citizenship in one of two ways: 1)through completing two years of college and 2) through serving in the US military. The bill, if passed, could hypothetically provide US citizenship for around 1,000,000 currently illegal immigrants. We’re talking about a lot of people being affected by this bill.

The Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan immigration think tank, has estimated the Dream Act would allow about 279,000 currently undocumented residents to attend college or join the military. About 715,000 illegal immigrants between the ages of 5 and 17 who are now in the country would become eligible, according to the research group. ~ The Chicago Tribune

Now, here is where this post gets sketchy. I’m about to share some of my opinions on this matter. Let me preface them by suggesting that this is a highly complex issue. I am also not a US immigrant, and I am coming from y own particular background. I am in complete support of a bill that promotes amnesty. If it were up to me, I would promote unconditional amnesty. God clearly commands that we are to treat the alien with respect, dignity and love. He constantly reminds the Israelites to be kind to aliens because they were aliens in Egypt. I think this ethic continues into the New Testament. When a legislation makes it easier for aliens to enter a country illegally, there is not a problem with immigration, there is a problem with legislation. I agree that immigration policy needs reformation. I do not think, however, that the DREAM act is the great giver of freedom that it claims to be.

The US is in the midst of wars in the Middle East that have our resources and military personnel stretched. In the midst of this, US secretary of defense Robert gates just recently announced a 2.63 Billion dollar military expansion project. The plan is to add an additional 74,000 individuals to the US military by 2010. Where will these recruits come from? Some argue that they will come by increasing incentives for those already in the military. The sad reality is, however, that the military already targets poor minority men. There is no doubt in my mind that his practice will continue. If the DREAM act had been passed, approximately 1,000,000 would have been eligible for CONDITIONAL US citizenship through military service. Many of these immigrents would have been forced to serve in the US military’s unjust wars in order to gain citizenship. Many of them would have died serving a country which they were not even citizens of. Sound familiar? Thats because we did this to blacks during the civil war and the revolutionary war…

The shame in all of this is that those immigrants heading to college have been denied citizenship as well. If the DREAM act had been reworked in order to allow unconditional citizenship, I would be in full support. Granting citizenship through college is better than no citizenship at all. Granting citizenship only after military service is modern slavery and demonstrates our hatred toward immigrants.

When its Hard to be a Pacifist

Its days like today that it is not fun to be a pacifist. I received an email yesterday and this is what it said:

“On Thursday, May 3rd at 10:25 AM a young soldier from Franklin County will be coming home.Ryen was killed serving our country overseas and will be arriving at the Toccoa Airport on Thursday. The college is asking our students who can gather on Big A to support his family and show the community our support for one who was willing to sacrifice his life for his country.”

When push comes to shove, I believe Ryen died for nothing. I believe that Ryen’s life had value, but he was a soldier commanded to fight in an unjust war and the loss of his life for the “defense of this country” is meaningless. But that makes me sound as heartless as a war-hawk…Ryen’s death is a tragedy, as is the loss of all human life. I don’t know why it happened and I wish that it hadn’t. His death was as senseless as those that have died in Darfur, or the shootings earlier this year in Aliquippa. Death, wherever it happens is a tragedy. My honest condolences go out to Ryen’s family. It is the individual lives affected by war that make it so tragic. It is not nations that feel the pain of these losses, but fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers. It is the weak–children, poor, and marginalized–that suffer the most.

There must be a better way to peace.

“Sure as a hammer finds a nail, death is the only way to peace” ~Derek Webb

It is Christians dying for others–socially, emotionally and yes physically– that can bring the world peace. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom through his death, and we are called to follow suite. Only through radically associating, and relating to the hurting can we effect peace in this war torn and restless world.

It is not guaranteed to be successful, but a human history of war has never brought peace: the “war to end all wars” (WW1) led to the “war to make the world safe for democracy” (WW2) which has led to more war, and a world hostile to human life (including democracy!). When will we learn?

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” ~George Santayana