A House of Cedar or a Tent of Hide: Why Does It Matter?

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By Jim Perkinson, a sermon for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (pictured above) in Detroit, Michigan (July 21, 2024)

As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things (Mk 6:34).

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, Thus says the Lord: “Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling (2 Sam 7:4-6).

Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel (2 Sam 7:8b).

So, where are we today—in reality, in the text?  In our reality, it is simple, at one level. Apocalypse. An ending of the world as we have known it.  Not an absolute end, but a proximate and particular end.  “What” is ending?  Ah, the big question.  I would say: in a word, civilization.  Not the earth. Not the universe. But our species’ delusion about who we are on the planet.  And already I am deep in it, so let’s back up.

It is interesting in the texts today.  Jesus calls the disciples to go away to a desert-place (Mk 6:31).  Why? As we read in the lectionary offerings two weeks ago, he has gone home to Nazareth and been threatened with death (Mk 6:1-6; Lk 4:16-30). Sent the twelve out for a first foray into . . . . what? Actually, into gift-economy reciprocity and sabbath-sharing, with the very people—peasant small farmers—they are sent to (Mk 6:7-13). They don’t take a credit card and carry-on luggage with themselves.  They depend upon the people they are sent to.  Gift economy hospitality.  (Which, hint, hint, in this [biblical] tradition is characteristic of animal-herding lifestyle, not city-dwelling self-concern and opportunism. Pastoral nomad Abraham offering a meal inside his tent-flaps to three “wanderers” that show up at his “door” not urban Sodom’s exploitation and abuse of strangers as we read in the archetypal story in Genesis of the lifestyle difference between sheep-herders and city-dwellers.) (Gen 18:1-15 vs Gen 18:16-19:29).

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I Am Not Leaving

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Last week, Bernice Johnson Reagon became a living ancestor. This is the tribute that her daughter Toshi Reagon posted on Facebook on July 17, 2024.

I was here before I came and when I die, I am not leaving… – Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon

Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, a multi-award-winning force and cultural voice for freedom, transitioned on July 16, 2024. As a scholar, singer, composer, organizer and activist, Dr. Reagon spent over half a century speaking out against racism and systemic inequities in the U.S. and globally. Born in Dougherty County outside of Albany, Georgia on the 4th of October 1942, she was field secretary of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) and a founding member of the original SNCC Freedom Singers, formed in 1962. In 1966, she was a founding member of the Atlanta-based Harambee Singers. In 1973, while a graduate student of history at Howard University and vocal director of the D.C. Black Repertory Company, Dr. Reagon founded the internationally renowned African American women’s a cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey In The Rock, leading the group until her retirement in 2003. In 1974, Dr. Reagon began her leadership role at the Smithsonian Institution, which included curating the African Diaspora Program, creating the Program in Black American Culture, and producing and performing on numerous Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. For a decade, beginning in 1993, she served as Distinguished Professor in History at American University (AU) in Washington D.C. Dr. Reagon was named Professor Emerita of History at AU and Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian. She is the author of numerous publications, compositions and recordings.

Dr. Reagon has received countless awards and honors for her pioneering work as a scholar and artist, including, the Heinz Award for the Arts and Humanities, the Leeway National Award for Women in the Arts, the Presidential Medal for contribution to public understanding of the Humanities, the MacArthur Foundation Genius Award and the Peabody award for the groundbreaking Wade in the Water series (NPR/Smithsonian Folkways).

Born to Reverend Jesse Johnson and Beatrice Wise Johnson, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon’s family members include her life partner Adisa Douglas, children Toshi Reagon and Kwan Reagon, grandchild, Tashawn Nicole Reagon, numerous family members including siblings, Jordan Warren Johnson, Deloris Johnson Spears, Adetokunbo Tosu Tosasolim, Mamie Johnson Rush, several nieces and nephews, and extended family, J. Bob Alotta, Amy Horowitz, James and Miriam Early and a community of beloved collaborators and fellow artists.

Details regarding a public celebration of life forthcoming.

Genocide: Absent from the Title, Marginalized in the Body

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A stunning open letter from Kairos Palestine in response to this letter from the Word Council of Churches last month. This is an invaluable resource for liberal Christians who painfully continue to “both sides” this decades-long oppressive situation. [RD.net bolded portions below for our own emphasis]

Open letter to the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches 

”But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”  (2 Peter 3:13)

Esteemed Members of the Executive Committee,

We at Kairos Palestine extend our appreciation of your statement issued in Bogota, Colombia by your esteemed Committee (6-11 June) titled: ”THE ESCALATING CRISIS IN GAZA”. We trust that the statement was issued with great concern and with the urgent need to terminate the atrocious crimes in Gaza.

However, as Palestinians, as Christians and as your partners, we would like to bring to your attention the following points pertaining to the content and the calls included in the statement:

1- We believe that the title ”Escalating Crisis in Gaza” is neither accurate, nor adequate. The protracted ”crisis” is a result of 8 months of Israel’s incessant large-scale military aggression which mounts to acts of genocide, prior to which, Gaza has been strangled by a 17year blockade that forced 2.3 million people to become aid-dependent and extremely vulnerable to famine and starvation. Especially with WCC being one of the key partners of the Office of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in the drafting of the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes (’the Fez Process’), it holds an elevated responsibility in identifying a genocide, condemning it with the strongest possible terms and acting to end it immediately. Besides our own accounts and meticulous documentation of the genocide as Palestinians, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) did confirm in its provisional measures that Israel’s is plausibly committing genocide. Not only is the term genocide absent from the title, it is marginalized in the body of the statement instead of being the essence of what the statement is condemning and calls for ending immediately. Investigation after investigation concludes that Israel is committing atrocious crimes under international law, including the most recent report[1] by the UN Commission of Inquiry which concluded that Israel is committing the crime of Extermination against the Palestinian people. It cannot be acceptable that crimes of such scale, committed deliberately over 8 months, be narrowed down to a ”crisis”.

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Part of the Great Body

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By Joanna Lawrence Shenk, a pastor at First Mennonite Church of San Francisco

A sermon on Psalm 85:8-13

Thank you, Sarah, for that reading which offers us a compelling vision of the kindom of God. The writer of this psalm is reflecting on who they know the Divine to be – one who brings peace and thriving to a community – to the land and the people. There is so much beautiful imagery: love and faithfulness meeting, justice and peace embracing (or kissing!). Fidelity sprouting from the earth and justice leaning down from heaven. It’s an ecosystem of care and connection. The writer has a trust in something greater that is holding the world. They were part of a community that they knew was held in the care of the Creator. 

Given the national and global happenings of recent days, weeks and months, some of us may say “well that sounds like a nice little image for a children’s bible, but how does it relate to the mess of a world we’re living in?! Where exactly are justice and peace kissing each other right now?” 

Without a doubt, many of us have heavy hearts this morning (and what a balm to celebrate the life of little Joaquin as he was dedicated in this congregation today). We see and feel the way that capitalism is crumbling down on top of the most vulnerable. We grieve and we rage at the ongoing environmental polycrisis. We’ve said no over and over again to the bombardment of Gaza and yet the missiles paid for by our tax dollars keep raining down on Palestinians, destroying life. 

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We Are Taught By Them

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An open letter from faith leaders to the administration of Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

June 26, 2024

President Espy, Provost Clabo, and the WSU Board of Governors,

We, the undersigned faith leaders from varied traditions and denominations, write to express our profound concern and condemnation regarding the police brutality against students and community members that occurred on May 30. A number of us have been present to the Wayne State encampment and others similar. They strike us as embodying beloved community, listening and learning gatherings of conscience. Indeed we are taught by them.

We understand the demands of the students – the divestment from war and weapons manufacturing – to be a good and just pursuit for which you should take pride as university leadership. Instead, you authorized the deployment of riot police and the use of brutal force against members of our communities, including the violent removal of a woman’s hijab, a grave violation within the Islamic faith.

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Interfaith Action for Palestine

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At the end of this month, RadicalDiscipleship.net will be joining an interfaith coalition in D.C. to take on Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the largest Zionist organization in the country. For those unfamiliar, Christian Zionism is a far-right fascist ideology that is not only antisemitic and a majority force responsible for the ongoing U.S.-sponsored Israeli genocide being waged on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, it is aggressively white-and-Christian supremacist in a way that is actively working within the highest places of power in our nation to strip us all of our rights, safety and freedoms here domestically as well. In the face of the full court press these far-right Christian extremists are waging, we will be participating in the largest interreligious protest for Palestine. Please consider joining us July 28-30 if you can! Both in-person and online options are available.

For more details, join this mass informational call hosted by Christians for a Free Palestine tonight (9amPT/12pmET): https://christiansforafreepalestine.com/events/iapinfo2

To register to join in this action in some capacity, click here: interfaithforpalestine.com/takeaction 

The Onslaught of the Intolerant

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The conclusion of a piece written by Chris Hedges in June 2022, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Originally posted on Common Dreams.

All those tasked in our society with interpreting the world around us forgot, as philosopher Karl Popper wrote in The Open Society and Its Enemies, that “unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”

These scholars, writers, intellectuals, and journalists, like those in Weimar Germany, bear much of the blame. They preferred accommodation over confrontation. They stood by as the working class was stripped of rights and impoverished by the billionaire class, fertilizing the ground for an American fascism. Those who orchestrated the economic, political, and social assault are the major donors to the universities. They control trustee boards, grants, academic prizes, think tanks, promotion, publishing, and tenure. Academics, looking for an exit, ignored the attacks by the ruling oligarchy. They ascribed to the Christian fascists, bankrolled by huge corporations such as Tyson Foods, Purdue, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Warehouse, attributes that did not exist. They tacitly gave the Christian fascists religious legitimacy. These Christian fascists are an updated version of the so-called German Christian Church, or Deutsche Christen, which fused the iconography and symbols of the Christian religion with the Nazi party. The theologian Paul Tillich, the first non-Jewish German professor to be blacklisted from German universities by the Nazis, angrily chastised those who refused to fight “the paganism of the swastika” and retreated into a myopic preoccupation with personal piety.

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The Queerness of God

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So grateful for Ken Sehested’s ongoing work and witness over at prayerandpolitiks.org. This is from his intro to Queer Theology 101. Ken is not new to this. He is true to this.

Years ago I represented the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists on the board of the Institute for Welcoming Resources, an ecumenical coalition of networks within multiple Protestant bodies advocating for the full inclusion of the LGBTQ community within the life of the church. On the way home from one of those meetings, I began a mental outline of what would become my sermon on Epiphany Sunday. Below is an excerpt (with some revisions).
 
On the plane coming home I began composing a new sermon or essay—Queer Theology 101—dealing with the unpredictability, the “foolishness,” the queerness of God in choosing covenant partners and the destabilizing effect on all existing political arrangements and established orthodoxies.
 
While queer theology flows from the historically particular experience of the  LGBTQ community, it is not only for them. I don’t think this is a cultural co-opting but rather an enrichment of theological insight nourishing the whole community.
 
The queer theology I envision points to the insistence of the Apostles Peter and Paul that Gentiles were to be welcomed into the household of faith. I can assure you that that the question was as controversial then as the question of queer folkx in the church over the past decades.
 
Queer theology references Jesus’ selection of the unclean Samaritan as a model of faith in the coming Reign of God; of pagan astrologers as the first to recognize the significance of that bright star announcing Mary’s birth pangs; of Ruth’s inclusion in Jesus’ genealogy, even though she was a Moabite, a stranger to the household of faith; of a black Baptist preacher, from Georgia of all places—Martin Luther King Jr.—who would come to be recognized among the leading figures in our republic’s pantheon of heroes and the church’s prophetic tradition. The Bible, and history, is chocked full of such queerness.
 
This is the heart of Epiphany’s announcement. Though the news is good, especially for those who have had no place at the table of bounty, those currently managing and policing the table sense the terror of this message. And they will resist it, with vicious propaganda, virulent threats and public intimidation, even with bloody violence.
 
News of Jesus’ birth, as T.S. Eliot wrote in his “Magi” poem, will be “hard and bitter agony” for some. And we could find (and have found) ourselves in the middle of such a tumultuous backlash.
 
As one of my theology professors, James Cone, was fond of saying, to understand the goodness of the Gospel news we must inquire as to when, why, and for whom such news is troublesome and unwelcome.
 
It is no accident that history is littered with marginalized, disenfranchised and excluded people. Powerful interests, often hidden from public view, are at work in maintaining established order. Disrupting this order will be considered a disruption of the “peace” and be met with demands that public authority reassert “law and order.”
 
Those captivated by the vision of a different Order will always chaff at the present disorder. Don’t let the bright lights and bustling headlines distract. Our job is to keep our sight on that distant horizon which, ironically enough, trains our eyes to spot the Spirit’s efflorescent work here and now—even as we speak!—with buds breaking through resistant ground and in the most unlikeliest of places, where God’s odd, irregular, unexpected, overlooked ones are at work.
 
Then, casting caution to the wind, join them.

Mask Off Maersk

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For people of faith and conscience wondering what they can tangibly do right now, the Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing this compelling campaign.

The Palestinian Youth Movement’s campaign to Cut Ties with Genocide is a fight against Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping and logistics companies that directly facilitates the weapons trade. Without Maersk, Israel would not have the weapons to commit its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
We call on Maersk to Cut Ties with Genocide!

Maersk is one of the most profitable companies on earth, with money soaked in the blood of over 40,000 Palestinian martyrs. We demand Maersk cut ties with Israel and end its complicity in the genocide of Palestinians.

Since October, Maersk has transported over $300 million of weapons components for the top 5 weapons manufacturers to the US for assembly. For example, Maersk transports the wings of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets to the US where these weapons are manufactured. After assembly, these weapons are sent to Israel from the US. In fact, 68% of Israel’s weapons come from the US. The majority of these weapons are sent by the US Department of Defense which Maersk also has links to. Specifically, Maersk is part of the the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement (VISA) and the Maritime Security Program (MSP) which transport weapons on behalf of the US Department of Defense. Maersk is both complicit in the transport of weapons components to the US, and the transport of weapons from the US to Israel, making it a critical link in the weapons supply chain.

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