Loving Those We See

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Peter GathjeBy Peter Gathje, Professor of Christian Ethics and Associate Dean for Curriculum and Instruction at Memphis Theological Seminary; a founder of Manna House, a place of hospitality in Memphis. This article first appeared on his Radical Hospitality blog in October 2014 and was reposted this summer in the Atlanta Open Door Community Hospitality newsletter

One of our guests is in the hospital. She was brutally beaten and stabbed and left for dead just a block from Manna House. This guest is an African American transvestite. We lifted her up in prayer this morning when we opened at Manna House. We invite others to do the same.
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Moments of Transformation

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val burrisFrom Cindy Milstein in Organizing Social Spaces as if Social Relations Matter (Thanks to community organizer Aaron Handelsman for this):

If we believe that failure and success are separate, stable moments; and if we think that being human, being imperfect, is in itself wrong, then we’ve already lost…The point of revolutions is not to achieve some permanently perfect world, or a utopia in the most caricatured of definitions. it is to find ourselves having different, less horrendous conflicts…It’s about making better mistakes, and utilizing our better failures as moments of transformation in pursuit of an ever-freer society, filled with ever more dignity and freedom, among other lovely practices.

Aug. 6 Pentagon Witness- 5 Arrested

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IMG_20150806_081948_919A message from Art Laffin, of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington DC

Dear Friends,

To commemorate the 70th year since the U.S. began the Nuclear Age by dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, 30 friends from the Atlantic Life Community and other peace groups participated on August 6 in an early morning peace witness at the Pentagon that was organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. The group carried signs, photos of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, and banners, two of which read: “Remember the Past, Repent the Sin, Reclaim the Future–Hiroshima and Nagasaki” and “Abolish Nuclear Weapons.” The group then processed from Army-Navy Drive to the regular protest site near the Pentagon metro station. While most people entered the police designated protest area, five of our community remained on the sidewalk a good distance behind the main procession, and were prevented by police from walking any further. They proceeded to kneel or stand  across the sidewalk, holding photos of Hiroshima victims, as several people spread ashes on the pavement. Bill Streit, Nancy Gowen, Kathy Boylan and Andrea Eiland were arrested within ten minutes. Steve Baggarly, who handed out at least of dozen leaflets about the conversion of Fr. George Zabelka, the Enola Gay military chaplain, was also arrested for leafleting. They were all charged with “disobeying a lawful order.” Steve was given an additional charge under a “soliciting” statute. They were all  processed and released after several hours. They were given a trial date of October 1 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA.    Continue reading “Aug. 6 Pentagon Witness- 5 Arrested” →

Faith in a Christ Who Understood In His Own Body Oppression & Suffering

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Lancaster BLMA Call to Worship written by Nick Peterson (photo: far right) for today’s service at Capitol Presbyterian of Harrisburg, PA:

The Lord be with you.

A year ago today, Michael Brown, Jr., an 18-year-old recent high school graduate while unarmed was shot and killed by officer Darren Wilson in Fergson, MO. His death and others like Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Renisha McBride, and Oscar Grant sparked a national movement aimed at bringing awareness to racialized police violence and excessive use of force.
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Live and die in God’s Love

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Frantz JFrom Franz Jagerstatter, in one of his last letters before he was beheaded on August 9, 1943 for being a conscientious objector in Germany

Just as the man who thinks only of this world does everything Possible to make life here easier and better, so must we, too, who believe in the eternal Kingdom, risk everything in order to receive a great reward there. Just as those who believe in National Socialism tell themselves that their struggle is for survival, so must we, too, convince ourselves that our struggle is for the eternal Kingdom. But with this difference: we need no rifles or pistols for our battle, but instead, spiritual weapons–and the foremost among these is prayer…. Through prayer, we continually implore new grace from God, since without God’s help and grace it would be impossible for us to preserve the Faith and be true to His commandments….

Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for Those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for all eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God’s love.”

Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism & Mothering

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HardingRosemarie Freeney Harding with Rachel Elizabeth Harding
Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism, and Mothering
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2015
325 pages

Reviewed by Ric Hudgens

Near the end of this utterly unique mother-daughter memoir Rosemarie Freeney Harding (1930-2004) writes:

Grandma Rye and those old Africans put something in the ground. When they got here, they stepped off those boats, chained up and weary. They looked around at this new land and they could see the heartbreak and suffering that were waiting for them and their generation. They saw these traumas waiting for us here. And they knew we were going to need something strong. Some medicine. Some spirit medicine to carry us through these storms.

Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism, and Mothering is a record of Harding’s journey, the journey of a generation, in drawing upon that spirit medicine as a resource for healing and transformation. Harding is perhaps not as well known as her husband Dr Vincent Harding (1931-2014) and yet this volume is a testament to the individuality of her creative imagination, her deep mystical spirit, and the core of her sacred activism. She was an organizer, teacher, social worker, and co-founder of the Veterans of Hope Project at the Iliff School of Theology. Continue reading “Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism & Mothering” →

Glenn Greenwald on Political Protest

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GlennFrom Glenn Greenwald’s piece last week in The Intercept. The entire article, obviously, is worth reading, but this section has important implications for all of us seeking to creatively and courageously name, resist and transform the System:

The more one delves into what is being done here — the extreme abuse of the criminal law to stifle nonviolent political protest or even just pure political speech, undertaken with tragically little attention — the more appalling it becomes. There are numerous cases of animal rights activists, several of whom spoke to The Intercept, who weren’t even accused of harming people or property, but who were nonetheless sent to federal prison for years.
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