BrotherRog

Correction: Make that: Those who are trying to say that "things are better in Iraq now" are unwittingly employing the Stalinist rationalization that "the ends justify the means."

http://www.umc-gbcs.org/news/viewnews.php?newsId=941 Lent Devotional--Week 5: Addressing Genocide Brent Salsgiver, a UM student at Wesley Seminary, Freeing slaves in Sudan Old Testament Scripture: Micah 6:8 New Testament Scripture: John 11:1-45 United Methodist Social Principles: The World Community, The Social Community, The Political Community 2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions - #183, “Expressing Grief for Acts of Violence” ...violence exists in many nations…where “ethnic cleansing,” deportations, tyrannical rulers, religious intolerance, war, and civil unrest scar the lives of millions and have resulted in despicable acts of murder and genocide... One UNHCR staffer recalls her experiences during the Rwandan genocide: ...Two of the village survivors opened the door of a local church for me to see. The floor was literally carpeted in bodies. My mind tried but failed to make sense of the scene. I collapsed to my knees. My Rwandan companions looked at me and said nothing. Both of them had lost their entire families in the genocide. Of course, the dead in the church had run there expecting sanctuary. Instead this. It was easier for the "interhamwe," the militia who slayed hundreds of thousands of persons over a mere 100 days in Rwanda, to do it this way. Easier with everyone in the same place. Now, it's ten years later. Now I’m trying to make sense of Darfur, Sudan. There are 1.2 million people who have fled the conflict there, some getting across the border into Chad. An estimated 50,000 are already dead. Between 300,000 and 1,000,000 deaths may still be ahead. People who know a great deal about international law are arguing right now about what to call it. I believe we must do something now, or risk losing a piece of our own humanity. Walking Humbly with God... Read John 11:1-45 and prayerfully reflect on the following discussion and questions: Martha was understandably frustrated when she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Christ responded by resurrecting Lazarus. Today, we might ask where are the people who can prevent needless deaths of thousands of civilians? As followers of Jesus, we must realize that although we may not be able to resurrect those who are pointlessly murdered, each of us can and must respond before more people die. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism in the 18th century, was not daunted by forces of slavery in his day. He used a variety of tactics ranging from writing a small book where he challenged the practices of slavery. He graphically described their capture, branding and sale well as their passage where “thirty thousand die, that is, properly, are murdered.” He made alliances with people who were challenging the system. He organized a fast each Friday so that “God would remember those poor outcasts.” “Unholy Alliances”, by Bill Wylie-Kellerman, Christian Social Action Genocide is overwhelming for most of us, yet, like Martha we know that Jesus will listen to our deepest cries. What do we feel when we contemplate such intense suffering of others? What do you do to protect yourself from the discomfort of knowing? When you do see and not act and what is it that prevents you from acting? Who are the people in the Bible who followed God’s call in the most impossible situations? What have you learned from them about what God requires of you? and Loving Mercy... "War is not good by brother. Stop fighting." Written on a drawing by a former child soldier in Sierra Leone "We must push for the United States and the governments of the world to refer the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court so that the court can start working on what the United Nations has already said are war crimes and crimes against humanity that have been and continue to be committed there.” Liberato C. Bautista, Assistant General Secretary and Main Representative to the United Nations of the General Board of Church and Society , The United Methodist Church Action: Pray: For courage and strength to confront the moral and ethical challenges arising from both passivity as well as passionate concern for the crisis in Darfur. for an end to the killing and displacement of people in Darfur. that those who have decision-making power will bring justice to this region. for those grieving the loss of their loved ones, their homes, their livelihood, and their dignity. Learn more about Darfur atrocities: Christian Social Action magazine article, Human Rights Watch: "Backgrounder", New Atrocities as Security Council Dithers Invite several friends to see the movie, "Hotel Rwanda" and invite them back to your home to discuss the movie over dessert. Donate money to organizations, e.g. Church World Service, working to alleviate the immediate suffering of displaced people. and Doing Justice ...Only the pursuit of a just peace, which includes the search for truth and justice for victims, will bring about forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing in many rural villages, towns, cities, nations, and regions of the world that are scarred by conflict and war. The establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC)… provides an important step in ending impunity. This court will hear cases against war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression. Faith-based and religious groups, working together with the Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC), identified several moral and ethical imperatives and included these in a draft preamble they offered the Rome Conference to consider. The draft stated: "Desirous that the quest for justice includes retributive justice whose purpose is the prosecution and punishment of offenders while insuring the rights of the accused to fair trials, restorative justice whose purpose is that of reparation, restitution and rehabilitation for the victims, and redemptive justice which must be seen as the enablement of communities to deal with the truths of the past in ways which will allow and enable social reconstruction and reconciliation, and the ending of cycles of violence;" "Recognizing that adjudication of crimes of international concerns that have transcended national boundaries are often beyond the scope of national criminal justice systems, and that crimes whose immediate victims have occurred within national contexts are often beyond the competence or ability of national judicial systems; Noting the basic principles of justice for victims of crime and the abuse of power approved by the United Nations General Assembly; therefore, establish the International Criminal Court . . ." 2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions, p. 779-780 Action: Sudan, Rwanda and Sierra Leone are highly indebted developing countries whose economic interests are not our own. The ravages of war complicate their efforts to provide food, shelter, education and medicine. Contact your government reps to advocate for the Millennium Development Goals & for debt cancellation for highly indebted countries of the South. Learn more about U.S. support for referring the Sudanese individuals charged with war crimes in Darfur, to International Criminal Court, go to: Program on International Policy Attitudes: Sudan. Contact your government leaders and urge them to support referral of the Darfur cases to the International Criminal Court. “All efforts of the United Nations, the Africa Union, the United States, and the international community must be encouraged, especially toward disarming the Janjaweed militia and other armed outlaw groups and toward setting up the infrastructure for sustainable economic recovery and restoration of Darfur and all the Sudan.” (Board of Directors, GBCS, October 17, 2004)

How easy it is to denounce structural injustice, institutionalized violence, social sin! And it is true, this sin is everywhere, but where are the roots of this social sin? In the heart of every human being. Present-day society is a sort of anonymous world in which no one is willing to admit guilt, and everyone is responsible. We are all sinners, and we have all contributed to this massive crime and violence in our country. Salvation begins with the human person, with human dignity, with saving every person from sin. And in Lent this is God’s call: Be converted!- Oscar Romero (in THE VIOLENCE OF LOVE)

To make it clear: I actually supported retaliating against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan - such action met the criteria of Christian Just War theory (an admitedly sinful accomodation to the ways of the world). However, the invasion of Iraq was simply an imperialistic exercise in realpolitik. Moreover, it is a MYTH to assert that it was an either/or situation; i.e. either wage full scale war with Iraq or "to do nothing" about Saddam. Indeed, I, along with millions of others, was supportive of George Jr's initial tact toward Iraq (between Jan. - March 15 2003); i.e. the imposition of those sensible ultimatums upon Saddam. Saddam agreed to and was actively meeting EACH of those demands. He agreed to allow the UN wmd inspectors to resume their work, but this time with carte blanche access to any and all sites at any and all times; dismantling the al-Simud missiles, etc. Alas, George Jr. and Co. didn't expect Saddam to be so ammenable and so they flip-flopped and waged war any way. Thus, proving that George Jr. was acting in bad faith and LYING when he stated that "war with Iraq has not been predecided and it will only take place as a last resort after all other means have been attempted." Those who are trying to say that "things are better in Iraq now" are unwittingly employing the Stalinist rationalization that "the means justify the ends." And yet, it is in NO way clear that things are better in Iraq. Yes, they've had democratic elections, but it could well mean the alienation and of the Kurds and Sunnis due to the creation of a radical Islamist theocracy. Which in turn may well result in genocide and/or civil war. Finally, by attacking Iraq in the way and manner that we did, we've stimulated increased recruiting for al-Qaeda and similar terrorist organizations; we've turned Iraq into a war zone and a hot bed for terrorism; and we've killed some 100,000 civilians - which means that there are many, many Iraqis who are not pissed at us and who will want to seek revenge. George Jr's actions have resulted in placing an even LARGER "Kick Me!" sign upon our nation's backside. Now, you ask what would I have done differently? Answer: I would have let the UN wmd inspection teams back in, as the UN was wanting (and which George Jr. falsely SAID that he backed). And then if any of the inspectors were either met with violence and/or denied access to a site, then we would have had FAR greater legal and moral standing to wage war on that nation - AND we would've had FAR more of the world's community on board with us. If after 6 months of inspections, no wmds were found, we could still demand yet another round of inspections, and so on... and all the while, we would have MET our goal of ensuring that Iraq was not a threat to its neighbors or to the U.S. - withOUT wasting so much manpower, resources, time, energy, money, and LIVES to acheive it!! Had those 140,000 troops that George Jr. sent to Iraq been sent to AFGHANISTAN instead, we would surely have had FAR greater progress in capturing Osama and reining in al-Qaeda than we have by now. Moreover, a fraction of that money that we've wasted in Iraq would have allowed us to beef up security at our nation's borders, ports, airplanes, water treatment plants, food supplies, and power supplies. And it would have allowed us to make FAR more progress in securing the unsecured nuclear materials in the lands of the former USSR. AND we would have been in better position to respond to ACTUAL genocide in The Sudan. Case closed.

I understand that the former U.S. navy base outside of Puerto Rico called Viequess (sp?) is rife with uranium residues and that it has led to marked increases in Cancers rates among those islanders.

And yet another from an objective source. This is perhaps the most succint timeline and makes it most obvious that the Church was up and running in the East long before it was in Rome: http://www.darkcoding.net/christianity.py

Another from a neutrual unbiased source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy

Some links: Hall of Church History—The Eastern Orthodox... "A vision ... Orthodox Christianity developed from the church of the Byzantine Empire. ... http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/orthodox.htm - The origins of the Orthodox Church can be traced back continuously to the earliest Christian movement. So can the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Community, and many other Christian faith groups. Each has their own belief system about their group's origins. The following is based on the historical record, rather than on any one group's beliefs. [and note how the Church is established in the East long before it ever reaches Rome] http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_orthh.htm

James, 1) the Church existed in the East long before it was ever established in Rome. 2) It seems that you are indeed an imperialist - pax Romana seems to suit you just fine. Pax Christi, Brother Rog

A more devotional/sentimental and less political Lenten experience.. http://www.journeytothecross.org/todaysdev...otion/index.cfm

A resource I just learned about: http://www.preachingpeace.org

...A unique perspective... Lent and 'pop' theology by Will Braun I was sipping a soda on the eve of Lent when it became clearer. The stars in my head - those specks of truth orbiting inner space - aligned themselves with rare clarity. The ancient rhythms of Lent presented me with a liturgical path leading beyond the consumer fatigue of our era, a gentle path of spiritual de-corporatization. At that moment I recognized my willingness to not only fill my body with a substance of nutritional detriment, but to actually pay Mr. Coca-Cola for the self-destructive opportunity. It felt in every way like a matter of dignity. I was repulsed by the bottle in my hand. If I was making a donation of $1.39 to Mr. Coca-Cola in exchange for his plastic-packaged froth, he was smarter than I. I felt that change was not only possible, it was inevitable. The decision to give up something for Lent had been made for me. It happened before guilt or duty had even stated their nagging case. The motivational force was other, and stronger. The forces of my inner universe placed the value of dignity squarely above the value of fizz. I would abstain from big-name soda (i.e., Coke and Pepsi products), and I knew that after Lent there would be little reason to revert to the carbonated ways of old. What emerged from my experience was the realization of Lent as a liturgical antidote to consumer stress and excess. I do not imply here that people who drink Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper are bereft of moral fortitude. We are all indictable on multiple counts of less-than-noble consumption, and likewise all worthy of boundless grace regardless of our shopping habits. Beyond compunction Lenten self-sacrifice has tinges of earnest piety and religious compunction. It can feel like a moral "heavy." But there is something beyond this, a certain appeal. Despite relentless reminders of the benefits of having more, somewhere in the undercurrent of human experience we retain the knowledge that less can be more, that life abundant is not synonymous with life over-indulgent. This knowledge is "common sense," if you will - a shared sense of some bit of truth. And liturgy lures us back to this "common sense." In our age of rampant rampancy, the relevance of a "less is more" undercurrent is obvious. What had been less obvious to me was the role of Lent as an ordained season of liturgical de-corporatization. My soda experiment showed me Lent can be the optimal time to ride the counter-consumer spiritual tide. If we get into the spirit of the season, the task of untangling our lives from the consumer web becomes a bit easier. Rather than continually trying to conjure the willpower to do "the right thing," I like to think of being drawn into the flow and rhythm of the liturgical calendar - being carried along by a phenomenon beyond myself. Liturgy gently stirs us; it connects us with rhythms of change. It holds the possibility of matching ancient, ongoing undercurrents with nitty-gritty lifestyle challenges. I like to call it "practical liturgy." De-carbonation of spirit The perennial peeling away of consumptive layers need not start or finish with soda. The long list of candidates for the Lenten chopping block is conveniently provided for us by the advertising industry. For me soda was a good first experiment. Since my final, fated can of soda I haven't looked back. Other than the very occasional glass of generic brand grapefruit soda, or a bit of ginger ale concealed in the party punch, I have not strayed. Nor have I been particularly tempted to. The de-carbonation of my being is a source of satisfaction and dignity. (The remaining consumer shortcomings in my life prevent the satisfaction from becoming self-satisfaction.) Similarly, I feel better knowing not a penny of mine goes to the global cause of fizz. Coke, with its patented red and its sugary blend of mild cultural poison, is one of the most recognized brands on earth. The nearly 400 brands handled by the Coca-Cola Company show up in 200 countries. Its legacy is littered with environmental and human rights abuses. Its greatest redeeming quality is fizz. I am pleased not to be a part of it. If liturgy hints at the deepest and highest layers of human existence, Coke's role in the human story is rather contrary. However, the focal point of Lent is not corporate blame but Easter redemption. Lent looks forward to the mystery at the heart of life abundant. The practical liturgy of the season offers the possibility of peeling away layers that obscure our view of that life. And ultimately, the primal flow of Lent carries us toward the imminent eruption of life in the ongoing cycle of grace. Will Braun is editor of the new Geez magazine, coming fall 2005 (www.GeezMagazine.org). He writes from Winnipeg, Canada. http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news....CO_050224_braun

I guess I failed to catch the attempt at humor.... often difficult in this forum.. Glad to hear that you aren't in favor of forcing peace upon peoples/nations via imperial military action. Indeed, I feared you may've been one of those who champions the modern-day version of Pax Romana; i.e. George Jr's Pax Americana. To my ears, Pax Romana refers to that which Chrisitianity seeks to liberate people from and to rid the world of. This said, it seems odd that you prefer to see yourself primarily as a Catholic instead of as being a Christian - who happens to be a Catholic. Keep in mind that the Eastern Orthodox Church pre-existed the Roman Catholic Church by many years so its not like the Roman Church is the end all and be all.

The Seven Deadly Social Sins 1. Politics without principle 2. Wealth without work 3. Commerce without morality 4. Pleasure without conscience 5. Education without character 6. Science without humanity 7. Worship without sacrifice - attributed to Ghandi

James, If you're a Christian, don't you really mean to close your missives with "Pax Christi" instead of Pax Romana? Pax Romana was the motto of the ancient Roman Empire; i.e. the worldly powers and principalities that oppressed and exploited many peoples and who persecuted the early Christians. Whereas, Pax Christi is the Christian counter to Pax Romana; i.e. we are those who claim that JESUS is Lord and not Ceasar!

Another new resource: A new DVD and 100-page study guide about militarism and peacemaking includes rap, stories, many activities, and Bible study (called "Thermostat: Peacemaking 101" -- see description below). It's a great resource for responding to the intense military recruiting efforts that most high school youth are now exposed to. Thermostat: Peacemaking 101 (DVD 2005) Thermostat is a DVD for high-school-age youth about war, peace, and Christian conscience which features a wide variety of resources including: Bible studies, role plays, stories, images, handouts, poetry, background reading, and a leader’s guide. Thermostat is intended for use in a group setting as it relies on discussion and activities to encourage interaction and learning. The content of the DVD is divided into the categories of: Peacemaking 101, Imagination, Allegiance, Camouflage, Security, Terrorism, and Non-violence. Each of these categories is then sub-divided into study units that include a combination of activities using both the written study materials and the audio-visuals. There is enough material here for more than 30 different learning sessions, providing a variety of choices in theme and format. Youth/Adult Participation: Although Thermostat is designed for use with high-school-age youth groups, the concerns that Thermostat addresses are the concerns of the whole church. We encourage you to use Thermostat in some combined settings where youth and adults participate together. The burden of living the peace of Christ in our world does not rest on youth alone. It is important for young people to hear adults struggle with the questions of Jesus’ Way. The role of adults in these settings is not so much to provide answers, but to be transparent about how their faith leads them, and honest about the dilemmas they face. In many cases, it may be important for youth to interact with the material on their own. However, we encourage you to arrange at least some opportunities for inter-generational work with the various study units. In this way, the whole church will grow and be nurtured in the peace of Christ. (Available for loan or purchase from Mennonite Central Committee; cost is $25). [The DVD editors also would like to produce a Spanish edition, if sufficient funds can be found.] For still more details, see http://www.mccus.org/thermostat/

Helpful tips for those who don't fit in so well in the Southern States... Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt: As a Presbyterian pastor in the Bible Belt, I am ... a Presbyterian church even though I was Methodist (go figure ... and searched for answers about being a Presbyterian ... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...501095?v=glance Being Methodist in the Bible Belt: A Theological Survival Guide ... ... Being Methodist in the Bible Belt: A Theological Survival Guide for Youth, Parents, and Other Confused Methodists. Format, Paperback. Subject, Religion / Methodism ... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/066...0651493-3633416 http://www.booksmatter.com/b066422685X.htm

Indeed, God is love - and God expects us to love each other. ------------ http://www.umc-gbcs.org/news/viewnews.php?newsId=932 Lent Devotional – Week Four: Just Immigration Reform New Testament Scripture: John 9:1-41 United Methodist Social Principles: The Social Community & The Political Community 2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions: "...the ethic of welcoming the sojourner was woven into the very fabric of the Israelite confederacy. It was more than an ethic, it was a command of God. "Do not mistreat or oppress a stranger; you know how it feels to be a stranger, because you were sojourners in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9, Revised Standard Version, adapted) Walking Humbly with God: Read John 9:1-41 and prayerfully reflect on the following discussion and questions: Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath" (9:16). Jesus knew what it meant to stand up and speak for justice and right in the thick of oppression. When we stand up, he stands up with us. Jesus knew what if meant to risk for the coming reign of God. When we risk for that reign, he is present to us and with us. Jesus knew what it meant to live in compassionate solidarity with the poor and excluded. When we live that same solidarity, he is present to us and with us. --Shawn Copeland What resistance do you anticipate within yourself or your community as you ask new questions regarding people who are immigrants or refugees? What messages do you hear that tell you, like the Pharisees, to put the law before the needs of God’s children? How much are you willing to share God's bounty in the land in which you live? How is God calling you to respond to the immediate needs (mercy) and work to change the systems that perpetuate the suffering (justice)? Prayer Loving God, help us to see clearly like the blind man. Help us to see your face in the faces of all those who come to our shores and borders, those whom you love, and for whom your Son Jesus Christ died. Amen. Mercy: The Bible is full of stories of sojourners, strangers without homes, whom God called people to protect. The Israelites were themselves sojourners for forty years...The infant Jesus and his family had to flee to Egypt to avoid persecution and death; they became refugees... (p. 677-8). Nearly all the citizens of the United States have ancestors who emigrated from other parts of the world... (p. 681). --2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions 1. Talk with family members about your stories of immigration. What were the factors that made them leave their homes and move? How were they received? What would have happened if they had stayed? How does that history impact who you are today? (For UMs in the US, when you consider your family history how does that impact your attitude toward people who are new to this land, remembering that only Native Americans were indigenous to the United States?) 2. What and where have you learned about immigration in the United States? Test your understanding by reviewing the myths and facts below: Immigration Myths and Facts 3. Name one thing new you have learned by reading Immigration Myths and Facts and discuss it with three other people. 4. Volunteer to help immigrant children and adults learn English and help them transition to their lives in their adopted country. 5. Learn about the needs of the immigrant population in your community and find out how the church can help/get involved. Justice: About a year and a half ago, in a small town in North Carolina, a Pastor told me a story of how after Sunday Worship, officers of the Immigration and Nationalization Services were standing out of the church waiting to arrest some of the worshipers because of their immigration status. According to the pastor, a number of the members, of this United Methodist Church, were detained for being undocumented. In recent months we have seen an increase in anti-immigrant sentiments and legislation across the United States (and other countries). In the United States most recently, Proposition 200 in the state of Arizona has become the law of the land. But this is a law that has no hope for people who are immigrants. These immigration laws continue to oppress groups of people just as the laws that Jesus challenged when he healed the blind man in John's story. --Rev. Eliezer Valentin-Castanon ...Uprootedness is seen by the governments of the industrialized nations as a problem to be dealt with by leaving other countries to solve their own problems or by exercising force, rather than grasping the complex phenomena that need coherent and human solutions on a global scale (p. 680). --2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions Steps To Take: Ask your members of Congress to support the "Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act” (AgJobs). Plan for your church to observe United Nations Sunday, “Migrant Workers: Uprooted, Rerouted and Re-rooted”, on October, 24, 2005. Find liturgical resources at the GBCS Special Sundays page. Urge your members of Congress to ratify the “International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families” Participate in the consumer boycott of Taco Bell restaurants and products to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers – migrant farm workers earning 40 cents per 32 lb bucket of tomatoes picked. (The 2004 General Conference of the UMC voted to join this boycott.) For more information, see Resolution #196, p. 511.) Take current actions based on the UM Resolution #265 in the 2004 United Methodist Book of Resolutions, Immigrants and Refugees: To Love the Sojourner: To urge the government of the United States as well as other governments to… ensure protection of basic human rights and refugees, such as the right to: an education – advocate for the DREAM Act (S. 1545) – Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act in the US Congress, adequate health care – advocate for the ICHEA Act – Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act in the US Senate due process and redress of law (civil right protections) – oppose the USA PATRIOT Act I and II – Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism in the US Congress protection against social and economic exploitation – oppose State propositions like “Proposition 200” in Arizona, the right to a cultural and social identity, and access to the social and economic life of the nation whether in documented or undocumented status.

Hmm.. looks like some of the links above don't work so well: --------- Try these: Reclaiming women’s part in redeeming ... a feminist thinker like Marjorie Suchocki) shows how ... of victory over death, the ‘Christus Victor’ symbol of ... the predominant means of atonement, suppose we ... http://www.womanpriest.org/theology/grey1.htm Review of "The Nonviolent Atonement" ... His "narrative Christus victor" vision of atonement exonerates God from the... rehabilitates the fundamentals of classic Christus victor atonement, ... http://www.westmont.edu/~work/articles/nonviolent.html - jason clark: Vicarious Atonement vs. Christus Victor ... links to weblogs that reference Vicarious Atonement vs. Christus Victor : ... application of Narratinve Christus Victor in Nonviolent Atonement by J. ... http://emergent.typepad.com/jasonclark/200...ious_atone.html Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement by Gustaf Aulen, AG Herber. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...l/-/1592443303/ Trinity Journal: The Nonviolent Atonement ... his own atonement motif here, which he terms "narrative Christus Victor. ... of Christendom's atonement motifs, Christus Victor is removed from history. ... http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ mi_qa3803/is_200310/ai_n9314460 The Ministry of Reconciliation ... view of the Atonement which is summed up in such phrases as Christus Victor, ... Atonement: an Anselmian response to Aulén's Christus victor," Canadian ... http://www.prayerbook.ca/crouse/writings/a...d_sacrifice.htm - Christus Victor : Gustaf Aulen ... Gustaf Aulen's classic work, 'Christus Victor', has long been a standard text on the atonement. Aulen applies "history of ideas' methodology to ... http://store.discerningreader.com/chviguau.html Atonement, Anabaptist Theology of ... Often, however, discussions of atonement focus on the meaning of Jesus' death. ... and Christus Victor theories also appear in Anabaptist writers. ... http://www.mhsc.ca/encyclopedia/contents/A86.html -

FYI.. [PDF] Penal substitution and the possibility of unconditional hospitality File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat ... Marjorie Suchocki makes a similar point when she argues that ... the traditional Christus Victor theme of the atonement. Ian Gillman has ... http://journals.cambridge.org/article_S003...036930603001224 Luther Memorial Church Library ... Christus Victor: an historical study of the three ideas of atonement, Atonement ... 248.3 Suc, Suchocki, Marjorie, In God's Presence : Theological ... http://www.luthermem.org/library/books.html - [PDF] 1 Updated January 2005 Primary Sources: Books Published Albin ... File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML ... William M. "Sanctification and the Christus Victor Motif in Wesleyan ... Suchocki, Marjorie Hewitt. "Coming Home: Wesley, Whitehead, and Women. ... http://www.ats.wilmore.ky.us/ news/publications/wesley/entire.pdf - Divinity ... a conversation with Marjorie / by Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki. ... W478 2004 Held by: DIVINITY Title: The glory of the atonement : biblical, ... http://divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/kcl.../kclrct0804.htm - "The Disabled God ... the traditional substitutionary and sacrificial approaches to atonement are ... Cooper and Suchocki also maintain that the process does not control God. ... http://members.iinet.net.au/~srcperth/ward.htm - [PDF] 1 Albin, Thomas A., and Oliver A. Beckerlegge, eds. Charles ... File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML ... Greathouse, William M. "Sanctification and the Christus Victor Motif in ... Suchocki, Marjorie Hewitt. "Coming Home: Wesley, Whitehead, and Women." The ...http://www.oxford-institute.org/pdfs/WebBibCollins6-13-02.pdf - Reclaiming women’s part in redeeming ... a feminist thinker like Marjorie Suchocki) shows how ... of victory over death, the ‘Christus Victor’ symbol of ... the predominant means of atonement, suppose we ... http://www.womanpriest.org/theology/grey1.htm Review of "The Nonviolent Atonement" ... His "narrative Christus victor" vision of atonement exonerates God from the... rehabilitates the fundamentals of classic Christus victor atonement, ... http://www.westmont.edu/~work/articles/nonviolent.html - jason clark: Vicarious Atonement vs. Christus Victor ... links to weblogs that reference Vicarious Atonement vs. Christus Victor : ... application of Narratinve Christus Victor in Nonviolent Atonement by J. ... http://emergent.typepad.com/jasonclark/ 2004/12/vicarious_atone.html Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement by Gustaf Aulen, AG Herber. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...l/-/1592443303/ Trinity Journal: The Nonviolent Atonement ... his own atonement motif here, which he terms "narrative Christus Victor. ... of Christendom's atonement motifs, Christus Victor is removed from history. ... http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ mi_qa3803/is_200310/ai_n9314460 The Ministry of Reconciliation ... view of the Atonement which is summed up in such phrases as Christus Victor, ... Atonement: an Anselmian response to Aulén's Christus victor," Canadian ... http://www.prayerbook.ca/crouse/ writings/atonement_and_sacrifice.htm - Rotten Tomatoes Forums - Vicarious Atonement vs. Christus Victor Rotten Tomatoes discussion forums, the most popular film discussion forums online. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthr...ad.php?t=393678 Christus Victor : Gustaf Aulen ... Gustaf Aulen's classic work, 'Christus Victor', has long been a standard text on the atonement. Aulen applies "history of ideas' methodology to ... http://store.discerningreader.com/chviguau.html Atonement, Anabaptist Theology of ... Often, however, discussions of atonement focus on the meaning of Jesus' death. ... and Christus Victor theories also appear in Anabaptist writers. ... http://www.mhsc.ca/encyclopedia/contents/A86.html -

I named and touched on atonement theory in my first post in this thread. To make it more overt, I subscribe to the Christus Victor theory of the atonement.

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magaz...&article=980520 God Speed the Year of Jubilee! The Biblical vision of Sabbath economics (from 1998) by Ched Myers God speed the year of jubilee, the wide world o'er! When from their galling chains set free, Th' oppressed shall vilely bend the knee And wear the yoke of tyranny, like brutes, no more— That year will come, and Freedom's reign To man his plundered rights again, restore. —William Lloyd Garrison, 19th-century abolitionist "We read the gospel as if we had no money," laments Jesuit theologian John Haughey, "and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the gospel." Indeed, in most North American churches today, it is exceedingly difficult to talk about economics. This topic is more taboo than politics, more even than sex—a subject with which our churches have recently become all too preoccupied. Yet no aspect of our individual and corporate lives is more determinative than the economy. And few subjects are more frequently addressed in our scriptures. The pre-eminent challenge to the human family today is the increasingly unequal distribution of wealth and power. Since statistics are wearisome, a few must suffice to capture this drift. The United Nations reported in 1992 that income disparities between the world's richest and poorest have doubled since 1960. Today the wealthiest 20 percent of the world's population receives almost 83 percent of the world's income, while the poorest 20 percent receive less than 2 percent! In 1965, the average U.S. worker made $7.52 per hour, while the person running the company made $330.38 per hour; today, the average worker makes $7.39 per hour, the average CEO $1,566.68 per hour—212 times more! This is "trickle up": the transfer of wealth from the increasingly poor to the increasingly rich. And neoliberal policies of "structural adjustment" are not only hardening this income polarization, they are deepening psychic and social alienation. Whether through plant closings, the demise of the local grocery store, or the crisis of the family farm, we in the First World are now witnessing the epidemic of communal displacement that has already devastated local culture, institutions, and environments in the Third and Fourth Worlds. Any theology that refuses to reckon with these realities is both cruel and irrelevant. We Christians must talk about economics, and talk about it in light of the gospel. "Churches," asserts Cornel West, "may be the last places left in our culture that can engage the public conversation with non-market values." Yet those who would challenge postmodern capitalism and its self-reflexive market discourses are struggling to find an alternative language and practice, particularly with the apparent discrediting of state socialism. This ideological vacuum offers a unique opportunity for the church to rediscover a radically different vision of economic and social practice—and one that lies right at the heart of its scriptures. The Bible recognizes that inequalities will inevitably arise in "fallen" society—a realism it shares with the worldview of modern capitalism. Unlike the social Darwinism of the latter, however, the biblical vision refuses to stipulate that injustice is therefore a permanent condition. Instead, God's people are instructed to dismantle, on a regular basis, the fundamental patterns and structures of stratified wealth and power, so that there is "enough for everyone." This socioeconomic vision is articulated in a variety of ways in both testaments: through Exodus storytelling (Exodus 16), Levitical legislation (Leviticus 25), Deuteronomic exhortation (Deuteronomy 15), prophetic pronouncement (Isaiah 5), gospel parable (Matthew 25), and apostolic pleading (2 Corinthians 8-9). This article will examine the Hebrew Bible roots of this tradition; the sequel will look at how Jesus appropriates and renews it. THE BIBLICAL STANDARD of social and economic justice is grounded in God's call to "keep the Sabbath." The word "Sabbath" comes from the Hebrew verb shabat, which means "to rest or stop working." It first appears in the Bible as the culmination of the story of creation: "God rested on the seventh day from all the work God did" (Genesis 2:2). Here a primal pattern is set: "Good" work (Genesis 1:31; Hebrew tob, better translated as "delightful") is followed by Shabat. This Shabat is "blessed" (2:3), just like the creation itself (1:22, 28). Richard Lowery points out that "in a delightful twist, ‘rest' is signified as a verb in this passage and ‘work' as a noun." Sabbath, he contends, captures the double theme of this creation story: abundance and limits. Human beings are to imitate God in practicing Sabbath. The next place we encounter the term (now as a noun, not a verb) is in the archetypal story of hunger and bread in the wilderness (Exodus 16), sandwiched between two stories of thirst and water (Exodus 15:22-27 and 17:1-7). The people have been sprung from slavery, but must now face the harsh realities of life outside the imperial system. Their first test of character, not surprisingly, is how they will sustain themselves. The ancient Israelites—like modern North Americans—couldn't imagine an economic system apart from the Egyptian military-industrial-technological complex that enslaved them. "Would that we had died at the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you have led us into this desert to die of famine!" (Exodus 16:3). The manna story is not just a feeding miracle. It is a parable that illustrates Yahweh's alternative to the Egyptian economy (Exodus 16:6). God "raining bread from heaven" symbolizes cultivation as a divine gift, a process that begins with rain and ends with bread (see Isaiah 55:10 and the parallel between the wilderness manna and the produce of the settled land in Joshua 5:12). This story narrates a "test" to see if Israel will follow instructions on how to "gather"—a symbol in traditional societies for harvesting (Exodus 16:4). The people's first lesson outside of Egypt concerns economic production! Moses' instructions give us the three defining characteristics of this alternative economic practice. First, every family is told to gather just enough bread for their needs (Exodus 16:16-18). In contrast to Israel's Egyptian condition of oppression and need, here everyone has enough: "Those who gathered more had no surplus, and those who gathered less had no shortage." In God's economy there is such a thing as "too much" and "too little." (This contrasts radically with modern capitalism's infinite tolerance for wealth and poverty.) Exodus 16's "theology of enough" is underlined by the (probably later) version of the manna story in Numbers 11, in which the people's persistent "cravings" are punished with a plague of "too much" (Numbers 11:33-34; see Psalm 78:20-31, 106:13-15). Second, this bread should not be "stored up" (16:19-20). Wealth and power in Egypt was defined by surplus accumulation. It is no accident that Israel's forced labor consisted of building "store cities" (Exodus 1:11), into which the empire's plunder and the tribute of subject peoples was gathered. (This too prefigures capitalism, whose dictum, according to Marx, was: "Accumulate, accumulate, accumulate—this is the Law and the Prophets!"). The Bible understands that dominant civilizations exert centripetal force, drawing labor, resources, and wealth into greater and greater concentrations of idolatrous power (the archetypal biblical description of this is found in the story of the Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-9). So Israel is enjoined to keep wealth circulating through strategies of redistribution, not concentrating through strategies of accumulation. The third instruction introduces Sabbath discipline (Exodus 16:22-30). "On the sixth day, when they distribute what they bring in, it will be twice as much....Six days you shall gather; but on the seventh, which is a Sabbath, there will be none" (Exodus 16:5, 26). We Christians regard the Sabbath at best as merely one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), at worst as a quaint Jewish custom. But here we see that it is instituted even before the covenant at Sinai. Indeed, it is reiterated in ultimate terms at the conclusion of the covenant code: If the people do not practice Sabbath, they will die (Exodus 31:12-17). Not only then is Shabat the crowning blessing of creation; it is also the "beginning and end of the law." We Christians therefore trivialize (and even "profane") the Sabbath if we regard it merely as a day when Jews do as little as possible, or as a code of nit-picking prohibitions. Torah's Sabbath regulations represent God's strategy for teaching Israel about its dependence upon the land as a gift to share equitably, not as a possession to exploit (see for example the rituals enjoined in harvest festivals, Leviticus 23:9-25). The prescribed periodic rest for the land and for human labor means to disrupt human attempts to "control" nature and "maximize" the forces of production. Because the earth belongs to God and its fruits are a gift, the people should justly distribute those fruits, instead of seeking to own and hoard them. "Sabbath observance requires a leap of faith, a firm confidence that the world will continue to operate benevolently for a day without human labor, that God is willing and able to provide enough for the good life," writes Lowery. "Sabbath promises seven days of prosperity for six days of work. It operates on the assumption that human life and prosperity exceed human productivity." This first lesson was fundamental: The people were instructed to keep a jarful of the manna in front of the covenant, so as never to forget Sabbath economics (see Hebrews 9:4). The manna story, in sum, illustrates human dependence upon the divine "economy of grace." Sabbath observation means to remember every week this economy's two principles: the goal of "enough" for everyone, and the prohibition on hoarding. This vision is, of course, utterly contrary to economics as we know it. And our incredulity is rather humorously anticipated in the story itself: "Manna" means "What is this?" (Exodus 16:15). THE SOCIAL JUSTICE CODE of Exodus 23 extends the Sabbath cycle to a seventh year: "You shall let the land rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat" (Exodus 23:10-11). The Sabbath year restores equilibrium by restraining the activity of "productive" members of the economy and freeing constraints upon those the economy has marginalized, both the disenfranchised (the poor) and the undomesticated (wild animals)! The ecological and social wisdom of the Sabbath year goes beyond the agricultural good sense of letting land lie fallow. Kentucky philosopher-farmer Wendell Berry articulates Sabbath economics in his notion of the "two economies." He believes the all-encompassing and integrated system of nature should be understood as the "Great Economy," upon which human systems ("little economies") by necessity depend. The problem, Berry writes, is that our modern industrial economy, with its managerial penchant for control and its lack of limits, "does not see itself as a little economy; it sees itself as the only economy. It makes itself thus exclusive by the simple expedient of valuing only what it can use—that is, only what it can regard as ‘raw material' to be transformed mechanically into something else....The industrial economy is based on invasion and pillage of the Great Economy." The Sabbath rest commanded for the land and the laborer restores the primacy of the Great Economy, and forces humans to re-adapt to its limits. As Rabbi Arthur Waskow puts it, "This shabat betokens the peace agreement ending the primordial war between ourselves and earth which began as we left Eden—which came from a misdeed of eating and brought us painful toil and turmoil in our eating." The Deuteronomist goes even further, interpreting the Sabbath year to include debt release (Deuteronomy 15:1-18). This was intended as a hedge against the inevitable tendency of human societies to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few, creating hierarchical classes with the poor at the bottom. In agrarian societies such as biblical Israel (or parts of the Third World today), the cycle of poverty began when a family fell into debt, deepened when it had to sell off its land in order to service the debt, and reached its conclusion when landless peasants could only sell their labor, becoming bond-slaves. Since there were no banks in antiquity, it was larger landowners who acted as creditors—and who foreclosed, adding to their holdings. The prophet Isaiah railed against precisely this process of economic stratification by which wealthy creditors "add house to house and field to field, until there is room for no one but you" (Isaiah 5:8). He saw it as a betrayal of Israel's vocation to be "God's pleasant planting; God expected justice, but saw bloodshed" (Isaiah 5:7). The Sabbath year debt release intends to safeguard both social justice ("there will be no one in need among you") and sound fiscal policy ("creditor nations will not rule over you," Deuteronomy 15:4-6). But anticipating the human tendency toward selfishness, the practical Deuteronomist specifically forbids people from tightening credit in the years immediately prior to the Sabbath remission (15:7-11). The remission applies to debt slaves as well, not only freeing them but demanding that they be sent away with sufficient resources to make it on their own (15:12-17). Whether or not the community will enjoy the blessing of the land is contingent on its fidelity of this Sabbath discipline, which Deuteronomy, like Exodus, grounds in the memory of being liberated from Egyptian slavery (Deuteronomy 15:15; see 5:15). THE FULLEST EXPRESSION of Sabbath logic is the Levitical "Jubilee": a comprehensive remission to take place every "Sabbath's Sabbath," or 49th-50th year (Leviticus 25). The Jubilee (named after the jovel, a ram's horn that sounded to herald the remission) aimed to dismantle structures of social-economic inequality by: releasing each community member from debt (Leviticus 25:35-42); returning encumbered or forfeited land to its original owners (25:13, 25-28); freeing slaves (25:47-55). The rationale for this unilateral restructuring of the community's assets was to remind Israel that the land belongs to God (25:23) and that they are an Exodus people who must never return to a system of slavery (25:42). The Jubilee was perhaps already prefigured in the "Feast of Weeks" (Shavuot, later the feast of Pentecost), a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest (Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:15-25; Deuteronomy 16:9-12): Feast of Weeks: "From the day after the Sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the elevation offering, you shall count off seven weeks....You shall count until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days; then you shall present an offering of new grain to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:15-16). Jubilee: "You shall count off seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the period...gives forty-nine years....And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants" (Leviticus 25:8, 10). This suggests that "Sabbath economics" applied at each harvest, not just every other generation. Lowery acknowledges that the Sabbath vision is diametrically opposed to our modern assumptions about economics. The two main assumptions of classical economics are: 1) scarcity; and 2) unlimited need. These, he writes, "breed resignation to systems of distribution so unequal as to guarantee homelessness and starvation. On the other hand, they create an imperative toward unlimited economic growth." Sabbath economics, however, based on "the principles of abundance and self-restraint, turn this classical economic approach on its head. If you assume that resources are abundant, sufficient for the survival and prosperity of human life, and that human needs and wants are limited, then no one need starve or suffer the elements through lack of housing or clothing." The conclusion we must draw, says Lowery, is that "long-term, systemic hunger, homelessness, and poverty can be viewed only as a failure of human will." If Sabbath economics is an unfamiliar notion to North American churches it is not because it is obscure or incidental to the scriptures. Rather, it has been marginalized by interpreters who seek to legitimate the very concentrations of wealth and power that the biblical tradition denounces. It is important to point out that many of the texts cited above probably did not take their final Torah form until after the Babylonian Exile (sixth century B.C.E.). This means that the ancient vision of Sabbath economics that originated among tribal Israel was revisioned almost half a millennium later, under very different circumstances. It is a radical vision that has continued to surface among justice-seeking Jews and Christians ever since. Ched Myers, a Sojourners contributing editor,was a writer, teacher, and activist based in Los Angeles when this article appeared.

LOL! : )

And let's never forget that the Bible is the primary source of our progressive/liberal Christian activism: When we read our Bibles, we see a visible theme of God’s constant siding with the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed - including the blind! Throughout the life of Israel, God’s Word displays a clear concern for the welfare of the poor, for “the least of these.” In Leviticus we see that God established the “year of Jubilee,” a policy that held that every fifty years, every generation, the people were to forgive all debts and redistribute the nations’ wealth and provide for the relief of the poor and oppressed. The Law of Moses is a law of mercy toward the poor to ensure their protection. The Prophets proclaimed God’s judgment against Israel whenever they’d forsake God’s righteousness in favor of worshiping foreign gods, wealth for its own sake, and worldly power. They issued warnings when the nation forgot God’s law and oppressed the poor. We also see in our Gospels that God came to earth, incarnate, as one of us, in the person of Jesus - as a vulnerable babe born to a working class couple from a backwater town. Jesus grew up to live for and with the poor and oppressed people of His day. His ministries led Him to intimate fellowship with the most despised and marginalized people in His society. So when your conservative friend wears their "WWJD?" bracelet, make sure they really know what Jesus did!

Faith-Based Peace & Justice Organizations: General Board of Church & Society http://www.umc-gbcs.org UM-POWER is an email “action alert” service The United Methodist Church 100 Maryland Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002 United Church of Christ http://www.ucctakeaction.org National Council of Churches http://www.councilofchurches.org & http://www.ncccusa.org The Interfaith Alliance http://www.interfaithalliance.org Founded in 1994, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) is a non-partisan, clergy-led grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the positive and healing role of religion in the life of the nation and challenging those who manipulate religion to promote a narrow, divisive agenda. With more than 150,000 members drawn from over 70 faith traditions, 47 local Alliances and a national network of religious leaders, TIA promotes compassion, civility and mutual respect for human dignity in our increasingly diverse society. Faithful America http://www.faithfulamerica.org Faith In Action: Free action alerts & inspiration. FaithfulAmerica.org is an online community of people of faith who want to build a more just and compassionate nation. It aspires to be an online wing of a powerful, new progressive faith movement, like the ones that fought for independence, abolition and civil rights. FaithfulAmerica.org believes in the common good and in community – local, national and global. We reject a go-it-alone culture that reduces our politics and our personal lives to selfishness and fear. We accept the separation of church and state, but not the separation of moral principles from politics. Fellowship for Reconciliation (FOR) http://www.forusa.org The Fellowship of Reconciliation seeks to replace violence, war, racism, and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. We are an interfaith organization committed to active nonviolence as a transforming way of life and as a means of radical change. We educate, train, build coalitions, and engage in nonviolent and compassionate actions locally, nationally, and globally. American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org (the political activist arm of the Quaker Church) 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Every Church a Peace Church http://www.ecapc.org Bread for the World http://www.bread.org Churches for Middle East Peace http://www.cmep.org 110 Maryland Ave NE, #311, Washington, DC 20002 (special focus upon Israeli-Palestinian conflict) Pax Christi http://www.pcusa.org & http://www.paxchristiusa.org (an unofficial peace & justice wing of the Roman Catholic Church) LWH Online weekly e-newsletter, editor, Johnny Zokovitch – email: johnnypcusa@yahoo.com The Catholic Worker Movement http://www.catholicworker.org (another unofficial peace & justice wing of the RCC, founded by the late Dorothy Day) Secular Peace, Political & Anti-war Advocacy: http://www.peacefultomorrows.org http://www.unitedforpeace.org http://www.womeninblack.net/ http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org http://www.commondreams.org Moveon.org http://www.truemajority.org http://www.costofwar.com http://www.Globalhealing.net Faith-Based Peace & Justice-Oriented Media: Sojourners Magazine http://www.sojo.net (a “progressive” evangelical Christian journal & intentional Christian community led by Rev. Jim Wallis in D.C.) Sojomail - weekly email newsletter SojoMail@sojo.net Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA) (connected to Ron Sider and Tony Campolo) PRISM publications encourage Christians to live out the whole of the gospel with the whole of their lives. If you find the PRISM ePistle helpful, forward it to your friends. Our desire is that the ePistle be a forum for challenging discussion and exploration of all issues pertaining to whole-life discipleship.