Essays

Thoughts (9-29-11)

Forgiveness

A recent Upper Room devotional referred to Philippians 4: 4-9 and includes one of my favorite verses: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Then I listened to the radio and/or watched the news on TV and/or saw the news when I open my email page, and I have to remind myself that Paul was writing during a time when people could close their door (or tent flap) and not be influenced by the media. I believe we are a culture that hungers for the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

I have this fantasy that says there was a time when people could go out and find these experiences all around them. It certainly would be called an Golden Age and it is interesting that almost all cultures have in their cultural story either a story about a Golden Age that once existed or a Golden Age towards which they are headed or even both. To me this speaks of the human desire to experience the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. The fact that it is always something that has happened in the past or has yet to happen also speaks of the non-existence of such an experience today. I was then skating on the fine line between the optimist and the cynic.

I then went to read from The Power of Kindness by Piero Ferrucci. The chapter happened to be entitled Forgiveness: Live in the Present. The question popped into my head, “How does forgiveness and the Philippians passage relate to each other?” for I felt that God was leading me in the flow of the morning to start with Philippians and then to a reading about forgiveness. Of course, the classic question became, which must come first?

After awhile I remembered that Jesus told us that if we come to the altar (presumably a time to experience the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy) and have some unresolved issue with a neighbor or family member, we are to leave the worship, take care of the problem (read: give or receive forgiveness) and then return. Forgiveness has to come before we will be able to fully experience the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

 
Thoughts (9-28-11)

Christian Capitalism: Is there such an animal?

I just finished reading a report by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett entitled The Spirit Level: Why more equal societies almost always do better (2009). In light of the current economic stress around the world, I was caught by the word “Spirit” in the title.To sum up in simplistic fashion, and I encourage you to read the actual report if you have questions, here are their findings about the United States:

The United States has one of the highest income inequalities in the Western world if not the highest. With all the wealth we continue to display with pride, we are also one of the worst when it comes to health and social problems. We have a very low life expectancy by comparison with our fellow countries with smaller income inequity numbers. We have one of the highest percentages of mental illness per capita and the highest number of prisoners per 100,000 citizens.

So where is the bounty that capitalism is supposed to bring to all its followers, you know, the "trickle down?" Are Increasing mental illness and criminal behaviors markers of a healthy capitalist society? What about people ignoring their minor physical illnesses until they become life threatening because no one will treat them without health insurance? Is that an image that capitalism holds as a goal? I have said several times that an outside enemy will not take down the United States, it will be our greed supported by both commercial and governmental advertising’s ability to keep us in a state of fear.

But, for me, these are not the most damning aspects presented in this report. The way our children are being treated is more open to God’s displeasure than anything else. The United States scores as one of the lowest in child-welfare as measured by UNICEF. The wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world cannot take care of her own children. Makes me seriously question what we mean by the adjectives “wealthy” and “powerful.” Nelson Mandela once stated that, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children."

Parents who cannot take care of their children or use their children for their own agendas, whether rich or poor, powerful or powerless, correctly run the risk of having their children taken from them. And what of a religion, of a nation?

How often did the Lord stop to speak with the children? (Matthew 19: 13-15). Didn’t Jesus warn those who had influence over the life of children that if they did not do their job, it would be better for that person to drown himself in the deep sea? (Matthew 18: 1-7). Did Jesus not use the treatment of children by a caring parent as the model of a loving God? (Matthew 7: 9-15). How often did Jesus warn against wealth as a major block to being a true follower in deed and not just in lip-service? (Matthew 6: 24, Matthew 19: 16-26). 

Are we selling our souls too cheaply? Are we losing our children and thereby our nation? Some things cannot be bought or fixed by last minute money dumps. I believe that when our time comes to an end and we stand before the gates of heaven, the question will be,

“How did you treat my children?”