Culture Sham

Remember Human Rights!

2008-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

Today is the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights! Let us remember those around the world who are suffering and may we continue to encourage leaders and the United Nations to stand up for human rights!
With great power comes great responsibility...

When Your Country Disappears

2008-09-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

A heartbreaking plea from Avaaz.org:

Dear friends,

Imagine the sea rising around you as your country literally disappears beneath your feet, where the food you grow and the water you drink is being destroyed by salt, and your last chance is to seek refuge in other lands where climate refugees have no official status. This is not a dream, it's the fearful reality for millions of people who live on islands around the world, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.

That is why these small islands are planning the unprecedented step next week, ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting, of calling on the Security Council itself to address climate change as a pressing threat to international peace and security.

This is a creative move born of desperation, a challenge to global powers to end their complacency and tackle this lethal crisis with the urgency of wars. This effort could help shift the tenor of the world's debate -- from a far-off storm cloud to a life-threatening crisis here and how. But the island states' campaign will meet fierce opposition from the world’s biggest polluters, so they need our help. Sign the petition now to raise a worldwide chorus of support for this call -- our signatures will be presented to the UN by the islands' ambassadors as they introduce their resolution next week:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/sos_small_islands

For the first time in human history, the North Pole can be circumnavigated -- the Arctic ice is melting more quickly than almost anyone anticipated, pushing up sea levels week by week. Now, small island nations -- where homes are, at most, mere meters above sea level -- are preparing evacuation plans to guarantee the survival of their populations. They are on the frontline, experiencing the first wave of devastating impacts from climate change which soon will threaten us all.

President Remengesau of Palau, a small island in the Pacific, recently said:

Palau has lost at least one third of its coral reefs due to climate change related weather patterns. We also lost most of our agricultural production due to drought and extreme high tides. These are not theoretical, scientific losses -- they are the losses of our resources and our livelihoods.... For island states, time is not running out. It has run out. And our path may very well be the window to your own future and the future of our planet".

Beyond the islands, countries like Bangladesh -- population, 150 million -- face losing large parts of their landmass. The experience of our planet's most vulnerable communities serves as a warning sign of the future world we can all expect: extreme weather growing in intensity, conflict over water and food supplies, coasts disappearing and hundreds of millions made refugees.

The more signatures we raise to be delivered to the UN next week, the more urgently this call will ring out to protect our common future. Sign now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/sos_small_islands

The small islands' brave campaign for survival is our campaign as well. Just as sea levels rise or fall everywhere at the same time, the choices of every person everywhere affect the future of our common home. By standing with the people at the front line of the climate crisis, we show them, and ourselves, that we recognize our fundamental shared humanity -- and the responsibilities that come with it.

With hope, Ben, Iain, Alice, Paul, Graziela, Pascal, Ricken, Brett, Milena -- the Avaaz team

PS: For a report on Avaaz's campaigning so far, see:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2

PPS: These are the States who are sponsoring the resolution: Fiji, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, joined by Canada and Turkey.

For a draft of the Small Islands States Resolution, please see:
http://islandsfirst.org/draftres.pdf

For more information about those presenting the petition please visit:
http://islandsfirst.org

For information on Tuvalu's evacuation plan and climate refugees, see:
http://www.wwf.org.au/articles/climate-refugees-in-a-drowning-pacific/

For information about how rising sea levels will affect us all:
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update2.htm

For more information on the rapidly-melting Arctic ice:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/for-the-first-time-in-human-history-the-north-pole-can-be-circumnavigated-913924.html

For more information about all of the island states:
http://www.sidsnet.org/aosis/

ABOUT AVAAZ

Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva.
Click here to learn more about our largest campaigns.

Some Christians doubt global warming and I think that is a very uneducated assumption. You can argue it and hate it or just hate the hype, but when real people groups and nations and families begin to be affected by rising waters, I don't think it's just a little topic to argue over in the U.S. I hope to see some U.N. policy on this.

Petition To Release Imprisoned Chinese Christian

2008-08-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Voice Of The Martyrs and China Aid are petitioning for Chinese Christians who were arrested before the Olympics to be released. One such person is Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and his wife and coworker. They ask for help:

On August 6, just two days before the Olympics began, Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan was arrested, along with his wife and a coworker. In response to these arrests, The Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association have launched a petition drive to free these three Christians and to let the Chinese government know that the world is aware that these Christians are being detained.

The petition letter reads:

To the Attention of: Chinese Ambassador Mr. Zhou Wenzhong

Dear Sir:
We are aware that you have detained Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan, President of the Chinese House Church Alliance, along with his wife and fellow pastor, Wu Jianghe. These three individuals were on their way to Beijing from Hebei province to pick up medicine for Pastor Bike's wife, who is ill, when Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers detained them on August 6, 2008. All three are being held at an undisclosed location. We the undersigned are very concerned about their welfare and why they are being detained as this act of arbitrary detention itself is in violation of Chinese law. We are praying for the leaders of China and formally request that you release these three Christians immediately. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.

Anyone who has read the book The Heavenly Man knows, Christians in China are severely tortured in prisons and have no trials or representation. The persecuted Christians consider it an honor to suffer in such inhumane ways- ways few Americans want to recognize.

And now that the Olympics are finally over, we can talk about China in a truthful way. The Washington Post reports: Power-Sector Emissions Of China To Top U.S.

The carbon emissions of China's electric power sector will jump by about a third this year and surpass the total emissions of the U.S. electric power industry for the first time, according to a report by the Center for Global Development, a Washington-based think tank....

The report highlights the challenge of curbing greenhouse gases in time to slow climate change while maintaining world economic growth. China and India have made growth their top priority to raise living standards and many international climate negotiators don't expect meaningful limits on carbon emissions from those countries until after 2020....

Paul Ting, a veteran oil analyst now specializing on China, said that China relies on coal for three-quarters of its energy consumption. "They cannot get away from coal," he said....

If all of the power plants being planned for China and the United States are built, China's power-related emissions would exceed those of the United States by 40 percent, the Center for Global Development report said.

God By Different Names?

2008-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

I visited an Episcopalian church yesterday for the first time. Our interest was more in the magnificent building than in the tradition. Grace Cathedral church in San Francisco is beautiful and stunning-- certainly worth a visit from anyone.

One thing I wasn't prepared for was their mission statement: (as seen on their webpage)

Also known by different names in different traditions? Umm no. There is ONE name, the Bible is very clear about that. The church boasted in its openness so much that I think it robs God of the glory and dignity actually due His Name. Romans 3 tells us:

19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (NIV)

There are no other traditions or names that bring justification and wholeness like this. What God offers is the opportunity to admit that we are pitifully lost in selfishness yet have a Savior. I don't think that is mascaraing around in different names.

Training Begins

2008-08-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to attempt daily prayer. This discipline is difficult for me (and many other Christians I know!). I will be blogging about my prayer life here:

http://finallyprayer.blogspot.com/

Warrant For Sudan's President

2008-07-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

The World Court has issued a warrant for this evil man's arrest, but he doesn't really seem to mind the idea of being charged for genocide and striped of his power.

EL FASHER, Sudan: Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the president of Sudan who has been accused of genocide, is not especially well known for his dancing moves.

But on Wednesday, in front of tens of thousands of people packed into what appeared to be a mandatory pep-rally in the Darfur region, the bespectacled, portly president jumped up on a desk and did a little jig. He jutted his cane. He rolled his hips. Shadows of sweat bloomed under his arms. But the crowd did not seem to care.

"Seer, seer, al-Bashir!" they screamed. "Go, go, Mr. Bashir!"

With an international indictment looming over him on charges of genocide, Bashir returned to the scene of his alleged misdeeds in Darfur - on an uncharacteristic charm offensive.
(International Herald Tribune)

Emergency Summit on Food Crisis

2008-06-02T23:02:00.001-07:00

The facts about the food crisis are staggering: It's beginning and it's going to be a huge pandemic on human life. The UN is holding an emergency summit this week in Rome for world leaders to discuss action. Please sign this Avaaz petition for strong action. Measures need to be taken as we head into the crisis, not after it has hit. And it will hit hard.

Bloggers United For Human Rights Day

2008-05-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, that is what I usually do but today it's extra important. May 15 is Bloggers Unite For Human Rights day!!! This event has spread like wildfire thanks to Amnesty International and Facebook. Check it out here.

Some the issues the group is hoping to see blogs promote are:

1. Human Rights in China. This is especially on our minds after their tragic 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck over the weekend. Amnesty hopes you will sign a petition to Yahoo! to protect Internet free speech in China.

2. Check out tearitdown.org to find how to campaign for an end to the Guantanamo Bay detaining center.

3. The crisis in Darfur, Sudan, which includes civil war, genocide, poverty, rampant AIDS, and a serious lack in education and military stability. Amnesty has a petition you can sign to protect Darfur.

$8.8 Billion In Religious Donations To The Developing World

2008-05-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

Aid and relief is one of American Christianity's strongest outward signs of Christ-like actions. The immense amount of aid sent to developing nations by Christians, not to mention those who service in medicine, care, missions, and relief efforts, shows that American Christianity can follow the tenants of the Christ who served the poor. I would say that countries like those in Africa and some of Asia should not be labeled as only "poor" but as countries who suffer great injustice. Such famine, poverty, and lack of education are the result of corrupt choices, especially in areas like Sudan, North Korea, Myanmar, and the Congo.

These numbers prove that American Christians are aware of such atrocities worldwide and want to support causes to alleviate the suffering. We learn today that Christian relief has hit $8.8 billion!!! This is a news story worth coverage but completely lost in the media. The Christian Post explains,

The amount of $8.8 billion is equivalent to 37 percent of all U.S. government aid, pointed out the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity (CGP) in its 2008 Index of Global Philanthropy. Previously, the religious giving for 2005 was reported at $5.4 billion based on limited available data...
More than half of U.S. congregations gave an average of $10,500 to U.S. organizations for relief and development in poor countries. And over 30 percent made donations directly to programs in developing countries as well as volunteering for short-term missions or service trips, according to the survey.

As the Church in America begins to see more and more suffering worldwide these numbers will continue to expand. Americans are learning the vast sufferings of those oppressed by injustice in lesser developed countries.

I am excited to see these numbers grow because it shows the world that Christianity is a force based on God's love, not an exclusive, uninformed clique. For an atheist to say that Christianity does more harm than good in the world is just grievously wrong. Christianity, unlike any other religion, is morally oriented around a commission against injustice and based on equality. I'm not talking about 'let's all just get along and leave each other alone' or 'you do what you want, I'll do what I want.' It's more like, "If you aren't treated fairly or you are suffering or starving I have a real problem with that and I have to look at my own responsibility in that."

How To Act In War

2008-05-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

I found it to be incredibly interesting to consider the lingering consequences of a Christian nation dropping such a deadly weapon.

The wisdom to use the atomic bomb (in WWII) has been long debated. Dropping the bomb probably did shorten the war; nevertheless Asians cannot forget this new and frightful weapon of destruction was loosed upon them by the Christian West. Conventional weapons since the beginning of time, from the stone ax through the spear and sword to the rifle, had killed men of one generation only. Mysterious horrors were now added by the fact that the atomic bomb had the power not only to destroy large numbers instantly but also to affect future generations through the damage caused to the human reproductive by fallout. --W. Scott Morton, in his book Japan: It's History And Culture.

The Story Of Stuff

2008-05-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Watch these two videos! They are 20 minutes total.
It is an expose on American's waste, consumerism, and complete lack of concern for people around the world. It saddened me so much.

Part 1

Part 2

There's more to learn at storyofstuff.com

Litany of Resistance

2008-05-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

This beautiful litany really helped me think through current events and the timeless person of Jesus Christ.

From the book Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne, Chris Haw, Jim Loney and Brian Walsh.

One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.

All: Have mercy on us.

One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.

All: Free us from the bondage of sin and death.

One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.

All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.

One: For the victims of war.

All: Have mercy.

One: Women, men and children.

All: Have mercy.

One: The maimed and the crippled.

All: Have mercy.

One: The abandoned and the homeless.

All: Have mercy.

One: The widowed and the orphaned.

All: Have mercy.

One: The bleeding and the dying.

All: Have mercy.

One: The weary and the desparate.

All: Have mercy.

One: The lost and the forsaken.

All: Have mercy.

One: O God, have mercy on us sinners.

All: Forgive us for we know not what we do.

One: For our scorched and blackened earth.

All: Forgive us.

One: For the scandal of billions wasted in war.

All: Forgive us.

One: For our arms makers and arms dealers.

All: Forgive us.

One: For our Caesars and our Herods.

All: Forgive us.

One: For the violence that is rooted in our hearts.

All: Forgive us.

One: For the times we turn others into enemies.

All: Forgive us.

One: Deliver us, O God.

All: Guide our feet into the way of peace.

One: Hear our prayer.

All: Grant us peace.

One: From the arrogance of power.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the myth of redemptive violence.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the tyranny of greed.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the ugliness of racism.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the cancer of hatred.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the seduction of wealth.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the addiction of control.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the idolatry of nationalism.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the paralysis of cynicism.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the violence of apathy.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the ghettos of poverty.

All: Deliver us.

One: From the ghettos of wealth.

All: Deliver us.

One: From a lack of imagination.

All: Deliver us.

One: Deliver us, O God.

All: Guide our feet into the way of peace.

One: We will not conform to the patterns of this world.

All: Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

One: With the help of God’s grace.

All: Let us resist evil wherever we find it.

One: With the waging of war.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the legalization of murder.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the slaughter of innocents.

All: We will not comply.

One: With laws that betray human life.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the destruction of community.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the pointing finger and malicious talk.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the idea that happiness must be purchased.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the ravaging of the earth.

All: We will not comply.

One: With principalities and powers that oppress.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the destruction of peoples.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the raping of women.

All: We will not comply.

One: With governments that kill.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the theology of empire.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the business of militarism.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the hoarding of riches.

All: We will not comply.

One: With the dissemination of fear.

All: We will not comply.

One: Today we pledge our ultimate allegiance to the kingdom of God.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To a peace that is not like Rome’s.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the gospel of enemy-love.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the kingdom of the poor and broken.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To a king who loves his enemies so much he died for them.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the least of these, with whom Christ dwells.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the transnational church that transcends the artificial borders of nations.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the refugee of Nazareth.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the cross rather than the sword.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the banner of love above any flag.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the one who rules with a towel rather than an iron fist.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the one who rides a donkey rather than a war horse.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the revolution that sets both oppressed and oppressors free.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the way that leads to life.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: To the slaughtered lamb.

All: We pledge allegiance.

One: And together we proclaim his praises, from the margins of the empire to the centers of wealth and power.

All: Long live the slaughtered lamb.

One: Long live the slaughtered lamb.

All: Long live the slaughtered lamb.

That's a lot to think about!

Christians Decry Divorce

2008-04-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is a headline long missing from the media. Today it is popular for Christians to loudly protest abortion and gay rights, issues Jesus never talked about specifically in the Bible. I often wonder why divorce gets away with so much, especially in the church. I never hear anyone complain that divorce is too popular, dangerous, and detrimental to society, especially not in the way the Bible does.

This lone headline caught my attention because I'd not seen anything like it before: 'Marriage Savers' Declares War on Divorce. Not only is the group Marriage Savers decrying divorce, they are attacking the cause of it: No Fault Divorce laws. They were quoted,

"Most view divorce as a personal issue, but in a larger sense No Fault Divorce, a law first signed in California in 1969 by then Gov. Ronald Reagan, has been the biggest killer of marriage in America. It swept the nation in the 1970s, pushing divorces up from 708,000 in 1970 to 1,036,000 five years later," the group said.

Most Christians want abortion rights overturned, but I've never even MET Christians who know about No Fault Divorce laws and see them as a problem.

Although I personally am torn between civic rights and the health of the family, I am just impressed to see Christians getting angry about something the Bible actually says angers God. Maybe if we focused more on lessing divorce and bolstering healthy families there would be less abortion, rebellion, crime and single-mother poverty.

Beginning To Blog

2008-03-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Following the example of a friend's blog on theology and another on church leadership, I've been moved to attempt to blog about what I really care about: the Christian role in politics, if there is such a thing. Hopefully I can put diligent effort into this blog and learn more about myself through the process...