intersections

Needed: Prophetic Voices for a Just Economy

Last week I spent three days in Washington, D.C. with clergy from the PICO National Network. PICO is a congregation-based community organization that is working for justice in our communities. The clergy work toether, locally and nationally, to give a prophetic tone to our voice as we speak and act for justice. Yesterday I posted some reflections at The Huffington Post about my time spent with these faith leaders as we think about where we're at as a nation. You can read a portion below or click here to read the whole thing at the Huffington Post.

"How do you respond when you see this chart?"

That was the question Scott Reed, Executive Director of the PICO National Network, asked a room of about 25 pastors and rabbis who had gathered in Washington, D.C. for the first meeting of the new National Clergy Leadership Council.

"How does it feel to be faith leaders during such a time?" he asked.

A few people had seen this already during a presentation by Josh Bivens, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute and author of the recent book, Failure by Design: The Story Behind America's Broken Economy, but it was brand new to me. It took me, and others, a few minutes to digest what we were seeing here. One by one we commented about what we thought caused this. We tried to explain it, justify it, and rationalize it. Then Scott said something that stopped me cold in my tracks. <keep reading>

 

Also, if you haven't checked The Hillhurst Review in a while (or ever) I have posted several reviews there in the past couple of months. Stay tuned for new reviews in the coming days including a new book by Miroslav Volf called Allah and a helpful book for faith leaders in multicultural settings, Churches, Cultures and Leadership, by Mark Lau Branson and Juan Martinez.

The Hillhurst Review launches

This week my friend, Syd Shook, and I launched a new website called The Hillhurst Review. From our About page:

The Hillhurst Review is a space where peoples of faith can be challenged and inspired. A multimedia, journalistic combination of reviews, interviews, opinion and creative pieces from across the globe provides a platform that breeds new insights and new friendships. We seek to give readers the opportunity to encounter extraordinary thought and stories and the people whose life and faith incite them.

We begin with an interview with an extraordinary doctor, sometime known simply as The Gaza Doctor. Syd and I sat down with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish just over a week ago and spoke to him about his new book, I Shall Not Hate. I first met Dr. Abuelaish in July 2010 at a small gathering of interfaith leaders who are concerned about the way people of faith can affect peace in the Middle East, and specifically Israeli-Palestine. I was struck by his humility and grace. Later that evening I listened as he briefly told the heart breaking story of losing three of his daughters and a neice in the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip in December 2008. That night I pre-ordered his book which was published in the US until January 4, 2011.

During our interview last week we learned that he has again been recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011. I highly recommend his book to you, no matter what your position on the conflict in Israel and Palestine has been, or whether it is a completely new topic for you.

Our complete interivew with Dr. Abuelaish is available at The Hillhurst Review. I also wrote a piece for The Huffington Post about this interview and his book. You can find that piece here. An excerpt can be found here, below the fold.

[HuffPost] Killing the DREAM Act: Still No Room in the Inn

Today we witnessed another skirmish in the real "War on Christmas". As Christians all over the world celebrate the final weekend of Advent and prepare for Christmas in just one week, the U.S. Senate once more dashed the hopes of almost 2 million children and young adults, many of whom have lived in the United States all their lives. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to pass a procedural vote today in the Senate. First introduced in Aug. 2001, the DREAM Act would allow the children of undocumented immigrants a path to legal residency by either going to college or enlisting in the military.

 As the media prattles on about the so-called "War on Christmas" -- an ideological battle over terminology, at best -- people's lives hang in the balance. Actions speak louder than words. One way Christians can protect the place of Christmas in our society -- indeed, the credibility of Christianity more generally -- is by acting in harmony with its core principles: grace, welcome and hospitality.

But today there was no hospitality, no grace.

 

Read the rest on Huffington Post, here.

Also, learn more about the DREAM Act from the non-partisan Immigration Policy Center.

Al Tirah! Fear Not!

We are drowning in a culture of fear in America. The message coming daily from the cable news networks is, "Be afriad. Be very afraid!" Yes this is contrary to the a dominant biblical theme: "Fear not!" As my friend Sharon Brous, Rabbi of the IKAR community here in Los Angeles, says in this new video, the Torah is littered with command, "Al tirah," on God's lips. The opposite of fear, in scripture, is love. Instead of closing our hands in fear we are told to open our hands in generosity and compassion (See Deut. 15:7-10).

Jesus echos this long standing tradition when he says,"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Luke 12:32). John, the beloved disciples of Jesus, toward the end of his life, penned these powerful words,

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

In this video, Sharon has reminded us that Jews - and Christians following in the same tradition - have a different vision and calling than others. Our lives should be a demonstration to the world that there is a better way - the way of generosity and love.

Perfect love casts out fear!

Fear not!

Al tirah!

Budrus - opens Friday in L.A.

Last night I had the privilege to attend a private screening of a new documentary called, Budrus, with my wife, Elysabeth, and Leslie Foster. It is the story of how the tiny village of Budrus, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, resists the take over of their land by the Israel, for the construction of the separation barrier. The route of the new fence runs directly through their ancient cemetery and would mean the destruction of 3,000 olive trees, which has been the source of the Budrus' survival and identity for generations.

It's an amazing story about the power of community organizing and, once again, the way women have a unique power to change the world. After the screening, director Julia Bacha said that after seeing her earlier film, Encounter Point (equally amazing!) people asked, 'Where is the Palestinian Ghandi?' The implication, she said, is that if nonviolent methods of resistence were employed the conflict would end. They wanted to show one example of the success of such methods, but also point out that nonviolent resistence alone will not change the situation. These methods work when the international community is paying attention. So, please, pay attention to this film!

This film opens Friday at the Laemmle Music Hall for a limited, one week engagment. Click here to check show times and buy tickets. I highly recommend you see this film while it's in town. No matter what your perspective is, it will challenge your views of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, stereotypes about Hamas and Fatah, and most of all, inspire hope in the power of ordinary people to change their social situation.

The trailer is below. Visit their website for more information.

L.A. Faith Leaders Support Muslim Center in NYC

Here's some of the press coverage of the interfaith event I was a part of in support of Cordoba House in NYC...

Interfaith Statement Supporting President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg on Religious Freedom | MPAC
We, the people who seek to preserve America's open society, following in the footsteps of the founders of our great nation, in order to form a more perfect pluralism, stand in solidarity to guarantee the right of Muslim Americans to build a house of worship like any other American, at any location according to local ordinances and U.S. law, principally the constitution of the United States which guarantees that there will not be an established religion in our nation and that all chttp://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a00d8341e80fc53ef00d8341e80fe53ef/post/composeitizens will be free to exercise their religion. [Read more...]

Southern Calif. interfaith coalition supports ground zero Muslim center | 89.3 KPCC

L.A. Faith Leaders Support Muslim Center in New York | LA Times
Standing near a poster that read, "An attack against one is an attack against all," about 30 representatives of various faiths gathered Friday outside a central Los Angeles mosque to announce their support for an Islamic center planned near ground zero in New York.

[snip]

Those assembled included representatives of the Catholic Church, various Jewish organizations, United Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Seventh-day Adventists, Quakers and a pastor from the First AME Church, among others. The Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council released a statement in support of the Islamic center that was signed by 71 religious leaders in Southern California. [Read more...]

Interview with Jihad Turk & Rabbi Jonathan Klein | CNN

California interfaith leaders back 'ground zero' Islamic center | CNN

Solid thinking on the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque"

I was really pleased to see that a fellow Seventh-day Adventist and a man I greatly respect, James Standish, brought some clear thinking to bear on all the crazy controversy about the mosque being proposed for Lower Manhattan, near the site of the former World Trade Center, in a Washington Post "On Faith" piece entitled, "The great 'Ground Zero mosque' hoax."

I really hope this will get widely recirculated among the people in the pews of Seventh-day Adventist Churches because this represents solid Adventist reasoning on the subject. Here are some excerpts. Click here to read the whole thing!

Don't Give the Government Power to Ban our Houses of Worship

But there is a second disconnect. Americans have the right to build our houses of worship wherever we choose, as long as we lawfully purchase the land and build to code. Indeed, in 1998 the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act was passed to ensure this right is robustly protected. Do we really want to give the government the right to pick and choose which religions get to build where? Do we want Evangelicals banned from building new churches in neighborhoods where they are an unpopular minority? Do they want the majority to be able to decide where Mormon churches can be built, or Synagogues or Adventist Churches, or Catholic? We are all minorities somewhere in this country. Do we want the majority to be able to squelch our plans to build a house of worship?

Where is the fear of intrusive government when we need it? Where is the dedication to the First Freedom found in our Constitution when it really matters?

Stop Damaging American Security

The so called "Ground Zero" controversy has no doubt effectively raised the profile and filled the coffers of the politicians and advocacy organizations misleading the public. Scapegoating unpopular minorities is generally an effective way to gain power and influence. But it comes at a price. In this case, the price is not only the integrity and credibility of the individuals and organizations that raced to jump on this bandwagon. It is deeper and it is broader. This controversy has done much to stoke hatred against American Muslims at home and in the process, has made peaceful Muslims around the world doubt our commitment to equality and liberty. In so doing, these attacks on American Muslims gives fuel to violent Islamic radicals.

The politicians and NGOs that have stoked the "ground zero" mosque hoax should be seen for what they are - security charlatans. Their intolerance weakens our society and our allies, while strengthening our enemies.

I'm a social justice Christian - the latest news

Thank you to everyone who has watched our PSA and shared it with others. In under 48 hours we have over 4,200 views between our YouTube feed and our Vimeo feed! There have also been some other nice developments.

First, I was invited to blog about "I'm a social justice Christian" at The Huffington Post. That post appeared yesterday. Here's an excerpt:

When I talk to Christians about justice, many will say it's the responsibility of the church to take care of people; we shouldn't expect the government to do that. There is a partial truth to this. But here's the rub. First of all, we live in a pluralistic society and not everyone is a Christian, to say the least. Do we really mean to say that only people who belong to a church can receive the care they need? And secondly, even if you grant that people outside the church should be cared for (as most Christians would), some issues, like health care, are too big for a local congregation to handle alone. In many cases, such as human rights and public health, our person-to-person solutions are too small.

Read the whole thing here.

Yesterday evening I was invited, along with the director of the PSA, Leslie Muse, and one of the pastors that appeared in the PSA, Rev. Neil Thomas, to speak live with Ian Masters radio program on KPFK called Daily Briefing. You can listen to our conversation here.

Please help us keep this going by sharing these pieces with others!

I'm a social justice Christian

Below is a Public Service Announcement that I've been working on for the past two weeks, produced by the film production venture I co-founded, called New Name Pictures. It's entitled "I'm a social justice Christian.

Please watch it here and spread the word! Also, to see other resources associate with them campaign and to keep participating as new PSAs are created, go to our website - www.socialjusticechristian.com.

LAPD Officers are not immigration agents

LA Voice today released this press advisory on International Migration Day.

Newly-Appointed Chief Charlie Beck To Send Clear Message to Los Angeles Community: LAPD Officers Are Not Immigration Agents

Los Angeles-On International Migration Day, Friday, December 18, at 6pm, newly-appointed Police Chief Charlie Beck will address LA Voice leaders from Dolores Mission Church to announce that the Los Angeles Police Department will continue Special Order 40, which prohibits LAPD officers from initiating contact with someone solely to determine whether they are in the country legally.

The Chief's remarks will take place in the context of the Posadas, a traditional Latino celebration involving the reenactment of Mary and Joseph seeking room at the inn to give birth to Jesus.  The location, Dolores Mission, a parish of largely immigrant community by day and homeless shelter by night, is a significant location for this pronouncement.  Chief Beck will hear testimonies from immigrants as well as address their concerns.  Chief Beck brings his designated spokesperson to the Latino community, Captain Rigo Romero. 

"That Chief Beck is continuing Special Order 40 is wonderful news for our community, as we are always encouraging people to work with the police to improve safety of the community, and yet undocumented people live with the real fear that if they report a crime they could be deported," says Pastor of Dolores Mission, Fr. Scott Santarosa, S.J.  "Our people are not alone on this-other immigrant communities throughout the city will rejoice at this message.  People just want safety-immigrants reporting crimes make our city safer." 

Dolores Mission is affiliated with LA Voice, a federation of 25 churches and synagogues in Los Angeles working to improve the quality of life for all Angelenos.  LA Voice is a member of the PICO National Network, which has over 1000 member congregations in 17 states and 150 cities.