The Moral Outrage of Oil Consumption

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote of the responsibility of all men in a free society (Heschel insisted that in a free society where some are guilty, all are responsible) in "The Moral Outrage of Vietnam".

"It is weird to wake up one morning and find that we have been placed in an insane asylum while asleep at night. It is even more weird to wake up and find that we have been involved in slaughter and destruction without knowing it."

The words may be about Vietnam, but there is a taste of crude oil in it when I hear it. There is a truth to the weight I feel when I wake up and remember that my need for fuel and energies of fuel has been responsible for the fuel leaking into the Gulf right now. I am the one responsible. We are all responsible.

People of faith - particularly the religious leaders - should be making more noise about this tragedy. Can't we see that the "waters are turning to blood" again. We have seen this before, this type of destruction and greed. We have allowed too much "fast technology" to tread in areas they obviously have no business treading.

There should have been a few - if not more - viable options on standby for such a hideous occurrence. Have we learned nothing from the Exxon Valdez incident.  This oil leak is not a spill, this is a horror. The religious leaders should be down on the Gulf calling people to fast and pray, begging for an answer and challenging people to put on sackcloth and ashes and call on God. There should be no silence.

Fast from one meal a day and call on God for an answer and a repairer of the rig. Pray the arterial surgeons would share how they stop arterial leaks with these oil hounds. Pray that people would be able to clean up the horrible affects of oil and for the countless people whose lives will be altered beyond recognition.

Fast and Pray because of this moral outrage - and don't sit still.  Get others involved.

Ciao!

TJM +

Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity

I want to share a quote with you that has deepened my understanding of the passion living inside theologians and prophets.  It is by Abraham Joshua Heschel - the most passionate and God-loving theologian of this century.  Heschel understood the connection between mysticism and social action.  I first read this book  a dozen or so years ago, when his daughter published these essays - with a superb introduction of the man - her father.  


Heschel is a prophetic figure.  He embodies the desire and activism of a prophet.  He reminds me of Mother Maria of Paris.  this quote was taken from a telegram Heschel sent to President John F. Kennedy just before attending a religious leaders' summit.  Listen for the personal sacrifices he is willing to make and asking the President to request of the religious leaders.  Who among our religious will stand this tall, this honest in front of the president - and still maintain a humble demeanor, with no rancor? 


"I look forward to privilege of being present at meeting tomorrow. Likelihood exists that Negro problem will be like the weather. Everybody talks about it but nobody does anything about it. Please demand of religious leaders personal involvement not just solemn declaration. We forfeit the right to worship God as long as we continue to humiliate Negroes. Church synagogue have failed. They must repent. Ask of religious leaders to call for national repentance and personal sacrifice. Let religious leaders donate one month's salary toward fund for Negro housing and education. I propose that you Mr. President declare state of moral emergency. A Marshall plan for aid to Negroes is becoming a necessity. The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity." - Abraham Joshua Heschel


We need men and women of this caliber today.  We need folks who will fast, pray, march and protest and merge their words with the passion of a Heschel.  We need to eradicate many more social injustices.  Take courage from Rabbi Heschel, and STAND UP.


Ciao!


TJM+

If you have never read Heschel...today you are invited.  The link to purchasing the book of essays this quote comes from is above, on the left.  He also wrote God In Search of Man, Man is Not Alone, I Asked for Wonder.

Enter Job

If the wonders of technology and cinematography have taught us anything about ourselves, it is that we love happy endings.  We religious folk are no different.

We love tales from scriptures that wrap up rather nicely.  God tips off Noah so he can be saved.  Wanderers are miraculously heralded to the other side of the huge body of water, while their enemies are drowned as the walls of water crash on their heads.  A few faithful humans escape the hurling of fire and brimstone as the city is destroyed.  Ah, the good are safe and sound.  The bad are crushed.  Yeah!  Great ending.

Lest we forget the full body of scriptural encounters and wrestlings with God - ENTER JOB.  Here's a guy that was allegedly a super servant of the Most High.  But - he lost everything.  Reduced to dung and ashes his life was a mess.  And yet, from the hell he entered he sought to strive with the LORD.  He chose to continue to encounter and wrestle with God.

Just because we are crying out and praising the Most High, we are not immune from suffering.  Churches will close as the paradigms shift in this new age.  People will go jobless who love Jesus.  Right living does not produce prosperity.  Right living produces compassion, joy, peace, patience, kindness and the like.  Beware of folks who teach that if we do the right thing we will be blessed.  If we do the right thing, we will be doing the right thing.  Period.

As shifts occur in the organizational landscape of society and the church, let us remember that we are called to faithfulness whether we have "stuff" and "blessings" or whether we have "nothing" and "curses".  Stories with happy endings are only one piece of the Canon.  The "happy-enders" out there would remind me that at the end, Job gets a whole new family, new riches, a new life.  Yes, but, the ones he loved were annihilated.

The story of faithfulness is that we to learn to emerge from ashes and new growth with the same heart of love and devotion.   The journey is not about happiness, but union with an awesome and perhaps terrible God.  Making our way back to Him is not about comfort but connection.

TJM+

Appalling Nature of Church

It has become common knowledge that many of the mainline denominations are flailing and in disrepair.  Many seem on the verge of collapse.  When you dig into the chaos that exists, it appears that the greatest contributor to  possible ruin is finances.

It makes me wonder how we have gotten ourselves into this place.  It does not matter whether it is Orthodox or Free Church denominations.  They are all closing doors because of finances.  How have we allowed CHURCH to become synonymous with corporate structure and ownership?

The nature of CHURCH is the "called out ones" of God.  Called out of the world, CHURCH is allegedly the community of people who have opened themselves to the indwelling of God's Spirit - we are TABERNACLES of God.

It is up to the creative ones to figure out how to disentangle the two concepts so that true CHURCH is challenged to go on and meet the conditions of a new way of gathering and so that whatever the shape of that gathering becomes, it does not commit the same crime of seeing buildings as CHURCH and programs as CHURCH.

The shrinking and withdraw of support from institutions in this country has been going on for a long time.  Big business and consumerism is the new culture we live in.  As this shift occurs, many grass roots movements are being challenged to go back to their origins and reclaim the vital link they have with living the vision and mission they espouse without the "luxury" of bricks and mortar.

I hope people are starting to think about what the core values of faith are all about.  What constitutes spiritual life and growth.  And, how to become community without the abundance of property and wealth.

The option will be for these collapsing denominations to scrap what they have and all run out and find another "thing" that is similar in shape and size to what they knew; or, to re-envision what we may have been missing in the call of God.  Listening to the call requires the abandon of a Prophets heart and a ruthless audacity to shout out when we have fallen away from our connection to the Father of lights.

Times ahead will be prophetic to say the least.  It may be too simple a response to look at the churches that survive and say what are they doing right?  The Churches that survive just have more money.  Now is the time to find out how CHURCH and "luxury" are distinct.  Let's not rebuild something that falls apart on our grandchildren because we mistook abundance as a sign from God that we had found the WAY.

It is time people start asking themselves how house churches, small groups, and communities find their ways into the changing shape of CHURCH.

TJM+

Second Sight - A New Book to Watch For

A review of a sensational read:

“Every explorer thinks he’s crazy just before the big find. Keep questioning what you think you already know. It’s the fastest way to the truth.”

“Be careful what you go looking for. Some things aren’t meant to be found.”

Somewhere between these two quotes from the book lies the mystery of its quest.  Second Sight is a story - designed and authored by an architect - that uncovers the awesome mystery behind the development of God’s grand schema written by His consciousness through the hands of His characters –“written in primordial time, in the PRESENCE, with black fire on white fire” (Rashi). 

Were there cataclysms in our past that initiates were able to safe-house wisdom against?  Are there Ages to the human species that we have not uncovered or deciphered?  Is outer space somehow connected to inner space?  Second Sight leads us on a profound questioning path toward these concepts. 

We bounce back and forth, in the book, between time present, time past, and future time.  We are hurled between inner space and outer space.  The far reaches of the galaxy are hidden in our present tunnels and pathways to antiquity.

The book starts with a personal tragedy that draws you in to the life of the main character with a deep sense of longing for his survival.  It does not take long for the hook to be set by the author.  Once hooked, you cannot stop following the line – hoping to catch a glimpse of the one who has snagged you and begun reeling you in.  You are always left wondering whether what you are reading is real – the greatest sign that you have been caught.  You’ll find yourself wanting to “Google” most of what you uncover.

One minute we are buying Cool-Whip in a convenience store and the next we are standing at a five storey sand plume by the pyramids in Egypt.  The search for the prize – like the longing for the philosopher’s stone - never escapes your racing heart.  Staring into the Abyss has never been so riveting.

The Kybalion quotes the ancient Hermetic principle, “As above, so below.  As inside, so outside”.  Jack Althouse, in his book, walks us through these principles with a verbal artistry that reveals a landscape not a concept.  We are climbing down holes, through tunnels, and space itself to find more than tablets of gold and arcane artifacts, we are searching for a treasure of great price.  We search and wonder where we will end up next, only to find out that it is the place where all heaven and earth collide.  To find it, you’ll have to read this thrilling journey – this amazing book. 

There can be no escaping the fact that this story has to be told.  It is a matter of life and death.  You will not be able to put the adventure down until you have gobbled up his every word.  One thing is for sure, your compass will never look the same to you again.  You can bet there will be more to come!

Jack’s Author page http://www.wolf-pirate.com/#/j-f-althouse/4530387642

Publisher’s Book Page http://www.wolf-pirate.com/#/second-sight/4539011423

Pick up the first chapter from either page.

Jack's Website http://jfalthouse.com/ - you can get four chapters of the upcoming book here!

Ciao!

TJM+