Dabbling and Babbling

"Forgive me father for I have sinned..."

Well, maybe not really, but I do have a confession. Each time I begin a post for this weblog I can't help but feel a bit queasy just before hitting the "publish post" icon. The little devil on my should raises his pitchfork in triumph shouting, "You are working really hard here to make everyone think you know what you're talking about. You sure are painting a big picture like you care about all this." Then the voice gets a little sarcastic, "You even think you're doing your part now, caring for the poor and all on your blog." Then the little halo-ringed character opposes from across my neck, and while I won't continue the mock conversation, lest you think I've really flipped my schizophrenic lid, I will say I disagree with the little red man on this one. 

While my contact with the poor right now is limited, which is something that honestly keeps me awake at night as I try to figure out how to let that change, my intentions here are not a result of me thinking I've got the problems of global hunger or absolute poverty solved, or that I even understand all of them. That's why I am taking a class exploring what Jesus has to say about all of this. In fact, in the short time I've been posting here, God is transforming me from the inside out on the issue. I'm understanding better the historical implications behind poverty in the first century, along with political implications surrounding poverty in the twenty-first century. And surprisingly, the causes aren't all that different, but that's an entirely different conversation and beside the point. My point, then, is that if you're feeling a bit reticent as well to click that "publish comment" icon at the bottom of the page, I challenge you to go ahead and share yourself a bit. I invite you to contribute to this conversation. I find that's how I learn best these days, anyway. Know that I will work to continue to keep posting as well, espcially on the days I remember to take my psychotropic drugs, only kidding. 

And with that, my sins of arrogance and fear have been absolved. (Since I'm feeling a connection with my Catholic brothers and sisters today, I think I'll still do a few hail mary's nonetheless. Blame it on the nearness of the pope.)

Rocks to Rockstars

In his book, Irresistible Revolution, New Monastic leader Shane Claiborne offers somewhat of a play on words in regards to the rocks crying out at the triumphal entry if the people were not to shout Hosanna! He is discussing the importance of the local church getting involved in charitable work as a means of contributing and living out the social Gospel. As he notes that (evangelical) churches have been mysteriously absent from this type of Jesus-following work, he conjectures that perhaps instead of rocks crying out, the Rock Stars must. This stuck with me. When the church misses its mission, God doesn't forgo the mission; God goes elsewhere to accomplish what needs to be done. So, why not the rockstars? People like and listen to them.

Bono

Simon Cowell

What are some others that are hot on social agendas?

Oh, Brangelina and Madonna, how could I forget them?

Then I found this post today on the world hunger awareness blog, which is listed on my blogroll. Who knew that stars were auctioning off self-designed lunch boxes with the proceeds going to local charities? Cool! Can anyone afford to bid on one for me, preferably Mike Myers? Thanks.

This all tracks back to marketing and consumerism in our country. What's up with that? We even have to buy our contributions to charity. Interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about this right now. It's like guilt-free shopping. (My kids wear Red Campaign clothes from the Gap). It gets people involved and caring, but is that too teleological? 

By the by, The New Monastics deserve their own post, which I'll do later.

Poverty Porn

Caution--I am passionate about this! One of my really good friends, Holly, and I have been talking quite a bit the past few days about the objectification of the poor, especially those in the developing world, especially those in Africa, especially the children. She coined a term that I am adopting and incorporating into my vocabulary in reference to this issue--poverty porn! 

I mean, where do we find permission either in our affluence or religion to travel to those "poor places" and "love" everyone out of their poverty? You know what I'm talking about, we all hear about Somalian refugees, or we see commercials on tv that make us feel guilty, or we run across the occasional movie trailer on the Internet for a non-prof that is doing "special work" that we all need to know about. And instead of sharing the goodness of their work or the need that is present or recruiting volunteers on a factual level, instead people are objectified, children are portrayed void of human contact making them look like caged zoo animals, and the casual observer is left to mourn the atrocity of the human condition alone with no outlet to grieve properly. It is all about emotion, desperation, and guilt. Maybe, that's a bit extreme, but you get the point.

Now, hear me out. I want you to read this as less of an accusation and more of a question...

(And I'm not including in this post those organizations and non-profits that do a GREAT job of communicating such difficult news and needs without the objectification factor.)

What are appropriate ways to relay the direness of the developing world's message of need and appropriate assistance from first world citizens? Surely we can do better at preserving the worth of the individual who is in need.  Would it not be better to recruit volunteers and financial offerings from a sense of urgency and a willingness to contribute to the growth of humanity rather than from a sense of guilt or shame? Is it fair to even try to separate the two? Again, how can this best be done, and who is already doing it well? I just don't think Jesus was about the business of making us feel bad about ourselves for doing wrong or neglecting important matters. He was more interested in the problem itself, right? Please, I invite you to share your insights.

The image is a portrayal of guilt. It makes me ask the question, maybe we all need a little bit of guilt in order to help us get off our rumps and up working for some justice. Then again, let's not confuse guilt with conviction and the motivating force behind each of those emotions. Finally, maybe I'm just a bit too emotional for my own good and the only one who feels this way...am I overreacting?

--Maybe a better title for this post is Rant #1!