Two articles during Israel 'apartheid' week: one by a Presbyterian

This week is supposed to be “Israeli apartheid week.” Presbyterian News has offered what I believe is a helpful article on the Israel and Palestine problems. And another author in a different paper has written an excellent rebuttal to the whole issue of “Israeli Apartheid” and the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions movement.

The Presbyterian news article, written by the Rev. Byron Bland, “Giving Shape to peaceful solutions” is meant to be an assessment of the Middle East problems. He rebukes those church groups that simply work against what is called the occupation and believe they need to work harder at peace.

Two important points he makes, as far as I am concerned, is that the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement is not helpful. He writes, “U.S. Christians should feel the need to respond to Palestinian suffering. Their cries against the injustices they have suffered are heart-rending, and their desire for a better and more normal future is morally legitimate and compelling. Nevertheless, joining a BDS campaign is not the most effective way for U.S. churches to respond.” (Italics mine.)[1]

He also clarifies that a two state solution is the better solution. Both of these two concerns have been loudly ignored by the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Additionally, Bland offers concern for Israel as well as Palestinians, writing about several important needs in the situation, he adds “Security mechanisms that address Israeli concerns while respecting Palestinian sovereignty.” The IPMN have never been concerned with Israel’s security needs and this is very important. I would encourage all Presbyterians to read the essay.

The paper on Israeli apartheid and the BDS movement is “What About Arab Apartheid Week?”, written by Arsen Ostrovsky. It is in The Hudson New York paper. I will just offer several paragraphs and let the reader go to the paper and read.

“Today, March 7, begins an annual part of the global campaign to delegitimize Israel, as student groups and academics -- on campuses around the world -- hold events marking "Israel Apartheid Week" [IAW].

None of these groups is holding similar events protesting human rights abuses in any number of Arab and Muslim countries -- Libya, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Yemen, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iraq, the Sudan or Jordan -- where people are being jailed, tortured and often killed fighting for their human rights.

The IAW features a series of events, including lectures, films, demonstrations and other activities, which, according to organisers (http://apartheidweek.org/en/about), is aimed at "raising awareness about Israel's apartheid policies toward Palestinians and gathering support for the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign."

If Israel were an apartheid State, people like Arab Israeli Salim Jurban would not have been elected to Israel's Supreme Court and Ishmael Khaldi, a Bedouin Muslim, would not have been appointed an advisor to Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and then to the position of deputy Consul General of Israel in San Francisco. If Israel were an apartheid state, there would not be 5 different Arab parties and 14 Arab Israeli members of Knesset, some of whom are the most outspoken and harshest critics of Israel, including Haneen Zoabi who participated in the terrorist flotilla in June 2010, and Ahmed Tibi, currently one of the Deputy Speakers of the Knesset.”

So go and read. “What About Arab Apartheid Week?”

[1] I should note that when the Presbyterian article first appeared on the PNS the sentence “Nevertheless, joining a BDS campaign is not the most effective way for U.S. churches to respond,” it was minus its “not.” Because of that some of us were put off by the article. Thankfully it has been changed. Too bad it was only changed after the article moved on and was no longer featured.

Co-inherence and fellowship within the vine

A book by Charles Williams, Descent into Hell, keeps turning up in my thoughts. I have a copy somewhere but I cannot find it. I would like to reread it; I read it so long ago. The main character, whose name I do not remember, has recurring bouts of anxiety when she leaves her house because she keeps seeing herself coming toward her self.

Part of the plot’s resolution, the only part I remember, is that the heroine discovers that the person meeting her is not herself but an ancient ancestor, a reformist of some sort who is preparing to die at the stake for what he believes. She becomes his sustainer in the midst of his sufferings. This idea was a part of what Williams named co-inherence. It is a complex idea but in the novel, Descent into Hell it focuses on the sustaining love and help Christians offer to each other even through differing generations and ages. As one might be able to see, this also unites the believer to the sacrificial love of Jesus.

Williams’ writings often connect the church, the body of Christ, to the Lord of the church in fascinating ways. I believe I have written before about the image in the ‘Place of the Lion of a small Methodist chapel filled with the glory of God as the tiny congregation receives the Lord’s Supper. Co-inherence is seen in the text also:

There didn’t seem to be many there; one or two figures were moving at the upper end; a few more were scattered about the small building. They were seated as if waiting—perhaps for the Breaking of Bread … It was standing at the other end of Zion; it was something like a horse in shape and size, but of dazzling whiteness, and from the middle of its forehead there grew a single horn. He [the main character, Richardson] recognized the myth of poems and pictures; he saw the Divine Unicorn gently sustaining itself in that obscure and remote settlement of the faithful. … It moved with the beauty of swiftness however small the distance was that it went; it lowered and tossed its head, and again that gleaming horn caught all the light in Zion, and gathered it, and flashed it back in a dazzling curve of purity.

Williams goes on to mesh the whole picture together, the light, Richardson, the Unicorn and whole multitudes “whom no man could number.” It is his idea of Christ sustaining the church and the church sustaining one another. He jumps from this dazzling picture to two very ordinary and sweet church members who are concerned about a man turning into a monstrous wolf. (You will just have to read the story.) But they are also concerned about the salvation of Richardson the main character.

“Beautiful” the old lady said, she hesitated, fumbling with her umbrella; then, taking sudden courage, she took a step towards Richardson and went on, “You’ll excuse me, sir, I know its old-fashioned, and you quite a stranger, but—are you saved?”

Richardson answered her as seriously as she had spoken, “I believe salvation is for all who will have it,” he said, “and I will have it by the only possible means.”

“Ah, that’s good, that’s good,” the old gentleman said. “Bless God for it young man.”

“I know you’ll pardon me, sir,” the old lady added, “you being a stranger as I said, and strangers often not liking to talk about it. Though what else there is to talk about …”

“What indeed?” Richardson agreed. …”

Humanity and simplicity wrapped in the glories of Zion because the Lord of the universe became man. The church is human and the church is glorious because she is filled with the glory of Christ.

I will end with a poem of mine I placed here almost four years ago as my first posting. It has a bit of co-inherence too.

The Sweetness of Gathering to the Vine

These, childlike made, they bless the cup and dine
upon the fleshy food they cannot see, and drink the holy bloody wine.

Like sibling children fighting in a line, who later laugh when by the bell set free, these happy ones are laughing in the vine.

And raging gods whose deeds their shape confine have called for war, whose very end shall be determined by the drinking of the wine.

Go death to death, the children life define; now blood of saints and Christ's good blood agree the holy life is living in the vine.

If nails be sharp pursuing flesh to pine, and wooden burdens bend and bruise the knee, feast on the broken flesh, drink up the wine; hold fast the fellowship within the vine.

I am sorry, the lines should be three for each verse until the last with four. Blogger is just having problems with my verse.

More news on the Coptic Church in Egypt

Dexter Van Zile is reporting on the attack on a Coptic church which occurred in Egypt several days ago. He has added information about that attack and other attacks on Coptic churches, including information that Muslims intend to build a mosque on the church site. Because the Western Media is not reporting these incidents I feel it is important for Christianss to do so.
Zile article begins:

“Anti-Christian Rampage in Egypt Goes Unnoticed

People who follow the #copts or #helwan hashtags on Twitter will know that on Friday, a Church in the town of Sool (or Sol) was attacked by a mob of Muslims. Al Masry Al Youm reports that “Two men have been killed during clashes between Muslims and Christians, which culminated in Muslims setting fire to the Shaidain church in Sol, a security official said on Saturday.

The violence, which so far has received very little coverage in the West, was triggered by a feud between families, which disapproved of a romantic relationship between a Christian man and a Muslim woman.”

And continues to this:

"The Copts are Egyptian citizens, but it appears state officials in Egypt are not all that interested in protecting their rights. After the attack the Egyptian military promised to investigate and rebuild the church in Helwan, but the damage is done and the signal has been sent. Copts are the low-cost target of choice.

After the attack, Coptic Christians and their allies in the Muslim community protested in Tahrir Square. Moreover, some Copts who fled the violence in Helwan were able to find refuge in the homes of their Muslim neighbors.

Run this page from a Coptic news site through google translate and you’ll find indications that the land on which the destroyed church is located is still under the control of rioters – who intend to build a mosque on the ruins of the destroyed church. The military is encouraging the Coptic community to have a new church built somewhere else."

There are links to videos of that and other attacks. We need to keep praying for the Coptic Christians in Egypt that true freedom of religion will finally come to that region.

In the hands of Jesus

Two people or more,
not alone, the One is there.
I saw a cluster of violets today
against the outer wall.
They flowered in abundance, in cold February.
Their roots grew deep beneath the wall warmed soil
Together, I Am in the midst of them.

I think a lot of us are feeling weary, sad and yet quiet before the Lord. Jesus is after all the only reason we are walking where we are walking. He is the head of his church and he has promised that even in the midst of only two or three he is there. All of our tomorrows are in his hands. Praise to his holy name.

“But now I come to you; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have my joy in full in themselves. I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also send them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.” (John 17:13-19)

The continuing pain of the Coptic Church in Egypt: a news report

The church in Egypt is still suffering. The news tonight from an Assyrian International News agency: "Nearly 4000 Muslims Attack Christian Homes in Egypt, Torch Church."

It begins:

"A mob of nearly four thousand Muslims has attacked Coptic homes this evening in the village of Soul, Atfif in Helwan Governorate, 30 kilometers from Cairo, and torched the Church of St. Mina and St. George. There are conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the Church pastor Father Yosha and three deacons who were at church; some say they died in the fire and some say they are being held captive by the Muslims inside the church.

Witnesses report the mob prevented the fire brigade from entering the village. The army, which has been stationed for the last two days in the village of Bromil, 7 kilometers from Soul, initially refused to go into Soul, according to the officer in charge. When the army finally sent three tanks to the village, Muslim elders sent them away, saying that everything was "in order now."
A curfew has been imposed on the 12,000 Christians in the village."

According to the report this started because of "a relationship between 40-year-old Copt Ashraf Iskander and a Muslim woman."

But it has escalated into this:

"The Muslim mob attacked the church, exploding 5-6 gas cylinders inside the church, pulled down the cross and the domes and burnt everything inside. Activist Ramy Kamel of Katibatibia Coptic advocacy called US-based Coptic Hope Sat TV and sent an SOS on behalf of the Copts in Soul village, as they are presently being attacked by the mob. He also said that no one is able to contact the priest and the deacons inside the burning church and there is no answer from their mobile phones."

May God protect his people in Egypt.

See also: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=40538

Amendment 10-A & the monstrosity that is coming

One of the more troubling aspects of the possibility of Amendment 10-A winning in the Presbyteries is the thought that some are voting yes because they are weary of the battle over GLBT ordination standards. And in fact this was one of the issues that Sacramento’s presenter for 10-A brought up. That is the need to get beyond all of the conflict and simply do mission. Those Presbyterians who feel this way have no knowledge of the monstrosity waiting out beyond the boundaries of gay ordination and same gender marriage.

It has been noted that during at least two presbytery debates, one was Sacramento, as well as a Christmas letter published by the More Light Presbyterians, heterosexual sex out side of marriage was lifted up as a reason for deleting the Fidelity -Chastity clause from the Book of Order. But there is much more to follow.

In 1991 a report, “Keeping Body and Soul Together: Sexuality, Spirituality and Social Justice” on human sexuality was rejected by the General Assembly of the PCUSA. In that report both GLBT sex and heterosexual sex outside of marriage was lifted up as gifts given by God. In 2003 a book was published by the LGBT community that utilized some of the authors and words of that rejected report. The book is Body and Soul: Rethinking Sexuality as Justice Love. The Editors of the book, Sylvia Thorson-Smith and Marvin M. Ellison, state that all of the authors in the book were asked to review the rejected Presbyterian report.

Much of the book, in reality reminds the orthodox reader of the spiritual outlook of the ancient biblical Canaanites who worshipped the gods and goddesses of fertility. It is a picture of what our tomorrows may be like if we do not care now about honoring Christ and his church.

One author, Robert E Goss, quotes from the sexuality report about how erotic pleasure grounds people in an ethic of justice and love and then he goes on to write:

The theological notion of justice love does not preclude erotic relationships other than pair-bonded, monogamous relationships, and yet, we should note, Christian exploration of single sexuality and polyamory [having more than one intimate relationship at a time] is only at its ethical infancy.

In other words, the above kinds of sexual relationships are okay, they just have not been given enough exploration. The writer goes on to write about how personal pleasure must expand into an ethic of community, but in doing so he sees other deviant sexualities as acceptable, writing:

Erotic connecting of bodies means that gay bodies are connected erotically and joyfully, producing and inventing pleasures. Gay indigenous ethics has often echoed the ethical norms of “safe, sane, and consensual” of the S/M [sadomasochism] subculture. While these norms may be useful for individual sexual encounters, they remain too narrow for gay Christians because they reduce sex to the realm of private pleasures. Good sex, although pleasurable, is not a sufficient end for a Christian, for good sex must be expanded beyond private pleasures to integrate justice.

In other words, it isn’t the type of sex that is the problem, instead it is the private pleasure that does not affect anyone else.

I see two immensely troubling thoughts about this quote. One is simply that the author’s notion of some parts of an ethic of sex includes accepting pain. For him it is okay if it is consensual. The other idea is the notion that a whole worldview about ethics and justice should be grounded in, not just sexuality, a frightening idea in itself, but rather in deviant sexuality. So the justice we will now promote and work toward if 10-A passes is a justice not grounded in the cross of Christ but in deviant erotic sexuality.

Throughout the book on Body and Soul, the idea that human sexuality is both a revelation and a connector to God is promoted. For instance, Rebecca Todd Peters writes, “If we start with woman’s bodily experience of sexuality as a window into the divine, its very mutability can offer insight into refining the way we think about God/ess.” In an earlier posting I explained how Scott Haldeman saw his passive position in gay sex as a revelation of God’s attributes.

So the monstrosity that will enter the church with the passage of 10-A is a worldview founded in deviant sexuality with an emphasis on justice as it grows out of such sexuality. Combined with such a worldview is a pagan view of spirituality that insists that all sexuality is a door and connecter to God. A yes to 10-A will almost immediacy allow the authority of Scripture and even confessional authority to be put aside, it will eventually cause God’s revelation in Jesus Christ to be disregarded.

To lay aside this battle is to enter a far bigger one which can only end in a denomination shattered in every direction. And rightfully so-it will be the judgment of God. It can only end with the sheep of God’s pasture wounded and wandering. How can anyone refuse to be bothered by the very battle which belongs to God’s calling?

Two Friars & a Fool, Landon Whitsitt and grace

“Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace! That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs. Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves.

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap Grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.

Aric Clark, Doug Hagler, and Nick Larson of Two Friars and a Fool have posted a YouTube video of the PCUSA’s Vice Moderator, Rev. Landon Whitsitt, and intend it for conversation. A lot of his talk is about the internet, and how it, with open sourcing, will affect Christianity. It seems to me to be somewhat of a put down to orthodox Christianity. He says that most American Christians have the same understandings of Christianity that they had when they were in sixth grade.

But that is simplistic and without definition. Christians believe in the authority of Scripture, the deity of Christ, the Trinity, justification by faith, the resurrection and life eternal and yes God’s amazing grace. These are just basic to Christianity. Is this what Whitsitt is speaking of?

Whitsitt also speaks, at the end about grace.

The Christian faith, a lot of Christians, people who would call themselves progressives or open source Christians, start to emphasize the notion, the idea, the truth of God’s grace over and above everything else. I know that’s true for me. When I think about God, when I talk to people about God, I talk about a God of grace. A God who freely gives, a God who loves, who freely gives in love. A God who doesn’t require anything of me in order to receive the benefits and the truth of this gospel, right? This God interacts with me in a way, and interacts with the entire world, and let’s be clear not just me, interacts with the entire world with a notion of grace, with a notion of I am going to give you goodness and benefits and truth and I am going to give to you, as Jesus said, I am going to give you abundant life, I am going to show you abundant life and I am going to teach you how to effect abundant life for everyone else and in exchange for this I am not going to ask you for anything. Right you don’t have to pay for this I’m giving it to you freely.”

Now I will be truthful, Whitsitt does go on to suggest that because we possess this grace we are required to pass it on and to love those we disagree with. In other words, God does ask something of us. But there needs to be a clearer understanding here. Grace, God’s unmerited favor, is free and yet as God gives it he also gives faith and repentance. We repent and turn around and walk a different direction, all by God’s grace but it isn’t an empty gift. Grace changes us. We produce fruit that comes from the new life that Jesus gives.

Bonhoeffer has a lot to say about the difference between cheap grace and costly grace. I have quoted him above. Aric in the video discussion on his website mentions, playing the devil’s advocate, cheap grace and Bonhoeffer. So after I place the video of Whitsitt on this posting I will quote a bit more. But do go and listen to both Doug Hagler and Aric Clark. Also Nick Larson is funny.[1]



“Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “Ye were bought with at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus, it comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”

And that grace has nothing to do with the internet except we can all proclaim it there.

[1] scroll down to see the other videos