In response to my comments on Bush’s speach, Eric asked:

So how do we Christians respond faithfully?

Great question. I started to reply in the comment, but felt it was more worth a full post.

Interestingly, it seems that this is a different question from “How should a Christian respond?” or even, “How should I respond faithfully?”

Because it is “we Christians” who put Bush in power, it is exactly American Christianity as a whole that should be responding. Bush won (twice) largely because of Christians (and especially evangelicals) giving passion and dollars in the hope of retaining some sense of “moral values”. Often people reasoned that it would be worth all that has been lost to get a chance at an anti-abortion SC judge.

So how do WE respond? Christians need to look deeper when picking a candidate. Leave one-issue voting behind. Consider treatment of the poor, environmental regulations, and tax codes to be “moral issues”. Christianity needs to reclaim it’s heritage of non-violent social action. We need to apply “love thy neighbor” on a global scale.

Sure, easy enough to say, but a long way off? Perhaps, but i think Christians are starting to be discontent enough with traditional conservativism that other options are becoming more viable.

And we get there one step at a time. Which leads us to the other questions, of individual response. As we make progress, we have to share what we know and learn. Talk about these things with everyone. Instigate discussion. Definitely keep praying, for our leaders, and for the state of the Church in this country. Let your spending and giving reflect your values. Keep seeking to let your values reflect the character of God. Live the Gospel in all way possible. We need to apply “love thy neighbor” on a very personal scale.

So, that’s my post-length answer. I’d love to hear thoughts or ideas from others. What do you think?

This past weekend, my beautiful wife and I organized what is becoming an annual fall camping trip near this little-slice-of-Bavaria town called Leavenworth .

We had a great fire going, thanks to my brother chopping up lots of wood with my new Gerber hatchet. Sarah’s parents were even able to join us. We told jokes, had some Russian Quaalude and beers, roasted hot dogs, made s’mores, and generally had a good time.

The next day, after a tasty and assorted breakfast, we broke camp and headed into town for the Oktoberfestivities. This mostly involved taking advantage of the free samples at the cheese and chocolate shops, a lunch of beer and brats, and generally celebrating all things Autumnal.

We rounded out the day with a hike in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The trail was beautiful, running alongside a great twisty and tumbly creek. We were able to cross the creek dry thanks to an awesome Lincoln-Log-type bridge.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend enjoying Fall colors and traditions. We made it back with a box of apples that Sarah will sauce (her recipe is gonzo-good!) and campfire-smelling clothes to keep us in the Oktoberfest spirit.

This morning, Bush gave a speech on the War on Terror. Sarah pointed out some deep ironies in his words. Now, i am not a political analyst, but i can’t help talk about this.

Here is an excerpt:

And the civilized world knows very well that other fanatics in
history, from Hitler to Stalin to Pol Pot, consumed whole
nations in war and genocide before leaving the stage of history [1].
Evil men obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience
must be taken very seriously, and we must stop them before their
crimes can multiply [2].  Defeating a militant network is difficult
because it thrives like a parasite on the suffering and frustration
of others.

The radicals exploit local conflicts to build a culture of victimization
in which someone else is always to blame and violence is always
the solution [3].   They exploit resentful and disillusioned young
men and women, recruiting them through radical mosques as the
pawns of terror [4].  And they exploit modern technology to multiply
their destructive power [5]...

And this further spreads the threat of violence, even within peaceful
democratic societies [6].

While this may very well have some truth when applied to the radical islamists (oh, i mean the “enemies of humanity”), it is striking to think of how these words apply to the actions America is taking, and even Bush’s own personal role in it all. While some of the irony is painfully obvious, a few of the footnoted comments deserved special attention. Mouse over links for relevant quotes from other sources.

1]- While America certainly hasn’t been “consumed with war” (the media hides it well), Iraq is barely a nation any more, as a result of what Bush has initiated there. Although Bush certainly isn’t on the same level as those Big Bad Three, he is working much more withing their MO than anyone in the middle east.

2]- Ha. I couldn’t agree more. The scary thing is that it seems like Bush tries to keep his conscience unburdened. Didn’t i hear this sentence in a John Kerry ad last year?

3]- Wasn’t the Afghani infighting used against the Taliban as we enlisted their rivals in part one of this war? Doesn’t the continual use of Sept. 11 as justification (at least 6 direct refs in this speech) kinda sound like a victim mentality? Couldn’t short-circuiting the UN and the inspection teams and jumping right to full-scale invasion sound a little like thinking violence is the only solution? Ummm… yeah…

4]- We exploit (!!) and recruit the resentful and disillusioned youth through conveniently-located neighborhood enlistment offices… oh yeah, and through the public schools. But not Mosques, so it’s OK.

5]- I think he just forgot who he was talking about at this point. We can forgive him for that, it’s a long speech.

6]- Bush still refuses to admit that he has any part in recent surge in al Qaeda recruitment.

There were many (many) more sentances like this throughout this speech. Maybe Bush is running out of good ways to talk about the war, and subconsciously reached for the closest descriptions available. Or maybe he has simply been speaking this drivel for so long he really believes it himself. Personally, i think one of his speech-writers has recently turned from the Dark Side, but is still working under cover. To this person, i say: “May the Force be with you!”

Sarah and I recently saw a great exhibit at the Washington History Museum: CAPTURE THE MOMENT: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs.

There were, of course, many awesome photographs — Classic images of wars, significant presidencies, international crises, as well as joyful moments, celebrated lives, and great accomplishments. As photojournalism should, these pictures not only captured the moment, but could often sum up the entire context and emotional state of an event, people group or nation. Each photo was presented enlarged, with the story of how the photographer got the shot, and her/his reflections on the picture.

I’ve been thinking about this one lately:

The description talked about how many of the people in this homeless community in Philadelphia viewed themselves as “The Last Free Men”, having broken free from social enslavement, corporate bondage, and conformative norms and pressures. I love how the man above is defiantly “parked” directly under the sign forbidding it.

The homeless woman standing outside my car window always make me feel a little uncomfortable. Why? It is not a matter of who they are or how they look; rather it is what being in proximity to another member of humanity (who has no car, home, clean clothes, job, bank account, etc) reveals about me. Her very life is a subtle judgement on what remains of my worldly value system.

While my mind works to defend my own levels of “social enslavement”, i have to recognize that there is some challenging Truth to their claim. I struggle to let tomorrow worry for itself. I seek to provide for myself (and nearly solely myself and Sarah) food and clothing. I am constantly tempted to value people based on how well they speak, dress, or otherwise perform within the social system. In too many ways, i have let the world conform my life and my mind, rather than my Jesus, who had no place to lay his head.

Jesus, as a transient, lived radically outside the repressive systems of his day. And even more radically, he called the world to join him.

So, while i am not about to take Sarah, and move out onto the streets, and while i’m sure most homeless people are not there by choice and would indeed love to re-integrate with society, I find that i am thankful that they are visible in my city and in my neighborhood. I’m thankful for the reminder that life can indeed be lived without all that i cling to — i am not my bank account, i am not my fucking khakis. I’m thankful that they make me uncomfortable. And i’m thankful that they provide a direct way for me to interact with and love the one i call Lord, who still identifies with the smelly, rag-covered, homeless of Seattle.