Activists&Advocates

people of faith working for justice

Thanks to Texas Impact, and especially Nancy Benthien, Covenant Lutheran Church, and everyone present at the Advocacy Camp!

A word on advocacy ...

Your voice matters ...

people with power

people without power

people of politics

people of faith

The problem with being a bridge is ...

A bridge between faith and politics:

What do we mean by politics?

Politics:

Dirty, partisan, divisive, dishonest, power-grabbing attempts to make US winners and THEM losers.

Politics:

The way groups of people organize their lives together.

Some say,

“ Faith isn’t political…

It’s personal.”

Some say,

“ Faith isn’t political…”

but what about the Great Commandment?

Yes, faith must be personal.

but it also must be interpersonal.

Our contemporary gospel is primarily

INFORMATION ON

HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN

AFTER YOU DIE

with a large footnote about increasing your personal happiness and success through God.

with a small footnote about character development

with a smaller footnote about spiritual experience

with a smaller footnote about social/global transformation.

self church world A gospel of self-enhancement and sin management in this life and the next…

Dallas Willard calls this dominant understanding “the gospel of sin management.”

The purpose of this gospel is to answer these questions: What do we do about original sin? How do we go to heaven after we die?

In a footnote hidden away in the back of “The Divine Conspiracy,” he adds ...

that the gospel of sin management produces “vampire Christians” who want Jesus for his blood and little else.

self church world A gospel of self-enhancement and sin management in this life and the next…

self church world

world self church

Two Gospels: Gospel of saving individual souls from hell, and abandoning earth to destruction. Gospel of saving earth* from human sin, beginning with us. *Including individuals

where faith meets our world the four advocacy crises

2 questions: From Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope What are the top global problems? What does the message of Jesus say to those problems?

Top Global Problems: High Noon (20) United Nations University (15) Copenhagen Consensus (10) Millennium Development Goals (8) PEACE plan (5)

United Nations University: The State of the Future Top Fifteen Challenges: How can … 1. … sustainable development be achieved for all? 2. … everyone have sufficient clean water without conflict? 3. … population growth and resources be brought into balance? 4. … genuine democracy emerge from authoritarian regimes? 5. … policymaking be made more sensitive to global long-term perspectives ? 6. … the global convergence of information and communications technologies work for everyone? 7. … ethical market economies be encouraged to help reduce the gap between rich and poor ?

8. … the threat of new and reemerging diseases and immune micro-organisms be reduced? 9. … the capacity to decide be improved as the nature of work and institutions change? 10. … shared values and new security strategies reduce ethnic conflicts, terrorism, and the use of weapons of mass destruction ? 11. … the changing status of women help improve the human condition? 12. … transnational organized crime networks be stopped from becoming more powerful and sophisticated global enterprises? 13. … growing energy demands be met safely and efficiently? 14. … scientific and technological breakthroughs be accelerated to improve the human condition? 15. … ethical considerations become more routinely incorporated into global decisions?

8 Millennium Development Goals: 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. 2. Achieve universal primary education . 3. Promote gender equality and empower women. 4. Reduce child mortality . 5. Improve maternal health . 6. Combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases . 7. Ensure environmental sustainability . 8. Develop a global partnership for development

Copenhagen Consensus Top 10 Global Problems 1. Hunger and malnutrition 2. Climate change 3. Conflicts 4. Financial Instability 5. Water and Sanitation 6. Subsidies and Trade Barriers 7. Population/Migration 8. Communicable Diseases 9. Education 10. Governance and Corruption

Rick Warren’s PEACE Plan 1. P romote reconciliation to reduce conflict. 2. E quip servant leaders to combat corrupt leadership 3. A ssist the poor through humanitarian aid ( poverty ) 4. C are for the sick to combat disease 5. E ducate the next generation to combat ignorance

spiritual emptiness corrupt leadership poverty disease ignorance hunger and malnutrition climate change conflicts Financial Instability Water/Sanitation subsidies/trade barriers population/ migration communicable diseases education governance/corruption hunger education gender inequality child mortality maternal health environmental sustainability ethnic conflicts terrorism weapons of mass destruction organized crime networks energy demands clean water population growth authoritarian regimes

spiritual emptiness corrupt leadership poverty disease ignorance hunger and malnutrition climate change conflicts Financial Instability Water/Sanitation subsidies/trade barriers population/ migration communicable diseases education governance/corruption hunger education gender inequality child mortality maternal health environmental sustainability ethnic conflicts terrorism weapons of mass destruction organized crime networks energy demands clean water population growth authoritarian regimes FOUR GLOBAL CRISES

Societal Machine

Societal Machine Prosperity Machine: a complex tool fashioned to achieve a desire.

Societal Machine Security Prosperity

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity The Ecosystem

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity The Ecosystem Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity The Ecosystem Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste Framing Story

The Ecosystem Heat Solar Energy

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity The Ecosystem Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste Crisis 1. A Prosperity System that is plundering earth’s resources and poisoning the earth with toxins. (The crisis of the planet .)

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste 2. An Equity System that helps a rich minority can’t keep pace with the growing gap between the rich minority and the poor majority, resulting in suffering, resentment, and fear. (The crisis of poverty .)

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste 3. A Security System that arms rich and poor with more and more catastrophic weapons, resulting in vicious cycles of crime, mass migration, terrorism and anti-terrorism. (The crisis of peace .)

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity The Ecosystem Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste Framing Story

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste Framing Story 4. The Failure of the World’s Religions to provide a framing story to address the first three crises - i.e. Good News. (The crisis of spirituality.)

Instead, our world religions can usually be found in support of existing framing stories of … Domination Revolution Purification/Scapegoating Isolation Accumulation Victimization This is remarkably similar to the religious situation in Jesus’ day.

Domination - Sadducees, Herodians, Romans Revolution - Zealots Purification (Scapegoating) - Pharisees Isolation - Essenes Accumulation - Wealthy Judeans Victimization - Poor Galileans, sinners, lepers, outcasts Jesus proclaimed a radically different framing story … Good news of the Kingdom of God.

Good news - announcement of a new regime, administration, victory. Kingdom - reigning, relationships, values, laws, customs: the unified whole God - which one?

The kingdom of God … A God who forgives … A God who includes … A God who notices … A God who serves … A nonviolent God who reconciles … A God who heals … A God who transcends boundaries … A God who confronts the oppressors ... A God who exposes the hypocrites ... A God who sides with the poor … A God who is present with us … A God bigger than organized religion …

Jesus proclaimed a radically different framing story … Good news of the Kingdom of God. Instead of ... Domination - Service & Love Revolution - Forgiveness & Reconciliation Purification (Scapegoating) - Embrace & inclusion Isolation - Incarnation & Healing Accumulation - Self-giving & sacrifice Victimization - Empowerment & Mission

Jesus proclaimed a radically different framing story … Good news of the Kingdom of God. PROSPERITY - through love of neighbor as self, pursuit of common good, learning from birds & flowers EQUITY - through concern for the least of these, seeking justice for all SECURITY - through forgiveness and reconciliation, turning other cheek, walking second mile SPIRITUALITY - through loving God “in spirit and truth,” with all one’s heart, soul, mind, strength

4 Crises: P lanetary crisis (Prosperity) P overty crisis (Equity) P eace-making crisis (Security) Religious crisis (Spirituality)

Ivan Illich (Austrian former priest, philosopher, social critic, 1926-2002)

Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story …

… one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines some light into the future so that we can take the next step…. If you want to change a society, then you have to tell an alternative story.

- attributed to Ivan Illich (Austrian former priest, philosopher, social critic, 1926-2002)

Societal Machine Equity Security Prosperity The Ecosystem Heat Solar Energy Resources Waste Adding your voice to tell a healing story

Q & R questions and responses

There are many reasons to compare our churches to an old male tortoise …

There are many reasons to compare our churches to an old male tortoise … Slow-moving … isolated … Ancient-looking withdrawn in its shell … won’t stick its neck out

There are many reasons to compare the changes in our world to a tsunami …

There are many reasons to compare the emerging global culture to an orphaned hippo … Orphaned by religion … science … government … the economy … technology … consumerism… “progress”…

-formation? What could happen in our world if we turned back outward toward our neighbors - with good news, hope, gentleness, and respect?

people of faith working for justice