Dear friends,
It is official. The Mid-Michigan Cohort will be meeting on Tuesday, February 20th - 6:30pm @ Gone Wired Coffee House.
Address:
2021 East Michigan Ave.
Lansing, MI 48912
Website: http://www.gonewiredlansing.com/
See you there!
Chad, Eric and everyone else
Link to Isaiah Washington Apologizes for Gay Slur | Isaiah Washington : People.com
First off, I've never watched one episode of Grey's Anatomy. If someone were to refer to "McDreamy" or whatever, I'd think it was a new McDonald's foodish thing.
That being said, I saw the mentioned moment where actor Isaiah Washington made a crack about calling a fellow actor a 'faggot' at the Golden Globes earlier this week. This only a month after Michael Richards exploded on stage at the Laugh-in using terrible language towards some African-American hecklers in the crowd.
I am really saddened by all of this. What has happened to our decency? Regardless of your own views on homosexuality, it does not give anyone free license to publicly "out" anyone, especially while calling them a degrading name. This was the subject of the Office's season premier this fall when Michael Scott accidentally outs Oscar in the office.
To be honest, I have used the word "fag" or "faggot" when I was a young punk growing up...but never really thought about the words derogatory meaning. This transcends political correctness. It represents something under the skin of America. It brings to light the rampant prejudice which still lives within us. It brings to light the sad way that many people in the country judge others without meeting them, knowing their stories or anything. I know how it feels. I have had some experience with people taking something I've written, or said out of context and have slandered me publicly (either in front of me, or most often behind my back), and while I've learned to let it roll off my back it simply isn't a healthy way to live.
This all brings me back to Miroslov's book "Exclusion and Embrace" where he talks about us becoming 'embraciant" rather than 'protestant' as the root of the word 'protestant' partly comes from the word 'protest.' So, as a modern faith structure, we've built it upon what we are against rather than what we are for. We need to reexamine our intentions to work, live and behave in this world as image bearers of our Creator. Wouldn't it be nice for people to be known as "embracients?" Wouldn't it be nice for people to worry less about how God judges (or perhaps deep down how we speculate how God judges and take it upon ourselves to take his place) and more about how God calls us to love. Not to say that people shouldn't be called out for destructive behavior, nor to say that we can't see the fruit that one bears...only to say that our core should be love.
My prayer for the US is that we can move beyond the name calling and the tearing down and move toward a "building up" and "one another" life.
peace
Once again, it has taken me the remainder of the day to simply recover from listening to Miroslav Volf speaking at Calvin today. I don't think I was the only one, I was there with Ben Ingebretson and Randy Buist (and a local friend who's name I can't remember, sorry!). After Miroslav was finished, we all sat there and breathed in deeply. It was simply beautiful.
Miroslav mostly stood behind a podium and read his prepared address which was basically a summary of his book "Free of Charge" (referred to below). Interestingly, he was introduced by a theology prof from Hope College - this revelation is only really relevant to people who get the rivalry between Calvin and Hope.
He began by talking about a shift happening in Western medicine, in that doctors have begun to stop calling the people they treat "patients" and now refer to them as "customers." As he stated, this may seem trivial, but its ramifications are severe. When someone is treated as a "patient," they are cared for, listened to, talked with and the basic idea is that health of the patient matters. Conversely, when one is cared for as a "customer," they are seen as a 'sale' and it leads to the practioner to spend as little time as possible to maximize the bottom line for profit. It is this shift that represents our countries' seemingly loss of grace, love for others and selflessness.
He described three types of people interaction. One steals, one sells and the last gives. The first person takes with no regard to others. They take what is not their own for their own gain. The second barters for (hopefully) mutual benefit, but behind this tends to be a self-inflating desire...which lead to a critique on many pastors who leverage their churches as vehicles to swell their own ego through slick speaking when their "audience" has come hungry for authentic faith and healing. This leads the Church to be boiled down to a service for sale and worship becomes something that people pay for (tithe - refer to Doug Pagitt's article from like 5 years ago) goods and services rendered. The last is giving from a self-less expectation. One who gives, gives with no thought of return. (like one who sends a friend a new book for their birthday simply due to their friendship, and perhaps there's a deeper hope that the sentiment may be returned on their own birthday - but this is the nature of real relationships).
This is such a simplified representation of this talk, but I could write all night...
Anyway, he then talked about the nature of forgiving. How forgiving in the Jewish tradition was: the one who wrongs repents then forgiveness is given. From the Christian tradition, our view of forgiving is the exact opposite. We understand that God has already forgiven all humanity, and the Word that was evidenced fully in Jesus has been seeded in all mankind which gives us the capacity to forgive as Jesus did. He cited the healing of the paralytic. Pharisee's present stated that only God has the power to forgive sins - of course, suggesting that the mans illness was a result of an inherit sin and questioning Jesus' nature of divine - Jesus turns and heals the man in front of them to squelch this idea and shows them that he is, in fact, divine. Jesus then commands his disciples to forgive as He has done.
The Q&A was great. One women asked the nature of the relationship between repentance and forgiveness. Basically, he responded that repentance is the completion of the gift of forgiveness. He cites an example from his book when he says, "imagine I send my sister an expensive necklace as a birthday gift. when she receives this gift she thinks to herself "this is way too expensive, he can't afford this, what does he want from me?" and refuses to open it. so what happens to the forgiveness? I sent the gift, but it was never accepted." With this, he talked about how forgiveness becomes stuck or incomplete.
Anyway, please go to Calvin.edu and listen to it. You won't be disappointed. Better yet, buy the CD so you can listen to it over and over...
I wish I had time to type the top ten reasons you should pre-order this book, but I am on my way to hear Volf at calvin and do not have the time. Come to think of it, I don't really have time to write...
Today, Eric and I spent some time with friends from Grand Rapids Classis South over at The Founders Brewery. It was the first time the two of us had been to a RCA event together. I was so glad that Eric was able to join me, it just made it even more enjoyable.
These are the type of gatherings that I've missed for the past three years since leaving "full-time" pastoring. There's just something special about meeting with friends who have your back (literally it turns out).
I'm reminded again on how God has guided this relationship from its inception. It's nice to be back in the Reformed family again (I once belonged to the Christian Reformed Church), our shared history of reinvention, challenging status quo and rethinking church - as well as a shared joy in deep theology, ecclesiology and so on - makes this a very natural fit.
Tomorrow, I (once again) get to hang out with Ben from the RCA and go hear Miroslav Volf 
speak at Calvin! I wasn't able to hear him last year at the Emergent Theological Conversation at Yale, so I am truly anxious to see him tomorrow! You can read his bio on Wiki. Eric lent me his copy of "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace" on Sunday so I could read up on the topic for tomorrow. (thanks!) You should check out Calvin's site and listen to some of the great speakers from this year's January series. I would have to say, this was the best J-series I've ever seen.
Good folks, good food, great fun. What more could a guy ask for?
(A Mac, I guess!)
Link to Martin Luther King - Biography
Here is the full text of one of the greatest speeches ever uttered. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream."
(copied from here)
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only."* We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!³
*Text within asterisks was added on 3/31/06. Credit Randy Mayeux for bringing the omissions to my attention.
¹ Amos 5:24 (rendered precisely in The American Standard Version of the Holy Bible)
² Isaiah 40:4-5 (King James Version of the Holy Bible). Quotation marks are excluded from part of this moment in the text because King's rendering of Isaiah 40:4 does not precisely follow the KJV version from which he quotes (e.g., "hill" and "mountain" are reversed in the KJV). King's rendering of Isaiah 40:5, however, is precisely quoted from the KJV.
- My prayer is that his dreams come true. May all people regardless of race, religion, creed, disability, refugee status....find a time when they all can sing free at last!
We are re-launching the Mid-Michigan Emergent cohort in
February 2007! We will be meeting at "Gone Wired" coffee house on Michigan ave in downtown Lansing.
Stay tuned for more details or write chad at:
Just a reminder, Miraslov Volf will be speaking at Calvin on the 18th at 12:30pm. (be there early! doors open at 11:30am)
His topic is "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace"
Also: Try to join the West Michigan Cohort at the Bite on the 10th at 10:30am ! We will be talking about our experience with NT Wright. If you are interested in carpooling from Lansing, drop me a line!
See you soon!
Chad Farrand
Ok, we got up yesterday morning early and shortly after 7 received a call from our dear friend Katie who confirmed that NT was in fact speaking at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids at 10am! So we frantically got around and drove over to participate.
We arrived 10 minutes early, and found that all the parking spaces were taken. So we ended up parking about four blocks away. We were ushered up to the front, in fact, right in front of the speaking pulpit! A minute later, a late-comer was ushered right next to me. As the stranger asked if that seat was taken, I looked up and saw my friend Nate Ledbetter (from the house church team at Mars Hill Bible Church)! It couldn't have been better!
It was a pretty typical service - if, you've been through a typical Episcipal service. When it was NT's turn to speak, he began by saying "I understand that you've had quite a week here!" (referring to the funeral of President Ford held in the same room we were in for worship) Some laughter, then he said how he wished to have been able to fly in a few days earlier to be able to pay tribute to the late President and the truthfulness that he stood for.
His message was brief, about 15 minutes total. He covered everything from the failed Iraq policies - on both sides of the pond - to living as a Christian in this post-Christian age. It was a brilliant little quip of time, but after hearing him speak for over an hour on Friday, left me wanting.
In any way, I was grateful to hear NT speak twice in three days. He is so gracious and a great orator. I look forward to hearing him agian. \
NT Wright, Calvin College, Grace Episcopal Church, East Grand Rapids, Speakers, Faith
January 07, 2007
I just found out that NT Wright is speaking at services held at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids this morning. This is the same church that hosted the final family funeral for the late President Ford last week.
We will be at the 10am service with our dear friends in Grand Rapids.
Maybe we'll see you there!
NT Wright, Grace Episcopal Church, Christianity, Grand Rapids
You can now go onto Calvin's site and listen to NT Wright's presentation from friday, Jan. 5th 2007. He cover's the main ideas behind his book, "Simply Christian." To listen, simply click here.
Emerging Women Midwest Gathering
Beyond the Castle Walls—Re-Imagining the Kingdom
March 16-18, 2007
Stronghold Conference Center
Oregon, IL
Emerging Women are gathering again this March in a castle retreat center outside of Chicago to "Re-imagine the Kingdom." This gathering is open to women of all ages and cultures, ministers and lay-persons, from all denominations, and at all points on their journeys of faith. You are invited to a weekend of reflection and worship, theology and praxis, teaching and learning, and (of course) friendship, food, and fun.
We will explore the stories of women who re-imagined the kingdom by challenging the dominant assumptions of their cultures in order to serve God. We will re-imagine our worship as we explore our spiritual voices and how we connect with God. We will examine how the church is being re-imagined in our emerging, postmodern world. Our time there together will refresh us and give us a vision (a new imagining) for our spiritual lives as we serve in God's Kingdom.
We invite you to add your voice to the conversation. We expect to learn from and encourage each other – through our stories, our knowledge, our questions, and our passions. This is a gathering of community and its outcomes will rest on what the community has brought to it.
The Emerging Women Midwest Gathering will be held March 16-18 (Friday evening til noon Sunday) at the Stronghold Conference Center (http://www.strongholdcenter.org/) in Oregon, IL. Oregon is in NW Illinois, about two hours from Chicago. Limited airport runs from the Chicago area airports (Rockford, O'Hare, and Midway) will be provided. We will be staying in dormitory-style housing in a modern-day castle. The cost for the gathering is $140, which includes the registration costs, 2 nights lodging, 4 meals, and snacks. There are a very limited number of private rooms and family accommodations available (at extra cost), so please contact us as soon as possible if you require either. Some scholarships and student rates are also available and you are also invited to help contribute to the scholarship fund.
Visit www.emergingwomen.us to register. We hope to see you at the castle. Help us out by spreading the word and let others know about this gathering. If you would like a file of the event brochure to print out for your church, school, or group please let us know.
For more information contact –
Julie Clawson -
630.742.7443
Sarah Notton -
For more information and registration: www.emergingwomen.us
