A few weeks ago, Rachel and I sat in on a viewing of Demand, a documentary on sex trafficking and those who participate in it. The film, screened by Freedom to Thrive, was a great introduction into the dark world of pimps and prostitution, and the practices we engage in to support it. Honestly, most of my perspective on "pimps and hos" has been informed by popular culture. Thanks to the film, my paradigm has begun to shift. Last week, NPR did a two part story this week on sex trafficking:
Part 1
Part 2
20 December 2010
The Magnificat
The Magnificat by Mary the Revolutionary,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the might from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham to his seed forever."
Luke 1:46-55 (emphasis added)
Eloquent and frightening words from a unwed, pregnant teen/ rural peasant. Governments have removed the magnificant from state-sponsored Christianity. When reading it honestly, I must confess I resist it. Merry Christmas from the mother of Jesus.
Eloquent and frightening words from a unwed, pregnant teen/ rural peasant. Governments have removed the magnificant from state-sponsored Christianity. When reading it honestly, I must confess I resist it. Merry Christmas from the mother of Jesus.
15 December 2010
Maternity Care and Health Reform
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, or so they say. According to Jennifer Gunter's (M.D.) editorial in USA Today, every dollar spent on maternity care saves $3-4.50 in pediatric costs. Here she promotes Parkland's method of care to the indigent population.
Jesus and the Revolution
Rachel and I have been reading through Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas, a compilation of daily readings offered by various voices, from Thomas Aquinas to C.S. Lewis and from Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Philip Yancey. Below is a quote from Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder on The Original Revolution, which met me where I was:
"But for Jesus in his time, and for increasing numbers of us in our time, the basic human problem is seen in less individualistic terms. The priority agenda for Jesus, and for many of us, is not morality or anxiety, but unrighteousness, injustice. The need is not for consolation or acceptance but for a new order in which men may live together in love. In his time, therefore, as in ours, the question of revolution, the judgement of God upon the present order and the imminent promise of another one, is the language in which the gospel must speak. What most people mean by "revolution," the answer they want, is not the gospel; but the gospel, if it be authentic, must so speak as to answer the question of revolution. This Jesus did."
"But for Jesus in his time, and for increasing numbers of us in our time, the basic human problem is seen in less individualistic terms. The priority agenda for Jesus, and for many of us, is not morality or anxiety, but unrighteousness, injustice. The need is not for consolation or acceptance but for a new order in which men may live together in love. In his time, therefore, as in ours, the question of revolution, the judgement of God upon the present order and the imminent promise of another one, is the language in which the gospel must speak. What most people mean by "revolution," the answer they want, is not the gospel; but the gospel, if it be authentic, must so speak as to answer the question of revolution. This Jesus did."
09 December 2010
On Haiti and Hope
Each semester, UAB School of Public Health Dean Max Michael puts together what he calls "Flash Talks," which brings together experts from various places in the university to discuss a current public health topic. Last week, the topic for the Flash Talk was Cholera in Haiti, with discussion headed by Mindy Lalor, professor in the School of Engineering, and Craig Wilson, professor of epidemiology and head of the Sparkman Center for Global Health. The discussion was remarkably disheartening. Haiti has spent the past 206 dysfunctional years as the slum of the Western Hemisphere. When the earthquake struck in January, Haiti was already riddled with HIV, TB, poor structural facilities, a corrupt and impotent government and a myriad of other blights. When the rains came this summer, disaster piled upon disaster which piled upon Haiti's baseline of crisis. And now cholera, the pathogen perhaps responsible for more deaths in the history of mankind than any other, has decided to get in on the act.
In short, Haiti is in such a state of disarray that even the most organized and well-funded interventions seem to be inadequate. Even after working to coordinate disaster relief from organizations all over the world, experts are perplexed as to how to even begin fighting the issues faced by Haiti. One million people remain dislodged from their homes, and sanitation is virtually impossible.
One of the participants in the discussion posed what seems to be a very logical question: "Why do anything?" Resources are unquestionably being wasted away as more and more dollars are poured into a disaster area that could barely function before the earthquake. In addition to the geographical, social, political and health issues facing the country, Haitians face the additional challenge of psychological dependence on their aid workers. Dr. Lalor relayed a story from Tom Corson, executive director at SIFAT, an Alabama-based NGO that works to promote sustainable solutions for the poor in the developing world. Mr. Corson spent weeks in a Haitian village working to teach villagers how to use a water purification system provided by SIFAT. Despite being fully competent to maintain the system, villagers contacted him two days after he left, complaining that they no longer had any clean water. Despite working all over the world, Mr. Corson described this as his first truly disheartening experience with SIFAT. A man who has dealt with the poor the world over, and Haiti is the place where he loses hope.
Amidst this discussion, which seemed only to deepen the dilemma while failing to provide answers, I too began to lose heart. I have spent the past few years trying to understand how I can use training in medicine and public health to fight poverty and oppression. My time in the School of Public Health has been encouraging, and I am beginning to understand how I can use my skills to carve a career that brings the gospel of hope, healing, mercy, justice and salvation to those who most need it. But this conversation of Haiti leaves me despairing. Even the help provided to Haiti seems to deepen their problems, and no solutions can be found.
Thankfully, after a few days of despair, my Father graciously reminded me that He is the God of the despairing. He directed me to Mark's gospel, where Jesus miraculously provided bread to the hungry masses. After partaking twice in such feedings, the disciples found themselves hungry and worried afloat the Sea of Galilee, having forgotten to bring bread. And it is here that Christ rebukes them, reminding them of the miracles they had already forgotten. He teaches that in Him we have left the reign of scarcity under the rule of Egypt and Rome; we are now in the Kingdom of abundance. For Haiti, the church is not bound to a resource allocation plan, and we are not at the mercy of logic. The God of the sick and hungry is still the God of miracles, and in His Kingdom there is abundance.
In this, the Church is called to Haiti. Empowered by abundance of the Kingdom, and we are called to fight for the poor and oppressed, even when there is no hope. May He fill Haitian baskets.
In short, Haiti is in such a state of disarray that even the most organized and well-funded interventions seem to be inadequate. Even after working to coordinate disaster relief from organizations all over the world, experts are perplexed as to how to even begin fighting the issues faced by Haiti. One million people remain dislodged from their homes, and sanitation is virtually impossible.
One of the participants in the discussion posed what seems to be a very logical question: "Why do anything?" Resources are unquestionably being wasted away as more and more dollars are poured into a disaster area that could barely function before the earthquake. In addition to the geographical, social, political and health issues facing the country, Haitians face the additional challenge of psychological dependence on their aid workers. Dr. Lalor relayed a story from Tom Corson, executive director at SIFAT, an Alabama-based NGO that works to promote sustainable solutions for the poor in the developing world. Mr. Corson spent weeks in a Haitian village working to teach villagers how to use a water purification system provided by SIFAT. Despite being fully competent to maintain the system, villagers contacted him two days after he left, complaining that they no longer had any clean water. Despite working all over the world, Mr. Corson described this as his first truly disheartening experience with SIFAT. A man who has dealt with the poor the world over, and Haiti is the place where he loses hope.
Amidst this discussion, which seemed only to deepen the dilemma while failing to provide answers, I too began to lose heart. I have spent the past few years trying to understand how I can use training in medicine and public health to fight poverty and oppression. My time in the School of Public Health has been encouraging, and I am beginning to understand how I can use my skills to carve a career that brings the gospel of hope, healing, mercy, justice and salvation to those who most need it. But this conversation of Haiti leaves me despairing. Even the help provided to Haiti seems to deepen their problems, and no solutions can be found.
Thankfully, after a few days of despair, my Father graciously reminded me that He is the God of the despairing. He directed me to Mark's gospel, where Jesus miraculously provided bread to the hungry masses. After partaking twice in such feedings, the disciples found themselves hungry and worried afloat the Sea of Galilee, having forgotten to bring bread. And it is here that Christ rebukes them, reminding them of the miracles they had already forgotten. He teaches that in Him we have left the reign of scarcity under the rule of Egypt and Rome; we are now in the Kingdom of abundance. For Haiti, the church is not bound to a resource allocation plan, and we are not at the mercy of logic. The God of the sick and hungry is still the God of miracles, and in His Kingdom there is abundance.
In this, the Church is called to Haiti. Empowered by abundance of the Kingdom, and we are called to fight for the poor and oppressed, even when there is no hope. May He fill Haitian baskets.
05 December 2010
Developing Community
An interesting post today by Birmingham Is Open, a collaboration of Birmingham, Alabama businesses and community development organizations. The post is a link to the John & James L. Knight Foundation's Soul of a Community, which identifies the importance of attachment to one's community in regards to community development. The foundation was surprised to find that despite the location, a homogeneous group of qualities attach individuals to their community: acceptance of diversity, social outlets and aesthetics. I am curious to see how Birmingham will implement such knowledge in its effort to develop the city.
02 December 2010
God Only Knows Where We'd Be Without Soldiers and Jesus
It has been years since my radio dial has spent much time honed into a country music station, but when I am back home with my dad spending a Saturday morning on the ranch, I usually catch a few of the time-tested favorites, from Alan Jackson to Merle Haggard. Now and again a new song or two will echo through the speakers of an F-350, and thus I have been introduced to Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum. On my last trip home, one lyric in particular caught my ear - "God only knows where we'd be without soldiers and Jesus."
James Otto, described as a country music Southern soul man in the mold of Conway Twitty and Ronnie Milsaps, tugs at Americana's heart strings and patriotism with a ballad describing a grandfather's sacrifice in war and likening it to that of Christ. The song appears on his 2010 release Shake What God Gave Ya'. Apparently Mr. Otto is working double time on incorporating the Godhead into his music. The theme of "Soldiers and Jesus" is standard in the modern pop-country industry, which works to echo the sentiments of conservative, rural, working class Americans. Patriotic ballads resonate well with country music fans. You may remember Toby Keith's thoughtful "Angry American" ("We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way.") that debuted shortly after 9/11. Military allusions are particularly sentimental. The South is a lush harvesting ground for the US military, and many are veterans or family members thereof. With numerous friends and classmates having served in the armed forces, I understand the ties one can feel to music linking US military operations with religion.
Yet I must question the simple assumption lying at the root of Mr. Otto's song: that Jesus and US soldiers are on the same team. A quick review of the gospels fails to often unite soldiers with Jesus, save for that matter of the crucifixion. But there are notable similarities between the military-government complex of the US military and with that of the Roman Empire. Both spread across the known world, fighting in conflicts on foreign soil to protect the interests of the state. I fear that if a middle-eastern man were to lead a raucous mob into a holy city being protected or defended by either military during a holy festival, and that mob were to proclaim his reign as king, either force would take note. And while crucifixions have never been en vogue for the US military, I do not suppose such a man would be looked upon with trust. Now suppose that such a man were to reject offers to work with local leaders or the occupying force. Suppose he proclaimed the coming of a new kingdom - offering hope and inciting unrest. Do you think that such a man might not find himself the target of a smart bomb or an assassination?
Unfortunately, despite our best intentions to marry patriotism and religion, the two are not entirely compatible. While our military does sacrifice to provide security and safety to Americans and to defend our interests and values, the Christian Church cannot embrace our government as a friend. We certainly cannot advocate for more overlap between the two. In a debate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul quipped that if fascism were ever to descend on the US, it would arrive carrying a cross and draped in an American flag. "Soldiers and Jesus" promotes exactly that kind of Christianity, one that unfortunately disregards the very Christ that called us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek - the Jesus that was crucified by soldiers.
Unfortunately, despite our best intentions to marry patriotism and religion, the two are not entirely compatible. While our military does sacrifice to provide security and safety to Americans and to defend our interests and values, the Christian Church cannot embrace our government as a friend. We certainly cannot advocate for more overlap between the two. In a debate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul quipped that if fascism were ever to descend on the US, it would arrive carrying a cross and draped in an American flag. "Soldiers and Jesus" promotes exactly that kind of Christianity, one that unfortunately disregards the very Christ that called us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek - the Jesus that was crucified by soldiers.
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