How would you score on a spiritual sight exam" 20/20? 20/80? Colorblind? Why? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1444).
To address racism in America it is necessary to begin in an area we still know so little about–the yet to be discovered workings of the brain. I begin with my own experiences which have found me on the long path to better race relations. Nevertheless, it is still possible for the “n-word” to automatically pop up in my mind now and then. This is very much a reflexive thing and is directly counter to my will in the matter. I don’t doubt for a moment that there are those of another race who look at me sometimes and the “cracker” word comes to mind despite their best will in the matter. So we are really talking about the reflexive aspects of the human brain over which we have little or no control. With this in mind, it is very easy to put either of us on a guilt trip, for at our very core is perfidy against our own best intentions and even spiritual commitments. There are those who would call this discordance the workings of the devil, but I prefer to see as yet dimly understood workings of the human mind that all of us share... not only as to race, but to many other matters as well. All we know is that in the deep recesses of the brain are lodged very intractable and despicable forms of data that run counter to our best intentions, interests, and desires. It is in these times that forgiveness – even of ourselves – becomes important to the extent that our hearts, minds, and actions are set on the future and are moving on into parkland concerts of love, goodwill, and brotherhood–all designed to restructure and wash out for good vestigial traces of prejudice.
What kinds of things do people today “boast” or take pride in? What do you tend to boast about? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1061). Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. (2 Samuel 6:14-15).
Have you ever thought of joy as a type of boasting? When I think of Allan J Bury (my chaplain in undergraduate school) I think of his irrepressible joy. His was a transformative boasting about life and its immeasurable blessings. It was not puffed-up or simpleminded; just the opposite. It was an informed joy that boasted in spirit of God’s love for him and everyone else. Have you noticed that those in love (young or old) are full of joy (they can’t help it; they overflow with expansive fun)? It’s time to exchange greed for generosity. Let’s dance before the Lord today.
Where do you go (or what do you do) when you are facing difficult situations? Do you prefer to be alone at these times, or in the company of close friends? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 1408).
The United States has been the “most powerful country on earth” for a good number of years and this has resulted in a psychologically hazardous situation not only for ourselves but for others. I would not like to pick on any nation here but let me choose, perhaps because I like the sound of it, the Netherlands. Contrast the psychological landscape over the past decades of a resident there compared with the American resident. Do you have any idea what it can do to one’s mind to wake up every day knowing that you as you embody your country are the strongest of all nations? The results of this are not always pretty. A certain amount of arrogance almost inevitably seeps in. We become kind of like the guy who can never ask for directions. A tad of “my way or the highway” can seep in. It is not always good for a child when he knows that his dad is the “most powerful honcho in town.” Bad things, sometimes paradoxically, can happen to the little gray cells. Thus for the benefit of all Americas as well as the world, the time for unilateral action regarding many, many issues has long-since passed. Now we are facing a terrorism crisis in which (as is typically the case) lawlessness cloaks itself with self-justification, even righteousness. For everyone’s mental health and the global commonweal, let us act and abide in the company of close friends.
How difficult is it to tell the truth no matter what? To family? At work? To members of this group? To God? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 624).
The hard truth is that telling the truth is not always the most helpful thing. Actual human behavior frequently places helpfulness above truthfulness. This is because of the limited nature of our understanding. We know that truth can be phantasmagorias of our perception, whereas helpfulness (or it’s opposite, hurtfulness) can be immediate, practical, and all too real. Thus we look to ultimate impact rather than moral legalisms. That may all sound a bit scary, but it is (take my word for it) the Gospel truth.
What would you say is your guiding principle in decision-making everyday? How can knowing God is with you whenever you make a decision affect your decisions? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 625).
My guiding principle is to do whatever fills the greatest need. A lot rides upon the definition of need at any given time – which of course can change constantly. Perhaps the question I really ask is: 1) given my needs and that of others and 2) given a tenable scope for action, with these in mind (and heart)...what should I do right now? Sometimes, like yesterday, this can mean watching a movie (Evan Almighty) and at other times, like today, it can mean taking people to the doctor and participating in discussion groups. Actions can have special symbolic significance that require careful prioritization of when to act (or not to act). Life often takes on the quality of music so has a flow that is uninterrupted by plodding thought. That is to say, though a formulaic mapping of decision-making is possible, it is often discerned after the fact (if at all) and not during the process of decision-making itself which tends to be considerably more natural and organic. Thus one’s basic religious commitments (as well as assumptions and prejudices) are important to the extent that they elicit reflexive action.
(From: Through the Year with Jimmy Carter. "A Worthy Call" page 311). My favorite theologian is Reinhold Niebuhr. When I first became involved in politics, I read a book of his titled Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study of Ethics and Politics. It describes how to conduct one's self in public affairs. How do you apply Christian principles when engaging in a competitive campaign, when confronting political adversaries, or when working in some legislative body? The purpose of politics, Niebuhr says, is to establish justice in a sinful world. Justice means guaranteeing human rights and treating everyone fairly. According to Niebuhr, this is the highest possible goal for a political leader. Yet Niebuhr insists that this high goal is not nearly so exalted as the Christian’s central calling: to love one another, especially with agape love. This is self-sacrificial love for someone who may not deserve to be loved, who refuses to love you back, love that brings no recognition for your efforts. It is the kind of love that Christ personified.
Jimmy Carter references the view of Reinhold Niebuhr that the purpose of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world–“guaranteeing human rights and treating everyone fairly. According to Niebuhr, this is the highest possible goal for a political leader” (ibid, emphasis mine). First I point out that there is a contradiction here. For guaranteeing human rights involves more than delimited justice, it inherently involves love and the Golden rule – I will treat you as I want to be treated. When King Solomon sought to administer justice in the case of the disputed child, clearly it was more than justice served as he drew upon wisdom from a loving heart. FDR’s Four Freedoms (freedom of speech; freedom of worship; freedom from want; freedom from fear) do not look myopically at justice, but seek to nurture mankind in a loving society that accommodates the human spirit. We must remember that the “rugged individual” is always really a child at heart. In my view (one shared by many), our responsibility as citizens is to ensure that state justice is always inextricably enmeshed with love and mercy so as to help redeem the long human tapestry of fear and pain.
What warning do you habitually ignore which puts you at greater risk: Speed limit? Seatbelt signs? Warning labels on cigarette packs? (Serendipity Bible Fourth Edition, page 547).
Note that all of the example warnings mentioned in the above question have to do one way or another with limitations. We frequently do not want to acknowledge plain limitation. This is especially true in those situations where we are planning for the future and our hopes are highest – when our faith is strongest. We then can actively discount and ignore all limitations. In one way this is powerful and good. For example, would I have attended any graduate school had I known fully the arduous nature of the task and then in advance pessimistically listed all my pitiful limitations? No, I think it’s quite clear that sometimes being actively stupid in evaluating limitations can be a very beneficial thing for sometimes we do not know our own strength nor the resources that will be made available for us. Yet, it is quite clear that human beings habitually and daily go out of their way to harmfully ignore limitations. Somehow we learn that success largely depends upon ignoring the poor opinion we have of ourselves or situations and to aggressively assume risks. Then, perversely, a potential good gets screwed up when we contrarily and almost in spite apply it to harmful matters – such as overeating and smoking. Then we fool ourselves by thinking the pleasures and razzle-dazzle of brash symbols are more important than the hidden workings of indelible facts–a conflict whose resolution is sure to put us under.
