B"H

For the past several days there have been various news reports revisiting the story of Rev. Jim Jones and the People's Temple. For those who were too young to remember The People's Temple was a 1,000 + member church from the west coast which relocated to land acquired in Guyana, S. America. They were a cult which was started by the charismatic Jim Jones and hailed as a utopian community which embraced socialism and separatism and paranoia. Ultimately they met a tragic end wherein over 900 people died as a result of imposed suicide/murder. It has been described as the worst case of mass suicide in modern times.

CNN aired a 2-hour special this past Sunday entitled, Escape From Jonestown. Nov. 18, 1978 was the exact date, thirty years ago, when this terrible event occurred. I was 26 and I remember reading about it in the papers and seeing it on television. On their website they have several video clips of the show with reporter Soledad O'Brien interviewing several of the few (33) survivors of the event. Unless you are feeling especially strong I don't recomend the entirety of this presentation because it contains graphic footage from the actual massacre and some of my readers might find it hard to handle.

Among my many hobbies and side interests, apart from race relations and Church history, I have done a lot of research on our family tree. A little over two years ago while sitting with my Cousin Gloria, she mentioned some distant relatives I never knew, and said that they had perished in the Jonestown massacre. It is sad indeed to be included in modern history in this fashion. I pray for all my friends and family here, that they would draw near to the LORD and trust in Him with all their hearts. He is our peace and the author and finisher of our salvation. While we labor here to proclaim and participate in His Kingdom, we also recognize that His Kingdom is not of this world. I once heard in a teaching that the word utopia actually means nowhere. We are more likely to happen upon that elusive 'pot of gold' sitting at the end of the rainbow than we are to create a perfect community here among flesh and blood.

"To dwell above with the saints we love,

that will be bliss and glory.

But to dwell below with the saints we know,

now that is a different story. "

-source unknown

Blessings,

Shlomo

B"H

We Have Been Slightly Healed

B"H

So I guess it's time to get back to writing stuff here on my own site. Ha ha ha, some of my friends chide me because I say I want to write and here I have this forum and yet so seldom do I post anything on it. I assure you, I'm quite busy writing, but mostly I visit other sites and make long and sometimes unwarranted comments there. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas to share so what is the excuse for not posting here? Rather than answer that and go into a lenghty defense of a bad practice, instead I am going to simply start anew with this post.

At present I am reading through a number of books simultaneously, as is usually my practice. Every now and then, I pick up a book that really grabs me and I stick with it from start to finish. Unfortunately, that is often more the exception than the rule. I have hundreds of books in our livingroom and in my office and study areas. Someone once asked me if I had read all of these books and of course the answer is no. What is true however, is that I have read a chapter or more of nearly all of them. Here is what I'm presently working on:

• The Blue Parakeet (Rethinking How You Read The Bible)  by Scot McKnight
• A Christianity Worth Believing In (Hope-Filled, Open-Armed, Alive-and-Well Faith For The Left Out, Left Behind, and Let Down In Us All) by Doug Pagitt
• True Story (A Christianity Worth Believing In) by James Choung
• The God of Israel and Christian Theology by R. Kendall Soulen
• A Living Covenant (The Innovative Spirit in Traditional Judaism) by David Hartman
• Abraham's Promise (Judaism and Jewish-Christian Relations) by Michael Wyschogrod
• Rock My Soul (Black People and Self-Esteem) by bell hooks
• Entering Jewish Prayer (A Guide to Personal Devotion and The Worship Service) by Reuven Hammer
• White Guilt (How Blacks & Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era) by Shelby Steele

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This is by no means all that I'm reading, which also includes numerous articles, posts from various blogsites, and the comments left by other readers. These books are not in any special order and some of them I have finished (those which have this symbol  after them) and some I am using for research and reference material in some of the comments I write elsewhere.

Here are a few themes that I am working on:

• Race Relations in the Church - Integration Revisited
• Presenting the Narrative Story of the Torah as Essential to Christian Doctrinal Development
• Combatting Anti-Judaism in Christian Teaching and Theology
• Recognizing The Triumphalism of the Church Over the Synagogue as The Most Neglected Aspect of The Current Post-Modern Critique of The Manifestation of The Empire in Christendom

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If anybody wants to add any comments on either these themes or any of the books I am currently studying it would be greatly appreciated.

Peace and Love,

Shlomo

B"H

Ring ring......ring ring.

"Hello?"

"Yes, is Shlomo there?"

"Ah, Mr. Ed Gilbreath! So nice of you to call ......etc...."

Such was one of the highpoints of my day this past Tuesday. I am a regular reader of Brother Ed's blog and I was recently prompted to call him and try to actually meet IRL. Due to an out-of-town commitment, Brother Ed was twice unavailable to take my call and I started to wonder and lose heart about being able to reach him. As it turned out however, he was at a conference on The Power of a Peacemaking Church hosted by Peacemaker Ministries. Brother Ed's book, Reconciliation Blues, has surely provided him with a host of opportunities to speak and share his ideas and understanding of what GOD is calling His people to at this time. I highly applaud my brother and heartily recommend any and all of his writings.

If all goes well, we plan to meet up in a week or so to take our relationship as brothers to the next level. One thing that is so delightful about Brother Ed and his web site is the tender tone and tolerant attitude which pervades nearly all of his posts and the comments that follow. If we are truly advocates of GOD's love and grace, then we must also act accordingly, in a gracious and loving manner, towards one another.

Thank you Brother Ed, for being who you are, and calling us to join you on this journey towards the City, not built by human hands. 

Shlomo

PS: As those who know me might suspect, I was greatly tempted to make the title of this post "A Phonecall From Mr. Ed," but I thought that some readers might get confused and think I was referring to a horse of a different color.

B"H

Pray for our friends in South Texas

B"H

Trying to break an old habit

No, I’m not an alcoholic, but I do seem to have a problem with whine. Although I very much believe to the contrary, more often than not, I seem to complain and whine, rather than taking the high road of acceptance and transcendence. As many of my dear friends know, both here in cyberspace and in real life, I generally feel conflicted in that I think and speak of one reality and yet live in a different world entirely. For a variety of reasons, I am often scattered in my thoughts and words. The talk I gave at the recent PAPA Fest was no exception.

Originally I had a fairly detailed outline prepared of what I wanted to present. As things developed, which I have already mentioned, I sort of became confused about what I was doing and eventually relied on my ability to speak extemporaneously. In other words, I had a few scattered notes on a page, but mostly I didn’t follow that either. There’s a plus and a minus to this type of presentation I think. On the one hand, it’s fresh and potentially new. In my case, neither the hearers nor the speaker had a heads-up on what was coming next. The negative aspect of this is that in not being more formally organized, there are many things I left out which I wish I had included.

Having said all this, I request that my readers here pray for me in two specific ways. First, that I would take my own advice and learn to practice trusting the LORD and stop whining about my circumstances in life. Second, that I would get over being lazy and take my work more seriously in terms of writing and communicating the things the LORD has taught me.

The PAPA Fest is purposely different from most of the other festivals in several ways.

First and foremost, it is smaller by design. (Although the planners wanted to cap the event at 1000, I think that if we had 800 we could have easily accomodated 1500.) The smaller size, in terms of attendance, makes for a much more intimate event. There was also only one stage for the music groups and that was both good and bad. It was bad in that with more venues, then more groups/bands could perform. On the other hand, since almost everything was being presented outdoors, if there were another stage I think it would have created some sound conflict issues. In fact, at one point a bunch of drummers started a session in a central area, and it was hard to hear and hold a conversation anywhere around there until the drummers were done. The smaller numbers make it easier to meet people and make meaningful connections. When the group is very large, like at Cornerstone, then the sense of family and community is harder to establish.

Secondly, the general feel of the PAPA Fest is different in that the vast majority of people are in their 20's and 30's and not necessarily connected to particular church groups. While there are an increasing number of community groups participating, the lone individual or family unit was by no means the exception to the rule. There's a whole bunch of people in our country right now who are sort of searching for a new way of being a disciple of Jesus. They are too young to remember the Jesus Movement of the 60's and 70's and there are new issues present this time around which make the current happening unique.

B"H

“He, being merciful, forgives iniquity,

and does not destroy; frequently He

turns His anger away, and does not

stir up all His wrath. O LORD, save us;

may the King answer us when we call.”

B"H

Here's a short version of my presentation at Grace Lutheran Church of Evanston. As most of my dear friends already know, when I speak I seldom have or use many notes. Yes, on a few occasions I have, but it is far from the norm. Why do I mention this? Since the event was not recorded and I don't have any notes to look back on, the only thing that remains is my memory and that of the others who were also there.

Although I posted a brief outline that I intended to follow, only two of those points were addressed though I spoke on a few others which I didn't mention here.

There were 24 persons in attendance for this event. We started at 9:20 with a few preliminary remarks and introductions by Pastor Dan and then I spoke for about 30 minutes. At 10 AM, Anne Laurence took over and led a general discussion which lasted until 10:40, just before the regular Sunday service began.

1. The Fallacy of Color Blindness – Allowing our vision of the future to function as a guide for the present. Rev. 7: 9-10.
2. “Race Fatigue” – The frustration on the part of many Whites in this conversation on race which leads some to conclude that race problems are perpetuated by continual discussion. “If we/they would only stop talking about it (race), it (the problem of race) would go away.”
3. Moving Beyond ‘blame and shame’ – Recognizing our true enemy and the nature of the war we are waging. Eph 6: 12 “… not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers …”
4. Deconstructing 'Whiteness' – Challenging those who are ‘white’ to reconnect with their European ethnic backgrounds.

B"H

In a few hours I will join with the Pastor of a local ELCA congregation (Grace Evanston) and the pending head of their church council for a dialogue on race.

b) ELCA NEWS SERVICE

April 18, 2008

ELCA Council Acts on Resolution on Racism, Other Proposals

08-048-MRC/FI/JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a resolution on racism, … and acted on several other proposals.

     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between assemblies.  The council met here April 11-13.  Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 17-23, 2009, in Minneapolis.

     The council's actions and discussions included:    

     + Racism: In response to "amplified conversations about racism" and the 15th anniversary of the ELCA social statement, "Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture," the council adopted a resolution on this topic. The resolution noted that the National Council of Churches USA issued a call to observe May 18 as a "Sacred Day of Dialogue and Discussion." The council said it seeks God's forgiveness "for our complicity in perpetuating individual, cultural and institutional racism," and reaffirmed its commitment to become increasingly antiracist.  It invited ELCA members to join the commitment and engage in sustained dialogue.  The council asked churchwide staff, in consultation with the Office of the Presiding Bishop, to develop discussion materials that would use the social statement to help guide ELCA members in their conversations about racism."

This, local Lutheran Pastor, is none other than my upstairs neighbor and new-found friend, Rev. Daniel Ruen. I have made mention of Pastor Dan and his wonderful wife, Clare, here several times. They moved here to Evanston in April of 2007 and over the course of the past 12 months we have had many fun celebrations and deep spiritual conversations. Most recently, the issue of race and the potential fallout from the comments of Rev. Wright, were a topic of discussion. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Pastor Dan mentioned that he would be leading a dialogue on race as suggested by his denomination, the ELCA, and the NCC (National Council of Churches) this Sunday, May 18^th. Stemming from several conversations that we have had, Pastor Dan asked if I would be interested in joining in on this dialogue. Being that race relations within the Body of Believers is one of my top priorities, how could I say no?

Anne Laurence, the soon-to-be President of the Grace Evanston church council, recently attended an anti-racism workshop run by Crossroads Anti-racism Training and Organizing. She felt that this workshop was very enlightening, but ”…I agree that it would be amazing to frame this in the Christian context of confession, forgiveness and empowerment.” I have shared this same type of response on many occasions. I appreciate and agree with the social critique offered, but find the proposed forward action lacking at best. (I want to add at this point that I understand that Crossroads is primarily focused on identifying and dismantling institutional and systemic racism, whereas I have mostly emphasized the individual application of “the New Birth.” I don’t believe it’s possible to build a brave new world without first finding ‘new’ or transformed people for the project.)

After a nice lunch with Anne and Pastor Dan this past Wednesday, we formulated a program that we hope will be helpful to the members of Grace Evanston, and any present visitors, in this on-going dialogue on race. I am giving the readers of this blog, few though you be, a sneak preview of the thoughts that I will be sharing.

1.   The Fallacy of Color Blindness – Allowing our vision of the future to function as a guide for the present. Rev 7:9-10

2.   The Distinction Between Individual Racism and Institutional (Systemic) Racism – We’re all in this together, but our experiences are not the same.

3.   Moving Beyond ‘blame and shame’ – Recognizing our true enemy and the nature of the war we are waging. Eph 6: 12 “… not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers …”

Hopefully, this evening when I go to work, I will post more of the specifics about this event and some of the immediate reactions to our program. I am greatly honored to be invited to participate in this event and I hope it is only the first of several such dialogues. I ask for the prayers of the brethren.

Blessings,

Shlomo

B"H

Weekly Torah portion

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A Torah scroll

The weekly Torah portion (Hebrew: Parashat ha-Shavua, popularly just parashah or parshah and also known as a Sidra) is a section of the Torah (Hebrew Bible) read in Jewish services. In Judaism, the Torah is read publicly over the course of a year, with one major portion read each week in the Shabbat morning service.

Each weekly Torah portion usually takes its name from one of the first unique word or words in the Hebrew text. Dating roughly from the time of the Babylonian captivity (6th Century BCE),^{[citation needed]} public Torah reading mostly followed an annual cycle beginning and ending on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, with the Torah divided into 54 weekly portions to correspond to the lunisolar Hebrew calendar, which contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between leap years and regular years.^[1]