The Real War on Christmas ... by Fox News | Jim Wallis | God's Politics Blog | Sojourners: Celebrating 40 Years of Faith in Action for Social Justice

This is a powerful article on the subject of Christmas and American culture. Every year we enter in this conversation over Christmas and Christian values, Christianity and secularization, and every year some good soul responds to the call to help us grapple with the reality that more than Christian values we are concerned with our American religious experience because, by-in-large, we equate American religious history with true Christianity. As a matter of fact most people cannot tell the difference. This article provides us with some good tools on how to respond faithfully to the issues raised in the article. I really hope you will enjoy it!!

The Real War on Christmas ... by Fox News | Jim Wallis | God's Politics Blog | Sojourners: Celebrating 40 Years of Faith in Action for Social Justice

Thanksgiving is an action

Like every month there are dozens of things to celebrate every month: Veterans Day, National Adoption Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, All Saint's Day, Daniel Boone's Birthday, World Peace Day, Thanksgiving Day, and National Cake Day. There are so many!

I could address National American Indian Month, for a people who has suffered so much and of whom we know so very little about. I could write about the plight of Native people who have been in this land before any of our European, or African, ancestors came to this land, yet they seem to be disconnected from our national history. They are certainly a population that seems to be revered nostalgically, but a population that is disregarded as a part of our national identity.

In the land that once used to be theirs, they live in the contradiction of been seeing as outsiders and as foreigners. They are consider and many times treated as immigrants. It is certainly a sad story in our American triumphalistic ethos.

There is no doubt that we could say many things about the native’s people of the Americas, we could speak about these noble and proud people, whose history and stories are connected inevitably to ours. Whose history, in one way or another, were part of the country we live in today.

One of those stories that connect native people to our national history is the celebration of Thanksgiving; or as we say in Spanish, Día de Acción de Gracias (a day to give thanks). This celebration has been so demythologized that even our most recent history books have changed the “traditional” version of Thanksgiving in order for us to learn that without America’s native’s people there would have been no colonies to speak about in Massachusetts.[1]

Yet, there still a story to tell about this holiday. Despite all the misinformation and falsehoods created around this holiday, Thanksgiving Day in America is about families. It is about coming together as families and enjoying the sense of community and the blessings for which we are thankful to God. It is about celebrating each others lives, accomplishments, even loss.

In North American society (and many other countries in the world) this celebration has become a special day of preparation, a special day to join friends and family in an act of feasting, celebration, and, in many cases, a time to remember the good times we have had with our loved ones, specially those who have passed away. In many places it is a time to pray for those less fortunate and, even better, in some places it is a time when families open their homes to those who are experiencing difficult times.

When I was young this day was a celebration we waited with excitement, the food was not the exciting aspect of the gathering (as delicious as it was), or the turkey (more often than not chicken or ham would be served), it was the excitement of knowing that family and the friends would soon come to join us for a wonderful time of fellowship. I would get upset with my cousins for something that they did, a toy they took, a joke at my expense, wearing the same clothing I was wearing, you know what I mean, there was always something. However, we waited for the day every year with the same eagerness and joy because our cousins, our aunts, and uncles would be with us, and many jokes would be shared, and much love would be shared on those special celebrations (without denying, of course, too much consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, cursing, and general pandemonium).

As we come to the table of plenty this year let us remember those who are less fortunate, let us extend our tables to welcome those who are also our brothers and sisters, those for whom Christ died. Let us not forget those who are having a hard time thanking God for they feel that their limitations are too great. Let us remember the words of Paul: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15), because not everyone will be able to offer a word of thanks this year, yet you and I can offer them.

As we come together this year to the table remember that we give thanks to God not only on thanksgiving but every single day of the week. As Paul reminds us:

See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Thess. 5:15-18).

As we come together with friends, family, cousins, aunts and uncles, brothers and sister, parents and grand parents, as we come together to the feast, to the joy, to the celebration; remember that the reason we are together is to give thanks to our loving and forgiving God who loves us despite all our faults and all our shortcomings. Again I say, Rejoice in the Lord for he is merciful and gracious unto us.

---

[1] See the works of historian and teacher James W. Loewen Teaching What Really Happened: How To Avoid the Tyranny of Textbooks and Get Students Excited About Doing History. New York: Teachers College Press, 2009. Also Lies my Teacher Told Me: Everything your American History Book Got Wrong. New York: Touchstones, 1996.

Hispanic Heritage Month:A Commentary for the Church

The month of October has plenty of things to celebrate or to observe: Columbus Day, World Communion Sunday, Protestant Heritage Sunday, Halloween, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Clergy Appreciation Month, Cookie Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Lupus Awareness Month, National Diabetes Month, etc. But as we move forward in our ministry to the community, I would like to highlight Hispanic Heritage Month, which as many of you know is a celebration that spans from September 15^th to October 15^th.

You might probably be thinking, why is this something to be mentioned in our Newsletter. Others might be asking: What is this Hispanic Heritage Month? Why are we U.S. Citizens asked to celebrate Hispanic Heritage? These are very good questions, which I proposed to answer the best I can.

You see Hispanic Heritage month was enacted by Congress by Public Law 100-402 in 1968, in order to honor the achievements of Hispanics in America. This law has authorized and requested the President of the U.S. to annually issue a proclamation designating September 15 through October 15 as “National Hispanic Heritage Month.”  As a country we celebrate the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The days for the celebration were picked as a way to celebrate the anniversaries for independence of 5 Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16^th and Sept. 18^th, respectively.
This population is not only in our midst but it is a growing population. As of April 2010 the Hispanic (Latino) population has reached 50.5 million, making this population the largest racial/ethnic minority in the U.S. (surpassing the African America population). This is without counting the 3.7 million residents of Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory (and, of course, the place where your pastor comes from). This population is also the fastest growing minority population in the country. The Hispanic population in the U.S. constitutes the second largest in the world, and thus making Spanish the second language spoken in the U.S. We are already a bilingual country. It is projected that this population will constitute 30% of the U.S. population by 2050.

You can see, hear, and taste the contributions of this population in American culture. The influence of Spanish language, flavors, and cultures has already left its indelible mark in all of us. We cannot think of having a party without tortilla chips and Salsa, guacamole, burritos, tacos, pastels, etc. Even our language has benefited from the exchange. As it is, there are many words in the English language that we assume are simply English when they actually come from Spanish: Alligator (el lagarto, the lizard), Booby (bobo, silly or selfish, from the Latin for stammering, balbus), Bronco (meaning wild or rough), Cafeteria (cafetería, a coffee shop), Cargo (cargar, to load), Cigar, Cigarette (cigarro), Comrade (camarada, old Spanish for barracks company or roommate), Guerrilla (a small raiding party or fighting force), Renegade (renegado, deserter or outlaw), Tornado (tornar, to turn, tronada, thunderstorm), and many more. There are other words from Spanish that have retained their meaning also in English such as: aficionado, armada, barracuda, mosquito, tobacco, and vanilla. Some of our States continue to reflect this heritage in their names: Colorado, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Montana. There are 20 cities with Spanish names and many other towns.

The fact of the matter is that our country is becoming more multi-cultural and more diverse every year. Not only because of foods and languages but also because the number of people marrying across racial/ethnic lines has continued to grow: a record 14.6% of all new marriages in the United States in 2008 were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity; 2008 showed a spike of interracial marriages (9% of white newlyweds, 16% of blacks, 26% of Hispanics and 31% of Asians married someone whose race or ethnicity was different from their own).

As a matter of fact Hispanics/Latinos are so much a part of this country that there are over 1.1 million Hispanic/Latinos who are veterans of the U.S. Armed forces, and millions more are currently serving. We have been so much a part of this country that we are part of the great American family, an integral part of this country’s landscape. This is a reality that some of us experience in our own families and inside our congregations; it is a reality in our communities; it is an inescapable reality that we are living. We are your sons and daughters in law, we are your children, we are your grand children, and your great grand children, we are your husbands and wives, and are the grandparents as well.

Indeed: “[f]rom those who trace their roots to America's earliest days to those who recently came to the United States carrying nothing but hope for a better life, Hispanics have always been integral to our national story. As an American family more than 300 million strong, we constitute one people, sharing sacrifice and prosperity because we know we rise and fall together” (from President Obama’s 2011 Proclamation). Certainly, America is a richer and more vibrant country because of the contributions of Hispanics/Latinos. This is also where the future of the United Methodist Church lies.

We, Hispanic/Latinos, might not be the future of small local churches all over the country, but we are, indeed, the future that lies ahead of our Christian church, as well as the future of our country. As Paul keeps reminding the church in Ephesians: “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made [everyone] into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of [many], thus making peace, and might reconcile [everyone] to God in one body.” (Eph. 2:14-16). Indeed, we are one people, as the body of Christ, and as a country.

Welcome to The General Board of Church & Society | The General Board of Church and Society

Welcome to The General Board of Church & Society | The General Board of Church and Society

God and Class Warfare

Jim Wallis at God's Politics Blog - 11 hours ago

Wall Street has been devastating Main Street for some time. And when the politicians -- most of them bought by Wall Street -- say nothing, it's called "responsible economics." But when somebody, anybody, complains about people suffering and that the political deck in official Washington has been stacked in favor of Wall Street, the accusation of class warfare quickly emerges. "Just who do these people think they are," they ask. The truth is that the people screaming about class warfare this week aren't really concerned about the warfare. They're just concerned that their class -- or ... more »

Remembering Sept. 11, 2001

There are two dates in recent American history that have been seared in the minds of most of the people living in the United States. We sort of called them days of infamy: echoing the famous words of Franklin D. Roosevelt in his famous 1941 speech after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Indeed, in 1941 and 2001, we as a nation were sent for a spin of disbelief. We were taken by surprised, and our illusions of security were shattered. These 2 days are very different in proportion, scope, and impact. In a very simplistic fashion we could say that December 7, 1941 was a military operation, while September 11, 2001 was not. On both days lives were lost and heroes were forged. In both days we, as a people, suffered together.

However, the days, weeks, and months that followed these days of infamy also became infamous days in our history as a people. On the one hand we interred over 127,000 people of Japanese ancestry, their crime: being Japanese. On the other hand, in a smaller scale, after September 11, a few thousand Arab Americans were detained and held without charges for moths.

This is the sad reality of how fear clouds our judgment not realizing that even those who we might sometimes feel are our enemies also lost loved ones during these attacks. In both attacks this was the case.

Therefore, it was wonderful to hear President George W. Bush’s speech after the 9/11 attacks because at that time, at that moment everyone who died in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the President told us they were all Americans: at that moment we were one people. We were all suffering because we were all victims of hate, as Dr. Cornell West put it at the time. The people who died on that day were not Asians, Whites, Latinos/Hispanics, Arabs, Native Americans, African Americans, Blacks, and others. They were not immigrants and native born, they were not documented or undocumented; they were all Americans. Their blood was one, mixed in a senseless act of barbarity, the fruit of hate and despair.

This month we remember the senseless act of hate that took the lives of almost 3,000 people in one day. This month, we will remember the deaths of other countless other people who died as a consequence of this act of hate. This month we must remember that on September 11, 2011 we were all one people: African Americans, Whites, Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, Arabs, and others. Our blood was mixed, our suffering was mixed, our pain was mixed, we were all victims of a senseless act of hate.

Here the words of the Apostle Paul are very telling: “For he himself is our peace, who has made [of many] groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of [many], thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile [everyone] to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” (Ephesians 2:14-17, NIV).

Although this passage speaks of our relationship as a human race, it is very telling about the purpose of God to bring unity to the human race. Therefore, the same God who wants the human race to be one, this is the same God who wants every member of the human race to see in each other God’s face, God’s presence; for we were all made in the image of God, everyone of us. As hard as this might be sometimes to accept, the fact is that we are called to love our fellow human beings as God has loved us (John 3:16-18). As Paul also reminds us in Romans 13:8c:

… for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

And again Paul declares in verse 10:

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The days described above may be infamous days, but that does not mean that we, as a people, need to continue living infamously. We have seen what ignorance and hate can do to nations (i.e., Germany, and others), we must not allow our faith to be clouded by hate or ignorance, we must be vigilant to ugly expressions of hate that pop-op all over the world and around us. We must learn from Jesus and learn to respond how Jesus responded to hate and ignorance: with love and sacrifice.

We are one human race, one human family, the way God intended it from the beginning. Let us glance in our neighbors the image of the living God.

Rev. Eliezer Valentín-Castañón

Martin Luther King and the fate of the civil rights movement

Martin Luther King and the fate of the civil rights movement

Can we learn from our declaration of indepence?

This is the month when we as a people come together to celebrate the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. This is a celebration that today is shared by millions of people who have decided to make of this land theirs: whether they were born here or some place else. This day is a source of great joy for any liberty loving human being on the face of the earth.

The words of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence have been quoted all over the world by all liberty loving people, even those whom our government has deemed our enemies. These words resound all over the world: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

It was only in the mid-twentieth century that this paragraph of the Declaration would be used in other declarations of independence. The Declaration of Independence of the Czechoslovak Nation (1918) and the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence (1945) are two examples where the language of the second paragraph where clearly utilized. The Czechoslovak Declaration was drafted in Washington, DC, by, among others, Gutzon Borglum (the sculptor of Mount Rushmore). It placed the American Declaration within a lineage stretching from the proto-Protestantism of Jan Hus in the fifteenth century all the way to the Wilsonian promise of self-determination in the early twentieth. Likewise, Ho Chi Minh's Declaration opened with quotations from the second paragraph of the American Declaration and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. Ho Chi Minh, an admirer of George Washington, thereby placed the Vietnamese revolution for independence in the long tradition of revolutionary movements seeking liberty like the British Colonies did in 1776, 235 years ago.

This year we will celebrate another year of independence, another year of achievements, another year of struggles because it is only in the struggle to maintain our liberties, and our independence that the words of the declaration make sense. Liberty and independence are not achieved by wishful thinking it requires that “We the people,” as the Preamble to the Constitution declares, take responsibility for the future of our country, for the appropriate working of our institutions, and for the creation of new institutions that meet the needs of the “people” today.

On July 4th, we will celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. Many people will celebrate this day with red, white, and blue decorations and clothes; others with fireworks. People use this special day as an excuse to gather with family and friends. You will find many people having picnics and BBQs. They gather in backyards, beaches, and parks all over the country, some will play football, and others baseball.
Whichever your case might be, remember that we as people of faith have a responsibility to make sure that our republic and our institutions ought to respond to the needs of the people. We as people of faith in this pluralistic society have the responsibility to secure that all the people in this land are treated with respect and dignity, that the civil and human rights we proclaim to be a fundamental part of our country, ought to be afforded equally to everyone that dwells in our midst. As Leviticus 19:33-34 states: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

The celebration of our Independence must always keep sight that we are free but by the grace of God, our achievements are but by the grace of God, the good we have been able to accomplish in our land and in other lands has been achieved but by the Grace of God. If the words of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence are to hold true for us today, we as believers, as Christians, must make sure that we as a people can be all that God wants us to be whether we were born citizens of this land or not. The fact of the matter is that our lot is cast with everyone who lives in our land, and we are called to welcome them all to God’s household; wherever God’s household happens to be.

Dr. Eliezer Valentín-Castañón

Looking at Fundamentalism

This is a great Newsletter that I think you'll enjoy. Read and share with friends and family.

7-11 Conn.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Five myths about incarceration - The Washington Post

Five Myths is not just about making sure we get the story straight but about helping us realize that these myths continue to believe them. Please share with friends and family, let us spread the word so that we can help our society to make better decisions regarding our prison population. Read and Share.

Five myths about incarceration - The Washington Post

State and Federal Confrontation over what is a “Secure Community”

This is an article worth reading. Read and share. Blessings.
State and Federal Confrontation over what is a “Secure Community”

Church must ‘measure what we treasure’ - UMC.org

This is a wonderful article written by the Rev. Beverly L. Wilkes Null. We need, among the other thousand things we need to address, the recommendations coming from the Connectional Table of the United Methodist Church. These recommendations, from my perspective, are a reflection of our old ways of addressing our church's current situation; the CT believes that by changing the furniture on the top deck of a sinking ship that is going to resolve our problems. By becoming more like a corporation we are going to solve our problems, as if our problems were lack of a corporate structure. This reminds me every day that we are making the same mistakes we made during our 1968 union conference, back then we adopted a corporate vision for our church (corporate in the capitalistic sense) believing that was going to solve our problems too. We thought, and still do, that we need to be more like the world (the business world at that) to be a successful church, we keep equating political/social power with God's power disregarding the words of John Wesley: “I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.” We are asking the question about how can we bring people in, and we call that to make disciples, discipleship, as we all know is a life gripping commitment to live, and be the presence of Christ in this world. Please read and share. Blessings,

Church must ‘measure what we treasure’ - UMC.org

Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion

Check this on-line resource. This is a powerful tool for those working in the ministry of reconciliation: racial/ethnic, migration, gender, and religious. Enjoy it!

Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/NiLP-FYI--More-Hispanics-Go-to-Federal-Prison.html?soid=1101040629095&aid=uDs-m2hXcV8

More Hispanics go to federal prison: Read and share.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/NiLP-FYI--More-Hispanics-Go-to-Federal-Prison.html?soid=1101040629095&aid=uDs-m2hXcV8

Insights into Religion

Insights into Religion

Today is the Day!

Tom Wright on America's exceptionalist justice

America's exceptionalist justice
 
Wild west vigilantism may work while the hero can outshoot 

the villain and his friends, but real justice outflanks 

escalation
 
Tom Wright
Friday May 6 2011
guardian.co.uk
 
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/may/05/

america-lone-ranger
 
 
Consider the following scenario. A group of Irish republican 

terrorists carries out a bombing raid in London. People are 

killed and wounded. The group escapes, first to Ireland, then 

to the US, where they disappear into the sympathetic hinterland 

of a country where IRA leaders have in the past been welcomed 

at the White House. Britain cannot extradite them, because of 

the gross imbalance of the relevant treaty. So far, this seems 

plausible enough.
 
But now imagine that the British government, seeing the 

murderers escape justice, sends an aircraft carrier (always 

supposing we've still got any) to the Nova Scotia coast. From 

there, unannounced, two helicopters fly in under the radar to 

the Boston suburb where the terrorists are holed up. They carry 

out a daring raid, killing the (unarmed) leaders and making their 

escape. Westminster celebrates; Washington is furious.
 
What's the difference between this and the recent events in 

Pakistan? Answer: American exceptionalism. America is subject 

to different rules to the rest of the world. By what right? Who 

says?
 
Consider another fictive scenario. Gangsters are preying on a 

small mid-western town. The sheriff and his deputies are spineless; 

law and order have failed. So the hero puts on a mask, acts "extra-

legally", performs the necessary redemptive violence and returns to 

ordinary life, earning the undying gratitude of the local townsfolk, 

sheriff included. This is the plot of a thousand movies, comic-book 

strips, and TV shows: Captain America, The Lone Ranger, and (upgraded 

to hi-tech) Superman. The masked hero saves the world.
 
Films and comics with this plot-line have been named as favourites by 

many presidents, as Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence 

[http://www.eerdmans.com/Interviews/lawrenceinterview.htm" title=

"Eerdmans:    Interview with John Shelton Lawrence] pointed out in The 

Myth of the American Superhero and Captain America and the Crusade 

Against Evil. The main reason President Obama has been cheered to the 

echo across the US, even by his bitter opponents, is not simply the 

fully comprehensible sense of closure a decade after the horrible, 

wicked actions of September 11 2001. Underneath that, he has just 

enacted one of America's most powerful myths.
 
Perhaps the myth was necessary in the days of the wild west, of 

isolated frontier towns and roaming gangs. But it legitimises a form 

of vigilantism, of taking the law into one's own hands, which provides 

"justice" only of the crudest sort. In the present case, the "hero" 

fired a lot of stray bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan before he got 

it right. What's more, such actions invite retaliation. They only 

"work" because the hero can shoot better than the villain; but the 

villain's friends may decide on vengeance. Proper justice is designed 

precisely to outflank such escalation.
 
Of course, proper justice is hard to come by internationally. America 

regularly casts the UN (and the international criminal court) as the 

hapless sheriff, and so continues to play the world's undercover 

policeman. The UK has gone along for the ride. What will we do when 

new superpowers arise and try the same trick on us? And what has any 

of this to do with something most Americans also believe, that the 

God of ultimate justice and truth was fully and finally revealed in 

the crucified Jesus of Nazareth, who taught people to love their 

enemies, and warned that those who take the sword will perish by the 

sword?
 
 
If you have any questions about this email, please contact the 

guardian.co.uk user help desk: userhelp@guardian.co.uk.
 
 
guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2011
Registered in England and Wales No. 908396
Registered office: PO Box 68164, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1P 2AP
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

Thanks to Michael Gorman for alerting us about this commentary from 

the former Bishop of Durham.  

American Exceptionalism and the murder of a terrorist

“Romans 13:4, “It does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” If ever there were a just use of force, this was it. The U.S. government carried out its God-ordained task and has acted as God’s minister bringing His wrath upon one who practiced evil. The U.S. government isn’t God’s only minister of the sword. But tonight was our night, and I am grateful that justice was served.”

With these words begin the reflection of Dr. Denny Burk, Associate Professor of New Testament and Dean of Boyce College (the undergraduate arm of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky). In his statement the professor declared that the “U.S. government carried out its God-ordained task and has acted as God’s minister bringing his wrath upon one who practiced evil.” Can you imagine making such a statement with a straight face? Can you imagine telling the Churches of God around the world that our military has “carried out” God’s ordained task to kill and maim other human beings at the direction of the President of the US, his Cabinet, and the U.S. military high command? Are we well connected with the divine or what? (Forgive my sarcasm attack!)

What an incredible and complete expression of arrogance from our part. We are so righteous, so close to the divine that our purpose as a nation turns into God’s own purpose in the world. This almost reads like the Gospel of the United States, where the US (the new Messiah) and the Father are one. That is to say, the US expresses god’s desires so perfectly that they are one and the same: the US “has acted as God’s minister bringing his wrath.”

We are so right, our cause is so just that the reality lived by other people in the world is insignificant compare to ours, because we do understand god’s will. Although we are only 6% of the population of the world, we know what is best for the remaining 94%. Mr. Bin laden was responsible for the planning of the terrorist acts of 9/11/01. The actions of this man were crimes against humanity not just the US, to say the least. Believe me, I am not crying over the death of a man who lived his life developing machinations to kill people in other parts of the world. He lived by the sword he dye by the sword. But where do we come off so self-righteous? What gives us the high moral ground to make these kinds of statements as if our hands, and I mean American’s hands, were clean from spilling innocent blood, as if we were a righteous nation who only acts in the best interest of its neighbors? Has anyone ever consider that our military is there to protect our national interest. In every war we have been involved it is our interest what has driven our actions not altruistic love for our fellow human beings (regrettably, we do not have room here to expand on these issues but I urge you to do it on the web).

If god is so bent on “bringing His wrath upon one who practiced evil,” as Professor Burk states.Why didn’t God send a group of special forces to take out Henry Kissinger, after he and the CIA orchestrated the Cout d’Etat in Chile? Which caused thousands of Chilean lives (including a few Americans)? Why didn’t God send a group of special forces to take care of President Reagan for his support and organized acts of violence against the people of Nicaragua (and so many other places around the world), which cost thousands of lives to that country? Why didn’t God send that same group of special forces to punish the man who lied to the American people in order to enter in a war that has cost us thousands of America lives and hundreds of thousands of lives to the Iraki people, and people in the region. Why is it that the lives that seem to have greater value in the eyes of this kind of rhetoric are the lives of the US citizens and European citizens? Why is it that every time violence erupts in other parts of the world where the populations are poor and dark skin we attribute their violence to evil forces working through them, but every time that we, and other European nations, take military action we portray ourselves as been sanctioned by God, and, of course, for the greater good?

We must thank professor Burk for his powerful illustration of that theological and ideological doctrine for which we are well known around the globe: American exceptionalism. Indeed, as much as we try to hide it the fact of the matter is that we, as a nation, continue to up-hold this ideology-theology of domination where even the gods, the Christian god in particular, as well as other god’s, collaborate to show that we are God’s chosen people. We are a special people whom the god has placed in this world to bring god’s will. Therefore, we will deliver god’s justice against evil doers (of course, evil and evil doers are defined by us), and we will impose our way of understanding the world over everyone even if we have to kill them. If you think this is far-fetched just think of all those places we have invaded, or collaborated to create “regime” change: Irak, Granada, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Vietnam, Korea. No one expressed this ideology-theology of domination more eloquently than our own Henry Kissinger when he spoke about the situation in Chile: “I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves.”

Like this message, there are thousands of examples where we present ourselves as having “superior” knowledge, as the world’s Messiah, as those who know what is best for the world. Maybe professor Burk has adopted this ideology-theology of domination. I, for one, believe that the God of Jesus, the one who gave his son to the world (John 3:15-17), would have a very difficult time accepting this message which all imperial powers have been declaring for centuries as a way to justify the subjugation of people around the world. This same ideology-theology was also used by the imperial powers that killed Jesus the Christ.

You might call me hard-core-liberal, or bleeding-hart-liberal, but I simply call my-self a disciple of Christ. Let us come and walk together with him, let us show to the world that other way of life is possible if our loyalty remains only with Jesus’ message, not with Caesar. As much as I would be willing to give my life for my country, I love Jesus more, therefore my ultimate allegiance is with him alone.

The fallacy that the “U.S. government carried out its God-ordained task” and “has acted as God’s minister bringing His wrath upon one who practiced evil,” only serves the purpose of sustaining the ideology-theology of domination of American exceptionalism. Within this mentality might makes right, this is not Good News (Gospel), if anything it is diabolic propaganda that only serves to fuel more hate instead of peace (Matthew 5:9).

A veteran friend of mine reminded me today that although we might not be pacifist, we do not rejoice in the unfortunate reality of killing another human being even during war times. The taking of a human life diminishes all of us, even when there are no other alternatives. As the scriptures reminds us: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.” (Proverbs 24:17). We are called to be imitators of Christ not of the USA’s cultural mores.

Manana: The Future is us!

I thought it would be good to share a sermon I preached some time ago about Latinos in the US. To read the sermon visit:
http://www.gcorr.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=mwKWJ9NTJtF&b=4196983&ct=5571725&notoc=1.
This sermon address the reality of the presence of Latinos in the US, and the fact that without Latinos the US would not be what it is today because as we have made this land our home, we have also contributed to make it more open for everyone that comes. Your feedback is welcomed. Blessings.

Methodist Review

Methodist Review

For those of you interested in Wesleyan Studies. Enjoy!

Love Covers Multitude of Sins

   In February we celebrate the day of the “love birds” (honestly, love birds?!); we celebrate St. Valentine’s day. In many countries in Latin America we call it the Friendship Day (el día de la amistad), or Lovers’ Day (el día de los enamorados). This is a day where men and women express their love for those people in their lives who are very special. This is a day when most people celebrate “romantic” love. Yet, as with many Christian celebrations, there is always a deep story behind it.

   Here the story is that of a Saint, the story of a Christian martyr. Probably many of you know the story already but let me tell it again for the benefit of those that have not heard it before.

  The Saint celebrated on Valentine’s Day is that of a Christian priest and martyr called Valentio (or Valentinus). Valentio was martyred during the reign of Emperor Claudius II (also known as Claudius Gothicus).The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine, the text states that he was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian soldiers and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by the Roman Emperor. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Therefore, Claudius condemned Valentine to be beaten and stoned to death, when that failed he had him beheaded and his body buried outside the Flaminian Gate.

  The feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God." This feast, however,  is no longer part of the Church’s celebrations.

  Certainly, we could have said much more about the life of Saint Valentio, but what I would like to highlight for us today is his uttered commitment to Christ. His life and dedication to God is marked by his action to marry Roman soldiers who have become Christians, an act that was punishable by Roman law. So, for all intents and purposes he was violating the “laws of the land,” “acting criminally,” and inciting others to do likewise. Doesn’t this ring a bell today?

  Some people today would consider Valentine's actions against God's will because he was acting against the laws of the land. We hear many people arguing that Christians are not suppose to act against the laws of the land because God so ordains (of course always basing the argument using Romans 13). But what one finds in Valentine, and many other martyrs of the Church (people love humanity), is the constant reminder that we must respond to a higher authority. Indeed, as Christians we must be certain that our supreme allegiance is to God and God’s will, and not to any government, nation, ideology, religious institution, or political party. This in any way implies that we should not respect our government, honor our public officials, love our Church or our country. I believe that these are not competing interest, unless one places equal value on both: God and other things. As the scripture reminds the believer, again and again:

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:13).

Indeed, we cannot serve competing loyalties, either we give our full allegiance to God or we give it to something else, in which case then our loyalties will be clearly established.

   Many years ago the Christian theologian Paul Tillich illustrates this point very eloquently. “The object of theology,” he said, “is what concerns us ultimately.” That which concerns us to the uttermost, that which becomes our ultimate concern is that which determines how we live our lives. In other words, that which makes us wake up in the morning (and I do not mean the clock), and gives meaning to our lives, should be the reality that rules our lives to the point that we are willing to give our lives for it. As Jesus showed us with his own life; out of love for the Father, and for us, He gave his life: ^“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13; see also 3:15-18).
   So, as we celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day this year, let us remember that to love one another is Jesus’ commandment, and that this commandment trumps any other demand form any government, church institution, ideology, nation, or political parties. For this is Jesus’ commandment, “that you love one another as [Jesus] have loved you” (John 15:12).
   If we act as Jesus has asked us to, it certainly will not win us many friends. “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another” (John 15:17). Let us never forget that “if the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, - the world would love you as its own” (John 15:12-18). But since we do not belong to the world, because God has chosen us out of the world, therefore the world will hates us.

  Yet, as followers of Christ, we have been called to love as God has loved us. During this celebration of Saint Valentine, let us remember our first love: Jesus the Christ. If our hearts, minds, and strength are truly dedicated to loving God as Saint Valentio did, everything else will fall in place.
  This has been the experience of many Christians in Latin America and other impoverished countries around the world. The commitment to follow Christ comes with a hefty price tag; one's own life. In St. Valentine's Day, be a friend and a lover of all those for whom Christ died.

  Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Eliezer Valentín-Castañón

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