The Creation (a review)

I just finished and set down next to me E.O. Wilson’s The Creation: An appeal to save life on earth.  When I picked it up at a bookstore months ago (I’ve been reading it in small chunks here and there between reading other books), I was pretty excited about it as I’ve been wanting to read something by Wilson for quite a while…and this one was written under the premise that scientists and religious leaders need to work together  to preseve the Earth’s rapidly vanishing biodiversity.

I have to say, I did enjoy it…but I’m not so sure Wilson succeeded in his premise.  His thoughts and words about biodiversity and its importance were beautiful, but he seemed to head off onto various rabbit trails (I know his specialty is ants, and the near entire chapter he wrote about a certain species of ant in the Caribbean and its ethno-natural history was fascinating, but I honestly can’t figure out what it has to do with urging scientists and religious leaders to work together…or helping people in the religious community further value the creation). 

When he writes about the wonders of bacteria and the near countless species of microorganisms and SLIMES that a square meter of soil contains, he’s at his best.  But to me it almost seemed like Wilson was appealing to the worst in people when speaking of the value of earth and its biomes and biodiversity in actual monetary value or basing its value on how these organisms might benefit us directly (through possible medicines, cures, etc.).  I would have much rather he stayed on valuing organisms and biodiversity because of their intrinsic value and the beauty of the relationships and interconnectedness between them.  As Wilson writes at one point, “…ecosystems and species can be saved only by understanding the unique value of each species in turn, and by persuading the people who have dominion over them to serve as their stewards.”  If he had stayed on this path, I think the result (and his argument) would have remained strong (and in my opinion, created MUCH more common ground for scientists and religious leaders to stand on).

I really enjoyed his last section, “Teaching the Creation” and the chapters included within (How to Learn Biology and How to Teach It, How To Raise a Naturalist, Citizen Science).  Perhaps this is simply where I’m at and has to do with what I’ve been trying to exercise and encourage in others, but many of his suggestions and examples in these chapters were great.

He concludes his “letter” hoping that he has succeeded in convincing religious leaders of the value and need for saving Earth’s biodiversity.  Although I was already convinced of this before I took the book from the shelf, I hope it serves in urging others in the religious community in understanding and working toward the preservation and restoration of the creation we were called to steward.

Jesus Brand Spirituality (pt 3)

Part One: Active Dimension
Ch 3: Repairing the World

Wilson begins the chapter by talking about the contempt many Christians (or at least Evangelicals) often have for “environmentalists.”  He likens this to a “trademark infringement on the Jesus brand,” saying

Religious contempt toward those who care passionately about the environment has nothing to do with Jesus, but it has found a way into much of the religion that bears his name.  I hope and pray this is changing, but when an environmental scientist encounters contempt, the scientist often assumes the contemptuous person also carries the name Christian

He goes on to say (very correctly, I think) that many people who claim to follow Jesus have been taking their cues from the talking heads and personalities on radio and television (“All someone has to do is wrap himself in the flag and build a powerful enough media platform, and we hang on every word he speaks as though it were the gospel”).  All of this is to say that we should be looking for “trademark infringement” whenever and wherever it occurs.  Because religion can both reveal and obscure Jesus, we sometimes have to dig through the mess of religion to find him.  Wilson states that a good place to start is the gospels, where we find Jesus on a mission to repair to the world…and extending an invitation for us to join him.  The chapter culminates with this mission being broken down into the following three categories:

Jesus Brand Spirituality (pt 2)

Chapter 2: You Are Here

To know where we’re going, we have to know where we’ve been.  Understanding the premise of pilgrimage that Wilson introduced int he previous chapter, he begins to elaborate on the idea a bit more before jumping into the four dimensions.

Jesus Brand Spirituality (pt 1)

So I picked up a new book today, one I hadn’t intended on picking up, but saw the spine on the shelf and ended up bringing it home with me.  It’s entitled Jesus Brand Spirituality: He wants his religion back  and is authored by Ken Wilson.  The cover intrigued me, and I was about to put it back on the shelf, but then I noticed the foreward was written by Phyllis Tickle, so I gave it more of a chance and flipped through the pages and table of contents.  After reading the first lines of the first chapter, I thought it might be worth the read:

“Jesus wants his religion back.  And he wants it back from the orthodox, the Bible-believing, and the defenders of faith as much as from anyone else.  So it can be for the world again.”

Being a fairly new book to the market, I thought I would go ahead and attempt to review it as I read it…chapter by chapter would be the best, I suppose.  From the beginning, I have to admit that I am irrititated by the phrase “Jesus brand spirituality” (and evidently I’m not the only one, as Wilson communicates his reason for using the phrase here).  But, so far, the actual content of Wilson’s writing is substantial enough that I can get beyond any qualms I have about the phrase.

the god’s aren’t angry [synopsis]

Below is my attempt to piece together my notes from Rob Bell’s talk a few nights ago.  Hopefully it provides a somewhat coherent translation of his message:

Favela Rising

A local conference/retreat center has regular movie nights.  Last night they showed the documentary Favela Rising.  I invited some of the students I work with to go see it as well, as I thought it would illustrate the kingdom of God in a more tangible way than the lessons and explanations I try to give.  The film

“…documents a man and a movement, a city divided and a favela (Brazilian squatter settlement) united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug-trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street, and Afro-Brazilian dance he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police.” 

One of the points I have been trying to communicate lately to the students I work with, especially in regards to the kingdom of God and the revolutionary methods and message of Jesus, is that his movement was one of non-violence…and somehow that overthrew the dark strength of Rome.  But I’m not sure they get it.

I’m not sure I even get it.

We’re so ingrained with the idea of ‘just wars’ and ending violence with even bigger violence.  Tragically, it seems to be the American way.  To end WWII we dropped cataclysmic destruction on top of Japan, which obviously isn’t right.  But the quick justification appears: “But if we hadn’t, how many more of our troops and citizens would have been killed?  It was unfortunate, but had to be done to end the violence.”  But did it?  Has it?  As far as I can tell (and history seems to be a pretty concrete indicator), violence just seems to spawn more violence.  ‘Shock and Awe’ may cause just that…but it doesn’t last forever.  Soon anger and revenge are in the hearts and mouths and hands of those who were attacked.  It never ends. 

But to take something that seems so weak as peace?  Non-violence?  How does that stand against a sword or AK-47?  How practical is that, really?  It’s not.  And I suppose that’s why we so quickly cast it aside as an option.  If we want to stay on top of the heap, then we have to do a little pushing.  But we’ve lost the plot.  We’d rather defend the top of the dung pile than be doorkeepers in the house of YHWH.

In light of all that, this film helped flesh out in a tangible way the concept of non-violent resistance, of hope springing forth from the cracks of a bleak and violent soil.  Of death being swallowed up in life.  Through music, through creating a new form and structure that children and people in the community can put their hands to, Anderson Sa and the members of AfroReggae are doing something that logic and our polluted intuition claims to be impossible.  But it is possible, and it’s happening.  It’s spreading.  Like yeast in dough and a vine through a garden.

This was a great reminder that the kingdom is here…but not yet  and even more.

you say you want a revolution…conference

I attended a conference a couple weeks ago called You Say You Want A Revolution, put on by Off the Map.  I’ve been wanting to blog about it since then, but haven’t been quite able to get my thoughts about it in coherent order.  I’m not even sure I’ve managed to at this point, but wanted to get it done anyway.

To put it simply, I really enjoyed the conference.  Over the last couple weeks I’ve been keeping up on the Revolution blog and have honestly been a bit surprised at how disappointed some people were and how critical they have been of what went on.  Some seem upset that so much emphasis was placed on ‘being kind’ and not enough on ‘truth.’  I really don’t get this.  Sure, if all we ever talked about was being kind and never did anything else, I’d be getting worried.  But I’ve been following the Way of Jesus for about 10 years or so now, and even in that short amount of time I would say the vast majority of the atmosphere and underlying attitude in what I’ve learned is all about being right (and if that doesn’t come across as being all that kind, well too bad for that person on the receiving end, because sometimes the truth hurts…).  I can’t think of really any times where the ideas of kindness and mercy and grace and how to actively express them in our interactions with others (especially with those outside the faith) were really focused on and discussed or taught about at length.  It’s always about truth and ’standing for truth.’  I’ve been a youth pastor for 4+ years now, and most of the messages I hear at conferences and youth rallies and festivals are about encouraging students to ’stand for truth’ in their schools.

I don’t think we’re really in short supply of learning how to be right.  But I do think many Christians are pretty sparse when it comes to being kind and gracious.  And if we’re lacking in our exercise of grace and kindness, why don’t we spend some purposeful time on that and figure out out to integrate it into our understanding of truth and interaction with others.  They two aren’t mutually exclusive, nor does one need to be dropped for the other.  But the way some have critiqued the conference you would start to think so.  True, parts of the conference really honed in on kindness (especially Brian McLaren and same of the interviews with various types of people onstage).  I don’t recall Barna talking about this in any of his talks.  I don’t recall any of the workshops hammering into people “BE KIND!  BE KIND!  FORSAKE TRUTH…AND BE KIND!”  Each workshop leader(s) came with their own focus and dealt with that, and they were all extremely varied in what they dealt with.  So, again, I don’t see what the problem is.

In regards to other aspects and my personal thoughts of the conference, I’ll just quickfire some of my thoughts: