stop, in the name of Love December 11, 2009

Yesterday, December 10, 2009, President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Whether I think it was deserved or not is irrelevant. What concerns me is the statement made in his acceptance speech:

“We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations – acting individually or in concert – will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago – “Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones.” As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King’s life’s work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak -nothing passive – nothing naïve – in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler’s armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism – it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.”

I don’t believe in war, neither do I believe in passivity. I believe Jesus has called us to a higher standard- I believe He has shown us a different way.

In His teachings, He tells His followers when our enemy slaps our face, we are to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-42). Shane Claiborne states: “He wasn’t suggesting that we let people sadistically walk all over us. Jesus taught enemy love with imagination. He points to disarming others. Jesus teaches us to refuse to oppose evil on its own terms… When hit on the cheek, turn and look that person in the eye. In the orderly Jewish culture, a person would hit someone only with the right hand. In some Jewish communities, if you hit someone with a left hand, you could be banished for ten days. So a person would have to use a backslap to hit someone on the right cheek with the right hand. It’s clear that Jesus described a backhand, like an abusive husband to a wife, or a master to a slave. It was a slap to insult, degrade, humiliate. But by turning the cheek, the person made the abuser look them in the eye, and the abuser could only now hit them with a fist, as an equal. By turning the other cheek, the other person said, ‘I am a humanbeing, made in the image of God, and you cannot destroy that.’

We see a Jesus who abhors both violence and passivity, who carves out a third way that is neither submission nor assault. But all of this makes sense only if you realize that Jesus is not talking about the best ways to successfully win the age-old battle to restrain evil. He has an entirely different way of viewing evil. His way teaches that evil can be opposed without being mirrored, oppressors can be resisted without being emulated, enemies can be neutralized without being destroyed.
Look into the eyes of the ones who are hardest for you to like, and see the One you love. For God loves good and bad people…”

I’ve heard over and over that maybe this works for the individual, but it doesn’t work on a national and international level. I’ve heard it said that this is not practical; that Jesus’ teachings aren’t relevant to our current situations. I disagree.

What if turning the other cheek doesn’t work? How many times do we turn the other cheek before we revolt?

” Jesus taught not only how to live in the kingdom of god, but also how the kingdom of God lives in the empire of Herod:

‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone weas sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seeds in your field? Where, then, did the weeds come from?’
‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ – Matthew 13:24-30

This parable shows how Jesus feels about ‘ridding the world of evil.’ You cannot easily distinguish the weeds from the wheat. It’s not so easy to say “we are all good and they are all evil.” Only God has the right to judge. And in destroying evil, you might destroy some good. Jesus practiced what He preached. He showed no sign of associating only with “good” people and leaving out the “bad.” He not only cared for the poor, he cared for the powerful Roman centurion who was illegally policing his country.

Jesus’ weed and wheat parable was not meant for heaven; it was not a utopian dream. It invoked heaven onto earth. Jesus recognized the presence of evil but chose to deal with it through active nonresistance, patience, and hope.” (Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne)

When we wage war on others, we kill not only those who feel are deserving (the “bad” people), we kill the innocent lives who have had nothing to do with the actions of others. We kill the children, the babies, the mothers who are trying to protect their children from a war that wages day and night; we kill sisters, brothers, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, best friends.And while it may be easy to think it so, it is not true that these lives are more important than the lives of those who are the ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ ones. We must remember that they, too, are created in the image of the Living God. Who are we to ever decide who should get to live and who should get to die? What makes our lives more important, more valuable than theirs?

Obama said that nonviolence would have never stopped Hitler. Did we try it? Then, how do we know? I believe with all my heart that it shows more character and strength, and reflects Jesus more greatly, to look at the enemy, the oppressor, the evil one and say “I would rather die than to use the life God has given me to take life from another.”

It may take time, but Love will overcome. Love spreads slowly- but with great strength and power. We can be bold, radical, active, and still be loving. We can fight wars and genocide and inequality with brave words and hope and creativity instead of with fists and guns and bombs.

This is not an idealist view. It may not be what we consider realistic, but Jesus did not call us to live practical, logical lives. Nothing about him fits nicely into the box in which people have tried for so long to force him. He was radical, but He was not violent. He was bold, but He was loving. He changed everything, and He expects us to do the same, through Him.

Sunflower Orphanage July 29, 2009

redemption July 27, 2009

my eyes have seen more in the last 24 hours than my brain can process…

yesterday we went to the killing fields from the genocide. truckfulls of innocent people were dropped off there, tortured, and killed. they’ve since found over 100 mass graves- over 2 million (one fourth of the population at the time) killed. we saw a tree upon which the executioners used to beat prisoners and smash babies; another tree from which hung a loudspeaker that played noise loud enough to drown out the screams of the tortured. we saw a building at least 5 stories tall, filled with the unearthed skulls. its a lot to try to understand. but there was one really beautiful, amazing thing that we did see.

one thing i didnt mention when i previously wrote about the genocide is that no one- not one single person- who was considered a leader in the regime has been brought to justice. pol pot died in 1998 before going to trial, and many of the others even work in the current government (the current prime minister served with pol pot). there has only been one man to ever come forward, confess, and show regret over his actions. the chief executioner- named duch- began his trial in march of this year, and has taken full responsibility for the lives he took and ordered to be taken. we found a biographical plaque about him, and discovered that after the regime, he became a christian.

we were blown away by the beauty and power of god’s redemption. i think its easy for some people to look at duch’s life, see that he became a christian, and become angry, thinking that its an easy way out of guilt; thinking that he deserves to be in hell. well, ok, we all deserve that dont we? and as many of us who sat by and watched this happen and didnt do anything to stop it, we’re just as guilty. so lets just be eternally thankful that christ’s grace and redemption covers us as much as it does duch.

secondly- we went to a new orphanage today. the one we went to last week was amazing, but god led us in a new direction. he allowed us to meet some people who knew other people and eventually we were sitting at lunch with some expats who had started an organization to raise supplies and support for an orphanage caring for 17 children living with HIV. tony, who we’ve adopted as our british grandfather, told us all about the work they’re doing, how they got started, how they help, etc. the name of the organization is CHOICE- Charitable Humanitarian Organization In Cambodia by Expats (he told us he’d originally wanted to call it Feeding Underprivileged Cambodian Kids- he was outvoted for obvious reasons…).

so today we rode with him to the orphanage, and were blown away. the kids are beautiful. we just played with them for as long as we could before they had to go to school. it doesnt feel like our time there could have done much to encourage them, but i have to believe that it was worth something. its such an overwhelming feeling to see children in circumstances like theirs, and believing that there’s nothing to do to help them is just not an option. i had to fight against that all morning. it was an amazing experience though, one that i’ll probably write more about later after ive been able to think through it more.

this trip is making me appreciative of things i never even knew were a blessing before.

and jesus has shown me more about redemption and grace than i ever thought i’d be able to handle.

thats alot for one post. i’ll end here. pictures from the orphanage soon.

rescue July 20, 2009

saturday, we went to the genocide museum in phnom penh. its hard to even know where to begin in describing our experience there. the whole reason for the genocide was that pol pot wanted every one to be equal in his country, and through a distorted view of equality, he began torturing and killing all the educated, wealthy, and religious citizens of the country. the rest of the people were put to labor in the fields, and if they didnt die directly because of the regime, they probably died of starvation and exhaustion. the museum we visited was once one of the prisons, called S21, where the captives were held and tortured before being sent to the killing fields. when the vietnamese forces found the building in 1979, there were 14 bodies, recently killed, left in the room…the rest was vacant.

there were 4 building to the prison… the first one consisting of larger cells and holding rooms, as well as pictures of the 14 victims found in the room. pictures of how they were discovered… bodies beaten, bloodied, disfigured. the second building contained walls and walls covered with the mugshots taken of the victims as they entered the prison. men, women, children, teenagers, elderly, and infants. the third building held smaller cells. brick cells on the first floor, wooden cells on the second. the largest cells had to be no larger than 3 by 7 feet. many didnt have windows, and if they did, there was no shelter from the weather. the very last building housed the instruments of torture as well as paintings depicting the processes. ive never had to see anything like this.

pictures of the killing fields; mounds and mounds of skulls and bones that used to hold hearts and minds and souls, skeletons separated for burial. rows of iron shackles used to tie feet and hands to bed. cracked, blood stained walls. all of this happened only 30 years ago. how did we let it happen. how does it still happen in other parts of the world today. it is the most horrifying, sickening, cruel, appalling, disgusting, evil display of sin that i have ever seen or could imagine.

heres a poem that was displayed in the last building, written about the regime.

The New Regime, by Sarith Pou

No religious rituals.
No religious symbols.
No fortune teller.
No traditional healers.
No paying respect to elders.
No social status. No titles.

No education. No training.
No school. No learning.
No books. No library.
No science. No technology.
No pens. No paper.

No currency. No bartering.
No buying. No selling.
No begging. No giving.
No purses. No wallets.

No human rights. No liberty.
No courts. No judges.
No laws. No attorneys.

No communications.
No public transportations.
No private transportations.
No traveling. No mailing.
No inviting. No visiting.
No faxes. No telephones.

No social gatherings.
No chitchatting.
No jokes. No laughters.
No music. No dancing.

No romance. No flirting.
No formication. No dating.
No bathers.
No nakedness in showers.
No love songs. No love letters.
No affection.

No marrying. No divorcing.
No marital conflicts. No fighting.
No profanity. No cursing.

No shoes. No sandals.
No toothbrushes. No razors.
No combs. No mirrors.
No lotion. No make up.
No long hair. No braids.
No jewelry.
No soap. No detergent. No shampoo.
No knitting. No embroidering.
No colored clothes, except black.
No styles, except pajamas.
No wine. No palm sap hooch.
No lighters. No cigarettes.
No morning coffee. No afternoon tea.
No snacks. No desserts.
No breakfast [sometimes no dinner].

No mercy. No forgiveness.
No regret. No remorse.
No second chances. No excuses.
No complaints. No grievances.
No help. No favors.
No eyeglasses. No dental treatment.
No vaccines. No medicines.
No hospitals. No doctors.
No disabilities. No social diseases.
No tuberculosis. No leprosy.

No kites. No marbles. No rubber bands.
No cookies. No popsicle. No candy.
No playing. No toys.
No lullabies.
No rest. No vacations.
No holidays. No weekends.
No games. No sports.
No staying up late.
No newspapers.

No radio. No TV.
No drawing. No painting.
No pets. No pictures.
No electricity. No lamp oil.
No clocks. No watches.

No hope. No life.
A third of the people didn’t survive.
The regime died:

the cambodian people literally werent allowed to do anything. and it should show us just how much we take for granted every single day.

the whole time i was walking through the museum, it was like god kept whispering John 16 33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

rescue is possible only through jesus. these things dont make sense. and we have no right, as those who claim to love and follow Him, to just sit back and allow them to happen. when we are idle and inactive, their blood is just as much on our hands as it is of the very men who put a knife to their throat. we can pray for rescue though. for salvation. for changed hearts. for the love of jesus to change lives. its the only resolution there is, and the only reason we can look at a situation like this and have any hope in the world.