Instagram Posts from the Week of Oct. 20, 2019

History and Headlines - Oct. 20, 2019

In an article from Sept. 15, 2019 for USA Today titled “Confederate Statue that Prompted Charlottesville Rally Must Stay, Judge Rules,” Kristin Lam reported on the decision of Circuit Court Judge Richard Moore to prevent “the city of Charlottesville's effort to remove the Confederate statue that sparked a deadly white nationalist rally in 2017.” Many headlines in recent years have addressed the preservation and removal of Confederate monuments. I wanted to explore more about the history of the construction of these symbols of the Confederacy.

In an article for NPR from August 20, 2017 titled “Confederate Statues Were Built To Further A 'White Supremacist Future',” Miles Parks referenced research that has been conducted regarding the building of Confederate monuments. “The most recent comprehensive study of Confederate statues and monuments across the country was published by the Southern Poverty Law Center last year. A look at this chart shows huge spikes in construction twice during the 20th century: in the early 1900s, and then again in the 1950s and 60s. Both were times of extreme civil rights tension. In the early 1900s, states were enacting Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise black Americans. In the middle part of the century, the civil rights movement pushed back against that segregation.”

On the Southern Poverty Law Center website, there is a map under "Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy” that shows the location of the 1,747 Confederate symbols that still stand. Also stated on the site are these words: “It’s past time for the South – and the rest of the nation – to bury the myth of the Lost Cause once and for all.”

Heaping shame or guilt on anyone is not the point of this post. We can work through and move beyond these feelings, but we have to tell the truth. Our present is intertwined with and informed by our past. We must face the past so we can heal the future.

*Edited to add: On June 17, 2020, I came across The Redemption Project with Van Jones for CNN. I read the words, “Face the past. Heal the future.” I will no longer use this phrase for my Headlines and History posts beginning in June 2020.

#tellthetruth #thelostcausemyth #endracism #endwhitesupremacy #dismantlewhitesupremacy #antiracist #antiracism #endxenophobia #endwhitenationalism #socialjustice #loveyourneighbor #seekjustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #lament #repent #repair #facethepast #healthefuture #headlines #history #headlinesandhistory #historyandheadlines #broadeningthenarrative 


Podcast Rec. - Oct. 22, 2019

Current Listen - The Zeitcast with Jonathan Martin: Hell, Judgement, & Atonement with Brad Jersak (Released August 22, 2019)

“What I discovered was that in the Latin West, out of which we get Roman Catholicism and Protestantism and all its branches, there was this idea that there are two groups of people, the righteous and the wicked or the saved and the damned or the elect and the whatever. Two groups of people and then they would go to two places, heaven and hell. Heaven was in the presence of God. Hell was in the absence of God. And that is a way to see it, and you can do a good Bible study on it. But just as powerfully, in the East, their view was, ‘We all will be salted with fire.’ Jesus says this in Mark chapter 9, the end of the chapter. ‘We’ll all be salted with fire,’ or 1 Cor. 3, ‘We’ll all go through the fire of judgement, but the judgement is the glory of God, the presence of God.’ So this is wild because then that meant in the East, they see it that God Himself is heaven and hell because He is the consuming fire. And the consuming fire of infinite love. So if you love love, God feels like heaven. If you hate love, God feels like hell. And the hopeful thing is that the fires of the glory of His love might be efficient in actually purging us of the things that hate love. That’s my hope. So that was one huge thing, this different way of seeing it, and that, too, is in the biblical text.” - Brad Jersak

“I’m so fascinated that people on one hand will want to take the language of hell fire and lake of fire in a really literal fashion, but then, when Jesus actually uses Gehenna language, and when you’ve got passages of judgement like Matthew 25, the separation of the sheep and the goats, or you’ve got something like the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, that for people who want to be such literalists about everything, we’re shockingly not literal about how the very idea of judgement is applied in those texts. Because the way I always heard those texts preached was essentially that this is all about whether or not you accept Jesus in your heart. But some of these texts that on the surface might seem to be the most violent about judgement and the teaching of Jesus really aren’t so much about whether or not we profess a creed but how we treat the least of these.” - Jonathan Martin

“Any Scripture that claims to be a revelation of God must bow before the living God when He came in the flesh.” - Brad Jersak

“The Jesus hermeneutic, or the interpretive method, of John 10 verse 10. ‘It’s the thief who steals, kills, and destroys, but I have come that you would have life and that more abundantly.’ When Jesus says that, it’s God saying it. And God doesn’t change. So when I read back into those texts, I can look for death-dealing, and I go, ‘Oh death-dealing is from the thief.’ I can look for life-giving, and I see, ‘Oh that’s God.’” - Brad Jersak

This episode of The Zeitcast is a replay of an episode from the Son of a Preacher Man podcast. Theologian Brad Jersak speaks about hell, judgement, and atonement, and his grace and compassion fueled the same in me. I am thankful to and for the friend who shared it with me. I highly recommend this podcast episode.

#jonathanmartin #bradjersak #thezeitcast #podcast #podcastrecommendation #podcastrec #helljudgementandatonement #evolvingfaith #faithtransition #exvangelical #spiritualmisfit #universalchrist #lament #repent #repair #empathy #equality #listening #learning #justice #restorativejustice #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative


Account to Follow - Oct. 23, 2019

As you can see in the IG profile, The Salve is a “progressive Christian publication covering love, doubt, politics, and more.” 

The mission statement on The Salve website is “to help progressives and Christians understand each other through stories from people who have identified as both.” I have appreciated the IG posts and the articles I have read, especially on sexuality. As I encounter new perspectives, empathy is fostered, which leads to joining the efforts of those fighting for freedom and equality. I simply want for all I do to demonstrate love to God and love to my neighbors, and The Salve is helping me in pursuing these desires.

Support The Salve publication by following @the__salve if you aren’t already.

#thesalve #accounttofollow #publication #progressive #christian #progressivechristian #love #doubt #politics #empathy #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #checkbiases #checkassumptions #humanity #learning #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #repent #repair #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative


Additional Rec. - Oct. 24, 2019

Additional Rec. - “Stealing Bread” by Micah Bournes

I watched the video for the “Stealing Bread” spoken word last year, and it has been etched into my memory ever since. You can read in Proverbs 6:30, “People don’t despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry.” With this verse as a backdrop, Micah Bournes delivers a gripping and powerful performance full of uncomfortable truth. I will share some quotes below from this piece.

“Do not make me the exception to your stereotype. Do not use my success as evidence to condemn my brothers lazy. This land’s booby traps simply missed me.”

“Our less fortunate will be loved, not blamed for making the rest of us look bad. And I refuse to despise a poor man for stealing bread.”

“Look me in the eye. You warn your children not to step foot in the neighborhoods that ours have no choice but to be raised in, then play ignorant as if success has nothing to do with the situations we are born into, as if most of us just don’t want it as much as most of you. Your average child will thrive while our exceptional might make it out alive. So look me in the eye and tell me you believe we chose this. Tell me we’re poor on purpose. Tell  me you think we like being hungry. Tell me we’d rather sell drugs than have a career. Tell me we deserve to go to jail. Tell me you believe we hate ourselves. Tell me we’re lazy. Tell me we’re ghetto. Look me in the eye. We are poor men stealing bread, and I suggest you not despise us.”

#additionalrecommendation #recommendation #micahbournes #stealingbread #fightevilwithpoetry #spokenword #poetry #empathy #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #endpoverty #checkbiases #checkassumptions #humanity #learning #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #repent #repair #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative



Bonus Post about Beth Moore - Oct. 25, 2019

I have been debating all week whether or not to post my thoughts about John MacArthur’s “go home” statement about Beth Moore. But here I am deciding to weigh in through social media. I want to start by saying that I am tired. I'm tired of fighting to belong. I'm tired of fighting to be seen as fully human. And if I'm tired after such a short time, I can't imagine how tiring it is to fight multiple attacks on God-given dominion and dignity through sexism + racism, homophobia, classism, nationalism, ageism, ableism, religious bigotry, or any other combinations or forms of discrimination.

It is sad to hear how Beth Moore was degraded by John MacArthur and others, but it is not surprising. I was accused of trying to pigeon hole a spiritual leader by putting him in a box and labeling him a sexist as I offered my insights, gifts, time, and ideas to try to better help men and women partner together. Instead of a partnership, I was silenced when I tried to call this person to repentance for his harmful words. The gaslighting I experienced was completely unexpected, and I knew that this person intended for me to not bring this up again as he insisted he did not sin against me. I was powerless against his accusations that multiplied, and trust was broken as this person who held power over me escaped accountability. So when Beth Moore is disrespected, it's hard not to feel it personally because this really is about more than just Beth Moore.

I know that for people who side with John MacArthur the task of showing that he was in the wrong is probably an impossible feat as women who speak up are written off as "crazy feminists." Call me crazy, but I will attempt to respond to this latest display of misogyny in evangelicalism anyway.

First, the question I keep asking is, "Why was the name 'Beth Moore' used during a panel for this word association 'game'?" What were they hoping for John MacArthur and others to say? It would be one thing if the responses were in the vein of "beloved sister," but it's hard to believe that the "go home" wasn't expected. It was certainly a well received response. Let's begin with reframing the situation, as this may be the only way to help some people see the humanity of women, the image of God we bear, the dominion we are called to exercise. What if it was reversed? What if Beth Moore was on a similar panel and presented with "John MacArthur" and was instructed to speak the words that come to her mind when she hears his name. If she said, "Go home" and launched into a 10 minute tirade against John MacArthur, we would clearly have a problem with the lack of love, grace, and kindness. It would be apparent that this was harmful, intended to tear down rather than encourage and build up. The same is true when applied to John MacArthur's words aimed at Beth Moore.

I will be honest and say I once desired returning evil for evil in these situations, giving the oppressor or offender a dose of his own medicine through name calling, insulting his intelligence, etc. But Beth Moore shows us a better way, a Jesus way, and she's not the only woman of valor who has consistently chosen love over hate when mocked and ridiculed. Here is what Beth Moore tweeted Monday: "I did not surrender to a calling of man when I was 18 years old. I surrendered to a calling of God. It never occurs to me for a second to not fulfill it. I will follow Jesus - and Jesus alone - all the way home. And  I will see His beautiful face and proclaim, Worthy is the Lamb! Here’s the beautiful thing about it & I mean this with absolute respect. You don’t have to let me serve you. That gets to be your choice. Whether or not I serve Jesus is not up to you. Whether I serve you certainly is. One way or the other, I esteem you as my sibling in Christ."

I also read "Nope, Not Going Home" by Sarah Bessey Monday, and the part that got me was, "You know who never told women to go home? JESUS."

Jesus speaks a better word over women, always. Thank you for this reminder, Stephen. Jesus restores robbed dignity, always. Jesus equips the daughters of God for the work of ministry, always. The ten episode Gender Series done by Almost Heretical was immensely beneficial for me, and I cannot recommend it enough.

In closing, I want to reiterate that this is about more than one woman, and it's about more than white women, so the next time that a prominent evangelical leader, or an evangelical leader you personally know, disparages another image bearer, stand with those impacted. As Kathy Khang tweeted, "Dear white Christian women angry over #GoHome I’ll be watching to see if you stand with #WOC & name, work against #racism & #whitesupremacy in your families, neighborhoods, churches." We are all in this together, and we all suffer when we don't humble ourselves to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

#bethmoore #sarahbessey #kathykhang #empowerwomen #dismantlepatriarchy #endpatriarchy #endmisogyny #endmisogynoir #enddiscrimination #feminism #feminist #antisexist #antisexism #inallitsforms #whitefeminismisnotfeminism #dignity #love #lovegod #loveneighbor #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #almostheretical #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative


Book Rec. - Oct. 26, 2019

Past Read: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

“But race is the child of racism, not the father. And the process of naming ‘the people’ has never been a matter of genealogy and physiognomy so much as one of hierarchy. Difference in hue and hair is old. But the belief in the preeminence of hue and hair, the notion that these factors can correctly organize a society and that they signify deeper attributes, which are indelible-this is the new idea at the heart of these new people who have been brought up hopelessly, tragically, deceitfully, to believe that they are white” (Coates, 2015, p.7).

“Never forget that for 250 years black people were born into chains-whole generations followed by more generations who knew nothing but chains” (Coates, 2015, p.70).

“The birth of a better world is not ultimately up to you, though I know, each day, there are grown men and women who tell you otherwise. The world needs saving precisely because of the actions of these same men and women. I am not a cynic. I love you, and I love the world, and I love it more with every new inch I discover. But you are a black boy, and you must be responsible for your body in a way that other boys cannot know. Indeed, you must be responsible for the worst actions of other black bodies, which, somehow, will always be assigned to you. And you must be responsible for the bodies of the powerful-the policeman who cracks you with a nightstick will quickly find his excuse in your furtive movements. And this is not reducible to just you-the women around you must be responsible for their bodies in a way that you never will know” (Coates, 2015, p.71).

By explaining history in the United States and using narrative, Ta-Nehisi Coates penned a deeply emotional and impactful letter to his son. Between the World and Me wrecked me as I wrestled with the realities facing black men, women, boys, and girls in this country, the same nation where I am raising children under vastly different circumstances. The inequalities widened by the idea of white supremacy seem insurmountable, but white supremacy is just that- an idea, as Austin Channing Brown explicated at an event I attended earlier this year. However, it is an idea with far stretching consequences and negative effects in the lives of people who are not "white." And just as many have expounded, an ideology that was established and maintained for generations will take generations to overcome, but I am committed to antiracism and hope to inspire others to be committed to submitting ourselves to the leadership of black, Indigenous, and people of color to dismantle the idea of white supremacy.

#pastread #betweentheworldandme #bookrecommendation #bookrec #tanehisicoates #history #letter #reading #learning #empathy #equality #dismantlewhitesupremacy #endwhitesupremacy #antiracism #antiracist #tellthetruth #facethepast #healthefuture #broadeningthenarrative