THE LIST

A STARTLING CONVERSATION

 Haitians obtaining visas to the United States is a hard task.  But every once in a while the application is successful.  Such is the case with a recent visa we (that is, the Haitian Timoun Foundation) were able to obtain for a pharmacist who will come to the United States to participate in training as part of a project, jointly sponsored and led by the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado.  The project is to determine the efficacy of drugs being sold in Haiti.  There is a belief that, like so many other products dumped into Haiti, the drugs lack authenticity.  They are either expired and have lost their punch, or, much worse, they are fake. 

That this young pharmacist was able to get a visa is somewhat of a miracle, especially under the immigration climate that now exists in the U.S.  But she got one!  It is the dream of almost every Haitian to emigrate to the United States, but there is also a fear.  A somewhat frequent refrain in conversations in Haiti about going to the United States is this: “It is very dangerous.”  That’s right, people in Haiti, who once suffered under the ruthless dictatorship of the Duvaliers, who have experienced numerous coups, where there are often demonstrations that sometimes turn violent and who have endured earthquakes, hurricanes, cholera, and other disasters, speak of the dangers of going to the United States.  “You could get murdered.”    

And they are right.  The likelihood of being murdered in the United States greatly exceeds that possibility in Haiti.

USAMERICA’S GUN CULTURE CONFIRMED

 There is a new ranking of gun deaths in the world.  See:  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/theres-a-new-global-ranking-of-gun-deaths-heres-where-the-u-s-stands.  Data from 2016 show that half of the world’s gun deaths occurred in six countries.  The list:

Brazil

United States

Mexico

Venezuela

Colombia

Guatemala

There is also another list.  This list ranks the 20 most violent countries in terms of per capita  deaths by firearms.  The United States is on this list.  That’s right, in addition to the countries listed above, the United States joins countries like El Salvador, Afghanistan, and Honduras on the list.  (BTW, Haiti is not on the list.)

HOLDING UP THE MIRROR

I recently concluded a 3-part series of blog posts on the topic of USAmerica’s Gun Culture and the Church’s Witness.  In the second installment of that series I presented facts that support the notion that we have an idolatrous relationship with guns.  See:  https://www.rightspirit.org/blog/gunculturepart2. 

This relationship is an addiction.  And the thwarted efforts to bring some sort of reasonable gun control reform reinforce the stubbornness of the addiction.  Competent therapists posit that effective therapy is when the mirror can be held up so that the patient can see one’s self as one really is and the patient is motivated enough to change beliefs and behaviors.

I am not going to rehearse again here the arguments that were presented in the series or revisit the fine blog post by Pastor Lorne Hlad, a veteran deployed on two tours in Iraqi.  See:  https://www.rightspirit.org/blog/2018/5/29/conflict-peace. 

I am simply holding up the mirror again in hope that it might refuel passion for change and may, just maybe, change some minds.

In the abiding hope of the empty tomb.

TIME FOR THE CHURCH TO BE THE CHURCH - OUR GUN CULTURE AND THE CHURCH'S WITNESS - PART III

It has been almost 12 weeks since the sound of gunfire at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana.  USAmerica has gotten a summer reprieve from the all-too-frequent school shootings, but schools are reopening across the country now. It is in this season that I offer this last reflection – at least for now – on our gun culture and the role of the church.  I pray that I am wrong, but history teaches us that there is yet more heartbreak on the horizon and the response of offering “thoughts and prayers.”

THE DEATH OF GUN CONTROL DEBATE

WHAT WILL THE AUTOPSY SHOW?

 On June 19, 2015, British columnist Dan Hodges tweeted this:

In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the gun control debate.

Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.

There are many who would say today that Dan Hodges was correct.  Only the most optimistic would still hold to the notion that there is still time for the kind of sweeping change that would end our idolatrous relationship with guns and transform our violent culture.  This is not to belittle the inspiring efforts of the students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School and their nationally known activist and prolific tweeter, Cameron Kasky.  They fostered the national MARCH FOR OUR LIVES movement.  They took on people in high places.  Since the Parkland, Florida massacre there have been 50 new gun laws enacted in various states, fourteen of them led by Republican governors.  Bump stocks have been banned.  In some cases, the age to buy a gun has been raised to 21.  Some have restricted the use of high magazine weapons.  Dick’s Sporting Goods no longer sells assault rifles, high magazine guns, and to persons under 21 years of age.  A few others have similarly followed suit.

But there has still been no nationally embraced status confessionis that has led to true game-changing legislation.  We have nibbled around the edges but have not gotten to the heart of the matter.  There has been nothing even remotely close to the radically bold action taken by Australia.  In 1996, Australia was so moved by a mass shooting that soon legislation was enacted that worked to change the culture.  The government bought back guns in circulation and there have been no mass shootings in Australia in the last 22 years.  After the Parkland shootings, A. Odysseus Patrick, an Op-Ed contributor in Sydney, Australia wrote this:

The Australian model won’t work in the United States. Here’s why:

We Australians have a profoundly different relationship with weapons.

Americans love guns. We’re scared of them.

THE BEAT GOES ON

In the first 23 weeks of 2018’s school season from January 1st through Memorial Day, there were 30 school shootings in this country.  That’s 1.3 shootings per week.  This summer has also been one of the most violent in recent history in terms of deaths by firearms, but that reality has been obscured by the other headline news – immigration issues and the separation of families, the ongoing investigation led by Mueller, the coming midterm elections, and the non-stop circus in the White House. 

Though the gun debate has been on the back page for a while, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that we can somehow expect a reprieve from the heartache of gun violence now that schools are starting.  Even though we might be able to learn something from Australia’s playbook, such as a national gun registry, a 30 day wait period, and a ban on assault and military-style weapons, it is not going to happen.  The NRA is suddenly not going to develop a conscience.  Politicians will not grow a spine, do their job and make our country safer, especially for children.   

GOD’S MISSION HAS A CHURCH

I concluded the previous blogpost in this series on our gun culture and the role of the church with these words:

The alliance of faith, patriotism, and guns is not of Jesus. It is of Constantine.

The role of the church in our idolatrous gun-worshipping culture is one of claiming and living out of our identity and calling.   God’s mission has always been to heal and bless the entire world – all peoples – and that mission of God has a church.  Thus, a little discussion on ecclesiology is useful here.

 From the time that the women ran from the empty tomb and first proclaimed, “Jesus is risen,” the church understood itself to be in the world but not off it – an authentic contrast society.  With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost they clearly understood themselves as witnesses to a new reality, or as the author of Luke-Acts posits it, the church lives as witness to the resurrection.  In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus from the dead, God has entered the most desperate stations of human existence and has overcome as fait accompli everything that would fragment us, cheapen us, or crush us.   The resurrection of Jesus from the dead both owns and gives life to the church, and the church then lives as the continuation of Jesus in the world.  It is the Body of Christ called and sent to bring hope, healing, and life to all.

As the church got going it knew that as the church it was always confronted with two stories, and only one of them could be true.  Only one was worthy of one’s allegiance.  There was the story of empire and the emperor as Lord and story that belongs to the church – the gospel of the crucified and risen messiah with Jesus as Lord.  The two stories could not be more different.  One story is driven by a narrative DNA traced back to Cain killing his brother Abel and has never been resolved.  It is a story of the quest for power, wealth, division, and the use of force to achieve what one desires.  The other is about a God who so loves the world that this God comes to us as a defenseless baby declaring amnesty to all – one who was so radically inclusive and extravagant with grace that the powers at hand crucified him.  But God raised him up as Lord and Messiah of all and authenticating the way of Jesus.  In short, there is the way of the world, and the way of Jesus.  One offers false hope and security; the other has the final word where love and life win.

The church persisted in its mission of distinct witness to the world and loyalty to Jesus as Lord, even under atrocious persecution propagated by the empire, until Emperor Constantine experienced his quasi-conversion to Christianity in 313 AD.  Believing that the Christian God would be good for the Roman Empire and for him, Constantine brought about the Christianization of the Roman Empire.  In the Christianization, the two distinct stories of the church and empire became one.  The church lived in service to Constantine and the empire’s agenda.  Just about every movement that has claimed to know the will of God, certain of God’s blessing on their agenda, and willing to use force to achieve or protect it finds its roots in the Constantinian synthesis.  So it is with God blessing the individual right to bear arms.

THE CALL FOR COURAGEOUS ADAPTIVE CHURCH LEADERS

An adaptive leader can adapt to changing circumstances; however, the defining attribute of an adaptive leader is that she or he is able to re-story persons and have them adapt to a different reality, assumptions, and set of loyalties.  The transformational work of an adaptive leader and the role of the church is to so re-story persons that they abandon their loyalty to the story of the world and allow themselves to be owned and inspired by the story of the church.  In biblical terminology, it means to repent.  To repent means to unlearn and abandon long-held positions, worldviews, and loyalties and to relearn the peace and promise of the church’s story and the way of Jesus.

UNLEARING AND RELEARNING

 As an authentic witness to the church’s identity and calling, consider the following:

1) The teachings of Jesus are incompatible with a gun culture.  (i.e. Matthew 5:5, 5:21ff, and many more.)

2) Followers of Jesus do not demonize anyone.  We love our enemies and do good to those who want to hurt us.  (i.e. Matthew 5:43ff and more.)

3) USAmerica’s deep loyalty to individualism is not a biblical value.  In the way of Jesus, community is valued.  Every person is a unique individual, created in God’s image, but the gifts of the individual are in service to building up the community.  (i.e. I Corinthians 12 & Ephesians 4.)

4) In the way of Jesus, the ONE has infinite value – the one widow, the one blind man, the one leper, the one outcast, the one child, and the one sheep for whom the leader will abandon all to search, find, and restore.  Following the way of Jesus, we cannot just say that one student injured or killed in a school shooting is simply collateral damage in service to the right to bear arms.  It is because of the vulnerability of the one that arms should be laid down.  (i.e. Luke 15.)

5) USAmerica’s fascination with individual “rights” has no biblical foundation.  Rather than speak about “rights” as a foundation of citizenship, the way of Jesus points to agape love.  (i.e. John 13:34 and many others).

6) In the way of Jesus there is an a priori orientation not toward the most powerful but toward the most vulnerable.  (i.e. Luke 6:20-26 and Matthew 25:31-46.)

IF NOT THE CHURCH, THEN WHO?

It is the church and its gospel story that is uniquely called for the transformation of the culture from one that loves guns to one that loves people.  Yet claiming this mission has its perils in speaking the seemingly strange ways of Jesus in our highly polarized culture.  Pastors and other leaders have been maligned, persecuted, lied about, threatened, and even been removed because they dared to speak a “Word from the Lord.”  But do we have another choice?   

When the church gathers and celebrates the Eucharist, it is not a private event.  It is our own witness to ourselves and to the world. We proclaim through words and our movements that, as Isaiah 25 writes, one day God will throw a party for all people, and all means all.  God will swallow up suffering and death and tear down everything that divides us – gender, nationalities, political affiliations, social and economic differences and replace it with dignity and love and life for all people.  So, if what we proclaim and do when we gather for worship is true, let’s get on with it now!

Now is the time for the church to be the church – on every corner, on every street, in every venue – for the healing, blessing, and the transformation of our world.  This is the hope for the world!

In the abiding hope of the empty tomb,

15 POSITIVES ABOUT HAVING CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA

No. 15   Well-meaning people will tell you, “I looked that up!  If you are going to have cancer, that is a good one to have!” 

No. 14   You get to impress people with your new vocabulary, grasp of genetics and targeted therapies.  I mean, who else talks about a tyrosine kinase, or a tyrosine kinase inhibiter, or the translocation of the abl gene from Chromosome 9 with the bcr gene with Chromosome 22 that creates the Philadelphia Chromosome?   

No. 13   Not only can you brag about how unique you are in having this rare cancer, people at the cocktail party will not believe you when you tell them the cost of your daily targeted chemo.  The Rx price for 30 days of imatinib mesylate (generic for Gleevec) at the Emory Pharmacy is $14,212.72.  No.  That’s not a typo.

No. 12   You get to meet a lot of nice people, make friends, and witness great courage at the cancer center.  Weekly blood draws make you a “regular.” 

No. 11   You now have a new interest on a new subject and can keep up with the latest research on cancer and the search for a cure.

No. 10   You have life-long friends who surface.  Even though James Taylor is from Chapel Hill, you can embrace the song, “You’ve got a friend.”  The words, “I’ll pray for you” have a new impact on you.

No. 9      Holding hands with the love of your life and going on a walk together becomes especially precious.

No. 8      You learn what you should have always known – your children deeply love you and have your back.

No. 7      You get to see your granddaughter take as much delight in your wbc falling as your grandson does in seeing Ozzie Albies hit a home run.

No. 6      You have a lot of those days that Jimmy V described as “a great day.” 

No. 5      There is a profound existential impact to words you’ve frequently said:  The tomb is empty.  This is the day the Lord has made.  This day today is not a dress rehearsal for another day.

No. 4      When you have an embarrassing “senior moment” you can now blame it on “chemo brain.”

No. 3      You are free to give no energy to the superficial.

No. 2      As an Atlanta Braves fan you can take special delight in the fight to eliminate a chromosome named “Philadelphia.” 

No. 1      You can give thanks that you have health insurance.  You can pray for and work towards universal health care for all.  You can give thanks that there are talented people who dedicate their lives to medical oncology and hematology and that there is a global full-court press being put on by scientists, pharmaceutical companies, cancer centers, and generous donors to find a cure for all cancers.  May it come soon!

This was written for everyone who is battling cancer or has a loved one who is.  In the words of the late great Jimmy V, “Don’t give up!  Don’t ever give up!”        

In the abiding hope of the empty tomb,

Conflict & Peace

*This article is a guest written piece. 

There is no denying that we live in a world marked by conflict.

Did you know that there are currently 4 major conflicts/wars that have resulted in 10,000 or more deaths per year for the last two years?

Consider that in 2017 the conflict in Syria resulted in over 39,000 deaths, the Mexican drug conflict resulted in nearly 15,000, the war in Afghanistan 14,000, and the war in Iraq over 13,000. 

Then consider the rest of the world and places like Myanmar, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Somalia plus 10 other countries where armed conflicts have resulted in casualties between 1,000 and 10,000 people in the last two years alone. 

Let this fact sink in for a moment…there were 15,590 people killed by guns in the United States last year not including gun deaths by suicide. 

What does all of this death lead to? 

Thousands upon thousands of funerals. Mothers and fathers who weep uncontrollably, lives cut far too short, communities torn apart, neighbors turned into enemies, hearts hardened and lives imprisoned by fear. 

Let’s face it: it is really hard at times to not get caught up into the narrative of fear.

It can be difficult for us to resist the world’s story that sows mistrust in others and encourages us to circle the wagons and live in a posture of defensiveness.

At times, we might even try to shut the rest of the world out and live in a pseudo-safe cocoon-like environment where we are surrounded by comfort and quarantined off from the problems of the “world”.

The Journey of Peace

Even though it was 11 years ago, there are many days when it feels like just yesterday: when getting dressed in the morning included putting on a full set of body armor strapped with loaded magazines and picking up my rifle for another day in the life of a soldier serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

There are many aspects from my life as a soldier that I miss everyday. The camaraderie with the men and women I served alongside. The shared sense of struggle and unique bonding that occurs when people face adversity together, and the feeling of exhaustion after a long day of work. 

However, there are other aspects of my life as a soldier that I do not miss. 

I do not miss carrying around a weapon of war to the bathroom and dining hall. 

I do not miss living in a perpetual state of fear, wondering if the worst is about to happen to someone I love.

I do not miss looking at others with constant suspicion of their motives.

I do not miss the look on people’s faces after they have suffered unthinkable tragedies.

I do not miss the toxic culture surrounding combat that entices anger, bitterness, and hatred within the human heart. 

I do not miss being separated, both physically and emotionally, from family and friends.

I do not miss war. 

I do not understand a culture that glorifies the brutality of war.

Bravery, selfless service and sacrifice…these are worthy of our honor and respect. But the ugliness of war should never be glorified. I will never understand the culture of fascination that surrounds weapons of war and treats them like accessories to one’s life, for I know these are nothing more than tools of destruction that reflect the ugliest part of our humanity. 

I refuse to worship war and all of its tools and instruments. I refuse because I have been called to follow the Prince of Peace.

It is for times such as these that we have been called.

As Christians, we need to be careful not to confuse the “absence of conflict” with peace. True peace for the Christian is not understood as being found in perfect harmony or serenity, but rather, peace is to be understood in a twofold manner. 1) As the very presence and being of God. 2) Peacemaking as a ministry of reconciliation.  

PEACE FOUND IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

The biblical words for peace, shalom (Hebrew) and eirene(Greek), both convey the understanding that God is the very source of peace. It is God’s presence with us in the valley of the shadow of death that brings peace, not the green pastures or still waters. 

Consider the words from the Apostle Paul:

“Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.  I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:11-13

And the blessing of Aaron:

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

Galatians reminds us that peace is a fruit of God’s very Spirit:

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” Galatians 5:22-23

God’s abiding hope and presence in our lives is the ultimate source of real peace.

Peacemaking As a Ministry of Reconciliation

The Christian life is one that is always being made new. The Holy Spirit is continually pursuing us and inviting us to live into God’s narrative of healing, forgiveness, and sense of wholeness (shalom).

The Letter of Paul To The Galatians reminds us that we have not only received a calling to “live like Jesus” or to “love like Jesus”, but that Jesus lives inside of us. 

“And it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”Galatians 2:20

The Christian life is not a matter of behaving like Christ, but of allowing Christ himself to live in and through us, and here’s the thing about Jesus: he is always inviting us to join him in the ministry of reconciliation and peacemaking. 

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9

The church embodies the very peace of God when we embrace our foundational purpose of bearing witness to the resurrection of Christ that leads us to seek peace in all areas of our society and around the world. 

Living in the 21st century world we will certainly still hear the voices of fear, discord, and division that are ever present in our lives, but they cannot motivate us, because we are followers of Jesus. 

As citizens of the global world, we will be tempted to choose “sides”, fan the flames of tribalism, and circle the wagons, but we must resist because we are agents of reconciliation. 

As individuals, we will be tempted to build our own kingdoms and serve our own interests, but we must seek first the kingdom of God because we are servants of all. 

When we choose peace over conflict we model the very essence of Christ to a hurting and broken world. 

Rev. Lorne Hlad

Lorne served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006-2007, and currently serves as pastor to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Loveland, OH

USAMERICA'S GUN CULTURE AND THE CHURCH'S WITNESS - PART II

GOD, COUNTRY, FREEDOM, AND THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

Dana Loesch, former writer and editor and spokesperson for the NRA, tweeted out this message on Monday morning, May 7th:

New record attendance for #NRAAM:   87,154 law-abiding attendees over the three-day weekend in Dallas. #2A

The NRA had just completed it’s annual meeting in Dallas.  President Trump and VP Pence were among the many well-known people in attendance.  It is important to remember that the NRA contributed $11,438,118 to the 2016 Trump campaign.  The Huffington Post reports that the NRA spent a total of $419 million during the 2016 election year. 

YOU JUST CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!

A significant constituency at the meeting were those identifying as Evangelical Christians.  Sunday morning’s prayer breakfast was telling in terms of the enmeshment of evangelical faith and guns.  Former all-star MLB player, Adam LaRoche, was giving a testimony. 15 minutes into it he took off his sweater to reveal a black tee shirt that read:

Jesus loves me and my guns.

The attendees gave their loud acclamation.  Oliver North – yes, that Oliver North, controversial figure from the Iran contra-affair and political conservative – is the heir apparent to lead the NRA.  In a rousing 45-minute speech he mixed faith and guns as the divine birthright of American freedom.   Joe Gregory, a charter member of the NRA’s Golden Ring of Freedom, which consists of donors who give $1,000,000 or more to the NRA, opened the breakfast with this prayer:

Lord, we put our faith and trust in you and not in governments or militaries or our own technology or even the strength of our own arms.  Still, we humbly ask you to direct and bless our efforts against those who would seek to take away those freedoms.  Empower us to protect the peace of our homes and ensure the safety of those defending the homeland overseas and deliver us from despots of tyranny.

When the breakfast was over, a reporter asked an organizer why there were no prayers for those killed by gun violence and no mention of the mass shootings.  The organizer replied, “It must have been an oversight.”

And so it was – God, country, freedom, and the right to bear arms.  Any attempt to challenge that covenant is seen as coming from the Evil One.  Keynoter LaRoche reminded everybody that Jesus said in Matthew 10:34,

I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

A STUBBORN STATUS QUO

Since February 14 when Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 and wounding 17 more, making it the deadliest school massacre, we have seen movements rise up all across this country.  There have been social media campaigns, organized marches, school walk-outs, mass marches on Washington, testimonies before congress, heart-rending speeches by kids from Parkland, and pleas from other victims of gun violence to our elected leaders to do something.  This country has seen the largest ground swell of protests against gun violence and current gun laws since December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children, ages 6 and 7, at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.  The results of the protests and the outrage this time around is about the same after all the noise following Sandy Hook died down.  Basically, no change in the status quo.

USAMERICA IDOLATRY – GUNS ARE OUR GOLDEN CALF

When it comes to a love affair with guns, USAmerica’s gun culture is certainly an outlier among developed countries and even among all.  Consider these sobering facts:

• Worldwide, there are an estimated 650 million civilian-owned guns. The U.S. population is 5% of the world population; yet, USAmericans own 48% of all guns.  That’s almost 50%!
• In terms of private gun ownership, the top ten per capita gun-owning countries are: U.S.A., Yemen, Switzerland, Finland, Serbia, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Uruguay, and Sweden.  The U.S. has 90 guns per 100 people.  10th place Sweden has 31; thus, per capita gun ownership in the U.S. is 3 times that of Sweden.  2nd place Yemen has 55 guns per 100 people.  In other words, gun ownership in the USAmerica is 64% higher than in 2nd place Yemen!
• The homicide rate by firearm in USAmerica is such an outlier among developed countries that our homicide rate is almost 4 times that of 2nd place Switzerland and over 21 times the rate in Australia.    
• Annual deaths by gun violence for persons 15-29 now exceed deaths in vehicle-related deaths, 11,947 versus 10,881 (2016).  Only deaths by drugs exceeds deaths by firearms.
• From 1966 to 2012, USAmerica ranked number one in mass shootings with 90.  A mass shooting is defined by 4+ victims, not counting the shooter.  The Philippines was 2nd with 18, followed by Russia with 15, Yemen with 11, and France with 10. 
• Mass shootings for 2014 = 100.  2015 = 135.  2016 = 142.  2017 = 154.  2018 is on pace to break 2017’s pace.
• As of April 20, 2018, on the 19th anniversary of “Columbine,” there had already been 20 school shootings in USAmerica.  That’s 1.25 per week.
• From 1982 until the present, 79% of the killers in mass shootings obtained the weapons legally.
• The general weapon of choice in mass shootings is an AR-15 or equivalent.
• How many assault rifles are in the United States? We do not know.  Lobbying by the NRA has prevented there being a gun registry in USAmerica.

AN INCONVIENIENT TRUTH OR A DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Mass shootings are primarily a white male problem.  Since 1982, women represent half of the casualties in mass shootings; yet, only three mass shootings were perpetuated by a woman.  And the race of the males is almost overwhelmingly white.  So the perpetrators of these hideous crimes of mass carnage are not the “murderers, rapists, and criminals” coming from “shithole countries.”  They are white USAmericans.  If they were of another ethic group, then there would have been long ago the labeling of the them as “terrorists.”  But because they are white males we choose to focus on things like mental health rather than the heart of the matter.  The United States does not have the market cornered on mental health issues; nor do men. 

WHY?

So why are white men committing mass murders?  Is it because of a catastrophic sense of male entitlement that drives the desire to kill?  30% of mass shooting occur in the workplace.  Is it anger at them, or those people who are taking over our country?  And what about those who murder in our schools?  What is the anger and entitlement that drive them?  

Whatever the reason there is no denying that we have a culture in this country that worships men with guns.

THE CHURCH’S WITNESS

The alliance of faith, patriotism, and guns is not of Jesus.  It is of Emperor Constantine.  Stay tuned for the next blog when I will explore the church’s witness in the midst of our gun culture.

In the abiding hope of the empty tomb,

The Rare & Necessary Leader

There are young ones and more seasoned ones. 

They come in all genders – male, female, LQBTQIA. 

They may be brown, white, black, and come from any number of ethnicities and nationalities.

They cover the entire political spectrum and may identify with any socio-economic classification. 

They have differing levels of education. 

What they all have in common is a gift, and that gift makes them outliers among leaders. 

The gift is the capacity to so influence others that they bring about true transformation (as opposed to pseudo-transformation) of people or systems of people - the kind of needful transformation for which life and the world hunger.

This rare and necessary leader may enter a minimally performing organization that has a toxic culture of infighting, backbiting, duplicity, entitlement and the like and bring about not just a changed organization but also an organization that is new.  It is new in its vitality, life-giving culture, and the effectiveness and clarity with which it goes about its mission and achieves its vision.

This rare and necessary leader may be called to a congregation that has been in years of decline, marked by conflict, inward focus, and has a history of chewing up and spitting out pastors who dared to change things; and, yet this leader with the gift and the right spirit is able to midwife the emergence of a new congregation that is vibrant, externally focused, birthing new life to those a part of it and impacting the culture and world around it.

Persons who have been influenced by this leader with the gift often say things like, “I never knew church could be like this,” or “We have totally reordered our lives in light of the gospel, are striving to live intentionally, have discovered that we are exponentially more generous than before, and we love our newfound lives!” 

Who is this rare and necessary leader? 

We know it when we have entered such a leader’s sphere of influence.  We recognize such a rare leader not only in the church, business, and the non-profit world but also in politics and public life. 

Leadership gurus call this particularly gifted one, “The Adaptive Leader.” 

Before going further here, let’s clarify a misperception of the meaning of adaptive leadership.  When many hear the term, “Adaptive Leader,” they presume, “Oh, this is someone who is really adept at adapting to change.”  Though being nimble in adjusting to change is a desired trait in any leader, this is not the gift of the adaptive leader. 

The gift of the adaptive leader is the capacity to facilitate transformation in others, that is, the adaptive leader midwifes the adaptation and embrace of others to change.

In the big picture of things, an adaptive leader then brings about a change of worldviews – a change of paradigms through which people and systems understand themselves.

It facilitates persons abandoning long-held beliefs and strongly-held loyalties in order to be grasped by and give themselves to a new set of loyalties and beliefs.

When Jesus called people to “repent,” he wasn’t asking them to feel bad about themselves. He was asking them to reconstruct their minds – to see things entirely differently because a new day, a kairos time.  God is on the scene. 

Adaptive leadership re-stories people and communities, enabling them, in biblical language, to die to one way of self-understanding with its assumptions and priorities and to rise to a new life.  

Of course, adaptive leadership that is midwifing a change of worldviews, especially those that challenge long-held beliefs or we-have-always-done-it-this-way cultures is a perilous undertaking. 

Ask Galileo, or ask Martin Luther King, Jr, or ask Jesus of Nazareth.  But the drive and passion of an adaptive leader overrides the perils because the change vision is so worthy that failure to achieve the outcome is not an option. 

So, let’s look at five defining traits of this rare and necessary leader:

 

Embodying a conviction of the spirit.

An adaptive leader sees a situation and is so internally convicted that the drive to transform it burns deeply inside.  The one with the gift sees a vision of what is possible and puts one’s own life on the line to achieve it.

The leader is so consumed by the vision that she eats, sleeps, and dreams it.  There is very little reprieve from the consistent dwelling in the vision that needs to be achieved. 

Because others do not share in the same internal burn, the authentic adaptive leader is often misunderstood.  This means that the adaptive leader will find herself to be lonely; yet, the fire within burns. 

Courage.

The adaptive leader needs that internal burn because she or he will almost certainly be attacked by others.

Albert Einstein once said, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”  The adaptive leader knows that what Einstein calls “the mediocre mind” is incapable of understanding one who refuses to bow down to the status quo and its prejudices. 

It is almost certain in today’s wired world that a bold adaptive leader is going to experience anonymous attacks on social media and sabotage from those most threatened.  But the adaptive leader has grit.

And in the face of nay-sayers, saboteurs, and even those who make up lies to smear the change-agent, the adaptive leader has an internal conversation that says, “Just be big.  Do not get sidetracked.  Don’t lose your focus or drive.” 

Inspiration.

The primary tools of an authentic adaptive leader are vision and inspiration.

The leader is internally inspired and influences transformation through inspiration.  This means that the adaptive leader inspires rather than manipulates people.

The one with the gift leads not by controlling people but by unleashing them.  Choosing transformational leadership over transactional, the leader invests in people rather than manage them, and deploys them as opposed to a quid pro quo employed relationship.  

A Differentiated Self.

The drive and focus of an adaptive leader are so clear that there will certainly be others who will judge the leader as being harsh or arrogant.

Ed Friedman in his manuscript, A Failure of Nerve, delves deeply into this.  The adaptive leader is a human, and humans want to know that they are loved and valued; yet, the adaptive leader is able to differentiate the self and overcome people-pleasing urges because of the drive of the convicted spirit to achieve the sought-after transformation.

Enthusiasm.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” 

Despite the great challenges associate with inspiring and driving change through all the hurdles and pushback, the adaptive leader embodies enthusiasm and a joy that are contagious. 

In Haiti, persons of faith struggling to effect change rise with a song in their hearts, Sa se yon jou grammet la te fѐ.  “This is the day the Lord has made.”  This day – right here, right now – is not a dress rehearsal for another day.  This day is the real thing.  So, let us rejoice and be glad in it!  

To those of you called to lead, knowing the high stakes of this day, be reminded of the words attributed to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:

I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called…

In the abiding hope of the empty tomb,