I am floored. I'm an extrovert, and have had decades of experience in public speaking...so
I seldom am at a loss for words. However...

However, when U.S. Representative Steve King (from Iowa) said the following, I confess
that, for a while at least, I was left pretty much speechless, mouth agape:

"I'd ask you to go back through history and figure out, where are these contributions that have been made by these other categories of people that you're talking about, where did any other subgroup of people contribute more to civilization?... It's rooted (all) in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the United States of America and every place where the footprint of Christianity settled the world. That's all of Western civilization."  (Quoted in a July 18, 2016 online article from The Washington Post.)

Really, Mr. King? You really are going to go on television and proclaim that white, European
civilization is the only group that's made any lasting contribution to "civilization?"

Well, let me think...

• George Washington Carver, an African-American, developed 300 derivative products from peanuts among them cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.
• Lewis Howard Latimer, an African-American, invented and patented an incandescent light bulb with a carbon filament in 1881. An engineer for the Edison Company, Latimer invented the carbon filament, thus making the light bulb practical.
• Among his many other inventions, African-American Garrett Augustus Morgan invented an early traffic signal, that greatly improved safety on America's streets and roadways.
• Islamic scholars, especially in what Europeans know as the Middle Ages, kept alive such scientific fields as geometry and medicine. They gave us our current system of numbers, including the then-new concept of the number zero. They also invented the mathematical field of algebra and contributed immensely to the field of astronomy.
• Many believe that part of our American idea of representative democracy originated not so much with Presbyterian polity (although that certainly played an influence), but with our own regional influence of the Iroquois Confederacy.
• Gun powder (for weapons, as well as for fireworks) was invented during the Tang Dynasty of the 9th century in China.
• Dr. Carlos Juan Finlay, a modest Cuban physician, was the one who originated the theory that yellow fever originated with mosquitos.
• Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a black man living in the 1700s, is considered by historians to be the first permanent resident of Chicago.
• Thomas L. Jennings, the inventor credited for inventing the dry cleaning process, was the first African American to hold a U.S. patent, issued in 1821.
• African-American Frederick Jones invented the ticket dispensing machine in 1943. This invention revolutionized the transportation and entertainment industries. This Ohio inventor is credited for 61 patents, including the portable X-ray machine, the portable refrigeration unit, and the two-cycle gasoline engine.
• Dr. Charles Drew discovered a method for the preservation of blood that was used extensively during World War II by the British military to save the lives of wounded soldiers. After the war, Drew was appointed the first director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank. He was only one of many outstanding African-American scientists.
• Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open heart surgery in 1893 and founded Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses (the first black-owned hospital in America) in 1891.
• The formal invention of paper can be dated exactly in the year A.D. 105, and was the work of one who should surely be honored among the great contributors to human civilization. He was Ts'ai Lun, a man attached to the Chinese imperial court.

I confess I'm just tired. I'm tired of ignorance being lauded over knowledge. I'm tired of
people who believe that their personal beliefs are "facts," just because they say so...the
preponderance of other information notwithstanding. I'm tired of racism and bigotry being
paraded as patriotism. I'm just tired.

St. Paul wrote it best, I think:

Christ is just like the human body - a body is a unit and has many parts; and all the parts of the body are one body, even though there are many.... If the foot says, "I'm not part of the body because I'm not a hand," does that mean it's not part of the body? If the ear says, "I'm not part of the body because I'm not an eye," does that mean it's not part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell? But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like he wanted. If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body? But as it is, there are many parts but one body. (1 Corinthians 12:12, 15-19; CEB)

Surely we need to live out this reality in the Church. But if we also could model this,
proclaim this, insist on this in the broader society... well, wouldn't that make our lives richer
and allow us to continue to build on that beautiful, intricate mosaic that is what makes
American society strong?

Responding to violence and despondancy

A week ago this past Wednesday, 16 people - pastoral leaders, Leadership Team members, and retired teaching elders - gathered for lunch at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church to talk about
ways to address the horrific acts of violence that took place in Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas. We all continue to reel at the seemingly relentless onslaught of these kinds of stories happening in our nation, let alone around the world. It seemed imperative that our Presbytery offer a venue to at least begin some discussions and reflections on possible ways to respond as a people of faith.

What occurred during this two-hour conversation was prayer, reflection, and sharing. We
talked about our hopes and dreams. We acknowledged our own complicity in instances of
racism. Many of the pastors present shared ways in which last Sunday's lectionary texts
fit so incredibly well - providentially even, one might say - in helping them address the
current situation. The passage from Amos 7 (including reference to God's plumb line in the
midst of the people), coupled with the Gospel passage from Luke 10 (about the Good
Samaritan...that "social outcast" who fulfilled God's law of compassion for beyond the
indifference of the religious leaders of the community) provided rich opportunities for
reflection.

To me, an interesting way in which the lunch conversation developed was that it quickly
went beyond possible responses to specific acts of violence and racism, to a discussion
about the whole tenor of our society, of social dialogue, of dividing walls in our nation that
seem to be increasingly unbreachable, of the climate of fear that so pervades almost
everything today...including fear in the Church (we're losing members, we don't have
money, we can't afford a full-time pastoral leader, where are all the youth, etc., etc.).
Out of the conversations together on Wednesday, a few things became clear to all of us
who were present.

First, one of the preeminent theological themes in our Reformed tradition is that of grace.
God's grace is extended to us. That's symbolized most powerfully when we baptize
infants; God's grace comes to us even before we are able to understand or respond or
even accept it. And if God's grace is extended to us, it is extended to everyone,
everywhere.

Second, we acknowledged that some fear is good, even essential. Fear is a basic human
response to danger, and its purpose is to keep us safe. Fear of the Lord is essential in
helping us remember that we are accountable to God for the decisions we make, the words
we use, the actions we perform (or fail to perform). At the same time, the phrase "do not be
afraid" occurs again and again throughout Scripture. We must never let fear control us,
rule us, shape how we live our lives. One of the other great Reformed themes is an
emphasis on the providence of God. Through the worst of times and events, we can trust
that God's love and compassion and justice will prevail. Always! That doesn't excuse any
inaction on our part. In fact, that should spur us on to faithful participation in the work of
God in our world and in our lives. However, trusting in the Lord allows us not to be
paralyzed or overcome by events.

Finally, as we went around the room with different ones telling some of our own stories and
experiences, we realized that telling our stories is incredibly powerful. Telling our stories
opens us to the need for confession and repentance. Telling our stories helps others
understand a bit more about us, and listening to others' stories helps us understand them.
It is in the telling of stories that we see each other as fellow human travelers in this world,
we see each other as children of God, we see each other as individuals, not as a
representative token of any one group (racial minority, privileged individual, police, rich,
poor, immigrant, educated, uneducated, etc.).

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the tragedies that we hear about
again and again, all too frequently. And it can feel disempowering when we think the whole
society's problems are ours to fix and make right. What we can do, perhaps what we must
do, is simply begin by telling our stories, and by listening to others' stories. It is the silence
that kills and condemns us. It is speaking and acting together, with those right around us,
that can begin to shine light in a world of frightening shadows. And perhaps one of the
things our worshiping communities can offer is to provide a safe place for such
conversations to take place.

Let's begin. Together.

Sad learnings from Twitter

I sometimes think that I'm in touch with things going on in the world, that I keep up-to-date on issues that face the Church and our nation, and that most people think pretty much like I do.  Oh, I realize that there are people who hold some different values than I do, of course.  We are a diverse species, we human beings.

Yet I confess that I was shocked this past Friday night to learn how much of an insulated part of the world I inhabit.  The Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer Oget, Associate Professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Seminary in Atlanta, led a conversation in advance of the Synod Assembly that was held Saturday and Sunday at Stony Point Center.  She called her presentation, "Unpacking Ferguson," and she invited the 40 or more people in attendance to talk together and reflect together about the still-pervasive issues of racial tension and violence in our nation, as it has been most recently symbolized in the events in Ferguson, MO this past August. Some of the things that Margaret point out in her presentation...

·      "We must confront the social sin of racism head-on."

·      "The death of Michael Brown is just one symptom of the bigger problem."

·      ProPublica reported that black teen males are 21 times more likely to be shot dead by police than white teens.

·      "Racism is not about an insult. It's is about causing fear of having to bury your child at age 15, 16, etc."

·      Parents of black children have to have "The Talk" with them. It is about survival wisdom. "The Talk" tells young black youth how to act when confronted by a police officer:

o   Say "Sir" (usually the case as most officers are male).

o   Keep your hands visible and by your side at all times.

o   Smile.

o   Be respectful.

o   Make no sudden moves.

I was on Twitter, sharing with people who follow our Presbytery's Twitter feed (@CayugaSyracuseP, if you'd like to follow along as well), the things that were being shared that night. At one point I wrote that after learning that Michael Brown's body lay uncovered in the street for four hours on that hot, August day, many people were reminded of the very public lynchings of blacks that happened, especially during the first half of the 20th century.  What I wrote was this: "Brown's corpse left on the street for 4 hrs raised old images of public black lynchings." Now, one of the things about Twitter is that people can, and often do, respond to what others write.  Several people around the country were joining in the online discussion.  Most of the people I knew; some I didn't.  But all of the comments were supportive, reflective, thoughtful, insightful... until... until...

Out of nowhere I received these responses to that one "tweet" I wrote about Brown's body lying in the street:

·      "Was he in the street or in a tree? The 2 are very different things!"

·      "Possibly, because the lynch mob of residents became too violent & wouldn't allow the body to be removed for 2 hrs." (my note: which was, of course, not what happened.)

·      "This may be the dumbest thing I've ever read."

Wow!  I was floored.  I was shocked.  I was angered.  I was befuddled.  I was (almost) speechless.  During a time of sharing at that event, I read to the group these responses. There were audible gasps when I read these responses.

I realized then just what a "bubble" I live in, how insulated my world is from people who make cruel, thoughtless, hate-filled, racist comments.  I was saddened that there are people who hold such views.  I stopped and I prayed for them.  And then I gave thanks to God for the people with whom I live and work, for our Presbytery and our congregations, for those who faithfully witness to the Gospel of Jesus day in and day out, going about their lives and shining the light of love and compassion, of concern and justice, wherever they are.  It made me realize that even the most serious disagreements that we sometimes have with one another don't rise to the level of ignorance and hate that came across my Twitter feed.

What can we possibly do to respond to such people in a way that might make any kind of difference?  And more broadly, what can we do to address issues of racism and violence in our society and in our world?  What can our local worshiping communities do?  What can our Presbytery do?  We shared some ideas together on Friday night, but the thing that struck me as the most important to remember was this simple thing that Margaret told us:  "Just pick one thing... just one... and do it."

We are not alone in this world.  We are not left to our own resources alone.  We are children of God... claimed by God... followers of Jesus... filled with the Holy Spirit!  We can't do everything to help be "the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world," as stated in our Book of Order (F-1.0304).  But we can do some things... even if it's only one thing.  And that can sometimes make all the difference.