Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Code of Civil Conduct


There's poster outside my office door that reads, "A modest proposal for peace: Let the Christians of the world agree that they will not kill each other." It is a strangely unsettling challenge to the way things are.

Likewise, the Comment Code of Conduct follows blogs at Soujourners' website to remind would be commenters that especially in Christian circles civil communication is key:

"I will express myself with civility, courtesy, and respect for every member of the Sojourners online community, especially toward those with whom I disagree—even if I feel disrespected by them. (Romans 12:17-21)

I will express my disagreements with other community members' ideas without insulting, mocking, or slandering them personally. (Matthew 5:22)

I will not exaggerate others' beliefs nor make unfounded prejudicial assumptions based on labels, categories, or stereotypes. I will always extend the benefit of the doubt. (Ephesians 4:29)"

Friday, January 29, 2010

Rediscovering Tillich

In getting ready for this coming Sunday's sermon on the first Corinthians chapter 13, I've had an opportunity to dig back into Paul Tillich's book Love, Power and Justice. I first ran across this book more than three decades ago when I was in seminary. I had already been moved by a great appreciation of Tillich's Systematic Theology, but was transfixed in a very special way by this small book on the ontology of love, power, and justice.

It has been with great delight that I have been rereading this; remembering some long-ago learnings; understanding for the first time passages that did not make sense those decades ago; and being able to understand the realities the book points towards in new ways since I am a very different person in this reading.

The Disappearing Woman

I had the oddest experience today. Early afternoon I had gone to the Wells Fargo bank to deposit some checks. When I walked out the front door of the bank and looked towards where our car was parked -- only about 30 feet-- I had the impression of someone walking past the driver side door of the car and peering in. It wasn't unsettling or odd. I glanced to the left just to make sure that I wasn't going to walk into anything or anyone and when I look back slightly to the right at the car, the apparition was gone. At first I couldn't believe there was no one there. I even walked around the car to assure myself that someone wasn't hiding around it because I was so convinced that I had seen someone beside the car. There were no other vehicles or possible hiding places nearby, so clearly no one had actually been there. I have no explanation for what actually happened, but it surely was strange!