Pray for the Dead and Fight Like Hell for the Living

Mel Gibson’s THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST set back Christianity back centuries.  Well maybe at least seventy years. (Check out MIke Davis’ article comparing Nazi passion play films to The Passion).

Yahoo! had an interesting story about the top ten or so films that failed basic history. Mel Gibson was well represented with Braveheart, Apocolypto, and The Patriot.

Apocalypto

This one movie has given entire Anthropology departments migraines. Sure the Maya did have the odd human sacrifice but not to Kulkulkan, the Sun God, and only high-ranking captives taken in battle were killed. The conquistadors arriving at the end of the film made for unlikely saviors: an estimated 90% of indigenous American population was killed by smallpox from their infected livestock.

THE PATRIOT

Revolutionary War figure Francis “The Swamp Fox” Marion was the basis for Mel Gibson’s character, but he wasn’t the forward-thinking family man they show in the flick. He was a slave owner who didn’t get married (to his cousin) until after the war was over. Historians also say that he actively persecuted and murdered native Cherokees. Plus, the thrilling Battle of Guilford Court House where he vanquishes his British nemesis? In reality, the Americans lost that one.

One reviewer called the Patriot “as fascist a film as anything made in decades.”

Right now on RealtyTrac–a website that tracks home foreclosures-there are nearly 13,000 properties in Indianapolis that are facing some sort of forclosure proceedings.  Foreclosure rates are up 53% since last year.

There is plenty of people to blame for this crisis; but it looks like much blame can be placed on Indiana Senator Richard Lugar.  Check out this Mother Jones article by David Corn:

Only two days earlier, the Supreme Court had issued its decision on Bush v. Gore. President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress were locked in a budget showdown. It was the perfect moment for a wily senator to game the system. As Congress and the White House were hurriedly hammering out a $384-billion omnibus spending bill, Gramm slipped in a 262-page measure called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. Written with the help of financial industry lobbyists and cosponsored by Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), the chairman of the agriculture committee, the measure had been considered dead—even by Gramm. Few lawmakers had either the opportunity or inclination to read the version of the bill Gramm inserted. “Nobody in either chamber had any knowledge of what was going on or what was in it,” says a congressional aide familiar with the bill’s history.

I came across this Christian Century blog post about urban ministry in Chicago. Good stuff.

It features a few churches that I have attended, including Wicker Park Grace, an awesome presbymergent church.

The blog also talked about Willow Creek’s ventures from the rich-ass suburbs to the loop. This is why I have a bad feeling about megachurches–even if many now have adopted Bono-inspired pleas for “social justice.’

Given Willow’s effort to be city-savvy, I almost swallowed my gum when I heard where the one-year anniversary party would be held: the Congress Hotel. Workers have been on strike for four years at the Congress, seeking better wages and health benefits. Hotel owners have steadfastly refused to negotiate. Religious groups have been among those supporting the strike. Every Sunday, Creekers were crossing the picket line to enter the hotel, using it as a fellowship hall. (Willow Chicago has since stopped using the hotel, though Morehouse described the strike to me as “a pretty pathetic situation” and said, “These people need to either find better counsel to argue their case or move on to employment elsewhere.”) A church purporting to care about social justice and to be sensitive to the needs of the city might start with a willingness to stand up for workers.

Willow Creek is the second largest and most influential church in the country. By standing with these workers, they could of made a huge difference. Instead they crossed picket lines. Maybe these ‘creekers should read less Bill Hybels and more Martin Luther King.

Sure, the Onion is old news, but they get it right.   Check out this Paul Krugman  column from the early days of this administration.

“All of these rich guys–like the Kennedy family and Perot–pretending to live just like we do and pretending to understand our trials and tribulations and pretending to represent us, and they get away with this.” (TV, 1/28/1994)–Rush Limbaugh

REALITY: Limbaugh biographer Paul Colford estimates that Limbaugh’s earnings in 1994 will top $18 million (Newsday, 8/4/94).

That was 14 years ago. This paragraph appeared in the New York Times Sunday magazine yesterday (7/6/08):

A fastidious man, Limbaugh has a keen eye for domestic detail. His staff lights fragrant candles throughout the house to greet his arrival from work each day. Limbaugh led me into his private humidor, selected two La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel stogies for us to smoke and seated me at an onyx-and-marble table in the study. The room opens onto a patio, a putting green and a beach. On the table was a brochure for Limbaugh’s newest airplane, a Gulfstream G550. It cost him, he told me, $54 million.

The article, mostly glowing, lets Rush Limbaugh explain why he got addicted to prescription drugs. It turns out, he didn’t love himself enough. Fair enough.

The magazine piece is right in talking about how influential Limbaugh is; without him there might be no meteoric rise of George W. Bush or even the 1994 “Republican Revolution.” Without Rush, these things probably would have been more easily tossed into the great trash heap of history.

As El Rushbo smokes his cigars on his putting green/beach and dreams of his $54 million airplane, I hope he feels a little guilt. Alot of lives have been ruined in Iraq and Afghanistan; innocent civilians, our own armed forces, and peace is nowhere in sight. These are wars that might not have happened without Rush cheerleading on his radio station year after year.

Rush Limbaugh has a huge following here in Indiana. His Operation Chaos during the primaries might have even cost Obama a victory here. But that’s okay. This cruel joke will be over in a few months.

But as late period Limbaugh continues on with his tirades and his insane lifestyle, I hope he remembers the story of Hoosier Eric Hall and all of those who he helped send into a never ending and ulitimately pointless war.

Time to get this blog fired up again.

Jesus for President in Indy

The Jesus for President tour is now making its way around the country. Last Tuesday, the tour stopped in Indianapolis at my church, Lockerbie Central United Methodist. It was awesome! Here is Shane Claiborne’s and Chris Haw’s take on the event.

We had record turnout–maybe 600 people. The conversation was great and the making of new friends was even better.

No Local Coverage but National Coverage?

I want to write on it more in a later post, but I was sadly dissapointed–not surprised–by the local media blackout of this event. Nuvo ran a small preview about it, but nothing special. I don’t think they understood the nature of the tour—but in the same issue they ran two relatively lame and tame articles about doing church in Indianapolis. (I shouldn’t criticize NUVO because they have covered our stuff to some extent)

But, the Indianapolis Star couldn’t even bother to show up–even though the church is less than three blocks from their headquarters. Their religion editor acted like he was going to run something. He told me twice on the phone that they were interested. And then they no showed. No phone call, no apology.

Two days later, the Jesus for President Tour was in Pittsburgh. CNN the next day ran a huge story about it and featured it on the top of their homepage.

So, why does CNN, based in Atlanta, GA, able to run a great piece about Jesus for President tour in Pittsburgh, but the Indy Star, three blocks away from the event can’t be bothered to send over one journalist to tell this important story?

Next Steps

I hope that us here in Indy can keep the conversation going from Jesus for President. Part of our conversation should be about how we better reach out to the established media here, but also about how we begin to create our own media.

Stay tuned.

Utah Phillips is an American legend–even if you haven’t heard of him. He will be missed. But he would probably quote Joe Hill at you–”don’t mourne, organize!”

From Utah Phillip’s webpage

Obituary from the San Francisco Cronicle.

Words from folksinger David Rovics

Indy got the 2012 Super Bowl! Great for us!

To earn the right to host the big game nearly three years from now, Indy taxpayers first built a $750 million stadium. Then, the corporate community kicked in $25 million for the actual Super Bowl bid.

According to channel 6, “Six of 100 contributors promised $1 million or more to aid Indianapolis’ Super Bowl aspirations. In all, the city reached its goal of $25 million with contributions that ranged from $5,000 to $2.5 million.

Indy’s Homeless Get Donation Boxes!

We residents of central Indiana know how to pony up for sporting arenas. We have built great facilities like Conseco Fieldhouse, Lucus Oil Stadium, and Victory Field. And let’s not forget when we blow up the RCA Dome next year, we will still owe $20 million on it.

Good for us! The economists are skeptics when it comes to the success of publicly financed sports stadiums, but Indy’s downtown has been revitalized because (at least in part) of our sports-based socialism.

Except for the Panhandlers.

Now, if only we could get rid of Indy’s downtown homeless.

Mayor Ballard has a solution–”The reason they stay out there is because we keep giving them money and giving them food. We want them to come in and get the services they need. We need to stop giving them money, then they will come in.”

Panhandlers can be annoying and I know for a fact that I have been scammed out of a few dollars more than a few times. Still, it seems the Mayor’s solution to fighting homelessness is to fight the homeless.

Instead of dropping your change in a cup, the city wants you to drop your change in a box. Five secured boxes–think parking meters–have recently been installed downtown. Next time a homeless dude asks you for a dollar tell them that you gave at the “box.” The money will then be given to agencies who “help” the homeless.

And go on your merry way.

Ending Homelessness Means Ending Poverty

These boxes won’t do anything to help the homeless–they will probably be just as ineffective as giving money to panhandlers.

The city and our corporate leaders made the commitment to turn our smallish city into a world sports capital. And they have done a great job at that. That same commitment needs to made to ending poverty.

That means better schools, living wage jobs, health insurance for all, safe and affordable housing, and opening real avenues of empowerment for the poor and homeless.

We spent the last twenty years spending over two billion dollars making Indy a great sports town, now let’s make our city known for its ability to build a world class city by truly ending homelessness.

40 years ago, today

April 4 Kennedy/King Memorial Activities

INDIANAPOLIS – Friday, April 4 - Making the Dream a Reality: Our Commitment to Peace and Non-Violence. Various activities to commemorate Sen. Robert Kennedy 1968 speech in Indianapolis the night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Youth events from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. followed by a memorial service at 5:00 p.m., IPS #27, 545 East 19th Street and adjacent Peace Monument at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Following the memorial activities, free public premiere of Kennedy/King documentary “A Ripple of Hope” at 7:30 p.m., Madame Walker Theatre on Indiana Avenue followed by a panel discussion. For more event information, please call (317) 232-9874.

“Do They Know about Martin Luther King?

Check out this NPR story that was on NPR today. Be sure to click on the “Listen Now” link.

Robert Kennedy was in Indianapolis that day campaigning for the Democratic nomination for President. Here is how a journalist described that campaign, marking the 25th anniversary of Kennedy’s assasination.

Visiting Indian reservations, campaigning for Cesar Chavez, talking to children in Appalachia, pledging himself to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with blacks in their crusade for equal rights, he had an ability, rare in a glib and shallow trade, to convey real compassion. Often words would fail him and he would run them together or just move his mouth while nothing came out. Sometimes he would cry.

Going Down Jericho Road

…if we are going to get equality, and get adequate wages, we are going to have to struggle for it, we are going to have to escalate the struggle a little bit.”–Martin Luther King, Memphis, 1968.

For a great read and context about the road that led Martin Luther King to Memphis, check out Michael Honey’s Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign.

This Friday marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Robert Kennedy was in Indiana on that horrible night.

He had spent the previous weeks in Indiana campaigning for the Democratic nomination for President. I’ll blog more about it later, but Kennedy’s 1968 campaign is one of the most inspiring events in the history of Indiana.

Two months later, Kennedy was murdered by an assassin’s bullet.

April 4th, 1968 in Indiana

On the day of April 4th, Kennedy was in Muncie, IN where he gave a thirty minute speech to a frenzied crowd.

After the speech, the presidential candidate was scheduled to take a quick flight to Indianapolis to a scheduled rally at a park located in a mostly African American neighborhood.

After learning about the events in Memphis, Kennedy was warned by police that his safety could not be guaranteed. They, along with Kennedy’s staff, urged him to cancel the Indianapolis rally.

A person I know was an Indianapolis building commissioner during this era. He had to plead with the police not to put snipers on the roof top of churches that night.

Kennedy went to Indianapolis.

There were riots in most major American cities that night and in much smaller ones like Cairo, Illinois. It would have been understandable if Kennedy had canceled. His own brother was murdered five years earlier and now Martin Luther King. Robert Kennedy had to know that his own life was at risk. But he pressed on.

Maybe it was only for a fleeting moment, but Kennedy’s speech that night and campaign in Indiana, was politics at a different level. It gave people a taste of what life could be like if we overcome fear, overcome hatred, and work together to build a more beautiful, humane world.