No more Sins By Silence. Stopping Domestic Violence in Indiana

Brenda Clubine; founder of Convicted Women Against Abus

The Indianapolis metro area has suffered through a horrible year for domestic violence.  Angela Warnock in Brownsburg.  Beth Stayer in Zionsville/Anson a week earlier. Just before Christmas, Yvonne Kretzer was murdered by her husband in Plainfield.  There were 65 deaths in Indiana last year attributed to domestic violence.  Every day 1000 people seek help from domestic violence in Indiana alone.

Last night at Lockerbie Central United Methodist and Earth House, we screened the documentary Sin By Silence and heard from filmmaker Olivia Klaus.  Most amazingly, Brenda Clubine was there.  She is featured in the documentary and it was her work and vision that created Convicted Women Against Abuse; an innmate support and advocacy group that transformed California’s Domestic Violence laws.

Brenda was serving seventeen years to life for defending herself against her abusive husband.  Last night was the 1 year anniversary of her release from prison.

There is so much to be said about the movie and last night’s gathering.  There were tears, standing ovations, and a commitment to make Indiana free of all violence.

Thank you so much for the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence for  organizing this screening and bringing Ms. Clubine and Ms. Klaus to Indianapolis.

Filed under: Earth House, Thursday Night Film Festival, community, documentary, family life, film, film review, movie review, prison, prison justice, prison ministry, rememberances, united methodist , Indianapolis, Indiana, Earth House, lockerbie central, death, united methodist, documentary, zionsville, Brownsburg, violence, domestic violence, angela warnock, beth stayer, plainfield, anson, Yvonne Kretzer, Convicted Women Against Abuse, deaths, abuse, california, brenda clubine, sin by silence, olivia klaus, Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence

A Safe Place

Last night at Lockerbie Central United Methodist/ Earth House, we screened At The River I Stand.  This powerful (but old-fashioned) documentary tells the story of the 1967-1968 Memphis sanitation strike.  It was during his work to support this strike that Martin Luther King was assassinated.

But that’s not the point of this post.  After the movie last night a woman came into the church and needed help.

We get a lot of requests for help (but have few financial resources.) Admittedly, I have become a bit skeptical.  It took me a while to get there.

She had graduated from college recently, grown up in the suburbs.

She was also pregnant.

And homeless.  Had spent a long time spleeping in her car.

She had a job too but her husband was beating her.

She needed gas money to get out of town and get to her parent’s house.

She had  driven  by our church and saw our Earth House banner.  And felt a bit of hope she said. It made her feel safe.

She hung out with Jenxie–our vegetarian chef– that afternoon.  She said Jenxie made her feel safe.

We gave her gas money.

Hopefully, she made it home.

Filed under: Christians, Earth House, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, church, family life, film review, jesus , Indianapolis, Earth House, homeless, lockerbie central, family life, domestic violence, at the river i stand, martin lutker king, united mehtodist, gas money, pregnancy, asking for help, college

The Church of Good TV

I listened to a few Speaking of Faith podcasts today and was particularly moved by “TV and parables of our time.”

Diane Winston appreciates good television, studies it, and brings many of its creators into her religion and media classes at the University of Southern California. In what some have called a renaissance in television drama, we examine how TV is helping us tell our story and work through great confusions in contemporary life.

Thanks to HBO, we are living in a golden age of television.  There are tons of good shows that are redefining the medium; shows that are “helping us tell our story and work through great confusions.”

One point Winston made was that some of these great dramas are taking on characteristics of church.  People gather once a week, watch and discuss.  To take the point a bit further, these shows are  probably church for most younger folks who have long ago stopped going to a church.

And can you blame them?  Rarely have I encountered a church that “tells our story” and helps us “work through confusions.”  We normally just get simple, canned answers to the confusion of 21st century life and most churches hide from the great controversies of our day.

True Blood might have more to say and say it more powerfully about religion, poverty, love, violence,  sex, culture,  family, racism, than a standard, long winded  and trite sermon.  The opening credits of True Blood are even interesting.  The artists behind the credits wanted to show how  “‘religious fanaticism’ and ’sexual energy” could corrupt humans and make them animalistic.’”

Or do any churches do a better job than The Wire when it comes to thinking  and telling the story of our decaying urban areas?

When it comes to the bible, senior producer, Mitch Hanley, for Speaking of Faith, writes:

As someone who finds the Bible in desperate need of an editor, I wonder if I would find the biblical stories more compelling if they had spaceships and cool sound effects and thrilling scores. Would I find the messages more relevant? I don’t know.

I don’t think the bible needs an editor but it does need better producers.  The stories of the bible are great stories, we just normally tell them lamely and without art or context.

Filed under: Christians, bible, church, community, documentary, economy, environment, film, film review , animalistic, bible, church, Diane Winston, golden age of television, golden age of tv, good tv, HBO, Krista Tippett, media, producers, relevancy, religion, religion and media, religious fanticism, science fiction, sexual energy, spaceships, Speaking of faith, telivision, telivsion, The Wire, theology, True Blood, University of Southern California, urban, urban areas, USC