John's Blog: April 2004

Transforming Globalism (Part 8 of 8)

RESOURCES

Books

* Religion and Empire: People, Power, and the Life of the Spirit
Richard A. Horsley (Theological Reflector)

"In this perceptive look at ways that politics and religion intertwine,
Richard Horsley examines relationships between imperial power and
religious life. he describes how ancient and modern empires subjegate
people by co-opting their local religious practices and attitudes, and he
identifies similaries among resistance movements."

* When Corporation Rule the World
David C. Korten (Keynote Speaker)

"Korten's laser-like analysis of how global corporations dominate people
and their government, and the miserable conditions that result when the
few rule the many. Korten then hows practical pathways to a realizable
future of more just, prosperous, and sustainable societies. This book
will agitate your mind, elevate your soul, and engage your civic spirit."
- Ralph Nader

* Keeping Up With the Dow Joneses: Debt, Prison, Workfare
Vijay Prashad

"In his latest book of interlinked essays, noted cultural critic Vijay
Prashad examines the contradictions of the American economy. He assesses a
range of related issues: the oft-vaunted US economy, propped up by the
rising debt of poor and middle-class workers; welfare policies that punish
those attempting to escape the grip of debt and poverty; and a prison
industry that regulates and houses the unemployed, as well as a reserve
army of laborers. By making crystal-clear connections between the economy,
welfare reform, and the profit-driven prison industrial complex, Prashad
offers a vision for a sustainable and vital anti-imperialist movement."

Brochures

* What is Micah 6 (6 copies)

Describes the Micah 6 program, "a congregational initiative for
integrating the ministries of justice, service, and spiritual growth into
the entire life of the church."

* Good Coffee For a Good Cause

Describes the UCC coffee project, "linking congregations with small
farmers & their families through fair trade."

* Equal Exchange: Tairly Traded Gourmet Coffee

Describes the Equal Exchange program, "to create a new approach to trade,
one that includes informed consumers, honest and fair trade relationships
and cooperative principles. As a worker-owned co-ocp, we have
accomplished this by offering consumers fairly traded gourmet coffee
direct from small-scale farmer co-ops in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Handouts

* Introduction to the Just Peace Players (see Part 5), with
booking information

* Handouts from workshops (see Part 7) "Basic Congregation Development" (on conducting 1:1 meetings in your congregation) and "Charity to Justice" (biblical reflection, illustrative story, "force field analysis" sheets)

* Simple Ways to Work for Peace at your Church (Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle)

* 35 Ways of Doing Justice Daily at Your Church (Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle)

* How to Begin Talking about Peace and Justice at Church (Rev. Dr. Fran
Bogle)

* Building Hope for Iraq (American Friends Service Committee)

* Useful Websiten on Iraq Issues (American Friends Service Committee)

* Contact info for all conference attendees

Transforming Globalism (Part 7 of 8)

Workshops

There were about a dozen workshops offered, with three sessions in which to take them. Herewith is a summary of the ones that I took.

1) Friday AM: Micah 6

Describes the Micah 6 program, "a congregational initiative for integrating the ministries of justice, service, and spiritual growth into the entire life of the church." It is basically a collection of resources -- bible and other study sessions, worship materials, ministry tools, stories from Micah 6 congregations, and more -- that may be used in many different ways, depending on the need of the church. The workshop consisted of an introduction to the program, answering questions about it, and singing some of the very singable music from it.

2) Friday PM: Basic Congregational Development

This was a presentation of a technique which I have encountered before whose purpose is to build community within the church and get people to know each other in a meaningful way. We started by asking three questions:

1. What percentage of people in your church do you know by name?

2. What percentage of people in your church have you talked to in the last month?

3. With what percentage have you had a really meaningful conversation with in the last month?

The technique presented is the 1:1 conversation. This is basically a very focused and intentional conversation intended to find out what is who someone is and what is important to them. It is not an open-ended social conversation.

There are different ways in which these conversations can be set up. At this presenter's church, they held a series of church-wide meetings in which the process was explained, and cards which everyone present had filled out were drawn randomly so that each person had one person they were to "interview" sometime in the next week, and one person who was to "interview" them. Meetings were scheduled between the two people for sometime that week, at their convenience. The next week, feedback was taken on how the meetings went, and new pairings were set up.

One outcome of this technique can be to use the results for an individual church to set goals and obtain feedback. Regionally, multiple churches who are all participating in this process can synrchronize their effort to work together on issue of common importance to their congregations.

Mainers should note that a training will be held in Waterville, ME, on May 11, 2004! If you are interested, contact me and I will pass on the training leader's contact info.

3) Saturday AM: Charity to Justice

This workshop centered on the difference between doing charity (which churches are generally good at) and doing justice (which they often are not as good at). Some tools to help congregations move to incorporating more justice work were presented, including a bible reflection based on Isaiah 61:1-4 ("God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, " etc.) and Luke 4:16-21 (where Jesus reads this Isaiah passage in Nazareth). Also presented was a story illustrating the difference, and a "force field" analysis, which is basically just a way of listing things that would help your church do more justice work (i.e. education, bible study, discussion of world events) and hinder it (i.e. belief that church and politics do not mix, lack of time and energy, fear that people will leave).

Transforming Globalism (Part 6 of 8)

Where Do We Go From Here?

Question: How to bring this issue back to people in our churches

OUR SMALL GROUP SAID:
- What do people see happening around them?
- Getting people to tell stories
- set "Peace Months", such as August (hiroshima, etc.)
- establish forums for local people of differing points of view to discuss
economic issues, church providing training for how to speak, how to listen.
Create "town meeting" atmosphere
- Introductory workshops to these issues, eduction.
- Presentation of events in the church

* Alternatives for Simple Living

COMMENTS

Rasell: Reinforce idea of bringing in local people, laid-off workers or
business owners affected.

Horsley: (1) Phillipians 3:19-21, alternative citizenship, instead of to
"the system" (the new Rome). So we have resources in scripture. (2) Try
starting with action instead of ideas. "Act up!" (3) Despite separation of
church and state, that does not mean that churches are *only* religious
institutions. They are also cultural and *economic* institutions. (5)
Churches is where civil society traditionally comes from. As civil society
disintegrates under power of media, churches need to reclaim it.

Korten: Relationships is what it's really all about in the end. Build
local and global relationships. We need to reach out to diversity racially,
economically, politically. Going back to Thursday night: The MEANING
stories are the foundation of everything. Nature, purpose, meaning of
reality. We have hardly any forums for doing that.

Rasell: In UCC, there is "Just Peace" churches. In process of refreshing
that process.

Question: Once we have a core group, what to do in the external world?

OUR SMALL GROUP SAID:

- Bring same ideas as before to wider audience
- Tax resistance
- Alternative investment, local, community-based
- Education and local research around microloans with indigenous peoples
- Community developent, reaching out to help people in and outside the
church
- Develop leaders in the church around issues, such as where to invest
- Literature around local events
- Inquire about school curriculum, educating students about being involved
in global communities
- Make sure our churches are accessible (physically, culturally) to the
outside community
- Church outreach in general
- Make sure literature is available at other church events where public is
invited
- Add content to the church web site
- Letters or columns to newspaper
- Advocacy to gov't reps (UCC has good resources for this)
- Help to develope regional UCC resources
- Need to bring together diverse groups
- Outreach to secular economic issues, bring in, discuss from point of view of Korten or Horsley.

publicconversations.(com,org?)
ourfaithourvote.org
bread.org (Bread for the World)

Transforming Globalism (Part 5 of 8)

Highlights from the Friday evening worship and dramatic presentation

We processed in singing "Siyahamba" from the UCC hymnal (#526), in 3 languages -- Zulu, English, and a Spanish translation someone had done. (Okay, without the hymnal in front of me I had to hum through the Zulu and Spanish.) The call to worship was Psalm 150, the "praise God with trumpets, cymbals, etc." one.

The unison prayer was a poem by Julia Esquival, as follows:

O Holy and haunting Presence whose spirit moves quietly but surely in the sound and fury of the world and of my life. You know me as rushing water knows the rock and releases its beauty to reflect new light.

Open me to the insistent abrasiveness of your grace, for I often trivialize love by abandoning the struggles which accompany its joys and rejecting the changes which lead to its fulfillments.

Release me from the dark fury of assuming I am unloved when the day calls for sacrifice and the night for courage.

Release me from the ominous fear of thinking some sin or failure of mine can separate me from you when life demands hard choices, and the battle, high risks.

Release me from the dangerous illusions of independence when the human family summons me to the realities and promises of interdependence among races, sexes, nations.

Relase me from being possessed by riches I do not need and grievances that weary me when you call me to share my very self with neighbors and to reflect for the world the light of the kingdom within me.

After the service, there was a performance of a theatre group called the "Just Peace Players". They presented a series of 1-10 minute skits which especially excelled at juxtaposing the gospel message with modern day people and events, or just revealing the absurbity of certain aspects of our insular North American lifestyle. Certain of the skits brought tears to my eyes through their powerful storytelling, and some were just light-hearted but with a point. There was also some traditional songs with new justice-centered words, which I have to admit I was not enamoured of, musical snob that I am, but others seemed to appreciate them. :-) Just Peace Players may be contacted through Rev. Fran Bogle, (508)877-1217.

Transforming Globalism (Part 4 of 8)

Panel Discussion: Korten, Horsley, Rasell

What ideas have occurred to us? Where do we go from here?

RASELL ======

Both speakers featured "stories". How about some of our own stories:

* When people become unemployed, they feel shameful, rather than realizing that it's built into the system. A different story would be a more healing one.

* Working poor. Society blames them, again. It's a matter of who is going to do these jobs.

* Sept 11: "They hate our freedom."

* This is God's world. Everything belongs to God. But the question is how the stuff is distributed. Used to be divine right of kings. Now is meritocracy, but is it fair?

The church is the body of people that tells the stories.

DISCUSSION ==========

Mediator to Korten: What elements do we need to include in "the big story"?

Korten: Most basic story is the Meaning story. Very struck by Richard's presentation of repeating stories of empire and liberation. How can we break out of that? When people get into power, they tend to forgot responsibility, or abuse freedom, or take on role of protector. These all reflect human immaturity. The systems of empire limit our growing up. We need to be able to see the connections to each other. We are supporting each other in the process of growing up.

Mediator to Horsley: Identify parts of our tradition that might support what David just said?

Horsley: Stories that will have staying power will be stories about families, must learn from other peoples' stories, in different cultures, emphasizing our common situations. We can use decentralized electronic media for this, so it is redeemed from just promoting the imperial values. This can be basis for rebuilding of civil society.

Mediator: Story - boy has two wolves inside, one good, one bad. Which one will win? Answer: The one that you feed. (Hint: Wolves are in the external culture, too.)

Transforming Globalism (Part 3 of 8)

Theological Address - Richard Horsley

Domestication of bible and Jesus - emphasis on individual, and separation onf religion and politics.

Two forms of empire today - American, and global capital. Capital must grow, so what must give to make way?

Looking back an ancient eastern empires (ie Babylon). God calls Abraham out of there, then Babylon conquers Judah. Christ called Rome the new Babylon.

Structure of empire:

* Ruling class
* Scribes, merchants, priests
* Peasants

This was explained in Mesopatamia by its violent creation myth, in which the world is bad and needs authority to re-establish order every year. Common people are deathly afraid, rulers and military might are needed to re- establish order. People support the ruling class to protect them. In terms of the myth, we are serving the forces which people have created.

Forward to Israel. In burning bush incident, Moses asks god who s/he is, replies non-committally, and "god of ancestors". Isrealite image of divine is thus over against empire, it is suggestive of the freedom that the ancestors had. At Red Sea, sea and storm are no longer forces served as gods, but forces that serve us. At 10 commendments, God starts by reminding people who he is, and commands to not serve other gods. The other 6 pertain to relations between the people. They protect the people against the empire.

Leviticans prohibited interest, taking of land from the peasants (compare with Locke's "life, liberty, and *property*"), and promoted idea of Jubilee. Much of law is pro-imperial, but this much is not. Later prophets explicitely criticize rulers exploiting people.

Recommended articles by ? Coote, Marvin Chaney.

After exile, second temple was imperial. When Rome conquered, the Galilee area was rather unorderly, so military ruler was installed. Now there are three layers of rulers: template rulers, municipal gov't (Herod), and Rome. Herod was also bringing in western cultural influence. Herod has temples to Ceaser around, and other Roman reminders. The minute Herod dies, people revolt, messianic and popular prophetic movements emerge.

Juxtoposition: Passover celebrates Jewish liberation, celebrated at that time with Roman guards encircling temple. Compare to recent America encirclement of Najah in Iraq, during most important Islamic holiday.

Jesus reclaims covenent as renewal of Israel against the Romans.

Jesus is not a teacher of individuals, that is an American domestication. He and his disciples are preaching to communities, and organizing them.

Some of Jesus' teachings: Give to God what is God's, etc. Isn't in all God's? So what's left for Ceasar? Nothing. Frees people from demons whose name is "legion", Rome. Demons then begged him to not banish them, then were driven into pigs which ran into the sea (symbolic, see above), whereupon people begged Jesus to leave. Implication is that Rome's days are numbered, but that is scary.

Mark 10

Lord's Prayer : Send up bread, send us your kingdom, cancel our debts as we've forgiven our neighbors (economic)

"Blessed are poor, woe to the rich" is direct confrontation to story of suffering due to being your fault. This is all a covenant speeech, regathering community, against imperial structure.

Paul is a community organizor as well, building an alternative, *international*, grassroots community.

In development of 13 colonies, preaching was that the 13 colonies are building on model of 12 tribes of Isreal. Quickly came the process of imperialism taking over. At this point, we are serving capitalism.

Note: Most consumer goods sold during "holidays", and Amercians consume 70% of world's goods, meaning Christmas is driving capitalism.

Difference is serving imperialism between now and Mesopatamia is that back then, it was very direct. Now, we hide and deny who we serve.

Transforming Globalism (Part 2 of 8)

David Korten - also involved with Yes magazine
www.yesmagazine.org, www.davidkorten.org

Usual choice is presented as global versus insulated. This is not the right
choice. Choice is:

Empire/Money vs. Life/Community

Traditional choice has been empire.

New conditions to the human experience:

Capacity to self-destruct ("global suicide economy")
- nuclear and biological technology
- ecosystem burden

OR

Achieve peace and justice for all
- view ourselves from space (vision)
- global institutions
- communication technologies (infrastructure)
- global civil society
"dynamic self-directed organism, shared consciousness"

ECONOMIC ISSUES AT HEART

Traditional measurement of economic success is growth and consumption

Richer for it?

+ Total capital has increased dramatically

- Living planet index (ecosystem health) way down (declined 37% in past
30 years)

Outcome of rich/poor gap growing wider is built right into the system, via
"return on investment", meaning the more you start with, the more you get
as a result.

- worldwide hunger is worsening (3.3M childen in US experience hunger)

Impossible to grow our way out of poverty by making the rich richer.

TO DO LIST FOR 21ST CENTURY

* Bring our lives into balance with the earth. To do that, we must

* Reorient our economic priorities. To do that, we must

* Complete the democratic transition. To do that, we must

* Create life-affirming cultures. ALl this means we must

* Reaffirm our spiritual nature.

THE CRISIS IS, AT ITS CORE, A SPIRITUAL CRISIS!

Instituitional centerpiece of global economic system is the Publicly Traded,
Limited-Liability Corporation. But to see them as merely groups of individuals
is a mistake, because they all are servants of the institution, subject to
dismissal, and must leave their values at the door. Artificial legal
personality in business of converting human effort into financial gain without
regard to consequences.

Alternative is the "Human Enterprise":

* human scale
* engaged owners
* accountable CEO
* broad mandate to all stakeholders
* normal liablity
* life-serving culture

These exist, but are mostly on fringes of corporate economy and dependent on
it. Imagine if they all linked together, separate from the corporate world.
Called "economic democracy". See Business Alliance for Local Living Economies
(BALLE), www.livingeconomies.org.

Corollary to the American experiment, where 5000 year of hereditary rule
argued whether goverment by consent of governed was even possible. And it's
taken a long time, as witnessed by slow progress of Constitutional amendments.

(shift to current political environment)

Power of right-wing is their power to define the stories that define the
debate. Stories of

- Prosperity: Economic growth depends on investment, so those who have more
to invest will grow the economy more. Private sector creates wealth and
rewards hard work. Gov't by taxes kills incentive to invest and to work
hard.

Lots of flaws, but carries the day because it's the only story in town.
This allows them to reframe the liberal agenda as killing the economy. We
need to frame our own prosperity story.

- Security: To legitimate use of military and police power, and private
propery owners. Basic Bush story. This draws attention away from justice
issues that lie behind the criminals and terrorists, but also away from
other problems, such as the environment.

Liberals and progressives tend to focus on disarmament, not going to war,
defending victims. This is important, but offers no comfort to those who
fear for the lives of themselves and their families.

- Meaning: Sacred story based on their reading of scripture. Nothing
happens except by the will of God, who demands obedience and favors the
obedient with wealth and power. Basically Job's friends. This
responsibilty of the righteous to guide others in political and legal
sphere. Indeed, basically preparing the world for the return of Christ.

People buy this because they are desperate for spritutally meaning in
their lives. Libs don't tend to talk about this much. Are we afraid of
being identified with the others?

In all cases, not enough to just point out the flaws. Like in science, only
way to discredit one is to come up with a more compelling one. We need to get
serious about crafting new stories that address the deep human needs that the
existing ones address, incorporating more communitarian and human values, and
spiritual values reflecting all the world's religions.

Bumper Sticker: Serve Jesus, End Empire

A new global civil society is emerging:

1. New planetary social organisms
2. Politics of hope, love, and healing.
3. Economy of service to life
4. Values consensus
5. Everyone is a leader in their own right
6. New cultural and spiritual consiousness

Never has human society been at such a moment of decision.

We are the ones we've been waiting for!

A question led to description of right-wing Christian stories informing their
work towards earthly theocracy, against democracy. What stories do liberal
Christians have to counter that?

Another comment led to observance that rather than sending Christians out as
missionaries to convert others, we go out to the rest of the world in order to
learn from others!

Transforming Globalism (Part 1 of 8)

This will be the first in a series. Over the next 3 days, I will be attending the 2004 New England Conference on Economic Justice, sponsored by The New England Conferences of the UCC, and the Justice & Witness Ministry United Church of Christ. The theme of this year's conference is "Transforming Globalization Through Community". The brochure defines this as "a dynamic and interactive conference explaining and exploring the effects of globalization here in the U.S. and worldwide, particularly in the two-thirds world." I will be taking my laptop along on which to type up notes throughout the conference, and posting them to this 'blog after I get back.

I'll give a bit more background by describing the main speakers:

David Korten (Keynote Speaker), best known for his book, When Corporations Rule the World, is a leading thinker, speaker and writer on matters of economic and environmental justice. Korten’s current work is focused on the articulation of a new story of the American Experiment, one which would critique the present "bottom line" criterion for policy making and offer a more humane and deeply spiritual one in its place.

Dr. Richard Horsley (Theological Reflector) is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. His recent book, Jesus and Empire, looks at the response of the early church to Imperial Roman occupation, draws parallels to the American Empire of our time and raises important questions for persons of faith particularly, as well as for all U.S. Americans.

Dr. Edith Rasell, Minister for Labor Relations and Economic Development with the UCC Justice and Witness Ministry, will be the guest preacher for our principal worship time. Dr. Rasell has both a medical degree and a Ph.D in economics and is well suited to address the issues of globalization from an economic and deeply grounded faith perspective.

----------

Coincidently(?), the May issue of Soujourners Magazine arrived earlier this week, with a big cover story on "transforming the globalized community into a force for good", written by Vinoth Ramachandra, secretary for dialogue and social engagement (Asia) for the Internatial Fellowship of Evangelical Students and co-author of The Message of Mission.

The article summarizes the limitations of global capitalism to be "the world's savior", such as rampant indebtedness, which Ramachandra claims is not due only to IMF and World Bank policies ("the favorite scapegoats and the target of left-wing critics"), but "more often the result of poor strategic planning and fiscal management .... States that run up large foreign debts lose control over their macro-economic policy." He argues that "therefore, the recovery of politics is central to any attempt to 'redeem' the global economy and the process of globalization."

Another issue of globalization is the homogenization of culture. "The illusion is fostered that the world's people are different from each other, but merely different. Serious engagement with the genuinely other is sidestepped."

To make a slightly longer story short (it's getting late and I haven't packed yet), the answer lies in the vision of the world-wide body of Christ, where instead of asking nationalistic questions such as "Is this good for America?" or "Does this serve Indian interests?", we ask "How does this promote or hinder the cause of Christ's kingdom which is taking shape among the weak, the voiceless, and the excluded around the world?" This is the key to not simply detaching ourselves from the local in favor of the global, but rather "seriously engaging with the local as members of a global community that has re-defined our identities."

It's Not My Birthday

I was just thinking of this song tonight, and about how it would have been great to have posted it here on my birthday. But then, since it's not my birthday today, I guess that's even better. I was thinking of it because I was just on the phone with my sister discussing the fact that my 20th high school reunion is coming up this summer, with all that that implies about our age. So I was thinking about getting old, and just felt like posting the lyrics.

It's Not My Birthday
They Might Be Giants

Well the rain falls down without my help I'm afraid,
And my lawn gets wet though I've withheld my consent.
When this grey world crumbles like a cake,
I'll be hanging from the hope
That I'll never see that recipe again.

As I walk, I think about a new way to walk.
As I think, I'm using up the time left to think.
And this train keep rolling off the track,
Trying to act like something else,
Trying to go where it's been uninvited.

It's not my birthday.
It's not today.
It's not my birthday, so why do you lunge out at me?
When the word comes down, "Never more will be around"
Though I'll wish you were there, I was less than we could bear
And I'm not the only dust my mother raised.

So, I'm rattling the bars around this drink tank,
Discreetly I should pour through the keyhole or evaporate completely.
But there'd be no percentage, and there'd be no proof,
And the sound upon the roof is only water.

And the rain falls down without my help I'm afraid,
And my lawn gets wet though I've withheld my consent.
When this grey world crumbles like a cake,
I'll be hanging from the hope
That I'll never see that recipe again.

It's not my birthday.
It's not today.
It's not my birthday, so why do you lunge out at me?
When the word comes down, "Never more will be around"
Though I'll wish you were there, I was less than we could bear
And I'm not the only dust my mother raised.
I am not the only dust my mother raised.