On Poverty

I strongly recommend reading Christy Hardin Smith's post Bringing Poverty to the Table. Yes, as I suspected, the post was prompted by Edwards' announcement yesterday. But even if you support a different candidate, please read. As Christy noted at the end of the piece:

That it has taken a Presidential candidate standing up and talking about this issue to get it back on the front pages of newspapers — at least for the day yesterday — is unconscionable. But at least people are talking about it again, and for that I applaud John Edwards for sticking to a topic that all of us need to be talking about much more frequently.

I don't have a candidate to support yet, as Gore still seems unwilling to run, Feingold has said he won't, and Howard Dean is a man of his word, who promised not to run if elected chair of the DNC. But poverty is one of those uncomfortable, dauntingly big and complex issues that tends to get swept under the rug by the majority. Maybe it's a bit like global warming in that respect. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were graphic examples of the urgency of both issues--we can't afford to ignore either. So I will join Christy in applauding Edwards getting poverty back into the headlines, even for one day. But I hope it will be for longer than that. Hopefully other candidates and officeholders will join him.

And I don't say this as a supporter of any political candidate. I say it as a human being. I also say it as an Episcopalian who is proud of my new Presiding Bishop who insists on keeping the focus on this issue, in spite of the efforts of others to shift the attention back to issues of human sexuality. From an interview in June of 2006:

Bishop JEFFERTS SCHORI: We need to be examining the poverty that is real around the world. We need to be examining the fact that our brothers and sisters, Anglican and not, in places like Africa and Asia don't have enough to eat. Their children don't have the opportunity to go to school. AIDS and tuberculosis and malaria are rampant in many parts of this world and people with those diseases don't have access to adequate health care. That's where our focus needs to be.

And, from a description of Katharine Jefferts Schori's book, scheduled to be released in January...

Grounding her reflections in a theology of the reign of God—‘God’s dream for creation’—she dares to ‘dream big’ herself, casting a vision of a world without poverty and hunger, where we all recognize our interdependence with every other child of God.

Jefferts Schori's book can be preordered here.

And I have heard those words echoed by Bishop Gene Robinson, and by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and by many other people I respect and admire. I hope that more and more people will talk about it--especially people who have an audience. And when people try to distract us with something shiny, I hope that we will redirect, and bring the discussion back to issues of vital importance for our human family.

(Also posted at Daily Kos, My Left Wing and Street Prophets)

Countering Anti-Muslim bigotry

Note: I started this post at the beginning of the month and then got very busy with Christmas preparations and various events for the kids. But today, after more recent developments, such as Virginia Represenative Virgil Goode's letter about the importance of tightening immigration restrictions to avoid an "influx of Muslims", I decided I'd better post it.

What I wrote earlier this month...

From Yahoo News: In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep

When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.

Another said that tattoos, armbands and other identifying markers such as crescent marks on driver's licenses, passports and birth certificates did not go far enough. "What good is identifying them?" he asked. "You have to set up encampments like during World War Two with the Japanese and Germans."

At the end of the one-hour show, rich with arguments on why visual identification of "the threat in our midst" would alleviate the public's fears, Klein revealed that he had staged a hoax. It drew out reactions that are not uncommon in post-9/11 America.

A video of news segment about this story can be seen at Crooks and Liars.

Here is a link to some columns by Dr. Asma Mobin Uddin, a Columbus area pediatrician and member of the Muslim faith. She makes public appearances (one at my church a couple years ago) to help people learn more about the misunderstood and sometimes mistrusted faith to which she belongs, has written columns for the Faith and Values section of the Columbus Dispatch, and has written a children's book, My Name is Bilal...

Synopsis:
Bilal worries about being teased by his classmates for being Muslim. He thinks maybe it would be better if people don't know he is Muslim. Maybe it would be best if he tells kids his name is Bill rather than Bilal. Then maybe they would leave him alone. Mr. Ali, one of Bilal's teachers and also Muslim, sees how the boy is struggling. He gives Bilal a book about the first person to give the call to prayer during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. That person was another Bilal: Bilal Ibn Rabah. What Bilal learns from the book forms the compelling story of a young boy wrestling with his identity.

We Believe Conference

Quick post--it's Christmas time and all, but I wanted to post a link to this before I forgot again...

Moving Faith Forward
We Believe Leadership Retreat!
January 30-31, 2007

Sister Helen Prejean at St. Stephen's in Columbus

On Sunday, November 12 at 7 p.m. Sr. Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and The Death of Innocents will speak at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. She is also the founder of the Moratorium Campaign, a group seeking to halt the death penalty

30 West Woodruff Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Parking available at ARPS garage
614-294-3749.
Free will offering

You can read more about Helen Prejean here:
Sister Helen Prejean: The real woman behind 'Dead Man Walking'
Sister Helen Prejean's Personal Web Site

David Korten in Columbus, October 14, 2006

This is the beginning of my transcription of David Korten's remarks at the Earth Charter Summit that took place in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, October 14.

It is such a joy to be here in Ohio with such a great group of people --I've just been meeting extraordinary activists everywhere I go. And, I hope you'll excuse me if I just take a moment here to go shake hands with Granny D (laughter and applause). Granny D is such an inspiration, when I was facing my 65th birthday and thinking, "Well, you know, this is kind of a transition. I guess the rest of my life I should be starting to think about winding down and passing on the responsibilities." (Laughter) And Granny D of course is an extraordinary example of what we should all be doing with our elder years. She's a great inspiration.

Now, I'm also fascinated by your politics here. Dennis Kucinich is one of my heroes--one of the most visionary politicians of our time. (Applause). And of course I note that you cover the range, to a candidate for governor who really should be in the penitentiary. Anyhow, hopefully he will find his way to the appropriate outcome.

This is a very special weekend here, I'm sure you know this is one of four sets of activities by different initiatives. And of course the Earth Charter and the Earth Charter Summit is what brings together the visionary framework for all of the rest of our work. And I'm so pleased that the Earth Charter folks here in Columbus are framing the issue in terms of creating earth community, because that, to me, is really the way to frame the Earth Charter. That it presents the principles for the earth community that we must bring forth. And that gives the substance and the lead-in to action.

And then of course the other initiaives, CIRCA, which is focussed on ending corporate colonization--that is one essential step on the path to earth community. Then Simply Living, which working on, "Okay, how do we implement it in the way we live, the way we organize our living space? The way we organize our economies."

The key to this is positive. As was mentioned in the introduction, one of the things I've come to is resistance alone is a losing strategy. Ultimately, to win we must come forward to create the positive.

And then of course the fourth, and absolutely foundational element of this quadrangle is the Voting Rights Revival. And of course Ohio here reminded us all that, among all the democratic reforms we need, it starts with counting the votes. Absolutely foundational. So, I congratulate you all on your work, and thank you for the invitation. I hope my comments today will help put the work you're doing in a deeper historical, cultural, and to some extent spiritual context.

Now, the underlying message of the Great Turning is quite straightforward. We humans have come to the end of a long and deeply destructive era. It is time to turn this world around for our own sake, and for the sake of our children for generations to come.

There's good news and bad news, and it comes in the same package. The news is "business as usual is over". Peak oil, climate change, the collapsing U.S. dollar, and spreading social disinigration born of the marginalization of the majority of humanity are coming together in a constellation of forces desined to fundamentally change every aspect of modern life.

Now, whether this convergence of forces plays out as an epic human opportunity or the final human tragedy, will depend on the stories by which we understand what's happening, and undrestand the choices that it is ours to make. And I'm going to be talking about those choices.

(More to come)

Heads-up to people of faith for Strickland

It might be nice to have a counterpresence for this...

Columbus, OH – On October 18 Christians for Social Justice, an Ohio based organization, will educate voters that “Strickland is Wrong” on moral issues at the “Turnaround Ohio” Rally for Ted Strickland.

Ted’s Truth Truck along with handheld signs and banners will be used to expose Ted Strickland’s record on abortion and homosexual unions. Ted’s Truth Truck has visited several cities in Ohio since its launch on Sept. 28. Dozens of Christians will make the point that Ted Strickland’s votes and public statements on key social justice issues are contrary to the views of most of Ohio’s faith community.

Christians for Social Justice's wes (sic) site, TruthAboutTed.com is designed to compare some of Ted Strickland's votes, positions, and statements to the Biblical Christianity.

The “Strickland is Wrong” Voter Education Outreach will present a billboard truck, banners, and handheld signs displaying Strickland’s record on abortion and homosexual unions at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (formerly PromoWest), 405 Neil Avenue in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday Oct. 18, 2006 from 5 - 7 PM

Appropriating "social justice" for a narrow conservative agenda...the mind boggles.

Earth Charter Summit

What: Earth Charter Summit 2006
When: October 14th, 2006 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Where: SGI-USA Columbus Community Center
1197 Noe Bixby Rd
Columbus OH 43213
614-751-8990
Why: Because you support

I. Respect and care about the Community of Life
II. Ecological Integrity
III. Social & Economic Justice
IV. Democracy, Non-violence & Peace

In addition to "top-down" reforms, ... any lasting solution will require commensurate "bottom-up" reforms that build and strengthen solidarity at the people's level. These are the two interlinked prerequisites of change on a global scale.

Daisaku Ikeda, "The Challenge of Global Empowerment"

We share one planet. What happens in one country can affect the other. We are so inter-dependent that we cannot behave as if we live in isolation.

-- Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, interview in A Quiet Revolution

Sometimes when we think of global problems, we get disempowered. But when we take action at the local level, we are empowered.

-- Dr. Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement

Contact Ernestine Jackson for more info: 614-237-3815

Guest Speaker: David Korten, author of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community

Letter from We Believe to Rod Parsley

September 18, 2006
Pastor Rod Parsley
World Harvest Church
4595 Gender Road
Canal Winchester, Ohio 43110

Dear Pastor Parsley,
Several Christian Clergy who are members of We Believe Ohio received your invitation to meet at Mt. Sinai Ministries in Cleveland on September 19. Your letter outlined your hope to explore how the resources of World Harvest Church, the Center for Moral Clarity, the World Harvest Church Ministerial Fellowship, and Reformation Ohio might be used to help area churches "win Ohio for Christ."

As members of We Believe Ohio, an interfaith group of religious leaders from across the state, we are concerned about your tactics of manipulating religion for political gain. Faith should inform public policy, but our Constitution does not permit the establishment of any one religion over another. Your wish to “win the state for Jesus Christ” may be shared by many. However, your repeated use of this kind of language in the political arena is exclusionary and crosses the line separating religious and governmental institutions, which has allowed religion to flourish in our state and nation.

We believe the most effective way to promote and protect all Ohioans is to lift our state’s diverse faith voices in support of the common good. Our faith calls us to build a state that includes and celebrates all Ohioans, affirms their dignity and protects their rights. Our faith calls us to build an Ohio in which children and adults no longer fall into poverty and lose their health care and housing. Our faith calls us to build an Ohio in which people earn a living wage to support their families. Our faith calls us to ensure that all children receive a quality education. Our faith calls us to invest in our neglected inner cities and rural areas. Our faith calls us to bring these moral issues into the public arena.

Religion should not be used to divide and exclude, it should unite and include. In your book Silent No More, you wrote of one of our faith traditions, “America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed.” Therefore, we can only assume that when you implore us to “win the state for Christ” you mean that the faiths and traditions of those who are not Christian in Ohio must lose, or even be destroyed. The implications of your perspective are frightening for Ohio.

As brothers and sisters in faith, we call upon you to end your divisive tactics that violate the American tradition of religious tolerance. End your campaign of manipulating religion for political gain, and end your rhetoric that separates Ohioans from one another. Some of the We Believe clergy who you invited to Tuesday’s meeting at Mt. Sinai Ministries plan to attend. We invite you, in the reconciling spirit of the God who loves us all, to join with us in building a united Ohio—an Ohio in which all of God’s people are accorded the dignity, well being and freedom that our faiths and our Constitution demand.

Sincerely,
We Believe Ohio –
Northern Ohio Clergy Leadership
Imam Abbas Ahmad, First Cleveland Mosque
Rabbi Richard A. Block, The Temple-Tifereth Israel
Rev. Daniel Budd, The First Unitarian Church of Cleveland
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, Chautauqua Institution
Rev. Felix Carrion, Euclid Avenue United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. Kenneth W. Chalker, First United Methodist Church
Rev. George T. Hrbeck, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry
Rev. Dr. John Lentz, Jr., Forest Hills Presbyterian Church
The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle, Antioch Baptist Church
Rabbi Howard H. Ruben, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple
Kuldeep Singh, Sikh Youth Federation
Rev. Georgiana Thornton, St. Paul AME Church

Columbus Area Ramadan Iftar Dinner

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 7, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Ohio Union West Ballroom, 1739 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 292-5200
DETAILS: Sharing Ramadan Iftar Dinner is a community event sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio Chapter.

Reservations requested by calling the CAIR-Ohio (Columbus) Office at 614-451-3232.

Please note, there is an OSU home football game at 3:30 so please carpool and leave early to avoid traffic delays. Valet Parking will be available near the Union entrance on High Street for a small fee.

We Believe GOTV Rally

Please join We Believe Ohio on Thursday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. for a Get Out the Vote Rally for Justice at Congregation Tifereth Israel!

Our Keynote Speaker will be the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Sr. Pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City. Dr. Forbes has been recognized by Newsweek Magazine as one of the twelve "most effective preachers in the English-speaking world."

The rally will also feature Sister Simone Campbell, the National Coordinator of NETWORK, a leader in the global movement for justice and peace.

Bring your friends and family to rally for a more just Ohio!

Congregation Tifereth Israel is conveniently located in downtown Columbus at 1354 Broad St.

For additional information about the evening and our speakers, please visit our Web site at www.webelieveohio.org.

If you are interested in becoming involved with initiatives that We Believe has endorsed, please note that over the summer of 2006, We Believe endorsed several issues with implications for the November election. These include the Minimum Wage Effort (Let Justice Roll), Get out the Vote (IAF), and Affordable Health care (CAHO). Each of these efforts has a need for volunteers, and are listed (along with contact information) on our Web site at:
www.webelieveohio.org/press/volunteerendorsed.html

Thank you for your support of We Believe Ohio! We look forward to seeing you on October 5th!

Defending Church-State Separation: National speaker comes to Columbus

I posted about this a while ago, but since the event is tomorrow, I thought a timely reminder was in order...

Sunday, September 17, 2006 3:00 P.M.

North Congregational UCC
2040 W. Henderson Rd.
Columbus, OH 43220

Rob Boston (assistant director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State) will be speaking on speaking on "Defending the Separation of Church and State in Difficult Times"

Click here for more details.

You can read more about Rob Boston here.

Rob Boston's book, The Most Dangerous Man in America?: Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition is available at Powells.com, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble.com.

Episcopal Social Justice Forum

Crossposted from the Diocese of Southern Ohio Updates blog...

Social justice forum

Jeffrey Price, director of Public Policy for the Diocese of Southern Ohio, will speak at St. Alban's on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The church is located at 333 S. Drexel Avenue in Bexley.

Price will discuss how Episcopalians can be educated to understand the Christian faith so that they may be strong disciples, equipped to exercise ministries of social justice and reconciliation. The Church has historically been an exceptional agent of direct services, hands-on care of and for persons in need. Where it has (in the past) fallen short of the mark of justice is in the area of systemic change and addressing the political and social systems that keep people in poverty or fail to uphold all persons as children of God, worth of dignity and respect.

The event is free and open to the public. For directions or more information, call St. Alban's at 614.253.8549.

Blog issues

I've been having some trouble with the template of this blog, so I decided to start from scratch with a new template. Some things are missing at this point, like the Haloscan comment code. Thank you for your patience while I get this sorted out.

The Challenge of Terror

I thought this might be a good time to excerpt and link The Challenge of Terror, written by John Paul Lederach in the days that immediately followed September 11, 2001. Lederach is a Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame. Clearly, the U.S. government didn't heed his advice when responding to the events of 9/11/01, but I still think the essay is worth reading. And, since the media is busily revisiting everything else about that tragic day, I can't think of any reason *not* to revisit these thoughtful words.

Military action to destroy terror, particularly as it affects already vulnerable civilian populations will be like hitting a fully mature dandelion with a golf club: This will further perpetuate the myth of "evil United States military might" and will assure yet another generation of recruits.

Faithful Democrats

I'm aware of not having posted much lately on this blog--haven't had a whole lot to say, or time to compose my thoughts. Most of my efforts have gone into trying to generate some income for our household. Getting kids settled back into school, and Daughter in Ohio's birthday the other day. My "baby" is now 11 years old. Kids are good for reminding you just how fast time goes by.

But I wanted to make sure I posted about this new site, for anyone who wasn't aware of it. It is called Faithful Democrats.

In it, Ted Strickland, who is running for Governor of Ohio, has a piece about being a 'golden rule" Democrat.

For me, the goal is not to be a liberal Democrat or a conservative Democrat. For me, the goal is to be a Golden Rule Democrat.

Being a Golden Rule Democrat means you do your best to treat other people the way you yourself would want to be treated. In a political context, it means working for a government rooted in sound judgment, having a thirst for justice and committed to serving its people.

During my early years as a Congressman, I placed a plaque in my office with the following quote from the Hebrew Scriptures. It's from Micah 6:8: "And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Throughout my public service I've tried to live by those simple, powerful words.

Click here for the rest.

Last month, I took part in a blogger conference call with Ted Strickland. It is transcribed in three parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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One Year After Katrina

On anniversary of Katrina storming ashore, residents mourn, celebrate life
Bells toll 1 year after Katrina hit

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B.R.E.A.D. Columbus Fundraising

Back in the spring, Demetrius reworked the logo (seen below) for a local interfaith social justice organization. The organization's name is B.R.E.A.D., which stands for "Building Responsibility, Equality, and Dignity". They now have a Cafe Press shop, and proceeds from the sales will go to support the work of B.R.E.A.D. Columbus (currently having a fundraising drive). Click the logo to visit the store.

If you would like to know more about the work and philosophy of B.R.E.A.D., I have provided some links:

BREAD Rises in the Buckeye State
The Nehemiah Assembly: packed like sardines for justice
Rabbi: G-d *expects* us to do justice!
Bread rises!

Those are about the most recent assembly. Here are some older articles:

Pulling together to fight for jobs
Casting Stones (a sermon by Susan Ritchie at a Unitarian Universalist church in Dublin, Ohio)
Church-based programs transform communities (from the Worldwide Faith News archives)

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Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio Update Blog

After the past couple days of e-mail updates from the diocese, I decided it was time to put together a blog just for matters related to the diocese. Click the graphic below to visit the new blog.

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The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson Jr. 1934-2006

From the Diocese of Southern Ohio

A giant of the faith
The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson Jr.
1934-2006

Rest in Peace

In an e-mail note to you yesterday, Bishop Price shared the news that Bishop Thompson died unexpectedly on Wednesday while in Florence, Italy. He was supplying there and had preached on Sunday. He apparently collapsed after swimming and could not be revived.

We don't know any details about arrangements at this point, but we will let you know as soon as possible, both through this e-mail and posted on our website.

We have established a website for you to share your memories of Bishop Thompson and to celebrate his life. Some of these may be used for a special tribute issue of Interchange that will be published later this month. Visit the site at http://bishopthompsontribute.blogspot.com/ I also invite you to submit stories, memories, photos or comments about Bishop Thompson to Interchange. Send them to Richelle Thompson by e-mail, please. The deadline is Aug. 23.

Bishop Price plans to send to the clergy later this afternoon a special prayer for Bishop Thompson that he is asking to be included in Sunday worship. Some congregations are holding special services today and tomorrow to celebrate the life and ministry of Bishop Thompson. A release to the media and a biography of Bishop Thompson are on our website and can be reprinted for inclusion in the worship bulletins, if you'd like.

Please keep Herb, Owen, Kyrie and Christian, and all of Bishop Thompson's family in your prayers.

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Sincerely,

Richelle Thompson
Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio

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Sad news

I just received this message from the Diocese of Southern Ohio

Brothers and Sisters

Word has just reached us that The Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, Jr, retired bishop of Southern Ohio, died suddenly today. He was traveling in Italy and passed out after swimming and was unable to be revived.
...
Faithfully,

Bishop Ken Price
Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio

I can't even begin to imagine what his family is feeling right now. All I can think to say is that they are in my prayers.

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