This past weekend, I went to a theological seminar down at one of my favorite places, Kirkridge Retreat Center. I was going to feed my head a little bit, change my pace a little. in other words, to slow down while receiving a little education.
Well, that didn't happen. I went thinking it was a retreat, but there was nothing "retreat" about it!
What I got was mind-bending, challenging and exhilirating, I loved it, but I couldn't call it restful.
There are a lot of things to think about with regard to what I heard. But I do want to pass along this particular thought I was led to toward one of our meditations.
Kirkridge is down near Stroudsburg, Delaware Water Gap, and Bangor, in PA. They are up on a mountain, and they take pride in saying that they are in the oldest mountain range in the world. I think that's probably true, geologically, actually. The main center overlooks the Delaware river valley to the east, and there is a pretty sharp drop.
The retreat leader, J. Philip Newell, had just given us a bit of scripture to meditate on, and we had gone out into the sun to do what we were told. I sat on one of the rocks overlooking the drop, because the scripture we had been charged with was "It is I, do not be afraid." In Latin, he told us, it is "Ergo Sum, Nole Tamara" (any spelling errors are entirely mine).
So I am out on that rock, overlooking that drop of about 30 feet through brambles and brush, and I notice a chipmunk moving through the brush. And he isn't just moving. He's jumping from branch to branch, running down thin branches, all at breakneck speed. Sometimes he stops to check where he is, then he's off again, doing this amazing acrobatic show.
My eye is caught by a shape hurtling from above. I focus on a bird (what kind, I don't know, I'm not very well versed in birding. I know enough to be able to call this one an LBJ, or Little Brown Job). He flies straight earthward at what must be his terminal velocity, and pulls up and into the brambles, flying through them at breakneck speed, until he alights on one random branch.
If I was that chipmunk, I'd be testing the branch before I walked out on it, and then I would proceed carefully and gingerly. Leaping from branch to branch like some crazed pirate going from mast to mast would have been entirely beyond me. If I was that bird, I would have gently circled down to the ground outside the brambles, and walked to the nearest branch. None of this flying through the branches at top speed after a steep and long dive.
Somehow, the animals know Ergo Sum, Nole Tamara better than we do. There's an inherent knowledge and trust of ones' God-given abilities shown by nature that we have somehow lost, and yet we, the humans, are the "saved" ones.
So what does that tell us? Jesus said
‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. (Matthew 6: 25-29)
We are his people. He came to earth because he loved us, and wanted to be with us in the relationship that he had with humans in Eden. If we can really trust that, then we can also trust that he means it when he says ergo sum, nole tamara.
Showing posts with label Newsletter Articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newsletter Articles. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Imus and Rutgers
Note: This was originally written in mid April, as I was recovering from knee surgery. I am just now getting it up on the blog!
As I write this article, I am listening to Dan Patrick's radio show on ESPN radio. The discussion is full of the recent comments made by a radio talk show host, Don Imus, about players on the Rutgers University's women's basketball team. By the time you read this, it will undoubtedly have died down, enough news cycles will have passed that it might even be hard to remember what exactly happened. It will be “just another racial/sensationalist event” where a white person seemed to speak unfortunately about someone who is Black/Asian/Hispanic/"insert-minority-classification-here".
That's too bad. These events keep happening, seem to be happening more all the time, and not yet have we learned what is really at stake here.While Imus appears to have been VERY contrite, and has done what the majority white culture requires he do to hopefully learn exactly how what he said was wrong and stupid, we in the majority white culture won't have learned a thing. What he did was say out loud what too many think in the majority white world. And our thinking is pretty much wrong-headed when it comes to race.
Now, I am a white person. I have my racial prejudices. I’m not proud of this fact, but I know I was raised in an American culture of white privilege. It's true of most of us. What matters isn't that this is true, but what we are going to do with it. I am the chair of the Wyoming Conference's Commission on Religion and Race, and was a member of the North Texas Conferences' Anti-Racism team. I have had my eyes opened to many things, through this training. One is that it is a privilege to be able to say, as many white people do, that "I am color-blind".
What we need to realize is that it is from a position of power that we have the ability to say we don't see race. We alone have the power to ignore or notice race. Our brothers and sisters of color (folks of African descent, Asian descent, Hispanic heritage or First Nations heritage, really anyone of a minority classification or status), have no choice in how they are seen. It is the first point of introduction, it is inseparable from that all important "first impression". Being white or Caucasian is the norm, it is the nominal state. While we have the choice whether to work with the race or not, whether we choose to ignore, value or devalue it, they do not have that choice. They MUST notice us as white. They must work with us, because we are the majority. We are everywhere! They must notice that we have the power to choose whether to notice or not. And honestly, we all notice. And what we do with it is one example of our privilege.
I am privileged to be able to ignore it or not. I benefit from the white people around me not thinking about me through some progression that may include; "Hey, what race is he?" "Is he a physical threat?" Is he a threat to my daughter?" Is he a threat to my job?" "Is he smarter than me?" "Is he legally here?" Every person of color, every identifiable minority you could name has this swirling around them everywhere as they go through their day.
Each time there is some wrongheaded or ignorant comment made by someone who is white, we return to the wrestling match of race in America. And we find that it is still too difficult a problem. We forget, we move on. Imus said he's sorry; he was probably sincere. He will have probably learned something. But the stereotype of black women that he propagated and reinforced has not gone away. The ones who were defamed, who were mis-portrayed have not found relief. There is no redemption, no escape from the stereotype for them in the same way that Imus will ultimately receive.God teaches us in Scripture that Jesus died for all of us. We are all worthy of redemption, we are all worthy of forgiveness. Imus is forgiven. But lots and lots of people still think of African-American females in the way that Imus referred to them. Redemption has not happened for them. And so we in the Christian church are not yet done.
As I write this article, I am listening to Dan Patrick's radio show on ESPN radio. The discussion is full of the recent comments made by a radio talk show host, Don Imus, about players on the Rutgers University's women's basketball team. By the time you read this, it will undoubtedly have died down, enough news cycles will have passed that it might even be hard to remember what exactly happened. It will be “just another racial/sensationalist event” where a white person seemed to speak unfortunately about someone who is Black/Asian/Hispanic/"insert-minority-classification-here".
That's too bad. These events keep happening, seem to be happening more all the time, and not yet have we learned what is really at stake here.While Imus appears to have been VERY contrite, and has done what the majority white culture requires he do to hopefully learn exactly how what he said was wrong and stupid, we in the majority white culture won't have learned a thing. What he did was say out loud what too many think in the majority white world. And our thinking is pretty much wrong-headed when it comes to race.
Now, I am a white person. I have my racial prejudices. I’m not proud of this fact, but I know I was raised in an American culture of white privilege. It's true of most of us. What matters isn't that this is true, but what we are going to do with it. I am the chair of the Wyoming Conference's Commission on Religion and Race, and was a member of the North Texas Conferences' Anti-Racism team. I have had my eyes opened to many things, through this training. One is that it is a privilege to be able to say, as many white people do, that "I am color-blind".
What we need to realize is that it is from a position of power that we have the ability to say we don't see race. We alone have the power to ignore or notice race. Our brothers and sisters of color (folks of African descent, Asian descent, Hispanic heritage or First Nations heritage, really anyone of a minority classification or status), have no choice in how they are seen. It is the first point of introduction, it is inseparable from that all important "first impression". Being white or Caucasian is the norm, it is the nominal state. While we have the choice whether to work with the race or not, whether we choose to ignore, value or devalue it, they do not have that choice. They MUST notice us as white. They must work with us, because we are the majority. We are everywhere! They must notice that we have the power to choose whether to notice or not. And honestly, we all notice. And what we do with it is one example of our privilege.
I am privileged to be able to ignore it or not. I benefit from the white people around me not thinking about me through some progression that may include; "Hey, what race is he?" "Is he a physical threat?" Is he a threat to my daughter?" Is he a threat to my job?" "Is he smarter than me?" "Is he legally here?" Every person of color, every identifiable minority you could name has this swirling around them everywhere as they go through their day.
Each time there is some wrongheaded or ignorant comment made by someone who is white, we return to the wrestling match of race in America. And we find that it is still too difficult a problem. We forget, we move on. Imus said he's sorry; he was probably sincere. He will have probably learned something. But the stereotype of black women that he propagated and reinforced has not gone away. The ones who were defamed, who were mis-portrayed have not found relief. There is no redemption, no escape from the stereotype for them in the same way that Imus will ultimately receive.God teaches us in Scripture that Jesus died for all of us. We are all worthy of redemption, we are all worthy of forgiveness. Imus is forgiven. But lots and lots of people still think of African-American females in the way that Imus referred to them. Redemption has not happened for them. And so we in the Christian church are not yet done.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Simple and Steady
On Feb. 9, I had the extreme pleasure to attend a concert down at the Chicory House, which was housed at St. Stephen’s Episcopal in Wilkes Barre. The group was a Canadian folk rock band named Tanglefoot. They were a very entertaining band, full of storytelling and music about Canadian farmers, lumberjacks, deep sea fishermen and Great Lake sailors. There was even a ghost story or two! Oh, and of course, they had a mandolin player.
Two songs in particular struck me as significant, perhaps for lessons I need to learn in my own spiritual practice. One was the story of Maggie, a 61 year old woman who fell into a river while trying to cross it over an old log carrying two heavy buckets of Maple tree sap. She began to build a bridge, and over the course of days, weeks, months, and finally years, she continued to work on it, in her own small simple way. It took her 20 years—she was 81 when she finished it! She lived a full life, I assume, while she was doing this, but she did nonetheless stay focused on this project. It was not a spectacular bridge, in the sense that the Brooklyn or the Golden Gate bridges are, but the significance of the bridge is the story. And the band told us that the bridge is gorgeous in its own way.
The other song was almost a prayer about how to be satisfied with enough to live our lives. It’s called For the Day, and it is about peace of mind. One verse goes as follows:
A little sun, a little rain, A little money now and then
And the knowledge of enough to eat tomorrow
Keep the locust from our fields
Take a portion of the yield
For the folk less blessed by fortune than are we
Lent can be a time of re-evaluation, of fresh perspective. As we enter these days approaching the events of Jesus’ suffering, death and new life, it doesn’t hurt for us to remember that the important stuff comes with effort over long periods of time, and that a simple life unburdened with outsize ambition or greed, which perhaps not popular in our culture, is easier to live and much more in touch with God. If you wonder which is God’s will, between the loud, public and sensational attitude, or the quiet, simple life full of integrity and kindness, remember this—which life permits more opportunity to hear God’s still, small voice?
Two songs in particular struck me as significant, perhaps for lessons I need to learn in my own spiritual practice. One was the story of Maggie, a 61 year old woman who fell into a river while trying to cross it over an old log carrying two heavy buckets of Maple tree sap. She began to build a bridge, and over the course of days, weeks, months, and finally years, she continued to work on it, in her own small simple way. It took her 20 years—she was 81 when she finished it! She lived a full life, I assume, while she was doing this, but she did nonetheless stay focused on this project. It was not a spectacular bridge, in the sense that the Brooklyn or the Golden Gate bridges are, but the significance of the bridge is the story. And the band told us that the bridge is gorgeous in its own way.
The other song was almost a prayer about how to be satisfied with enough to live our lives. It’s called For the Day, and it is about peace of mind. One verse goes as follows:
A little sun, a little rain, A little money now and then
And the knowledge of enough to eat tomorrow
Keep the locust from our fields
Take a portion of the yield
For the folk less blessed by fortune than are we
Lent can be a time of re-evaluation, of fresh perspective. As we enter these days approaching the events of Jesus’ suffering, death and new life, it doesn’t hurt for us to remember that the important stuff comes with effort over long periods of time, and that a simple life unburdened with outsize ambition or greed, which perhaps not popular in our culture, is easier to live and much more in touch with God. If you wonder which is God’s will, between the loud, public and sensational attitude, or the quiet, simple life full of integrity and kindness, remember this—which life permits more opportunity to hear God’s still, small voice?
Friday, February 09, 2007
Wheel in the Sky, Keep on Turnin'. . .
. . . don't know where I'll be tomorrow."
Well, as of January 28, it's official. I will be moving this year. The congregation voted to de-fund the Associate Pastor position at the church I serve, to try to be responsible to a projected deficit. It was a close vote, and I can see the reasonableness of both sides, when expressed without personality prejudices. I also freely admit I have a few of those prejudices, myself. I'm human, we all have them.
Through this process, I have seen both the best and the worst of what we are as Christians in the 21st century. I have seen youth act more adult and proactive than their elders. I have seen serious discussions among people of good will, and I have seen craven displays of political wrangling to achieve desired outcomes that have nothing to do with God, the church, or growth in grace.
In other words, I have seen the whole of the body of Christ.
When I was ordained to be an Elder in the United Methodist Church, I pledged to be available to go where I am sent by the Bishop. I give thanks to God that the history of this conference gives consideration to their Elder's family situation, but nonetheless, I could be sent anywhere around the cities of Wilkes Barre or Scranton in PA, or Binghamton or Oneonta in NY. And because of the size of this conference, I am leaving perhaps one of only two or three associate pastor positions left in the conference. The clearer way of saying this is I AM ABOUT TO GET MY OWN CHURCH!
Being an itinerant religious leader in our post-modern time I think lends itself to two images. First, the corporate manager who travels to serve the Corporation best wherever it may be. Second, the wandering wise one/griot/wizard. Guess which one I prefer? A line from JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" has become very important for me, recently, I even have it on a button: "Not All who Wander Are Lost". This is how I choose to see the Methodist itineracy.
While I am sad about the strife that Shavertown has in front of it, I do hope that these past few months have brought close the realization that they need to address deep hurts, hurts that are 30 years old and more. I surely can help lay the ground work for good outcomes, but it has been made very clear that I will not be part of the eventual solution! I also hope they will take on the challenge of bringing outside conflict resolution in to help heal itself. Right now all sides are at the place of "we'd be just fine if THEY would just stop what they're doing." Well, the body of Christ has no THEY. Just WE. My hope is that Shavertown learns that soon.
Well, as of January 28, it's official. I will be moving this year. The congregation voted to de-fund the Associate Pastor position at the church I serve, to try to be responsible to a projected deficit. It was a close vote, and I can see the reasonableness of both sides, when expressed without personality prejudices. I also freely admit I have a few of those prejudices, myself. I'm human, we all have them.
Through this process, I have seen both the best and the worst of what we are as Christians in the 21st century. I have seen youth act more adult and proactive than their elders. I have seen serious discussions among people of good will, and I have seen craven displays of political wrangling to achieve desired outcomes that have nothing to do with God, the church, or growth in grace.
In other words, I have seen the whole of the body of Christ.
When I was ordained to be an Elder in the United Methodist Church, I pledged to be available to go where I am sent by the Bishop. I give thanks to God that the history of this conference gives consideration to their Elder's family situation, but nonetheless, I could be sent anywhere around the cities of Wilkes Barre or Scranton in PA, or Binghamton or Oneonta in NY. And because of the size of this conference, I am leaving perhaps one of only two or three associate pastor positions left in the conference. The clearer way of saying this is I AM ABOUT TO GET MY OWN CHURCH!
Being an itinerant religious leader in our post-modern time I think lends itself to two images. First, the corporate manager who travels to serve the Corporation best wherever it may be. Second, the wandering wise one/griot/wizard. Guess which one I prefer? A line from JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" has become very important for me, recently, I even have it on a button: "Not All who Wander Are Lost". This is how I choose to see the Methodist itineracy.
While I am sad about the strife that Shavertown has in front of it, I do hope that these past few months have brought close the realization that they need to address deep hurts, hurts that are 30 years old and more. I surely can help lay the ground work for good outcomes, but it has been made very clear that I will not be part of the eventual solution! I also hope they will take on the challenge of bringing outside conflict resolution in to help heal itself. Right now all sides are at the place of "we'd be just fine if THEY would just stop what they're doing." Well, the body of Christ has no THEY. Just WE. My hope is that Shavertown learns that soon.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Devotional for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is a day where we remember the man, Martin Luther, King, Jr., who was such an effective and brave leader of the Civil Rights movement, a movement which started a long time before he came along, and continues now.
While in prison, one of his many times, he wrote a letter to a group of white clergy who were generally supportive of the movement, but thought he was moving too fast. His response came to be known as the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. All over the Conference, today, there are readings of this letter, the bulk of which outlines a theological belief for not being incremental, but being insistent about injustice. And he is clear that while the church has at times been the vehicle for societal change, it has also too often been the vehicle for obstructing that same change.
It was in this letter that he wrote that “In deep disappointment, I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church; I love her sacred walls. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson, and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But oh! how we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and fear of being non-conformists.”
My prayer for us all this day is that we do not add any more scars to the body of Christ—that we help heal the ones that are there, and that we realize the vision of the Beloved Community, where all war is seen as simply and deeply evil, and the thirst for power and the exercise of one’s own beliefs to the detriment of one’s own community is seen for what it is, separate from the will of God. My prayer is that we learn to truly live by what the Prophet Micah teaches us:
He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
While in prison, one of his many times, he wrote a letter to a group of white clergy who were generally supportive of the movement, but thought he was moving too fast. His response came to be known as the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. All over the Conference, today, there are readings of this letter, the bulk of which outlines a theological belief for not being incremental, but being insistent about injustice. And he is clear that while the church has at times been the vehicle for societal change, it has also too often been the vehicle for obstructing that same change.
It was in this letter that he wrote that “In deep disappointment, I have wept over the laxity of the church. But be assured that my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, I love the church; I love her sacred walls. How could I do otherwise? I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson, and the great grandson of preachers. Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But oh! how we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and fear of being non-conformists.”
My prayer for us all this day is that we do not add any more scars to the body of Christ—that we help heal the ones that are there, and that we realize the vision of the Beloved Community, where all war is seen as simply and deeply evil, and the thirst for power and the exercise of one’s own beliefs to the detriment of one’s own community is seen for what it is, separate from the will of God. My prayer is that we learn to truly live by what the Prophet Micah teaches us:
He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Micah 4:3
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Baby Eyes
Newsletter Article for Shavertown United Methodist Church, Dec. 2006
In the Prayer book Celtic Daily Prayer, there is a short essay about Advent. One line in it struck me. It says that “the door to the stable where the Christ Child has been born is very low—and only those who kneel find access.”
Great. Another time when I’m being told that I need to be humble to find God. Another instance when I am told that I need to get over myself in order to grow in Christ. We’re called to serve. We’re called to be kind to those who aggravate us. Oh, bla bla bla. Can’t I just once get mad, follow through on it, and it be God’s plan? Jesus got to turn the moneychanger’s tables over in the temple, I bet that felt really good. Can’t I just once?
There are times when we just know we are right. Problem is, we human types will take what is right and run way too far with it, making what was right into a sin, through pride, prejudice, insecurity or any of the other ways in which we are imperfect when compared to our brother Jesus Christ. So, yes, we need to be reminded more than one six week period a year that we must be humble in the face of the one God who created the world and loves us perfectly.
So, no, I don’t get to cut loose. None of us do, because no matter how much we may believe it, we are just not close enough to God to do it God’s way. Jesus is our model, and he only got to do it once!
Maybe that’s why he sent Jesus as a baby. We want to be our best selves around a baby, for some reason, especially for parents. It’s true for almost everyone, though.
So, as a way of keeping ourselves grounded and humble, whenever we get steamed or aggravated, maybe it would do us some good to think about how we look to a baby. Do we really want a child to see what we’re doing and learn from us that this is how to function in the world?
That may be the best lesson of Advent: to act as if a baby is watching and learning.
Merry Christmas!!
Pastor Drew
In the Prayer book Celtic Daily Prayer, there is a short essay about Advent. One line in it struck me. It says that “the door to the stable where the Christ Child has been born is very low—and only those who kneel find access.”
Great. Another time when I’m being told that I need to be humble to find God. Another instance when I am told that I need to get over myself in order to grow in Christ. We’re called to serve. We’re called to be kind to those who aggravate us. Oh, bla bla bla. Can’t I just once get mad, follow through on it, and it be God’s plan? Jesus got to turn the moneychanger’s tables over in the temple, I bet that felt really good. Can’t I just once?
There are times when we just know we are right. Problem is, we human types will take what is right and run way too far with it, making what was right into a sin, through pride, prejudice, insecurity or any of the other ways in which we are imperfect when compared to our brother Jesus Christ. So, yes, we need to be reminded more than one six week period a year that we must be humble in the face of the one God who created the world and loves us perfectly.
So, no, I don’t get to cut loose. None of us do, because no matter how much we may believe it, we are just not close enough to God to do it God’s way. Jesus is our model, and he only got to do it once!
Maybe that’s why he sent Jesus as a baby. We want to be our best selves around a baby, for some reason, especially for parents. It’s true for almost everyone, though.
So, as a way of keeping ourselves grounded and humble, whenever we get steamed or aggravated, maybe it would do us some good to think about how we look to a baby. Do we really want a child to see what we’re doing and learn from us that this is how to function in the world?
That may be the best lesson of Advent: to act as if a baby is watching and learning.
Merry Christmas!!
Pastor Drew
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
The Biggest Sin in the Church
I was reading a book recently written by John Dominic Crossan, writing about his early life. He writes about how Mary, the mother of Jesus, might have been subject to rumors when she was single and pregnant. There were some who would surely have said that Joseph might have been unable to restrain himself, or that she had surely “gone out” on him before they were married. At the very least, her claim that she had been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit was surely met with a fair amount of disbelief. “Yeah, right”, would seem to be the prevalent attitude, if the people of first century were anything like us in the 21st.
John Bell, the leader of the retreat I attended in September, mentioned offhand that there are over 50 Psalms that lament malicious gossip. There are passages that speak against it throughout the New Testament, and it should be noted that in our scorekeeping world, there are more passages against gossip than against homosexuality, or divorce, or abortion, or any other culturally current hot button issue.
By far the biggest problem with gossip is its flexible definition. First and foremost: Spreading false or dubious information about a person isn't gossip. It's slander. Gossip is ethically ambiguous, where slander is not.
True, we might think we're gossiping when the object of our discussion would say we're slandering. And that's why gossip is intimate, why it's best done with only those closest to you. Gossip is one of those activities in which if you have to state the rules, you don't want to be doing it with that person in the first place.
-Laurie Winer “Is Gossip Good”? on Beliefnet.com
I will admit that sometimes passing along a story is irresistible, or unavoidable. And sometimes, things need to be spoken about in criminal matters such as embezzlement or abuse. It is also vital that those who believe that a friend may be in danger because of depression, addiction, or abuse speak about it.
But let’s not kid ourselves—most of what we pass on isn’t of that magnitude. What is true is that supposing or guessing about someone’s private life, especially when they have suffered a life-changing event, is damaging and hurtful. When it isn’t true, but is pure conjecture, it is even worse.
A nineteenth-century folktale tells about a man who went about town slandering the town's wise man. One day, he went to the wise man's home and asked for forgiveness. The wise man, realizing that this man had not internalized the gravity of his transgressions, told him that he would forgive him on one condition: that he go home, take a feather pillow from his house, cut it up, and scatter the feathers to the wind. After he had done so, he should then return to the wise man's house Go now and gather up all the feathers."
"But that's impossible. The wind has already scattered them."
"Precisely," he answered. "And though you may truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by your words as it is to recover the feathers. Your words are out there in the marketplace, spreading hate, even as we speak."
-By Lori Palatnik with Bob Burg, from “Speak No Evil: Why Gossip is Bad for your Soul”, on Beliefnet.com
There is a reason why gossip is more important to the writers of Scripture than any of our culturally current hot-button issues. That’s because unlike them, we all participate in it, and it is a temptation for us all. That’s why I think it is the biggest sin in the church.
I admit that it can be difficult to discern when the need to speak of someone else is appropriate, or when it isn’t. But I think it is OK to say that if you don’t have the facts, or haven’t talked to the person themselves about something they have said, then it isn’t OK to pass it on. Another guideline would be to discern how much enjoyment you are getting out of telling someone. Be true to yourself, and really search your heart. Do you enjoy someone else’s pain or trouble, and tell the story because you want others to enjoy it, too? That’s gossip, and it probably is slander as well.
As we go into Advent, the time when we anticipate the birth of Christ, and Epiphany, the time of the Wise men, let us receive the grace of God’s wisdom. An ancient Chinese proverb says:
It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Dia Duit,
Pastor Drew
John Bell, the leader of the retreat I attended in September, mentioned offhand that there are over 50 Psalms that lament malicious gossip. There are passages that speak against it throughout the New Testament, and it should be noted that in our scorekeeping world, there are more passages against gossip than against homosexuality, or divorce, or abortion, or any other culturally current hot button issue.
By far the biggest problem with gossip is its flexible definition. First and foremost: Spreading false or dubious information about a person isn't gossip. It's slander. Gossip is ethically ambiguous, where slander is not.
True, we might think we're gossiping when the object of our discussion would say we're slandering. And that's why gossip is intimate, why it's best done with only those closest to you. Gossip is one of those activities in which if you have to state the rules, you don't want to be doing it with that person in the first place.
-Laurie Winer “Is Gossip Good”? on Beliefnet.com
I will admit that sometimes passing along a story is irresistible, or unavoidable. And sometimes, things need to be spoken about in criminal matters such as embezzlement or abuse. It is also vital that those who believe that a friend may be in danger because of depression, addiction, or abuse speak about it.
But let’s not kid ourselves—most of what we pass on isn’t of that magnitude. What is true is that supposing or guessing about someone’s private life, especially when they have suffered a life-changing event, is damaging and hurtful. When it isn’t true, but is pure conjecture, it is even worse.
A nineteenth-century folktale tells about a man who went about town slandering the town's wise man. One day, he went to the wise man's home and asked for forgiveness. The wise man, realizing that this man had not internalized the gravity of his transgressions, told him that he would forgive him on one condition: that he go home, take a feather pillow from his house, cut it up, and scatter the feathers to the wind. After he had done so, he should then return to the wise man's house Go now and gather up all the feathers."
"But that's impossible. The wind has already scattered them."
"Precisely," he answered. "And though you may truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by your words as it is to recover the feathers. Your words are out there in the marketplace, spreading hate, even as we speak."
-By Lori Palatnik with Bob Burg, from “Speak No Evil: Why Gossip is Bad for your Soul”, on Beliefnet.com
There is a reason why gossip is more important to the writers of Scripture than any of our culturally current hot-button issues. That’s because unlike them, we all participate in it, and it is a temptation for us all. That’s why I think it is the biggest sin in the church.
I admit that it can be difficult to discern when the need to speak of someone else is appropriate, or when it isn’t. But I think it is OK to say that if you don’t have the facts, or haven’t talked to the person themselves about something they have said, then it isn’t OK to pass it on. Another guideline would be to discern how much enjoyment you are getting out of telling someone. Be true to yourself, and really search your heart. Do you enjoy someone else’s pain or trouble, and tell the story because you want others to enjoy it, too? That’s gossip, and it probably is slander as well.
As we go into Advent, the time when we anticipate the birth of Christ, and Epiphany, the time of the Wise men, let us receive the grace of God’s wisdom. An ancient Chinese proverb says:
It is better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Dia Duit,
Pastor Drew
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