While I'm still near a working computer I thought I'd passing along some interesting reads:

The New York Times ran a new profile of Howard Dean in their Sunday edition.

Jim Wallis has an op-ed piece on faith and politics in that same edition.

A paper in Kentucky ran an article this week on the Clergy Leadership Network.

Some blog news: I started this little project just two months ago. This week chuckcurrie.blogs.com hit the 5000+ mark in vistors. Not bad. Our homepage at www.chuckandliz.com made the same milestone about a month ago.

Frances Bright, my grandmother, died on Sunday. Liz and I both returned last night to St. Louis and will drive later this morning to South Carolina. My grandmother was a great woman that I will miss until the end of my time. The State, Colimbia's daily newspaper, carried her obit today.

COLUMBIA - Services for Frances Crout Bright, 85, will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Shandon Baptist Church with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church building fund. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. Mrs. Bright died Sunday, December 28, 2003. Born in Columbia, she was the daughter of the late Huey Crout and Velma Oxner Crout Manley. She was a former library clerk at Columbia and A.C. Flora High School and a former treasurer/bookkeeper with Bright Animal Clinic.

Mrs. Bright was a member of Shandon Baptist Church, "We Care" Sunday School Class and Columbia College Alumni Club.

Surviving are her husband of 65 years, C. O. "Rock" Bright Sr.; son and daughter-in-law, Dr. C.O. Bright Jr. and Ruth A. Bright of Columbia; daughter and son-in-law, Judith Frances Bright and John C. Thomas of Cathlamet, Wash.; brother and sister-in-law, Harold Earl and Jean Crout of Columbia; grandchildren, Tonya Gramann, Debra Huss, Charles Currie Jr., Jennifer Bertrand and Heather Medders; and great-grandchildren, Hannah Gramann, Dylan Medders, Devin Medders and Ian Rock Bertrand.

I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures to post right now. My computer crashed and my access is limited.

We did enjoy our stay in Portland. My sermon seemed to go well at Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ. I was happy to see Gretchen Kafoury, Mollie Copeland, Christian Paul, The Rev. Dr. Arvin and Sue Luchs, The Rev. Dana Brown, The Rev. Dr. Pat Ross, The Rev. Gene Ross, Jon Ross, Larisa Zimmerman and many other people. I also made a quick drop-by during the coffee hour at First United Methodist Church and was happy to see so many people there.

We're still here in Portland. The flu faced by my family is still impacting our short vacation plans. My mother also had to leave for South Carolina where my grandmother's condition continues to worsen. I've cut short my time here in Portland and will return to St. Louis on Sunday after church and then head for South Carolina after that. My computer has also crashed and the seminary's e-mail server seems to be down so I cannot check e-mail. I'm starting to look forward to the New Year so this month can be over with.

Liz and I both arrived in Portland for our Christmas. Things have been cut short by the flu hitting both my sister's households. But we're happy to be in town. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Today is Christmas Eve. There are only hours left for trips to the mall. Services have already begun across the globe. Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus. But what is it we celebrate? What I celebrate is the birth of a child of God who comes to Earth to proclaim the Kingdom of Peace to a world – much as our own today – that is filled with war and poverty. There is still hope alive in that message and so I celebrate the birth of the messenger and give thanks to God.

Jesus called on us to radically transform the world. In Luke 6:24-26 Jesus is said to speak these words:

Woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.

Oregon State University professor and Biblical historian Marcus Borg recently commented on this passage:

The contrast between those who are rich and full and those who are poor and hungry underlines that Jesus is talking about material wealth and material poverty.

Why does Jesus indict the rich? To understand, we need to ask who the rich were in that society. They were not simply people who had worked hard and acquired a comfortable standard of living. Rather, the rich were the economic and political elites of the day. They were the wealthiest 1-2% of the population as well as the ruling class. The rich were the power elites at the top of a domination system. Into the hands of the wealthiest 1-2% flowed somewhere between half and two-thirds of the annual production of wealth of the society. How did that happen? The answer is simple: The people on top structured the economic system (taxation, debt and foreclosure, acquisition of land, and so forth) so that the system worked in their own narrow self-interest. Elites in every society have been very good at doing that.

Thus, in the world of Jesus, the poor were poor because the rich were rich. In a very direct way, the rich--the power elites at the top of an economically exploitative and politically oppressive domination system--were responsible for the destitution of the poor.

The issue is therefore politics and economics, not individual ethics. Jesus did not indict the rich because they lacked virtue as individuals; elites can be very fine people. Nor is the issue charity, as if the rich should simply have been more generous in sharing their bounty. The issue is neither individual virtue nor charity, but social justice. The issue is the domination system itself.

Thus, for Luke, Jesus is the Spirit-anointed prophet who announces the Kingdom of God as good news for the poor. If God were king and the domination systems of this world were not, the poor would be blessed and the hungry fed.

Few services on the globe will promote this vision of Jesus tonight. Maybe it is fair that on this day we should celebrate the blessings that we have and set-aside for a moment our concerns and fears. The problem, however, is that the message of Jesus the Radical Reformer who asks for justice has been replaced in contemporary Christianity with a more passive image of a Jesus who has somehow been manipulated into an advocate for the status quo - or even for a conservative political ideology that ignores the poor. In many churches parishioners will even be told that following Jesus will bring wealth and comfort.

Wealth is meaningless when the majority of the world suffers in someway from how that wealth is created and hoarded.

So tonight and tomorrow let us give thanks for Jesus the Reformer, the son of God.

Salon.com has a new interview just published on their site with The Rev. Albert Pennybacker. Pennybacker is the driving force in the new Clergy Leadership Network. We've talked several times recently on the phone and via e-mail and I've agreed to help organize seminary students to become involved with the mission of the CLN. Pennybacker responded this way when asked if his efforts might blur the line between church and state:

I think the religious heritage has always affirmed a prophetic role for religious leaders and so I make no apologies about that. It's calling people to action, and it's calling around basic religious values. As long as we've got free speech, free press and free religious institutions, then we're going to make it. And one of the problems under this administration, in the Justice Department, for instance, is that it is infringing on those freedoms, infringing on human rights. There's a big decision here for America (in the next election).

I encourage my friends and readers of this blog to become members of the CLN. The work this group is doing is very important and the religious progressive community needs to step up and help.

I've been wondering for weeks if I could get away with posting something about the "Babes Against Bush" website. There is something not, well, very politically correct about nearly naked women campaigning against the President. And I’m sure there must be some sort of rule out there against seminarians promoting semi-porn. I’m making an exception in this case. The cause is just too important. Check out this site. Though I should confess my new found courage in posting this is in direct response to a similar post at The Heretic's Corner. Somehow having a woman post this first made me feel a little safer. Thanks, Karen.

What's for dinner?

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman confirmed this afternoon that the first case of mad cow disease in the United States has been found in Washington State.

But Secretary Veneman wants you to know that she is serving beef at her Christmas dinner and you should feel safe to do so as well. Now why would she say that? Don't most people have turkey on Christmas?

Maybe she said that because her last job before President Bush called on her to run the Agriculture Department was as a lobbyist for the cattle industry.

Feeling safer now about eating beef? I'm sticking with turkey again this year.

I'm sure someone will e-mail me in anger for posting this, but it's so funny.

The Onion has a story on their web site concerning Jesus' upcoming 2003rd birthday.

JERUSALEM—Jesus Christ, son of God and savior of humanity, confided Monday that He is not looking forward to His 2003rd birthday, saying that He is "really dreading turning the big two-oh-oh-three."

"They keep telling me I don't look a day over 33, but you know how they are—especially Peter," Christ said meekly. "He'll be calling me an old fogy three times before the cock crows tomorrow morning. I just know it."

Even members of Christ's family have been giving Him a hard time about His age.

"Dad's been ribbing Me pretty good," said Christ, sipping Holy Water from an "Old Fart" mug recently given to Him by St. Michael. "He gives Me all kinds of grief, telling Me stuff like, 'At the rate you're going, people aren't going to know if you're the son of God or the brother.'"

You can always count on The Onion giving you something good to laugh at.

Well, not really.

A few days back I posted a note that the American Family Association, a conservative "religious" political group, was asking readers of their web site to vote in an on-line poll concerning gay marriage. They promised to send the results to members of Congress and assumed their readers would all vote to oppose gay marriage. So what are the results to date?

* I oppose legalization of homosexual marriage and "civil unions": 34.17% (185922 votes)

* I favor legalization of homosexual marriage: 57.57% (313243 votes)

* I favor a "civil union" with the full benefits of marriage except for the name: 8.25% (44905 votes)

Does the mean the American Family Association is now on record in favor of gay marriage? Will they still send the results to Congress?

My stand is that the government has no right to tell a church if they can or cannot marry people of the same sex. It ought to be left up to us to decide. If Catholics, for example, don't like the idea that is their right. I, on the other hand, will perform gay marriages as a minister in the United Church of Christ. That is our right. But government should extend full legal benefits to same sex couples - just as government does for men and women who marry. Liz and I do not deserve special rights just because we are male and female.

There is still time to vote in the poll.

While much of the world is celebrating the holiday season, Sojourners and Jewish Voice for Peace ask you to take a moment to respond to injustice in the holy land.

In Bethlehem, and throughout the West Bank and Gaza, Israel has used Caterpillar bulldozers to raze the homes of nearly 13,000 Palestinians. The U.S. government buys Caterpillar bulldozers and sends them to Israel as part of its annual foreign military assistance package. These sales are governed by laws which limit the use of such aid to "internal security" and "legitimate self-defense" and prohibit its use against civilians. There is reason to believe that Israel's use of Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish homes violates these laws, going beyond legitimate self-defense by collectively punishing civilians for the actions of individual terrorists.

* In April 2002, Caterpillar equipment demolished an entire neighborhood in the Jenin refugee camp.

* In March 2003, American peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by a Caterpillar bulldozer as she nonviolently tried to prevent it from destroying a Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip.

* Caterpillar equipment has also been used to destroy Palestinian property in the path of a separation wall that will confiscate as much as 40% of the West Bank, separating Palestinians from their farmlands and isolating whole villages.

In this busy time of year, we urge you to take a moment to contact your congressperson and Senators, and speak out against this injustice.

Take action by clicking here.

“Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10b-12, NRSV)

Among the many striking aspects of the Christmas story is that God chose to be revealed as a baby. Over the centuries, Christian teachers and thinkers have engaged the idea of the power of God as revealed in the vulnerability of a newborn. The fullness of the divine is revealed in the utter poverty of a child who experiences his first moments of human life in the humility of an animal shelter.

Consider what that meant for the others in the stable. What love and nurturing would be required of Mary and Joseph to ensure that this infant grows to adulthood? What wisdom and humility would be needed by the kings to perceive this baby’s destiny? What faith and courage would be asked of the shepherds to accept this child as their Savior? What awe and praise would be required of the angels to proclaim peace at what could only be a moment of bewilderment?

What does this story mean for us as we celebrate Christmas in 2003? As members of Christ’s one Church, as inheritors of the call to bear the message of the Word of God in the world, what is required of us?

This Christmas more than 12 million U.S. children live in poverty. Every 60 seconds another child is born into poverty in our nation. Globally, the number of hungry children and families is on the rise, undermining progress against hunger made in the early 1990s. Have we done enough to nurture our young people?

This year we have seen the environment threatened by an over reliance on dirty fossil fuel and neglect of clean, renewable energy sources. What does this say about how we perceive our stewardship of the gift of the earth that we return to God as creator of all?

This year we have seen an increase in violent rhetoric by some religious leaders toward those of other faiths. What does this say about the way we live out our faith in the name of the Savior born in a manger?

This year we have seen war and all manner of violence undertaken in the name of self-styled definitions of goodness. Have we done enough to proclaim the Gospel of the Prince of Peace?

Christmas is the Season of good will. May we turn our joyous year-end sentiments into acts of good will that truly demonstrate the love, humility, and peace of the Christ who lives in our hearts.

The National Council of Churches will gather people of faith in Columbia, S.C., January 30-31 to mobilize to overcome poverty and participate with other bodies in a Center for Community Change-sponsored forum designed to challenge presidential candidates to place issues of poverty and economic injustice high on their campaign agendas. This will be a unique opportunity to help bring issues of poverty and economic injustice to the public debate. Read More.

This has been a week filled with ups and downs for me. The good news is that the “up” part of the week was nothing short of spectacular.

The down side is the battle I face with a chronic condition similar to rheumatoid arthritis knocked me down for a few days and has slowed my work considerably. Right now though I’m feeling a good bit better and ready to get back on the horse and do what needs to get done.

This weekend I had to make a short trip back to Columbia, South Carolina to visit my grandmother, who is in failing health, and grandfather. Prayers and good thoughts for them both are appreciated.

Those were the two down parts of my week.

Now for the spectacular part: Liz and I found out that we are pregnant a few weeks ago. Now we know we’re having twins. If all goes well the little ones should be ready to make their first public appearance around the end of July. Nothing could be better than that!

We're both back in Portland on Christmas Day. This coming Sunday I'll be preaching at Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ, downtown on the corner of SW Park and Madison, at 10:25 am. Come if you like!

Now that we're at Orange Alert I have one question: Why?

We have spent all this time and money fighting Iraq and nearly forgetting about al Qaeda. Does this mean we aren't winning the war on terrorism? Does this mean that George W. Bush failied in his number one objective?

Or is the administration simply trying to scare people in supporting the President's policies?

I pray for everyone that this is all just move overblown hype from the White House. If not, we all know who failed the country.

The American Family Association, a conservative organization, is doing a poll on gay marriage and sending the results to Congress. Clearly they expect overwhelmingly anti gay marriage results.

We can vote and make it less overwhelming. Right now the pro-gay vote is winning. Here's the link. Pass this on to others if you'd like.

http://www.afa.net/petitions/marriagepoll.asp

The US Conference of Mayors has released their annual report on hunger and homelessness. The findings: hunger and homelessness is growing in America. From the AP:

Hunger and homelessness increased in many of America's largest cities this year, with growing demand for emergency food supplies for families with children, the elderly and even people with jobs, a survey by U.S. mayors finds.

The report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, released Thursday, found that requests for emergency food assistance rose 17 percent overall from last year in the survey of 25 large cities. Requests for emergency shelter assistance increased by 13 percent, the report showed.

You can read the press release and download the report here. For more information on homelessness visit the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Paul Nickell is offering his own take on the capture of Saddam. Click here to see. Very funny.

A couple days ago I commented on President Bush’s denials that anyone in his administration knew terrorists might use commercial airplanes as weapons in an attack on U.S. soil. It turns out that it isn’t just me (or Howard Dean) making those assertions.

CBS News is reporting that former Republican New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, appointed by President Bush to chair the federal bi-partisan commission investigating 9/11, is saying that information was available to the President and the attacks could have been prevented.

"This is a very, very important part of history and we've got to tell it right," said Thomas Kean.

"As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done," he said. "This was not something that had to happen."

"There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said.

No one is suggesting that President Bush ignored warnings about terrorism for political reasons and simply allowed the attacks to occur. What is becoming clear, however, is that the Bush Administration failed to understand the threat that terrorism posed in 2001. That failure may have allowed the attacks to proceed.

This week the National Council of Churches released a statement concerning the capture of Saddam Hussein. It follows here:

December 15, 2003, NEW YORK CITY -- The National Council of Churches USA welcomes the news that Saddam Hussein has been captured by U.S. forces in Iraq. As demonstrated by the displays of celebration in the streets of Baghdad, the arrest of this dictator should bring to an end the fear that has gripped Iraqis throughout his long reign, a fear that has lingered throughout these last several months of U.S. occupation. It is our hope now for the Iraqi people that freedom will flourish in their country.

As the next days and weeks unfold, we remind the U.S. government that the world will be watching to see how we treat our adversaries after they are in our custody. This presents a teachable moment in western ideals and democracy. We therefore urge the US government not to give in to the temptation of vengeance or expediency, but to facilitate the prosecution of Hussein in a manner consistent with the highest accepted international standards of justice.

As for the court process itself, no trial is possible based on evidence to date of weapons of mass destruction, or of a link between Hussein and the terrorism of 9/11 – two reasons many Americans believe we went to war in the first place. Prosecution should instead focus on the abundant evidence of heinous crimes he committed against his own people. For this, the Iraqis themselves must play a prominent role in what should be a public trial.

News networks have been running those "man on the street" interviews and asking what should happen to Saddam. Most of the time the people responding understandably offer lists of how he could be killed. As Christians, we know better. More killing will only bring more killing. Executing Saddam – the President’s preferred option – would not bring real or lasting justice. Saddam deserves real justice in which he is forced to confront his victims. Sadly, Saddam is nearly a US-made dictator. Those facts need to come out in any legal process as well. Justice needs to be spread around on this one.

The Oregonian ran a column this morning by S. Renee Mitchell on Portland’s Drug Free Zones. The zones, first enacted by the city in 1991, allow the police to arrest people for drug use and ban them from certain neighbors before the accused ever get their day in court. For the most part the law is used to move people who are homeless (mostly Hispanic and African-American) from business districts. Mitchell thinks these constitutionally-challenged zones are a great idea:

The problem with the critics of Portland's drug-free zones is that they keep expecting life to be fair. They prefer that the police serve as nursemaids to the addicts they arrest. Put them into rehab, detractors insist. Help make their lives better. But drug-free zones were never intended for those feel-good purposes. The objective is not to expose lowlives to more productive reasons for living. That was their parents' job. Or that of social workers who still think they can save people from their own self-destruction.

Drug-free zones are for one purpose: Break up gatherings of folks who have a propensity to either sell or use drugs. Keep them out of the area for 90 days and then arrest them if they return.

There are two general problems with Mitchell’s comments. First, it actually makes sense in a democratic society to assume constitutional protections apply to everyone – even the poor, even the drug addicted. Secondly, labeling people suffering from drug addiction as “lowlives” is a mistake. Most of the people who are homeless and addicted also suffer from some form of mental illness. These are people who suffer a terrible disease. From this column I’m wondering again if it is newspaper columnists who more accurately fall into the “lowlife” category.

If you want to read more about why Drug-Free Zones are a bad idea please click here and read the 1997 piece I wrote on the issue.

Madonna, best known these days for locking lips with Brittany Spears, has endorsed General Wesley Clark for president. CNN reports:

"I think he has a good handle on foreign policy, I think he's good with people, and I think he has a heart and a consciousness," pop singer Madonna said. "He's interested in spirituality -- I mean, those things mean a lot to me."

Clark has been busy with issues other than politics. He testified against Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Tribunal at the Hague this week.

The New York Times article this morning on President Bush's re-election plans had this to say about a remark made by Howard Dean concerning September 11th:

During (President Bush's) news conference on Monday, he was asked several questions about politics and the political implications of his policies. In response to one such question, concerning Iraq, he said that "I look forward to the political debate later on" but that "my answer is going to be the same until I'm ready to engage." That answer, he said, is, "Forget politics."

He made an exception, though, when he was asked about remarks by Howard Dean, who is now seen by White House political aides as the most likely Democratic nominee, suggesting that Mr. Bush might have had information beforehand that the country was under threat from the kind of attacks that ultimately occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. In response to that question, the president paused. Then he called Dr. Dean's comments "an absurd insinuation."

What is the truth here? MoveOn.Org reports the facts:

At his press conference yesterday, President Bush was asked about charges that he had received warnings prior to the September 11th attacks that a terrorist incident was imminent. He answered that even asking such a question was "an absurd insinuation."1 It was the same sentiment expressed by Bush's National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who said in May of 2002 that "[no one predicted] that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane."2

The problem for the president and the administration is that the White House has previously admitted that the president had personally received such specific warnings. As ABC News reported in May of 2002, "White House officials acknowledge that U.S. intelligence officials informed President Bush weeks before the September 11th attacks that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network might try to hijack American planes."3 As Condoleezza Rice said at a hastily called press conference to spin these revelations, the President specifically received an "analytic report" on August 6th, 2001 at his Crawford mansion that "talked about Osama bin Laden's methods of operation" and "mentioned hijacking."4 According to Reuters, that report was congruent with "intelligence since 1998 that said followers of bin Laden were planning to strike U.S. targets, hijack U.S. planes."5.

While the administration claims that the president's pre-9/11 warning was actually "not a warning," the threat was specific enough for Attorney General John Ashcroft to stop flying commercial airlines. While no warning was issued for the general public after Bush's personal intelligence warning, Ashcroft was flying exclusively by leased jet instead of commercial airlines because of an official "threat assessment by the FBI."6

Sources:

1. President Bush Holds Press Conference, 12/15/2003.
2. "Report Warned Of Suicide Hijackings", CBS News, 05/17/2002.
3. "Bush Was Warned of Hijackings Before 9/11; Lawmakers Want Public Inquiry", ABC News, 05/16/2002.
4. National Security Advisor Holds Press Briefing, 05/16/2002.
5. Reuters, 7/24/03.
6. "Ashcroft Flying High", CBS News, 07/26/2001.

John Donahue, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, passed away last month. We served together on the board of the National Coalition for the Homeless. During our time on the NCH Board I was able to visit his program in Chicago and he spent time with us in Portland. No one on the NCH board will ever forget John belly-dancing at Portland's Alexis Greek Restaurant during a celebration. People in Chicago called him Juancho, but I always teased him about looking like Scotty from Star Trek. From the Chicago Coalition web site:

Juancho was the CCH executive director since 1990. His intelligence, warmth and energy enabled him to mobilize people to push for change, a guiding force during more than 40 years' work in Chicago and Central America. Under his leadership, the coalition's work has focused on finding ways to prevent and end homelessness, pushing for workable solutions that create more affordable housing and living wage jobs.

The Chicago Sun Times also offered a moving memorial:

John Donahue was many things to many people, but he was nobody's chump. A big man with an outsized heart, this lifelong advocate deployed his keen wit and strategic mind to advance the cause of justice for the poor. For more than 40 years until his sudden death from lung cancer a week ago, Chicago's most effective community organizer labored from Chicago to Central America to wipe out homelessness, poverty and social injustice. He was the son of a Chicago fireman, and his advocacy bridged every ethnic and racial line. He was lovingly nicknamed Juancho, but he spoke the universal language of compassion for those who hang to the short end of life. Once a Roman Catholic priest, he gave up the ministry 24 years ago to marry Icela, who survives him, along with their five children.

Hearing this news is crushing. Chicago has lost a hero and everyone who has worked with him has lost a good friend and mentor. My prayers are with his wife and family.

On December 13, the White House issued a document entitled "2003: A Year of Accomplishment for the American People." The document made various inaccurate and deceptive claims about the Administration's record over the last year. This report by the Center for American Progress seeks to correct those distortions, matching the White House's rhetoric with facts.

Read the report that contains the real truth on 2003.

Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote a piece this week criticizing the new Clergy Leadership Network (CLN). The CLN is the new faith group organized to help bring political change in America on issues like the environment and international military policies. Mohler attacks the CLN as if Karl Rove wrote his script:

Their goal of resurrecting and reinvigorating liberal Protestantism and an ecumenical phalanx of religious progressives will be an uphill battle all the way. They are still living in the sixties, looking for the next sit-in and reciting the old liberal creeds.

Liberals are all pro-gay and pro-abortion, Mohler writes. He nearly comes apart when discussing the religious diversity embodied in the CLN. Mohler charges that the Baptists, Disciples and Congregationalists involved don’t really believe in the Bible. He writes with distain about the involvement of former staff members of the World Council of Churches and National Council of Churches (which he believes are left-wing groups). No one who disagrees with his politics is a real Christian.

The truth is that Mohler is just another powerful Republican Party operative in the tradition of Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson. He makes this claim at the conclusion of his long attack on the CLN:

The Clergy Leadership Network will be interesting to watch--but nothing to fear.

Actually, Mohler must be afraid to spend so much time attacking. Maybe he is afraid that the American public will be exposed to a more progressive view of what Christian faith is. The energy Mohler seems to be expending worrying about the Clergy Leadership Network makes me think something really good is going on.

Saddam Hussein has been captured by US Forces. Finally, some good news. For all the problems in Iraq no one should forget that Saddam is a man who gassed his own people and killed thousands for political reasons. He should be brought before an international court for justice.

I found this song from Blah3.com on Pro-War.com. Go download it right now. Very funny.

This week has been busy for us both. I’ve been working through final exams and final papers as the semester ends (thankfully!). Liz has been just as frantic at work. So we were very happy this morning to wake up to a snowy Saturday here in St. Louis. There are now about 3-4 inches on the ground. We decided to take a break from more schoolwork and house cleaning for a walk around the block to enjoy the sites. We took the above photo ourselves.

Critics have claimed since the start of the Bush Administration that his faith-based initiative – a program to help religious groups receive federal funding to support social service programs – blurs the line between church and state. Under Bush’s plan federal dollars could be used to help build religious facilities and faith-based agencies receiving federal money would be exempt for some federal civil rights laws. That means they could discriminate in hiring practices against gays and women, for example, if it went against their religious practices to hire such groups. Many religious groups oppose the Bush plan (including the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society and the United Church of Christ).

Yesterday an editorial in the Atlanta Journal Constitution raised new questions about the proposal. Last week the head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives was asked if every religious group would be eligible to receive federal funding – even pagans. His response:

"I haven't run into a pagan faith-based group yet, much less a pagan group that cares for the poor!"

The editorial points out that there are actually pagan groups involved in social service efforts. More important though, the paper makes important observations that need to be taken into account in this debate:

Towey's remark underscores the problems inherent in the president's program and a similar plan being pushed in Georgia by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Both men have said government agencies discriminate against civic-minded religious groups, but there's little evidence to support that claim.

Overall, faith-based groups sponsor more than two-thirds of the nation's federally funded elderly housing projects. Christian-centered organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity and Lutheran Services of America, for years have done exemplary work and received sizable government funding.

The arrangement works because of the explicit understanding that these groups will stick to their respective missions without proselytizing their clients.

Given those historical precedents, it's unclear what the president and governor's faith-based initiatives hope to accomplish except, perhaps, to extend the influence of a specific religious creed in the public square.

While that may seem like a worthwhile goal to some, it would aggravate religious discrimination rather than minimizing it. The natural tendency would be to ostracize groups such as the Wiccans, about which Towey admittedly knows very little.

Government bureaucrats would, in effect, become bishops -- endorsing some religions while penalizing others.

That's exactly what the First Amendment was intended to prohibit. It also underscores why the constitutional wall erected by the Founding Fathers more than 200 years ago to separate church and state must remain intact.

Advocates today announced the formation of the National Policy & Advocacy Council on Homelessness (NPACH). NPACH is dedicated to ending homelessness through grassroots advocacy driven by the experiences, insights, and data of local communities, and through inclusive partnerships with anti-poverty organizations.

The need for a new national anti-homelessness policy and advocacy organization arose when financial difficulties forced the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) to lay off its entire policy staff. In order to carry on their critical policy work, including work on legislative initiatives such as the Bringing America Home Act (BAHA) and the National Housing Trust Fund, former NCH policy staff were joined by other advocates in the formation of NPACH. “Now, more than ever, strong policy advocacy is needed to end homelessness,” said NPACH Executive Director Brad Paul. “We believe that effective national anti-homelessness advocacy must be driven by the experiences, insights, and knowledge of local communities, including all voices within those communities. All sectors of anti-poverty work must be represented.” NPACH collaborators include representatives of state and local homeless coalitions, the labor movement, international bodies, education associations, academics, members of the business and entertainment community, and professional sports figures.

"Homeless and destitute families have few true champions in Congress right now. Were it not for the tireless work of homeless providers and advocates, and their indomitable spirit, important legislation such as the Bringing America Home Act and the National Housing Trust Fund would never see the light of day," Congresswoman Julia Carson (IN-7) said to an NPACH working group. Congresswoman Carson is the author of the Bringing America Home Act, a comprehensive bill aimed at ending homelessness in the United States. "I am encouraged that NPACH is joining with other homeless advocacy groups to work for the passage of the Bringing America Home Act."

NPACH activities will include:

· Educating the public and policymakers on the causes and consequences of homelessness, thus creating the political will necessary to end homelessness
· Creating and advocating for appropriate federal policies in collaboration with local communities, thus ensuring that those policies reflect the reality of local communities and meet their needs
· Connecting community-based organizations, schools, and work places to national anti-homelessness policy through advocacy and public education initiatives

NPACH will also work to address concerns about the current direction of federal homelessness policy. Despite its inextricable connection to core economic indicators, homelessness has been treated as an insular policy area, separated from the poverty and housing crisis that underlie it. The perpetuation of homelessness as a phenomenon that is distinct and somehow “different” from poverty has contributed to the marginalization of the issue among the public and policymakers, and thus distanced it from the very constituencies with the power to end it. For these reasons, NPACH will incorporate all sectors of anti-poverty work, including housing, labor, health, education, immigration, civil rights, domestic violence, disability, gender equity, child welfare, and faith-based initiatives.

For more information: (202) 714-0153
http://www.homelessnesscouncil.org, or [email protected]

Ralph Nader is exploring another run for President and raising money to support his potential campaign. Nader ran in 2000 claiming there was no difference between Al Gore and George W. Bush. No politician has ever been more wrong. That doesn’t seem to matter to Nader who seems more concerned with feeding his own ego than America’s future. His last run was one of several reasons Bush won the election. Running again would nearly be the same as endorsing Bush in 2004. The White House must be thrilled.

Today Human Rights Watch issued a new report on Iraqi civilian deaths.

Hundreds of civilian deaths in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq could have been prevented by abandoning two misguided military tactics, Human Rights Watch said in a comprehensive new report released today.

The use of cluster munitions in populated areas caused more civilian casualties than any other factor in the coalition´s conduct of major military operations in March and April, Human Rights Watch said. U.S. and British forces used almost 13,000 cluster munitions, containing nearly 2 million submunitions, that killed or wounded more than 1,000 civilians.

Meanwhile, 50 strikes on top Iraqi leaders failed to kill any of the intended targets, but instead killed dozens of civilians, the Human Rights Watch report revealed. The U.S. “decapitation” strategy relied on intercepts of senior Iraqi leaders´ satellite phone calls along with corroborating intelligence that proved inadequate. As a result, the U.S. military could only locate targets within a 100-meter radius – clearly inadequate precision in civilian neighborhoods.

ABC News has more on this story.

SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS GORE’S ENDORSEMENT OF DEAN

Transfers Nod to Bush in 5-4 Decision

Just moments after former Vice President Al Gore endorsed former Vermont Governor Howard Dean for President in Harlem yesterday, the Supreme Court overturned his endorsement by a 5-4 margin.

The Court, finding the former Vice President's endorsement of Mr. Dean unconstitutional, transferred his endorsement to President George W. Bush instead.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice William Rehnquist said, "There's really no explanation necessary – we're the Supreme Court, and if you don't like it, you can stick it where the moon don't shine."

While some Democrats howled that the Court was inappropriately politicizing itself with its controversial decision, Mr. Gore accepted the ruling, saying, "After four minutes of partisan wrangling over this matter, it is time for us to move on."

Read the full (funny) story from Borowitz Report.com.

December 10th is International Human Rights Day.

In Iraq, the US may have celebrated by stopping the count of Iraqi dead civilians. The Associated Press is reporting:

Iraqi Health Ministry officials ordered a halt to a count of civilian casualties from the war and told workers not to release figures already compiled, the head of the ministry's statistics department told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Dr. Nagham Mohsen, the head of the ministry's statistics department, said the order came from the ministry's director of planning, Dr. Nazar Shabandar, who told her it was on behalf of Abbas. She said the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, which oversees the ministry, didn't like the idea of the count either.

The US-led forces occupying Iraq refused to comment for the AP report. It is the policy of the United States not to count civilians they kill in combat operations. No one thinks the US forces target civilians, but clearly civilians have been killed in large numbers in Iraq. Their lives deserve to be accounted for.

In the meantime, the US did admit today that another six children were killed by American forces in Afghanistan. Nine children were killed last week.

Are you looking for some good agencies to support this Christmas season?

Two of our favorites are the Goose Hollow Family Shelter at Portland’s First United Methodist Church and Children First for Oregon.

On a national level there is the National Coalition for the Homeless or the United Church of Christ National Disaster Ministries.

Eden Theological Seminary is also a great place to make gifts.

These are all good programs that could use your support.

Former United States Senator Paul Simon died today.

Simon was a presidential candidate in 1988. That year I had the great pleasure to meet the Senator at a small party in Portland. He was born in Eugene, Oregon. He was a bow-tie wearing liberal who represented Illinois in the Senate and reminded many of Harry Truman. Simon was a tireless fighter for labor and other progressive causes.

Just this week Senator Simon endorsed Howard Dean for President. He made the endorsement from his hospital bed before undergoing surgery.

(Rev. John and Pat Schwiebert)

The United Methodist News Service recently ran an article on the Metanoia Peace Community, a small United Methodist Congregation in Portland, Oregon. This is a church in the fullest sense. Members live and worship on site as part of a community of faith. Rev. John and Pat Schwiebert led the ministry. They are both active in anti-poverty and anti-war efforts.

Members are committed to attending church every Sunday, and about 20 people – members and others – meet for the daily services. The members participate in a covenant discipleship group, and they are expected to tithe, or give 10 percent of their earnings to the church. "That’s your earnest money on a life that’s committed to Christ," John says.

Metanoia also provides hospice, a ministry to which Pat feels called as a registered nurse.

"We’ve had 31 people who have died here at the Peace House with us that we’ve offered hospice to," she says. "We have a large house, and because we live in community, there are other people who can support each other as we do hospice. We didn’t plan to do hospice. It just turned out that somebody needed it, and we said yes."

Over the years I’ve been to several events at Metanoia and worked with both John and Pat on homeless issues. Metanoia is a shinning example of what a faithful Christian community can be.

Read their story.

In Harlem this morning, Vice President Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean for President. A full transcript and statement will be available soon; here are a few quotes for those who missed the TV or radio broadcast.

Excerpts from Al Gore's remarks:

"Howard Dean really is the only candidate who has been able to inspire at the grassroots level all over this country the kind of passion and enthusiasm [we need]

"I'm very proud and honored to endorse Howard Dean to be the next President of the United States of America.

"Democracy is a team sport. I want to do everything in my power to convince you to get behind Howard Dean... All of us need to get behind the strongest candidate.

"This nation cannot afford four more years of a Bush-Cheney administration.

"I've spent a long time thinking about national security and national defense... [Dean] was the only major candidate who made the correct judgement on the Iraq war. That judgement, that basic common sense, is what you want in this country....

"I'm asking all of you to join in this grassroots movement to elect Howard Dean president of the United States."

Here's some big breaking political news....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore will endorse Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean on Tuesday, sources familiar with the decision said, reinforcing the former Vermont governor's commanding position in the 2004 race.

Read the full story.

I’d vote for Green Party candidate Matt Gonzalez for Mayor in the run-off election that will be held tomorrow. This is the first time I’ve ever expressed support for a Green Party member before. But Gonzalez is a proven elected official running against a Democrat who has built a platform of cutting services to people who are homeless. Gonzalez has better ideas and would make a better Mayor. Who are you backing?

The same Catholic Bishop who last week sent letters to legislators telling them not to participate in the sacraments unless they changed their votes on gay rights and abortion told a Catholic charity this week not to participate in a local AIDS march that raises funds for AIDS-related relief efforts. His objection: two of the groups involved, he claims, “promote homosexual activity,” says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"What is of graver scandal, they both promote homosexuality among young people," Bishop Raymond L. Burke wrote.

"By participating in AIDS Walk Wisconsin, the Central Wisconsin HIV/AIDS Ministry would be cooperating materially with groups that act against the moral law."

The Bishop objects to groups that provide important HIV / AIDS related services to gay and lesbian youth. Good for them. Those services are needed. When I worked at Portland’s Outside In there were numerous homeless kids who were either HIV positive or living with AIDS. Some died. About 30% of homeless kids are gay or lesbian. Their parents often kick them out of the house once their sexual orientation is discovered.

The United Church of Christ offers some resources on their web site on sex education that are helpful. I’m sure the Bishop would object. But I lift them up.

Yesterday I wrote how surprised I was that Fuller Theological Seminary, a conservative evangelical school, was sponsoring a new interfaith dialog program with Muslims. What I didn’t do was fully explain why that would surprise me. Evangelical Christians, particularly those aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention, have made some of the most mean spirited and hated-filled comments against our Muslim brothers and sisters since September 11th. Here are some examples from last year as reported by the Episcopal News Service:

The Baptists were holding their national meeting in St. Louis June 7-12 when the former president of the SBC told a conference of pastors that "Islam is not just as good as Christianity."

The Rev. Jerry Vines, now a pastor in Jacksonville, Florida, went on to call Mohammed "a demon-possessed pedophile" in reference to the fact that the prophet's 12th wife was nine years old when they were betrothed. He also said that Allah was not Jehovah, linking Allah to terrorists. Vines blamed religious pluralism for the country's woes.

The remarks were defended the next day by the Rev. Jack Graham, the newly elected president of the SBC.

Other evangelicals have been just critical of Islam. Franklin Graham, the son of Bill Graham, is the head of Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical relief agency. Franklin Graham offered the prayer at George W. Bush’s inauguration. Since US troops entered Iraq his group, alongside Southern Baptists, has been active in Iraq trying to convert Muslims. This is what he had to say about Islam after 9/11.

On Sept. 17, Bush called Islam "a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world." But on Friday's "NBC Nightly News," Graham said: "We're not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked religion."

These comments – and these are only a few examples – are what makes me surprised that Fuller Theological Seminary is undertaking such a good venture. I hope they are very successful in bringing evangelical Christians and Muslims together in a spirit of peace. The Southern Baptists and people like Franklin Graham might learn something from this. Maybe we all can.

By Konrad Raiser, President of the World Council of Churches

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace." This is the song the angels sing in the story of Jesus' birth in Luke's Gospel, and for the past 2,000 years, people have been inspired by this hymn of glory and peace. God takes on human form and puts an end to the conflict that is at the root of all conflicts: the conflict between God and humanity. When people give God the glory, then everything that leads to human conflict loses its justification. This is particularly the case in those places where conflicts are legitimized on religious grounds.

"Peace on Earth" is not a mere wish but a commitment. Through the birth of Jesus, peace has been given to us. From then onwards, God’s peace towards all people has been reaffirmed. It is God's gift to us. The peace of God is more than a written declaration, an agreement or a programme. It does not aim at tranquility, harmony or the absence of conflict and fighting. The Bible has a global conception of peace which is about life in right relationships, the well-being of all, not only human beings but also the whole of creation. Peace reigns when – according to the will of God – all have enough of the basic necessities of life.

The Gospel invites us to live this way. It is a message that needs to be retold, particularly at the end of a year which has been so marked by war and violence. When Christians and churches support peace and justice as they did in their unanimous protest against the war in Iraq, then they are strengthening God's covenant of peace with humanity. The ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence – launched by the World Council of Churches in 2001 – has been taken up, supported and further developed by many churches and groups. The Decade aims to strengthen individual Christians and churches in their work for a just and peaceful world and to demonstrate ways of non-violent and peaceful conflict resolution.

An important part of the commitment to ensure that the message of peace and justice in life reaches one and all is the adequate response of the churches to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. More than 8,000 people a day die of this preventable and controllable disease. This is much more than the number of deaths due to all the conflicts around the world put together. If churches remain silent or ignore this reality, we will be guilty of causing the suffering and death of people whose lives could have been saved. The peaceful message of life in right relationship with God is a call to struggle against the stigmatisation and discrimination of people who live with HIV and AIDS. It is an urgent call to mobilise all our energies to promote education and prevention work and ensure the availability of treatment for all. Above all, the message of peace calls us to show care, concern and respect for each other in our human relationships.

In both overcoming violence and responding to the threat of HIV and AIDS, it is a case of trying to make visible in different areas of life the covenant of peace that God has made with humanity: in relationships between the sexes; in families, which are so often places of violence; in politics, which is marked by the desire for power and rule over others; and in an economic system which wages war on the poor and disadvantaged. The Christmas message of "peace on earth" is about overcoming hopelessness and resignation and giving people courage to take both small steps and long strides forward. It invites all people to be become peace-makers and, by so doing, to become children of God (Matt 5.9) who join in the angels' hymn of praise to God's glory.

Konrad Raiser, pastor, professor and theologian, member of the Evangelical Church of Germany, concludes an 11-year mandate as general secretary of the World Council of Churches at the end of December 2003.

Nine Afghani children were killed by US troops today. This was a mistake, of course.

"We regret the loss of any innocent life and we follow stringent rules of engagement to specifically avoid this type of incident while continuing to target terrorists who threaten the future of Afghanistan," said an American military spokesman.

The problem is this: you cannot wage war today without inflicting civilian casualties. In the American campaign to seek revenge over 9/11 substantially more Afghani and Iraqi civilians have been killed than all those killed here in the states. And the Iraqis didn’t even have anything to do with 9/11.

But the President says the “war on terror” is necessary to keep Americans safe. When will be know Americans are finally safe from terrorism? My guess is we'll never be safe until we do more than bomb other countries and instead offer foreign and economic policies with a concern for human rights as the guiding point.

Americans killed nine children today. Just a mistake.

California’s Fuller Theological Seminary is known as a pretty conservative school. That’s why I was surprised to read this morning about their new outreach project to American Muslims. The LA Times reports:

One of the nation's leading evangelical Christian seminaries has launched a federally funded project for making peace with Muslims, featuring a proposed code of ethics that rejects offensive statements about each other's faiths, affirms a mutual belief in one God and pledges not to proselytize.

Just last week conservative evangelicals went nuts when George W. Bush told reporters that he believed Christians and Muslims believed in the same God.

The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, …issued a statement contradicting Bush.

"The Christian God encourages freedom, love, forgiveness, prosperity and health. The Muslim god appears to value the opposite. The personalities of each god are evident in the cultures, civilizations and dispositions of the peoples that serve them. Muhammad's central message was submission; Jesus' central message was love. They seem to be very different personalities," Haggard said.

Fuller is taking a different view about whom God is and Muslims are encouraged.

"We hope to lead a large portion of evangelical Christians into a better understanding of Islam," said Sherwood Lingenfelter, Fuller's provost and senior vice president. "After 9/11 there was a great deal of hostility in the Christian community toward Muslims. It is important for Christians to gain a respect for them and treat them with dignity and not assume they're all terrorists."

"We are changing the course away from accusations and poisoning the well of relations to what can develop into a project in the service of God," said Yahia Abdul-Rahman, who began participating in the Fuller initiative last year when he headed the region's network of mosques, known as the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.

I’m encouraged too. One of my bad tendencies is to have little faith in conservative Christians on issues of interfaith dialog. Fuller is proving me wrong. Go Fuller!

The St. Louis Dispatch has more in their paper this morning about John Snow's visit and the economy.

Liz Smith Currie, an organizer with the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition, also known as ProVote, criticized the Bush administration's handling of the economy, saying tax cuts for the wealthy won't solve the unemployment problem.

"With 2 million jobs lost since Bush took office, we think he is doing a dismal job on the economy," she said.

Smith Currie and about 20 other people protested during Snow's visit to the Construction Careers Center, hoping to catch his attention.

"We need to say to him: 'We're not going to accept this snow job, Secretary Snow,'" Smith Currie said.

Her group advocates rescinding the tax cuts for the top 2 percent of taxpayers and directing money toward public works.

Read the full story.

Catholic Bishop Raymond L. Burke, who has just been named Archbishop over St. Louis, has ruffled political feathers in his current posting in Madison. Burke recently sent letters to Catholic elected officials there warning them that if they do not tow the Vatican line on social issues like abortion, homosexuality, etc. he would "ask them not to present themselves to receive the sacraments because they would not be Catholics in good standing."

"Certainly, the bishop has every right to express his own views to an elected official. But to invoke the moral authority of the church in a threatening way to a legislator seems to cross over a line that has been very carefully drawn and is very well-respected in this country,” said William Bablitch, a former state Supreme Court justice and former state senator. Bablitch is Roman Catholic.

Burke is known as a very conservative supporter of the Pope. His actions here are disheartening. Threatening to withhold sacraments to punish people for their political leanings is upsetting to people in many different faiths. Hopefully, the recipients of his letters will continue to vote without fear of punishment in a free society.

(Read my Jan. 22, 2004 update)

US Treasury Secretary John Snow arrived in St. Louis today just as the new figures on unemployment came out. November was not a good month for American workers. The pro-Republican party Forbes Magazine Online reported the story this way:

American employers hired far fewer workers than expected in November, U.S. government data showed on Friday, though the gain was the fourth straight monthly increase and the unemployment rate inched lower.

The number of workers on U.S. payrolls outside the farm sector last month edged up by 57,000, the Labor Department said, far lower than economists' forecasts of a 150,000-job gain and well below an upwardly revised climb of 137,000 in October.

Since President George W. Bush took office in January 2001, 2.3 million jobs outside the farm sector have been lost.

Protesters, led by my wife Liz and volunteers with Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition, greeted Snow on his arrival. Their message: the Bush economy is still failing to produce jobs.

As the secretary spoke, protestors outside blamed the administration for the loss of nearly 78,000 jobs in Missouri since President Bush took office.

Liz Smith Currie with the group Missouri Progressive Vote, says that's inexcusable:

"Look around us - we have crumbling buildings; we have holes in the pavement," Smith Currie said. "We could create jobs today by putting people to work, and they want work. You know, cutting taxes is not getting us out of this recession."

The worst news is yet to come. Millions of unemployed workers are set to lose their federal benefits just before Christmas. Both local and national leaders are worried this will push even more people into poverty and homelessness.

“Even with the new jobs report, there are 2.4 million fewer jobs today than when the economic downturn began in early 2001,” said Isaac Shapiro, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “So even if the recent upturn in employment continues and accelerates, it will take considerable time before the labor market is healthy."

As the Christmas shopping season moves into high gear, we need to remember that too many items in our stores are produced or sold under conditions that are unfair, demeaning or possibly harmful to workers. We can begin to transform the Christmas season from a time to buy into a time to advocate for justice and the fair treatment of all workers. Act for justice in this Advent season by contacting Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott and urging Wal-Mart to improve its labor practices.

- Action Alert from the United Church of Christ. Learn more about Wal-Mart's labor practices and send your card by clicking here.