Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

What I Told KEX About Al #Gore

Today the Portland Police Bureau announced they were re-opening an investigation into former vice-president Al Gore.  Last Thursday I spoke with KEX about the allegations.

You can download a podcast of The Mark and Dave Show on KEX here:

Download 06-24-10 Hour 3 & 4

My interview comes at about the 36 minute mark.

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to my podcasts on ITunes by clicking here. 

Related Post: Al Gore Deserves The Benefit Of The Doubt

"UCC message of equality, inclusion sounds at Pride Month events"

Written by Jeff Woodard
June 29, 2010

Reposted from: http://www.ucc.org/news/ucc-messages-of-equality.html

Celebrating with purpose and pageantry and energized by a buoyant UCC presence, hundreds of LGBT communities across the nation have marched, sung and reflected their way through the June commemoration of Gay Pride.

Tradition held strong in Boston, where the Pride theme of "Riots to Rights - Celebrating 40 Years of Progress" took to various venues. Among the estimated crowd of 35,000 at the Pride parade on June 19, was Sen. Richard Tisei, a gay Republican who is the minority leader of the Massachusetts Senate and a candidate for lieutenant governor of the state. "A lot of people have done a lot of work over the years to get to where we're at as a state, and I'm proud to say I'm from Massachusetts," said Tisei.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick marched in the parade as a candidate for re-election – and as the parent of a lesbian daughter. "We have been working very, very hard to assure true equality for all residents of the commonwealth," said Patrick, whose daughter Katherine is a member of Old South Congregational UCC in Boston.

"I give thanks to God every day for living in a Commonwealth in which queer people are, and are becoming ever more, integrated into its fabric," said the Rev. Quinn G. Caldwell, associate minister of Old South and the church's first openly gay pastor. "I also give thanks for the UCC, with our 350-year commitments to education and dialogue, and our more recent commitments to tolerance and diversity, all in God's name."

Members of Euclid Avenue UCC - whose building was destroyed by fire March 23 - march in Cleveland's Pride Parade June 27, 2010. (Photo J. Bennett Guess)

Record-setting rain in Portland, Oregon, gave way to peeks of sun June 20 as 130 organizations marched before an estimated crowd of 20,000 in the Pride Northwest Parade. "UCC congregations were there from across Oregon and Idaho," said the Rev. Chuck Currie of Portland.

Because the parade was held on a Sunday, a special early-morning service was held for parade participants at First Congregational UCC. Marchers carried a UCC banner and signs for every Open and Affirming congregation in the conference. Many carrying signs were children. A pink 1970s-era Volkswagen van carried those unable to walk.

"People who lined the street to watch the parade could be heard chanting 'UCC! UCC!' said Currie. " 'That's the church that wants to let us get married,'one woman yelled as the UCC contingent passed the reviewing stand."

For Northeast Portland residents Scott Sward and Michael Leonard, Pride events have special significance. They met at the Pride celebration 17 years ago when the parade truck Leonard was driving broke down, and Sward jumped from a group of onlookers and helped push it to the parade's end. The two have been together ever since.

The Columbus Pride Festival on June 19 drew about 200,000, according to Karla Rothan, executive director of Stonewall Columbus. Nearly 450 volunteers had a hand in organizing the parade, which featured 20 more floats than in 2009.

Clad in bright red "Just North" t-shirts and toting giant squirt guns to cool the crowd along the route, members of North Congregational UCC joined several other LGBT-friendly Central Ohio congregations. At one point, onlookers shouted, "North Church! North Church!"

"The crowd along the parade route has grown larger and friendlier over the years – far fewer angry protesters and far, far more celebration of LGBT pride," said the Rev. Eric Williams, senior pastor of North Congregational.. "Our participants are a nice mix of LGBT and straight members of the congregation, young and old and in between."

The Rev. Laurie Hafner, pastor of Coral Gables (Fla.) Congregational UCC, as Glinda the Good Witch in the 2010 Miami Beach Pride parade. (Photo submitted)

The city of Miami Beach, Fla., held its second annual Pride event in April where the Rev. Laurie Hafner, pastor of Coral Gables (Fla.) Congregational UCC, rode on a float as Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz.

Perhaps opting for cooler climes to show their pride, North Carolina Pride (Raleigh/Durham), South Carolina Pride (Columbia) and Pride in the Park (Roanoke, Va.) are scheduled for September. 

Senate Republicans Attack Thurgood Marshall, One Of America's Great Heroes

Dana Milbank reports for The Washington Post:

Oppo researchers digging into Elena Kagan's past didn't get the goods on the Supreme Court nominee -- but they did get the Thurgood. 

As confirmation hearings opened Monday afternoon, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee took the unusual approach of attacking Kagan because she admired the late justice Thurgood Marshall, for whom she clerked more than two decades ago. 

"Justice Marshall's judicial philosophy," said Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, "is not what I would consider to be mainstream." Kyl -- the lone member of the panel in shirtsleeves for the big event -- was ready for a scrap. Marshall "might be the epitome of a results-oriented judge," he said. 

It was, to say the least, a curious strategy to go after Marshall, the iconic civil rights lawyer who successfully argued Brown vs. Board of Education. Did Republicans think it would help their cause to criticize the first African American on the Supreme Court, a revered figure who has been celebrated with an airport, a postage stamp and a Broadway show? The guy is a saint -- literally. Marshall this spring was added to the Episcopal Church's list of "Holy Women and Holy Men," which the Episcopal Diocese of New York says "is akin to being granted sainthood." 

With Kagan's confirmation hearings expected to last most of the week, Republicans may still have time to make cases against Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Gandhi.

I wish and pray Elena Kagan turns out to be as good as Justice Marshall but she is way too moderate to fill his shoes.

Justice Marshall was scheduled to swear-in the vice-president during the 1993 inaugural celebration but couldn't for health reasons.  Being there and not being able to see him was a great disappointment for me.  He was truly an American hero.    

A Christian Response To McDonald v. Chicago: God Not Guns

Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled - as expected with the court's current conservative make-up - unconstitutional (or at least unenforceable) Chicago's ban on hand guns.  

The Brady Campaign released the following statement in response:  

“We can expect two things as a result of today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in McDonald v. Chicago: the gun lobby and gun criminals will use it to try to strike down gun laws, and those legal challenges will continue to fail. 

“We are pleased that the Court reaffirmed its language in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment individual right to possess guns in the home for self-defense does not prevent our elected representatives from enacting common-sense gun laws to protect our communities from gun violence. We are reassured that the Court has rejected, once again, the gun lobby argument that its ‘any gun, for anybody, anywhere’ agenda is protected by the Constitution. The Court again recognized that the Second Amendment allows for reasonable restrictions on firearms, including who can have them and under what conditions, where they can be taken, and what types of firearms are available. 

“Chicago can amend its gun laws to comply with this ruling while continuing to have strong, comprehensive and Constitutional gun laws, just as Washington D.C. has done. After the Heller decision, at least 240 legal challenges have been brought to existing gun laws, nearly all of which have been summarily dismissed. There is nothing in today’s decision that should prevent any state or local government from successfully defending, maintaining, or passing, sensible, strong gun laws.”

Mayors in recent years - with the support of law enforcement - have taken the led in fighting for gun control.  Chicago's Richard Daley was not happy about the court's decision:

Mayor Daley responded to the long-anticipated ruling at a City Hall news conference flanked by the parents of young people struck down by gun violence. 

 “I’m disappointed by this decision, but it’s not surprising,” the mayor said. 

Although the Chicago ban remains in effect until a federal appeals court invalidates it, Daley said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling essentially “means that Chicago’s current handgun ban is unenforceable.” 

The City Council’s Police Committee recessed until 1 p.m. Tuesday to consider a replacement ordinance, provided it’s ready by then. 

Daley has said Chicago gun owners could be required to take a training course, register their firearms, allow police to perform ballistics tests and even purchase liability insurance.

The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) and other religious organizations have also been outspoken advocates of ending gun violence in America.  Earlier this year NCC, a communion of "36 faith traditions encompassing 45 million Americans in 100,000 local congregations," adopted a statement on gun violence saying:  

When thinking about the problem of violence, Christian faith is both “idealistic” and “realistic.” On the one hand, there is a stream within the Christian tradition that counsels non-violence in all circumstances. A seminal text is the Sermon on the Mount,found in Matthew's gospel, where Jesus instructs his followers to bear violence rather than inflict it. 

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.... You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . (Matt. 5: 38-39, 43-44). 

It is difficult to imagine that the One whose own Passion models the redemptive power of non-violence would look favorably on the violence of contemporary U.S. society. Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets. This stream of the Christian tradition insists that it is idolatry to trust in guns to make us secure, since that usually leads to mutual escalation while distracting us from the One whose love alone gives us security.

On the other hand, Christians also know, from both experience and scripture, that all humans are sinful, capable of acting with hostile aggression toward their neighbors. This "realistic" view of human nature also argues for restricting access to guns which, in the wrong hands or without adequate supervision, can make violence ever more deadly. Christians can certainly contend that it is necessary for public authorities to take up arms in order to protect citizens from violence; but to allow assault weapons in the hands of the general public can scarcely be justified on Christian grounds. The stark reality is that such weapons end up taking more lives than they defend, and the reckless sale or use of these weapons refutes the gospel’s prohibition against violence.

NCC's statement called for these specific action steps:

No community, church or individual believer can address a problem as complex and intractable as gun violence on its own. Therefore, together, the member communions of National Council of Churches U.S.A. RESOLVE to: 

(1) call upon our local, state, and federal legislators to enact reforms that limit access to assault weapons and handguns, including closing the so-called federal “gun show loophole,” which allows for the purchase of firearms from private sellers without submitting to a background check, or providing documentation of the purchase. 

(2) participate with movements such as “Heeding God’s Call” (http://www.heedinggodscall.org/) to insist that commercial sellers adopt and adhere to responsible sales practices. 

(3) prayerfully, financially, and otherwise support the NCC staff in coordinating ecumenical efforts for gun violence reduction, including preparing educational materials about the magnitude of gun violence, developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners and gun control advocates within our congregations, and offering a faithful witness in cooperating with inter-faith and nonreligious anti-gun violence advocacy organizations.

Meanwhile, as the Brady Campaign notes, our fellow Americans continue to die:

EVERY DAY (on average) 

• Every day, 300 people in America, 67 of them children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, accidents, and police intervention. 
• Every day, 85 people die from gun violence, 35 of them murdered. 
• Every day, 9 children and teens die from gun violence. 
• Every day, 215 people are shot, but survive their gun injuries. 
• Every day, 57 children and teens are shot, but survive their gun injuries.

Reflecting On Robert Byrd

Senator Robert Byrd, who died this morning, embodied the profound changes that the American South underwent during the last 100 years.  As a youth, he was a member of the KKK (in his state a primarily anti-Catholic group) and opposed Civil Rights legislation but he went on to endorse Barack Obama who would become the United States' first African-American president.  He was a fierce defender of Constitutional separation of powers and while generally a hawk on military matters he became one of the primary opponents of the Iraq War, a conflict he saw as being misguided and mismanaged.  As close friend of Senator Edward Kennedy, he cast one of the deciding votes in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "a historic piece of legislation that will expand health insurance coverage to millions of Americans and put an end to the worst insurance industry practices."  I did not always agree with Senator Byrd on the issues but history will judge him as one of the great senators of our time and an honorable man who loved his state and nation.  

Barbie Cakes

We had an early birthday party for Frances and Katherine yesterday (their actual birthday is July 8th but we'll be out of town then so we wanted to have a gathering for friends and family before we left).  These were the cakes we ordered.  Ordering Barbie cakes for my daughters shows my complete failure as a father, I think.  But they loved them! 

Sarah Palin: President Obama Holding BP Financially Accountable Akin To Nazism

President Barack Obama is insisting that BP be held financially accountable for the on-going disaster in the Gulf.  That prompted GOP congressman Joe Barton to claim that the corporation was the victim of an unethical "shakedown" by the administration.  He quickly apologized.  But many Republicans seem to agree that the needs of corporations come before the needs of actual Americans.  Now former half term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin - defender of a drill-baby-drill theology that says God gave humans dominion over the Earth to exploit as we please - has compared President Obama's attempts to hold BP accountable to Nazism.  If it were up to Palin and the GOP you can bet BP would get away scot-free.  After all, this is the same crew that fights tooth and nail against environmental protection and who during the Bush administration put oil executives in charge of monitoring the oil industry.  

Video & Photos From The Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families

The Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families was held in Salem, Oregon on June 24, 2010 at First United Methodist Church. Well over 200 people from various faith traditions, non-profit agencies, and government at the state and local level participated. 

Our morning began with a welcome from Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), the primary sponsor of the day, and interfaith worship. The two videos below show the start of the summit.

Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families - Part 1 from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

This video includes: 

• A welcome from David Leslie, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.
• An introduction from The Rev. Rev. Lynne Smouse Lopez, president of EMO and pastor of Ainsworth United Church of Christ
• Opening prayer from Father Paul Schroeder, faith-based service coordinator with JOIN.

Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families - Part 2 from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

This second video includes the rest of the opening worship service:  

• Emily Gottfried, executive director of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee offers music and reads Scripture.
• The Rev. Lynne Smouse Lopez, president of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and pastor of Ainsworth United Church of Christ, reads Scripture. 
• The Rev. Chuck Currie, a minister in the United Church of Christ, offers a homily.
• The Rev. Gail McDougle, senior pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Salem, offers a closing prayer.

The day was packed with presentations from faith leaders and educators about how communities of faith could provide support for students who are experiencing homelessness.  Non-profits talked about their needs and government officials - including Multnomah County Commissioner Barbara Willer and Rick Crager, deputy director of Oregon's Department of Housing and Community Services - talked about how homelessness and poverty are growing in our state as resources for programs are shrinking.  

Many faith leaders spoke of how they were already providing services - such as shelter and housing - and urged others in the faith community to become more directly involved.

Some photos from the day are below:

Barbara Duffield, policy director for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, gave a keynote presentation that gave participants a clear view of the growing crisis of homelessness among children and how schools are on the front lines providing important services. 

Barbara Duffield www.naehcy.org from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

(Unfortunately, the beginning of Barbara's presentation was interrupted by technical problems.)

A lot of the day was spent talking about how Oregon's state Department of Education will have $1 million less to spend on the education of homeless children and youth this year because of the loss of federal stimulus dollars.  To keep current on ways you can advocate for increased funding for these critical programs please visit http://www.naehcy.org/.   

The Salem Statesmen-Journal was there for a mid-afternoon rally that was part of the summit and had this report.

EMO will be working with faith communities to follow-up on conversations had at the summit and will be working on a federal level with the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth to advocate for additional funds at the same time we work with state advocates, like Neighborhood Partnerships, on an agenda for the Oregon Legislature to consider in 2011. 

Al Gore Deserves The Benefit Of The Doubt

The case was not investigated any further because detectives concluded there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations. - Portland Police Bureau statement

News is breaking that right here in our own Rose City, Al Gore, former vice-president of the United States, was accused of sexual harassment by an LMT in 2006. The woman who made the complaint did so weeks after the supposed encounter and failed to show up for three follow-up interviews with police. It was - wait for it - The National Enquirer that broke the story today after the woman told police she was going to the media. 

The Portland Tribune apparently had the story but decided not to publish. A statement on their website reads: 

In 2007 and 2008, after locating the massage therapist and conducting extensive interviews and doing other reporting on this case, the Tribune chose not to publish the story. The Tribune held back, in part, because the woman was reluctant to be named in the story. 

Also, after those months of investigation, the Tribune was unable to state with confidence what actually happened in the hotel room on that night in 2006. Portland police did not investigate further at that time because the woman declined to meet with them or pursue charges. 

Now years after the alleged event the woman has come forward. We don't know her motives or whether or not she has been paid for her story (a fair question to ask in light of The National Enquirer's involvement in this) . 

The Portland Police Bureau released a statement tonight that reads in part: 

In December 2006, a local attorney contacted the Portland Police Bureau and said he had a client that wanted to report an unwanted sexual contact by Mr. Gore. This allegation stemmed from an incident on October 24, 2006, when the woman involved, a Licensed Massage Therapist, was called to a local hotel to provide a massage to Mr. Gore. 

After repeated attempts by Portland Police Detectives to interview the woman involved, the Police Bureau was told by her attorney in January 2007, that they were pursuing civil litigation and declined the assistance of the Portland Police Bureau’s Detective Division. A special report was written and the case was exceptionally cleared–a standard procedure when the person involved declines to talk to police. The District Attorney’s Office was consulted during this time. 

On January 6, 2009, the woman involved came to the Detective Division and explained that she would like to give a statement. On January 8, 2009, a Detective and a victim advocate assigned to the Sexual Assault Detail met with the woman. The woman read from a prepared statement and detailed the events of October 24, 2006. She reported that she was repeatedly subjected to unwanted sexual touching while in his presence. 

The woman reported that she still had clothes that she had worn during the encounter. But due to the description she gave of the incident, detectives did not collect the clothes as evidence because they did not feel there was any evidentiary value to the clothing. After interviewing the woman, the Police Bureau provided additional services per the victim advocate program. The case was not investigated any further because detectives concluded there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations. 

In June 2010, the woman involved contacted Detectives and asked for a copy of her statement, which she was given. She then asked if she could edit her statement and was told she could provide detectives with additional clarifications that would be added to her original report. She also advised that she was going to take the case to the media.

Al Gore deserves the benefit of the doubt.  Unlike some other politicians we know (see Clinton, Bill) there have never before been such allegations made against Gore.  The actions alleged seem totally out of character.  No civil charges were ever filed.  That doesn't mean the allegations aren't true.  The woman making the allegations could be a completely honest individual.  But there are a lot of questions here.  

Why did she wait to go to the police?  Why didn't she follow-up with the police?  Why did she decide to take this to the media now where character assassination is par for the course instead of a courtroom where she could have attempted to prove her case years ago?  There could be good answers to these questions but the burden is fully on the complainant to prove her case in a legal forum. Gore has denied the encounter. 

We've been fooled before by so many boorish politicians of both parties that have taken advantage of their power and prestige that frankly it is difficult not to assume Gore is guilty of something.  But I'm willing to wait for the facts and rely on an institution more reputable than The National Enquirer to act as judge and jury.           

"Obama Administration Unveils National Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness"

Statement from the National Coalition for the Homeless:

On June 22, 2010, the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) delivered Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness 2010, the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness to President Obama and Congress (available at www.usich.gov and www.hud.gov).

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) applauds USICH for producing this groundbreaking strategy and congratulates USICH’s success in securing agreement to the Federal Strategic Plan (FSP) from its 19 member agencies. The Federal Strategic Plan (FSP) is the positive result of Congressional initiative which mandated its production through inclusion in the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act (HEARTH ACT).

NCH fully embraces the Federal Strategic Plan’s vision that no one should experience homelessness and no one should be without a safe place to call home. We are pleased President Obama, in his letter accepting the plan, declared “ending homelessness in America must be a national priority.” The FSP provides a frame of understanding about contemporary domestic homelessness. FSP suggests a direction going forward and a set of general strategies that when put into operation may indeed contribute to preventing and ending homelessness.

The Federal Strategic Plan is undoubtedly groundbreaking. However, some of the strategies outlined are vague and without firm commitment to allocate funds to implement many of the strategies, there will be continued need for further discussion and action to address this national priority. Further, “the Federal Strategic Plan must hold itself to the same standard that it holds local communities: clear numeric goals, timetables, and identify funding and implementing bodies to ensure they move from planning to action” said Neil Donovan, the Executive Director of NCH.

NCH commends USICH for utilizing multiple and innovative tactics for consultation with the public, as it developed the FSP and particularly commends USICH for its active efforts and future commitment to engage all stakeholders during development, dissemination, implementation and monitoring of the plan. USICH afforded people experiencing homelessness and people who recently experienced homelessness substantive roles in the plan’s development and inclusion in the implementation strategy. NCH vigorously encouraged this prioritization and appreciates the plan’s pledge to continue to involve individuals experiencing homelessness in ongoing planning efforts. Neil Donovan stated “USICH should codify its intent by adding as a key principle that future strategic plans continue be first person-driven and first person-responsive.”

NCH applauds the development of a plan and pledges to work with USICH to ensure the strategies are implemented as its works towards the mutual mission of ending homelessness. We welcome the council and its members to embrace and fully support and fund the goal of the president and NCH: Bring America Home.

The full report, titled Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, is available at www.usich.gov and www.hud.gov.

Thursday In Salem: Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families

Tomorrow over 200 religious leaders from across our state will join educators, local and state officials at the Oregon Interfaith Summit on homeless Children, Youth and Families to talk about the growing crisis of children entering our public schools while homeless.  Over 18,000 such students attended Oregon schools during the '08-'09 school year.  Numbers are not yet available for this school year but they are expected to be higher based on available data.  The summit will be held at Salem's First United Methodist Church, 600 State Street, from 8:30am-4:30pm.

As a member of the public policy committee for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, I brought the idea of this summit to our state's religious leaders to address how the faith community might partner with local schools and how a common public policy agenda might be developed to advocate for additional resources. Tragically, we expect less money to serve these students as stimulus dollars from the federal government expire and as Oregon's budget crisis worsens.       

Among the key speakers will be:

Barbara Duffield, policy director, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth; Claas Ehlers, national director, Interfaith Hospitality Networks at 2 the organization Family Promise; Heather Lyons, senior program manager, Corporation for Supportive Housing; Jean Lasater, Homeless and Runaway Youth Initiative coordinator, at the Oregon Commission on Children and Families; Galen Phipps, director, Oregon Network for Youth; the Rev. Paul Schroeder, faith-based service coordinator, JOIN; Rick Crager, deputy director, Oregon Housing and Community Services; Bill Hall, commissioner, Lincoln County; and a host of religious leaders representing a variety of religious traditions. 

I'm looking forward to delivering a short homily during the summit's opening worship service at 9 am that offers participants a hopeful view based on commonly held theological beliefs that together we can provide educational opportunities for children who are homeless so they have every opportunity to succeed in life and working together we can even end homelessness within a generation. 

This will be the largest and most diverse gathering of religious leaders to ever meet in Oregon to discuss homelessness.       

"Losing paradise"

Approaching the boat landing of the fishing village on Viwa Island off the coast of Suva, Fiji, it is hard to imagine a more idyllic setting than this South Pacific paradise filled with one stunning island view after another.

On the hillside overlooking the village sits a memorial church dedicated to the memory of a Methodist translator, John Hunt, who translated the Bible from Greek into Fijian more than 150 years ago and who still is revered by the villagers.

In the evening dusk the chapel glows like a beacon across the water. Nestled on the lush slopes leading down to the shore are the homes of the 110 hearty souls who call Viwa home.

 

It is here in late May that a four-person World Council of Churches (WCC) Living Letters delegation were hosted by the villagers of Viwa who shared with the group their growing concerns in regard to how the shifting global climate and rising sea levels from melting polar ice packs are impacting this small community.

 

The island itself is small, taking the delegation no more than 15-20 minutes to circumnavigate in an eight-seater boat with an outboard motor. Climatic changes far from here are having an impact on places such as this, and that is why the Living Letters came to listen and show solidarity with the community.

 

The WCC Living Letters are small ecumenical teams that visit a country to listen, learn and examine approaches to problems and help confront challenges in order to overcome violence and promote peace. In the context of Fiji, the group was exploring how violence against nature through CO2 emissions, land misuse, pollution and other development and lifestyle issues have impact on the world’s climate. In addition to spending 24 hours on Viwa, the team also met with church and government leaders in Suva, the capital of Fiji.

Full story.

National Council of Churches USA Poverty Initiative

Poverty is one of the most important issues lifted up in Scripture.  We are called by God not only to help those in need through individual acts of charity but all through societal change.  Click here Click here to visit the Poverty Initiative of the National Council of Churches.     

The goal of the Poverty Initiative is to empower and mobilize the faith community to lend its powerful moral and public voice to the ongoing and urgent debate around poverty. 

Churches have been powerful voices for generations on a range of defining social justice issues, most importantly the need to address poverty. Central to any Christian message is the call to care for the "least of these"--to love and care for our neighbors. With more people both in the United States and globally living on the economic margins, people of faith are drawing more deeply upon that rich tradition of social justice engagement to speak out on the need to address the range of poverty issues, and create community practices and national policies that lift people from a life of poverty.

The voice of the church is needed on this important moral issue.

The Face Of Hate

The Portland Pride Parade was a mostly festive occasion. In past years there have been plenty of protestors but this year we saw only four. Unfortunately, we ran right into them. It was my fault, I suppose. It was obvious that I was clergy and so they sought me out and with a bull horn informed me that I was an abomination. Because our children were with us I felt compelled to step between them and my family. At that point, they yelled at Liz and the children that the kids were doomed to hell. Then they moved on to yell at other people. These four were quite clearly consumed by hate. As I said in my sermon yesterday, groups like Focus on the Family seek to foster such hate by dehumanizing gays and lesbians (and even political liberals and religious progressives) in much the same way that the Nazi Party did to Jews or Christians once did to Africans and Native Americans. Our Christian faith can be perverted into something terrible. But these four "Christian" protestors were outnumbered by hundreds of Christians from churches across Oregon who came to proclaim the Gospel. Those of us that marched with churches might still represent the minority opinion within the Christian tradition but the Holy Spirit is at work and people are waking up to the reality that Jesus meant it when he said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matthew 22:36b-40 NRSV).

(Thank you to Billy Don Robinson for sharing this picture that he captured of one of the protesters yelling at us)  

It Is Good: Family & Community In The Tradition Of Jesus (A Sermon For Pride Sunday #pdxpride )

This morning I preached at Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ during a special service held for those in the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ participating in the annual Pride Parade.

My sermon - It Is Good Family & Community In The Tradition Of Jesus - can be downloaded here (in PDF form).

We had a good turn out from our conference despite the never ending rain.  Thousands took part overall and many more lined the streets to watch and cheer.  It is so important that churches take part in these events to witness to God's unyielding love.

Government Is Good #BP #oilspill

The president got something absolutely right in his address tonight:  the need for strong government oversight over industry.  Since Ronald Reagan the conservative governing philosophy has been that all government is bad.  But, as President Obama noted tonight, government could have been and should have been a positive influence over BP.  Instead, regulations were lax and those in charge corrupt:  

Over the last decade, (the federal Minerals Management Service) agency has become emblematic of a failed philosophy that views all regulation with hostility — a philosophy that says corporations should be allowed to play by their own rules and police themselves. At this agency, industry insiders were put in charge of industry oversight. Oil companies showered regulators with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations.

When Ken Salazar became my Secretary of the Interior, one of his very first acts was to clean up the worst of the corruption at this agency. But it's now clear that the problems there ran much deeper, and the pace of reform was just too slow. And so Secretary Salazar and I are bringing in new leadership at the agency — Michael Bromwich, who was a tough federal prosecutor and Inspector General. His charge over the next few months is to build an organization that acts as the oil industry's watchdog — not its partner.

So one of the lessons we've learned from this spill is that we need better regulations, better safety standards, and better enforcement when it comes to offshore drilling. But a larger lesson is that no matter how much we improve our regulation of the industry, drilling for oil these days entails greater risk. After all, oil is a finite resource. We consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil, but have less than 2 percent of the world's oil reserves. And that's part of the reason oil companies are drilling a mile beneath the surface of the ocean — because we're running out of places to drill on land and in shallow water.

For decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil were numbered. For decades, we have talked and talked about the need to end America's century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked — not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.

The consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight. Countries like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that should be right here in America. Each day, we send nearly $1 billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.

We cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to unleash American innovation and seize control of our own destiny.

The lesson over the need for a strong and engaged government can be applied to more than just off-shore drilling.  This current crisis should serve as evidence that the conservative philosophy of limited government (even libertarianism) is a failed philosophy even as it is advanced today by many in both political parties but particularly but the GOP and their tea party allies.  You would have thought the lesson would have been learned after the economic collapse in 2008 (caused by lax oversight of Wall Street) but the Republican Party is running in 2010 on a return to the governing style of George W. Bush.  We're still paying the price for his presidency today.

In the wake of this current disaster the U.S. Senate needs to follow the led of U.S. House and pass a strong energy reform package.  Click here to send your senator a message.

President Obama, who has more on his desk than any president since FDR, needs to make passage a real priority.  An opportunity exists for a lot of good to come from this tragedy.  

Preaching Pride Sunday At First Congregational United Church of Christ

 

This weekend is the annual Portland Pride Festival. Each year member congregations of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ participate in the Pride Parade alongside other  churches and our brothers and sisters in the larger interfaith community. The parade will be held on Sunday (June 20th) at 11:30 am. A special 9:30 am worship service will be held that morning at First Congregational United Church of Christ (1136 SW Park Avenue) in the chapel for UCC members and others who will be marching. I'm excited to have been invited back to led the service and deliver the sermon. All are welcome.  Liz and I plan to march in the parade with the UCC contingent.  We hope to see many of our friends there.

My sermon title for the service will be "It Is Good: Family & Community In The Tradition Of Jesus." 

Joyce Liljeholm has emailed in some additional information for UCC members who want to march in the parade.

Our UCC parade spot is #93 and the parade steps off at 11:30 AM. Number #93 assembles along NW Davis between 12th and 13th. Everyone is welcome to the Central Pacific Conference contingent. We have a couple who will do the early morning check-in to reserve our spot, which is #93. They will have a van to carry anyone who cannot walk the length of the route. For those who would enjoy it, there will be a conference sponsored service in the chapel of Portland First UCC at 9:30 AM (1126 SW Park). Rev Chuck Currie is preaching this year. We will walk over to the line-up from there at 10:30 AM. If anyone expects to be delayed, and wants to join us along the route, please remind them the route has changed this year. It goes along Burnside to Broadway, then north to Davis and then along Davis to the waterfront. Finally, the conference has a booth at the waterfront festival. It is B-3. Come visit between noon and 6 PM Saturday or Sunday. We look forward to seeing you.

"The faith community and public schools need to partner to help homeless students"

This morning I have an op-ed in The Oregonian concerning the up-coming Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children and Families.  Check it out. 

Pastor Michael Powell has a similar op-ed in The Salem Statesman Journal.

Here Comes The Sun

We wondered:  would the sun ever return?  Finally, it arrived yesterday after a long wet winter and spring.  Here's Hazel, our trusty dog, enjoying a nice sunny afternoon.  I took the kids to the park this morning and we're having a lazy Sunday afternoon with the windows open and that great fresh Oregon air is coming through.

And it looks like we're in for a sunny and warm-to-cool week!  I'll take this over the rain any day.

  

"Lawmakers seek to gut ethics office"

You always hope that politicians engage in public life to promote the common good (regardless of party or ideology).  Like many Americans, I'm often skeptical of professional politicians or those that seem to long for public office above all else.  We wonder if our elected leaders are their to solve problems and make lives better or to satisfy their own ego - or in the worst case to enrich themselves.   

Democrats and Republicans have fallen from grace and into scandal.  Politics attracts some odd ducks and more than the occasional corrupt individual.  That is why it is so important for strong ethical oversight in the United States Congress and at all levels of government.

Democrats campaigned on stronger oversight in 2006 and 2008 but now democrats and their republican colleagues are looking at ways to weaken such oversight in the U.S. House.

Their actions cheapen our politics and will serve to only increase the divide people feel between themselves and their elected representatives.  Trust is earned but both political parties keep offering up reasons for us to believe the system is broken and that neither party is committed to fixing it.

Unless they get their act together Democrats that counted on reform minded progressives in 2006 and 2008 for money and volunteers may just find themselves looking for work after the November elections this year.         

Christians Must Condemn Portland Hate Crimes Against LGBT Persons

Two incidents of reported gay bashing in Portland have the city's LGBT community on edge. Thankfully, last year saw the passage of the bi-partisan Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act. Stiffer penalties are now in effect for hate crimes. The United Church of Christ pushed for such legislation starting in 1989. Christians have a special responsibility for speaking out against such bias crimes. Holy Scripture has been misused to dehumanize gay and lesbian people and that sinful behavior has helped to create a climate where violence against one who is "other" is acceptable. Even today those in the far Religious Right - in groups like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council - promote active discrimination against the LGBT community nationwide by fighting for the reversal of federal hate crimes laws and other civil rights protections using language that is comparable to language the Nazi Party used to dehumanize Jews. The Oregon Family Council - a conservative Christian political group - further helped to divide Oregonians with their anti-gay Measure 36 in 2004 (one of a series of anti-gay measures placed on the ballot here in Oregon since 1988).  These different groups share responsibility for the increase in hate crimes over the years.  Jesus said: "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are my family, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40 NRSV)." Those who help or hurt another do it not just to the one rescued or victimized but to God. These recent incidents in Portland must be condemned by people of faith in the strongest possible terms. As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I add my voice to those praying for justice and healing. 

Related Post: Homosexuality and the Bible

Sharron Angle: The GOP's New Jesus

“She has all the attributes of Jesus.” - Rev. Frank Bushey, pastor of Fellowship Community Church (Southern Baptist), speaking of Nevada GOP U.S. Senate nominee Sharron Angle (as reported in The New York Times).

And what exactly makes Ms. Angle, the Tea Party candidate, so Jesus-like?  The Washington Post has the run down on her positions:

Inflammatory rhetoric: In an interview last month with the Reno Gazette-Journal, Angle had this to say about gun laws: "What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock," she told the newspaper. "That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways. That's why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?" 

Abolishing wide swaths of the federal government: Angle believes the U.S. Education Department should be abolished, as she explains on her campaign Web site: "Sharron Angle believes that the Federal Department of Education should be eliminated. The Department of Education is unconstitutional and should not be involved in education, at any level." Angle went further in an interview with a Nevada online publication, writing that she favored the termination of the Energy Department, the EPA and much of the IRS tax code; complete elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. 

* Yucca Mountain: Angle supports the permanent storage of highly radioactive nuclear waste in this cavernous mountain 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It has long been a bipartisan matter for the Silver State's congressional delegation to oppose the Yucca Mountain storage plan. Reid has touted his ability to kill the plan to store the waste at Yucca as the single most important thing he's done for his state since becoming Democratic leader in 2005. Here's how she described her support in the interview with the online publication: "For nearly twenty years, I have been in favor of Yucca Mountain as a profitable center." Reid's campaign is sure to ask Angle, since she has proposed abolishing the DOE, who would oversee the nuclear waste stored at Yucca.

* God and guns: At her coming out party in Washington -- at a "tea party" event April 15 at the National Press Club -- Angle invoked God and guns as her leading issues. It's unclear how such views will play statewide in a general election, given that local polling shows fewer than 20 percent of voters aligning themselves with the tea party. "You know, I feel a little lonely today, I usually bring Smith and Wesson along, and I have to tell you I'm going to give Washington, D.C., a lesson in the Constitution, especially the second amendment. But I didn't come alone today. I brought God -- always bring him -- and I brought my husband of 40 years, Ted Angle. Now, I subscribe to the KISS principle, Keep It Simple, Sharron. The solutions to the problems that we have with our economy are as simple as: pay it back, cut back and take back."

Global isolationism: Angle has called for the United States to withdraw from the United Nations. Again, from her campaign Web site: "The UN. has been captured by the far left and has become ineffective and costly. The UN. continually threatens US. sovereignty, with endless rhetoric and treaties and it has now become the 'umpire' on fraudulent science, such as global warming. The United State needs to withdraw from the United Nations and work solely with America's willing allies."

I don't see a lot of the Gospel in her political positions.  Regardless, as Jim Wallis likes to say, Jesus isn't a Republican...or a Democrat.  But we've heard this kind of rhetoric before from the GOP.  Remember how it ended?   

Food Needed For Kyron Horman Search

6/12 Update: Multnomah County asks public to hold back further donations due to volume of supplies arriving

The search for little Kyron Horman continues. More professional searchers have arrived to help and neighbors of Sunnyside School, along with the Red Cross, are trying to feed hundreds. Want to help? The Oregonian reports:

"You can start bringing this food right away to Brooks Hill Historic Church residence entrance on Brooks Road (11539 N.W. Skyline Blvd.) If no one comes to the door, it's ok to leave it outside the door."

Click here for the full story.

 

Portland's Best Face: The Rose Festival Junior Parade

Today the Rose Festival Junior Parade was held here in our own backyard: Hollywood and Grant Park.  The Rose Festival's website reports:

From the very beginning, the Portland Rose Festival has celebrated our community's children. Portland's very first Rose Festival in 1907 included a children's parade of 2000 boys and girls representing 23 schools! In 1936, the Junior Parade became an official Rose Festival event. Since that time, the parade has become a beloved tradition for many Portland families.

This year over 30 school marching bands took part and kids were everywhere.  I brought Frances and Katherine and they had a blast with many friends from school.  Their only complaint:  dad didn't think to bring cash for cotton candy.

Even the rain held off (mostly).  This really is the Rose City at our best.

Portland's Big Moral Failure: The South Waterfront District

This is why politicians should be recalled:

In the heart of the South Waterfront district, a gravel-covered lot is littered with a rusty lawn chair, a dusty 40-ounce Budweiser bottle and broken promises. 

Nearby, a tram car glides up the hill. The streetcar whirs past a new park. Thirty stories of luxury condos jut skyward. The only thing missing is what was supposed to be on the lot: an apartment building for the poor. 

Seven years ago, Portland city leaders pledged that South Waterfront would include 430 apartments or condos for low-income residents. But the city has failed to deliver a single one. 

South Waterfront remains a neighborhood exclusively for the affluent despite more than $125 million in taxpayer support. 

The Portland Development Commission, the city's urban renewal agency, has spent $13 million buying South Waterfront land, among other things, for affordable apartments. Most of that money has gone to South Waterfront's lead developers. 

What happened? The city's ever-changing plans and the recession made financing difficult. And in spending taxpayers' money, city executives failed to follow their own policies and didn't flex powers they fought for in talks with developers. 

PDC leaders say they did their best while pressured by City Hall and developers to get other South Waterfront projects built. "Had this been a normal transaction, our policies would have been followed to a T," said Bruce Warner, executive director. 

But housing advocates remain frustrated with the city's empty lots and empty promises. More than 6,000 households are seeking low-income housing in the region, according to the Housing Authority of Portland. 

"The people in charge of this should be ashamed," said Susan Emmons, executive director of the Northwest Pilot Project, a Portland nonprofit that helps low-income seniors find housing. "We're turning people away from shelters." 

Full story.

Accounting for Torture

NOTE: Please be advised that viewers should be cautioned that the video contains graphic and disturbing imagery.

This video, "Accounting for Torture, featuring the voices of religious leaders who support the message of the Physicians for Human Rights report, Experiments in Torture: Human Subject Research and Evidence in the 'Enhanced' Interrogation Program," has been produced by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. 

 

On June 7, 2010, Physicians for Human Rights unveiled a report detailing the alleged involvement of U.S. military and intelligence health professionals in experiments utilizing “enhanced interrogation techniques” on detainees captured after 9/11. Such experimentation on human subjects would be a violation of the legal and ethical protections afforded by the Nuremberg Code, the Geneva Conventions, federal regulations governing human subject research and the federal War Crimes Act. The report also presents evidence indicating that the results of the experiments were used by attorneys in the Department of Justice to craft a legal framework designed to shield interrogators from prosecution for torture and to refine the illegal torture practices used by the U.S. government.

TAKE ACTION - WRITE TO CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT

An impartial, nonpartisan, and independent Commission of Inquiry is needed to seek the full truth about U.S. torture policies and practices since 9/11. Send an email today.

Pray For Kyron Horman's Return; Teach Our Children Well

It seems quite obvious that the people of Oregon are united in concern this week over the disappearance of 7-year old Kyron Horman.  The second grader went missing from school on Friday morning following a science fair.  Dedicated law enforcement officials and search and rescue volunteers have been looking for the boy ever since.  Like so many others, I pray for his safe return.

As a parent, this is the worst nightmare.  This is why you keep your eyes on your children in the front yard, in the park, at school, at church, or at the pool.  We shouldn't let fear of such horror rule our lives but we should be prepared and make sure that our children know how to respond to danger.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children has information on their website for parents on how to keep kids safe.  This afternoon I spoke again with our girls about what to do if strangers approach.  They've heard the lesson before but 5-year old kids need things repeated.  I encourage you to read and use the materials with your own children.

As of yet we do not know any of the circumstances regarding Kyron Horman's disappearance.  His parents and the teachers may have done everything right and yet this terrible event still occurred.  We cannot control everything, sadly, and that makes us - at least me as a dad - feel somewhat powerless against the world at times like this.

Regardless, I will keep praying for Kyron and his family.  Not because I believe that God, like Superman, will fly to the rescue, but because I believe that God hears our prayers and can be a source of both comfort and strength - and Kyron and his family, those looking for him, and all Oregonians - need comfort and strength right now in abundance.      

God is our refuge and strength, a very present* help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. - Psalm 46:1-3 (NRSV)

Amen.

Arizona Mural Dispute: Erasing People From History

The story would be shocking if it didn't come from Arizona where the governor seems to be channeling George Wallace circa 1968: 

A group of artists has been asked to lighten the faces of children depicted in a large public mural at a Prescott, Ariz., school. 

The project's leader says he was ordered to lighten the skin tone after complaints about the children's ethnicity. But the school's principal says the request was only to fix shading and had nothing to do with political pressure. 

The "Go on Green" mural, which covers two walls outside Miller Valley Elementary School, was designed to advertise a campaign for environmentally friendly transportation. It features portraits of four children, with a Hispanic boy as the dominant figure. 

R.E. Wall, director of Prescott's Downtown Mural Project, said he and other artists were subjected to slurs from motorists as they worked on the painting at one of the town's most prominent intersections. "We consistently, for two months, had people shouting racial slander from their cars," 

Wall said. "We had children painting with us, and here come these yells of (epithet for Blacks) and (epithet for Hispanics)...." 

City Councilman Steve Blair spearheaded a public campaign on his talk show at Prescott radio station KYCA-AM (1490) to remove the mural. 

In a broadcast last month, according to the Daily Courier in Prescott, Blair mistakenly complained that the most prominent child in the painting is African-American, saying: "To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?" 

Blair could not be reached for comment Thursday. In audio archives of his radio show, Blair discusses the mural. He insists the controversy isn't about racism but says the mural is intended to create racial controversy where none existed before. 

"Personally, I think it's pathetic," he says. "You have changed the ambiance of that building to excite some kind of diversity power struggle that doesn't exist in Prescott, Arizona. And I'm ashamed of that." 

Faces in the mural were drawn from photographs of children enrolled at Miller Valley, a K-5 school with 380 students and the highest ethnic mix of any school in Prescott.

Click here to see the mural and for the full story.

Trying to erase people from history is nothing new.  Isn't that one of the spoils of war?  Those in power write history.  Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States offers up many stories of those the powerful hoped to erase from memory.  Prescott, Arizona's attempt to erase people of color from their own consciousness is racist, yes, but hardly new.

Reading this story last night (besides making my stomach sick) brought to mind this story told by Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan as to how the role of women in the early Christian church was erased - also through the defacing of art:   

In 1906 a small cave was discovered cut into the rock on the northern slope of Bülbül Dag, high above the ruins of ancient Ephesus, just off the mid-Aegean coast of Turkey. To the right of the entrance and beneath layers of plaster, Karl Herold of the Austrian Archaeological Institute uncovered two sixth-century images of Saint Thecla and Saint Paul. They both have the same height and are therefore iconographically of equal importance. 

They both have their right hands raised in teaching gesture and are therefore iconographically of equal authority. But while the eyes and upraised hand of Paul are untouched, some later person scratched out the eyes and erased the upraised hand of Thecla. If the eyes of both images had been disfigured, it would be simply another example of iconoclastic antagonism since that was believed to negate the spiritual power of an icon without having to destroy it completely. But here only Thecla’s eyes and her authoritative hand are destroyed. Original imagery and defaced imagery represent a fundamental clash of theology. An earlier image in which Thecla and Paul were equally authoritative apostolic figures has been replaced by one in which the male is apostolic and authoritative and the female is blinded and silenced. And even the cave-room’s present name, St. Paul’s Grotto, continues that elimination of female-male equality once depicted on its walls. 

We take that original assertion of equality and later counter-assertion of inequality as encapsulating visually the central claim of this book in terms of Christianity itself. The authentic and historical Paul, author of the seven New Testament letters he actually wrote, held that within Christian communities, it made no difference whether one entered as a Christian Jew or a Christian pagan, as a Christian man or a Christian woman, as a Christian freeborn or a Christian slave. All were absolutely equal with each other. But in 1 Timothy, a letter attributed to Paul by later Christians but not actually written by him, women are told to be silent in church and pregnant at home (2:8-15). And a later follower of Paul inserted in 1 Corinthians that it is shameful for women to speak in church but correct to ask their husbands for explanations at home (14:33-36). 

Those pseudo-Pauline, post-Pauline, and anti-Pauline obliterations of female authority are the verbal and canonical equivalent of that visual and iconographic obliteration of Thecla’s eyes and hand in that hillside cave. But both defacements also bear witness to what was there before the attack. 

Just think how long it has taken us to reclaim some of these very important lost stories (Diana Butler Bass' A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story A History of the Grassroots Movements in Christianity that Preserved Jesus's Message of Social Justice for 2,000 Years and Their Impact on the Church Today is another excellent text to read in this spirit).

Another similar story - more modern - comes from South Carolina during the New Deal.  Back then the federal government, through the WPA, paid artists to paint murals.  Not all were well accepted:

Stephan Hirch’s mural for Aiken, South Carolina, Court House had to be covered by a drape almost immediately after its completion because local people felt that the woman depicted as Justice looked like a mulatto.

The school's website appears to be down but I urge people of faith to reach out to their principal and with both respect and kindness ask him not to bow to racist political pressure. 

Miller Valley Elementary School 

Jeff Lane, Principal 

900 Iron Springs Road 

Prescott, Arizona 86305 

(928) 717-3268

Update:  Principal Lane, showing courage, admited today that a mistake had been made and that the mural would not be changed. So now I encourage you to call his office and thank him at 928-717-3268.  Thanks, Kurt, for writing in with this great news!

The best lesson we could teach America's children as the school year ends is that all people are of equal worth, no matter what Governor Jan Brewer or Councilman Steve Blair think.

Update:  Here's some good news...Councilman Blair has been fired by the radio station that airs his program.

Reconciliation – Over Coffee – Needed Between Police and Portlanders

The decision by a Red and Black Café co-owner to expel a Portland police officer who came in for a cup of coffee simply for being a police officer was a terrible display and one compounded by co-owner John Langley’s statement to The Oregonian that he would do it again: 

"I never expected a police officer to come into the space," he said. "If it happened again, I wouldn't serve him." 

As a critic of the Portland Police Bureau’s leadership and their union, I share the concerns of many that the bureau has been out of control. We clearly have problems with how the law is enforced in Portland. 

At the same time, I have encountered many individual officers who are professional in their conduct and obviously committed to this city. Showing them the door isn’t the answer. We need to be inviting them in. Portlanders need reconciliation with their police and the place for that to start is, well, over coffee. 

One of the basic premises behind community policing is that if officers and citizens talk to each other, work together, and have mutual respect for one another the community will be safer. Clearly, in recent years the bureau hasn’t done a good job on their end. But citizens need to step up to the plate right now as well. We need to be arguing for reform, absolutely, but we also need to be engaging the police on the beat and doing all that we can to build individual relationships with officers so that their reactive, reflexive, and conservative union has less of a role to play in the totality of the relationship between citizens of Portland and the police. 

But all the recent deaths of people in police custody and the chaos at City Hall have made reconciliation a difficult goal. 

Since Sam Adams came into office and handed-off the mayor’s traditional role as police commissioner to another member of the Portland City Council, I have been urging Mayor Adams to take back the bureau and to provide better oversight. He finally took that step a few weeks ago. At the same time, he named a new police chief. 

It was deeply concerning, however, that the mayor announced the appointment of a new police chief, Mike Reese, without any input from the community. Chief Reese is well respected but community leaders – particularly in this climate of distrust – should have been consulted. I concur with the statement made at the time by The Rev. T. Allen Bethel, president of the Albina Ministerial Alliance, who told Willamette Week that the mayor’s decision “says you really aren’t concerned about what’s best for this community.” The mayor’s actions only raised additional questions about the leadership at Portland City Hall and the Portland Police Bureau. Residents of Portland have little reason to trust the process. 

In any event, I’ll be inviting Chief Reese and Portland police Officer James Crooker, the man kicked out of the café, over to my house for coffee sometime soon with local clergy just to show them some hospitality during a difficult time for our city. John Langley would be welcome too.

Oregon Exodus Ordered

Until the rain stops, with the power given to me as an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (which doesn’t actually come w/power, but…), I hereby declare Oregon closed. All Oregonians should report immediately to PDX for flights to Mexico courtesy of the state’s rainy day fund (we do have one, right?).

The Rev. Lars Larson? Radio Talk Show Host Undermines Sanctity Of Marriage.

Lars Larson opposes gay marriage because such unions would, from his viewpoint, undermine the sanctity of traditional marriage.  But that won’t stop the conservative talk show host from making a mockery of marriage by performing a wedding himself on air. From his press release:

(Portland, Oregon) ... Talk show host Lars Larson will perform a wedding ceremony live on-air at 2:45pm this Friday (6/4/10), uniting two listeners, who also happen to be Washington County Sheriff Deputies, in holy matrimony. Larson, who is licensed to perform marriages in Oregon and Washington, agreed to unite this couple after receiving an e-mail from the bride's sister with this special request. Rock violinist Aaron Meyer will be on hand to provide the musical accompaniment for Friday's ceremony. 

The happy couple is Erika Wagner and Don Cox, both huge fans of Larson's radio show as well as his political views. In fact according to the original e-mail request, they were willing to get married in the station parking lot or during one of Lars' bathroom breaks if that would seal the deal. They relish the fact that one of Oregon's true conservatives might perform their marriage ceremony as it would horrify their mostly liberal family members. They met and fell in love while working as Washington County Deputies, after Don returned home with a medical discharge from service in Afghanistan. Both share Larson's conservative viewpoint and are supporters of the 2nd Amendment. 

"I'm flattered that I get the opportunity to officiate the marriage of two of our law enforcement public servants, not to mention one who has served this country in the Middle East," commented Larson. "I admire their willingness to let this happen live on my show with the whole Pacific Northwest listening in. I definitely won't be inviting a call from anyone who objects to this marriage!" 

Alpha Broadcasting's Director of Talk Programming Brian Jennings added, "Lars preaches anyway ... so this is just a natural extension of what he does every day."  

Larson talks politics but he doesn’t preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

And just how did Portland’s own Rush Limbaugh wanna-be become licensed to perform marriages in Oregon?  I can only assume he obtained one of those mail order clergy certificates.  Larson, clearly, never attended seminary and has no known theological training.  He claims to attend church but will not say where.  Larson will be turning what should be a religious ceremony (or a secular one performed by a judge) into a political circus.

Larson, whom I believe has also been divorced and remarried, believes in traditional marriage  - unless, of course, he is involved.

The General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) endorsed marriage equality in 2005. The UCC, which has roots going back to the Pilgrims, is ”a united and uniting, multiracial and multicultural, accessible to all, open and affirming, and peace with justice church.”  

Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children and Families Set For June 24th

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Oregon faces a grave moral crisis: the exploding number of homeless children in our public schools.  Last year Oregon’s public schools served over 18,000 children experiencing homelessness and that number is expected to grow this year.  Tragically, we expect less money to serve these students as the stimulus dollars from the federal government expire and as Oregon’s budget crisis worsens. 

I am writing to inform you of the Thursday, June 24th Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children and Families at First United Methodist Church in Salem (click the link for the registration form) and to invite your participation. 

The fiscal reality of our situation provides evidence that children and their families will suffer greatly but: “It is hope that helps us keep the faith, despite the evidence, knowing that only in doing so has the evidence any chance of changing,” once said William Sloane Coffin.  Acting on our faith in such a moment has the power to change the evidence.

This event has been in the planning stages since last fall.  Finally, we are calling people of faith from across Oregon to help bring lasting change that provides meaningful opportunities for children who are homeless.  We can make a powerful difference. 

Speakers and workshop leaders will address the varied causes of childhood, youth and family homelessness; discuss the continuum of solutions; and present best practices for congregational shelters, hospitality networks, family mentoring and food programs. You can network with homeless liaisons for the public schools, non-profit providers, government officials, and other people of faith. We will focus on homeless education programs and build an interfaith advocacy agenda for homeless children, youth and families.

Please share this information with your congregation, interfaith contracts, denominational bodies, and plan on attending yourself. If you have questions you can always contact me directly or Kevin Finney, public policy director for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, at 503-221-1054 or [email protected].

See you in Salem!

Sincerely,

Rev. Chuck Currie

PS.  Below is a video of the remarks I made in April before the Oregon Coalition on Housing and Homelessness on how the faith community can work with schools and other public agencies to help end homelessness.  

Rev. Chuck Currie - Oregon Coalition on Housing and Homelessness from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.