Viva la Revolution!

For those of you who may be unaware that the revolution is upon us, that the kingdom of God is at hand, I bring to you a very important announcement. As you well know, we do a lot of talking in this space about community, especially Christian community—how to define it, what principles govern it, the ontological status of its participants (is this sounding at all familiar?)—but what you didn’t know is that while we have been talking, others have been acting, and now it’s time to put your money where your mouth is and move to the great state of South Carolina. That’s right, the kingdom of God is here, or at least it will be, and you can join up in the Palmetto State. A group calling itself Christian Exodus (see media coverage), disillusioned that even with a Christian president and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, America is still sliding into a morass of moral decay, has proposed establishing an authentic Christian community in SC with the eventual goal of seceding from the Union! (Has this been tried before?) To be fair, secession isn’t their primary goal, but it is on the table according to Mike Sawyer, a member of the group: "The thought of secession is a last resort strategy. We hope to work within the system as much as possible in order to restore a true constitutional government."

According to their website, “ChristianExodus.org offers the opportunity to try a strategy not yet employed by Bible-believing Christians. Rather than spend resources in continued efforts to redirect the entire nation, we will redeem States one at a time. Millions of Christian conservatives are geographically spread out and diluted at the national level. Therefore, we must concentrate our numbers in a geographical region with a sovereign government we can influence through the electoral process. ChristianExodus.org is orchestrating the move of thousands of Christians to reacquire our Constitutional rights by electing State and local officials who will interpose on behalf of the people and refuse to enforce illegal federal acts. Click on our Plan of Action page to find out how we can experience God-honoring governance once again…

“South Carolina can secure the rights of her citizens by interposing her authority under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The federal government operates outside its delegated powers in the areas of education, religion, abortion, domestic behavior, intrastate communication, intrastate commerce, taxation, welfare, healthcare, gun regulation, and a host of other subjects… ChristianExodus.org will continue to move Christians into South Carolina until we possess a representative majority in both houses of the General Assembly. Such a strategy will make the sovereignty debate public, and the influence of our membership will tip the scales in favor of constitutionally limited government founded upon Christian principles.”

I have to admit, I give these people high marks for creativity, but what do you make of all of this? Should we be trying to turn America into a Christian theocracy? Is that what Jesus intended for the church--in this century or any other? Again, according to Mike Sawyer, “The USA is God's country, the greatest nation of modern times. We've fed the world, fought its wars, sent out more missionaries to spread the word of God than any other. Our Declaration and Constitution were divinely inspired.” I’d love to hear if anyone is motivated by this to think about moving to South Carolina, or any other commentary on this new movement.

almost...done

So... I get to come home in another day or two... or five. Sooner or later, anyway. Hope to see you guys soon.

Dusty rollin' in the dough

Dusty, what happened to your site??
http://www.marlett.net/
Did you sell the domain name for the big bucks??

"This site is currently under contruction If you are looking for Dusty's personal site, it has moved to a folder inside of this site."

This is hilarious.

Austin

Well, I went down to Austin last week and did a bit of apartment hunting. I don't suggest trying to find and pre-lease an appartment in two days. It gives you headaches. At least, it gives me headaches. Also, for those of you who might be changing cities in the near future, it's probably worth your time to find out if there are appartment finders where you are moving. I found out (after I had spent two and a half days driving all over Austin) that there are appartment hunters in Austin who will drive you around and show you a bunch of properties at no cost to you (the property owners pay them if you rent a place in their building). That would have been nice to know. Anyways, I'll figure out my mailing address when I get down there next month (Aug 12!!!) and make that available to anyone who wants it at that point. I also got my first cell phone while I was down there, so if you send me an email, I will send you my Austin telephone number (I'm also using it in Amarillo until I move). And it's a Cingular phone, so if any of you have the same service then we can talk to free. Yippee.

More Andrew Pictures

Click Here.

I must say, from my objective standpoint, my son is quite possible the most beautiful human being ever produced.

: )

Andrew Nathanael Jones - Born: May 29, 2005

I'm pretty tired right now; my heart wants to wax poetic, but I lack the energy to fit the right words together to bring you into my current world.

Here's some of the story:

After 30 hours of initial contractions (!) Sarah went into active labor around 6:00 am. We went to the Beverly Birth Center where her contractions became quite a bit more intense--she went from 4-6 cenemeters within three or four hours there. She was bleeding a bit more than the midwives were comfortable with, so we moved over to the Hospital (which is right next door to the birth center). Then she entered the final and most intense phase of labor and pushed our crying, bloody, beautiful son into this world at 3:50 pm.

How can I describe the moment of birth to you? The agony of seeing my wife go though the most intense labor mixed with the extacy of seeing my son come, push by push, as first a small sliver of hair, then head, then shoulders, arms and legs. Incredible.

We spent two days in the hospital, and now we're home. Tonight's the first night in our own place with our own son.

As I said, I'm exhausted, and ready to sleep (we'll see how much I get!).

Life is such a gift; how incredible it is that we all began this way! Our God is so full of life and grace; may we never cease to wonder at the beauty and mystery of life!

You can see some pictures that my father-in-law took on his photo site...

More details coming soon!

So Dave, is Emmanuel Jones breathing air yet or what?

Andy in Japan

I finally fixed my photos site and uploaded pictures from Andy's visit to Japan:

Where do you stand on the flag burning amendment?

And why? For those who don't know what I'm talking about, there have been groups in the United States pushing for an amendment banning desecration of the flag for many years now. It has never received the 67 votes required in the Senate for amendments, but the amendment only needs a couple more votes to pass, which it is close to now. Granted there are more critical issues to vote and debate on, but this one strikes me as controversial, yet less consequential than many political issues.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-22-flag-burning_x.htm?csp=24&RM_Exclude=Juno

Our TV is broken. gems like this make it hurt.

Japanese birdman.

A little tid-bit from Bowling Alone

I'm working my way through _Bowling Alone_ by Robert Putnam; I'm sad I haven't read it sooner. Have any of you read it? What did you think? Do you know of any similar studies?

anyway, here's a little bit about online communities ; )

"Computer-mediated communication is, to be sure, more egalitarian, frank, and task oriented than face-to-face communication. Participants in computer-based groups often come up with a wider range of alternatives. However, because of the the paucity of social cues and social communication, participants in computer-based groups find it harder to reach consensus and feel less solidarity with one another. They develop a sense of "depersonalization" and are less satisfied with the group's accomplishments. Computer-based groups are quicker to reach an intellectual understanding of their shared problems--probably because they are less distracted by "extraneous" social communication-- but they are much worse at generating the trust and reciprocity necessary to implement that understanding" (176).

A worthwhile project ? I think so

"Thanks to the automobile, the American dream has become the American nightmare. If you are like most Americans, you drive alone to your job, drive your kids to school, soccer practice and music lessons, and jump in your car for every little errand because no stores are within walking distance.... To compound the frustration, it's no longer safe for your kids to play in the street like you did as a kid because the traffic has become so fast and reckless. You don't know half your neighbors because you never see them except when they zip by at 35 mph.

...CarFree City, USA's goal is to provide Americans with an alternative: carfree cities. By creating new neighborhoods and cities or redeveloping existing areas on a scale that is for people and not cars, yields a host of personal, community and global benefits. It's an ambitious task, but not mere wishful thinking..."

http://www.carfreecity.us/home.html

This might hit home for many of you...

http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodern/

Check it out.

Another Question [trying to stir up a fight...I mean discussion]

Is the Church a product of Scripture, or is Scripture a product of the Church? Which one founds/legitimizes/is logically prior to the other? Why is the answer to this question important?

Storewars--funny!!

I'm not talking 'bout nothing but STOREWARS!!!

An Open Letter to the President of the United States of America, George W. Bush

As most of you probably already know, President Bush gave the commencement address at Calvin College yesterday afternoon, encountering unexpected opposition from the students and faculty. Nearly 1/3 of Calvin’s faculty signed on to a letter published Saturday in the Grand Rapids Press welcoming Mr. Bush but taking issue with his handling of war, the environment, and social justice issues—points at which, these Christian professors argue, Mr. Bush’s conduct diverges from how Christians are called to act in the world. (If you haven’t been following this story, see the coverage in Christianity Today for a quick rundown).

The text of the letter follows:

On May 21, 2005, you will give the commencement address at Calvin College. We, the undersigned, respect your office, and we join the college in welcoming you to our campus. Like you, we recognize the importance of religious commitment in American political life.

We seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere. While recognizing God as sovereign over individuals and institutions alike, we understand that no single political position should be identified with God's will, and we are conscious that this applies to our own views as well as those of others. At the same time we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration.

As Christians we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort. We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq.

As Christians we are called to lift up the hungry and impoverished. We believe your administration has taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor.

As Christians we are called to actions characterized by love, gentleness, and concern for the most vulnerable among us. We believe your administration has fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees.

As Christians we are called to be caretakers of God's good creation. We believe your environmental policies have harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment.

Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy, and we pray for wisdom for you and all world leaders.

--Concerned faculty, staff, and emeriti of Calvin College

I wonder, first, what reactions people have to this letter in particular, or the vigorous support evangelicals have shown for this president more generally (and surely, it goes without saying that we should treat these responses with respect and tact). I also wonder what relationship this situation has to our current discussions on what it means to be a Christian and to follow the teaching of scripture, or the law.

notes from my moleskine

OK, first off, I need to tell Adam (and the rest of you, I suppose) that I acquiesced to his request and posted a sizeable response to the comments on my "Question". This post is not entirely unrelated to that response (as you will see if you read them both), so you can probably use this to fill in some of the gaps in my thinking in said response. Or maybe they're both unintelligible...

This is a little different kind of post for me. I am for the most part just copying a page out of my moleskine notebook, but it's something I wanted to share and I would appreciate responses to it. So, without further ado:
05-12-2005
from Auden's "Sir, no man's enemy, forgiving all":
"Prohibit sharply the rehearsed response
And gradually correct the coward's stance."
-- leaping from the "ethical" to the "spiritual": no safety in laws, no easy answer in ready imperatives
--the terror of the spiritual leap lies in leaving the ethical but not returning to the merely aesthetic: responsibility without regulations. "I was just following orders" is no longer an excuse. Christ, save us in the time of trial! Let us find that Justice which the Law could never bring. Justice, the to come. Come. Oui, oui. Come.
--this "leap of faith" is a leap into doubt, from certainty (uncertainly rejected) into a place where the answers are not known before the particular question is asked (if they are ever "known" in the way you used to know things), where Justice arrives at an unexpected time and in the form of a stranger. Faith is an unlocked door.
--It's like stepping from a boat and walking on the water: impossible, perhaps, but it has been done.
--Faith and Doubt aren't opposites? Is faith, then, more like responsibility than it is like certainty? Like openness to the Other?

Am I the only person posting on this blog? I mean, come on! (j/k of course)

Adam, this is too precious. I wish I was one of those kids, getting stuffed monkeys thrown at me by you. I MISS YOU BUDDY.

Graduations

Hey, I just got back from my sister's graduation at Messiah College today. I have to admit it made me a little nostalgic at times. The commencement blew the commencement of the Wheaton College class of '03s out of the water. If any of you haven't done it recently I encourage you to take stock of how you have or haven't been living your life for Christ since our own graduation. I got reminded that my personal accomplishments since graduation have not necessarily done much for the kingdom. My preaching is done now.

Also, apparently the Christian college world is fairly well linked. In a minivan of 3 Messiah girls other than my sister, driving to a night before graduation celebration. I started getting the inevitable peppering of do you know so and so. I think it's the first time that I was able to say yes to knowing all of them. The names were Tim Mitchell, Kristen Hauber, and Ben Courtemanche. Dave, it took a little prompting, but I managed to get Tara Vanderploeg to admit to knowing you and Sarah. Apparently, you are expecting a baby. I hope all is well in the T6 community, especially you guys in Iraq.

Dear friends

Dear friends, I am pleased to announce my intention to leave Japan. It has been a good year and a half , but I'm ready to get back to the people and places I know. In fact, I feel like I'm ready to "settle down." I will leave in October, shortly after the end of the current teaching semester. I'll probably go to Dallas then to live with family or friends; but, on the other hand, I'm willing to go where I'm called, wherever that might be, if it's the right person doing the calling.

I've still got months ahead of me here, though, so I'm trying not to daydream but rather focus on the things at hand, work, rest, and play, mainly work. I am teaching a lot more classes than I have before and I can already feel pressure on my weak organizational and planning skills. I'm sure I'll make it through all right, but I do ask for your prayers.

I'll keep you posted as I decide where I'm going and what I'll be doing in America. I'll be home over summer vacation to work this out.

Right. Banek in Japan, out.

BTW, I updated my photos, which was why I started this post in the first place: http://photobucket.com/albums/v464/RyanBanek/