Friday, April 27, 2012

Looking for Places to Listen to Faith

This is just a quick note to let you know if you enjoy thoughtfully, provocative radio broadcasts, especially around issues of faith, I would like to give you two recommendations:

12 Enough - which is a podcast produced periodically by two New England  Protestant ministers.  They are witty and fun to listen to while also forcing you to think about theological questions.  You may agree with them or disagree but you won't go away without having a new thought.

On Being with Krista Tippett is my second recommendation.  This show carries a much broader view of faith and may introduce you to ideas that you hadn't considered before as well as allowing you to hear from and about some of the great theologians of our time.  (I was introduced to this show as a way to listen to the work of Reinhold Neibuhr and haven't stopped listening since.)

Both of these shows also have blogs and other media that you may want to explore as well.  Is there anything that you listen to that you find helpful in your spiritual growth?  Please let us know.

Friday, April 6, 2012

What is Evil?

Today, I used Psalms 7 as my scripture for meditation.  There are many interesting phrases in this scripture, but I was caught in Psalms 7:3 "It would be different Lord, if I were doing evil things."  I think I became transfixed on this phrase because of the work that I am doing in Christian Ethics about oppression.  For class we watched, Romero:



In watching this,  I had to ask who was evil? Was it just the soldiers? Just the government? Or was it also Romero himself when he begrudgingly walked alongside the El Salvadorian people in the beginning as they walked to the polls?  Was it the mother who asked Romero to baptize her son separately?

It is so easy to be sure that we don't lie, cheat, and steal.  It is much harder to separate ourselves from oppressive systems that surround us all.  Perhaps, we don't offer health insurance to our employees.  Perhaps, we don't pay our full share into taxes and therefore put a strain on the support systems for others in need.  Perhaps, we choose not to vote and let the status quo continue.  Perhaps you buy the less expensive items at a store that encourage child labor or not paying a living wage to those in need. What is evil?  What is sin?

This is the mandala that I created as I pondered this question.

  How do you think you may add or assist in the oppression of others?  What steps can you take to not continue this action?