a diverse christainity

in the years following the crucifixion of jesus, the disciples of jesus were a diverse group.

there are numerous appearances of the resurrected jesus documented in the new testament. one refers to a group of 500.

those followers did not immediately form a unified church. those followers were still primarily jews.



it was peter and paul and others of the new testament writings who begin to welcome non-jews into the community of believers, but it was jesus himself who commanded his disciples to go unto all the world.....

it was jesus who broke down social barriers throughout his ministry, opening the door of salvation to sinners, to lepers, to women, to samaritans, 

... to pharisees. 

he did not neglect them. 

it was only that they were mostly satisfied with the salvation they had carved out for themselves.




it was only that they wanted to be exclusive. 



we are still a diverse world of followers today that share a joy in jesus.

i have found the book of common prayer for ordinary radicals a very inspiring daily devotion.

a recent reading talked about the sacrifice of praise.

what an odd term. how can praise be sacrificial?

the reading suggests that praising in a way that is not comfortable, or even meaningful to you, is to be embraced because of the way it inspires and comforts another believer.

it reminded me of how important it is to share in the christian traditions of others, how important it is to know that our traditions and cultural experiences are not the only way to serve god.





it is so hard to divide culture from commandment.

the greatest commandment is to love god and to love others as we love ourselves.

if we want others to respect our culture, we must respect theirs.

i know believers that would never say amen in church.

i know believers who praise jesus throughout the service.

i know believers who find great comfort in liturgy.

 i would argue that we have to look for the good they find there. we have to look for the need it meets for them.

because our concern should always be, first and foremost, the needs of others.

the needs of others are to be equal to our own needs.






for myself, i have found that i have much to learn from the worship of others. in my family, we say we are fluent in denominations. we have been baptist, presbyterian, lutheran, united methodist, rock 'n roll and non-denominational homeless serving church. as a teenager, i also attended a house church.

i have found good in all.

i have found the most good in those that took me out of my comfort zone.

my guess is that if you have a comfortable walk with jesus that you are ripe for temptation.

the hard times test our faith.

but those are not the times we are complacent.

those are the times when we recognize the needs of our brothers and sisters the most.

handmaid's tale part 3

the book was the story of june.

the tv version, the stories of women.

in my last blog, i had not watched the final episode.
it changed the story.

margaret atwood addressed the beginning of the evangelical power grab of the reagan years with her book. the book looks back from a future time as a historical primary resource of the past.

it is a warning.

atwood's tv show addresses the present of a theocracy run by men in the name of god. 

this medium addresses the resistance.

in gilead, the new rule is welcomed by women believers just as the religious right is peopled with large numbers of women supporters.


but what serena and enid find is that their religious fervor has been co-opted by a male desire for power and domination.




what they find is what started as a movement to aid women and children became a society that cares little about women, a society based on ownership of women.... very much in the manner of the old testament.

when there eyes are opened, they find they must make a choice. 

resistance is only successful when oppressed groups work together. the most successful strategy of those in power is to pit those beneath them against one another, to inspire competition for meager resources.

in south carolina, this was best demonstrated by ben tillman's leadership in the progressive movement. he not only excluded black farmers, but played to the fear and prejudice of poor white farmers in consolidating his political power.

his progressivism was just a desire for his own power.

the women in gilead are separated into well defined categories that spurn interaction.

the women are kept deliberately separate, fearful, and silent.

only when that barrier of distrust is broken can the resistance begin.

gilead only benefits one group... the commanders.
they make the rules.
they break the rules.

those who have seen the last episode know.... serena can only break the rules when it benefits the commander.... challenging him, a man she thought she shared her ideals with, brings devastating consequences.

in the last episode, serena learns that the man she loved is gone.


the disturbing hints give way to full blown betrayal.






the book and tv show merge in the inspiration for resistance.

in the book, it is a pillow, an individual protest, a cherished part of june that is still alive. on tv, it is a bible.

it is the ability to read. it is the literacy that is so empowering.

reading is communication - with god, with others, with ideas.

it is both spiritual and concrete.

when people share their stories, they find themselves in others. we can only separate into "us" and "them" when communication is absent.

only when we understand that we are all "us" can we begin to make a better world.

men are not excluded.

together is without boundaries.

a resistance to oppression requires the repentance of the oppressor.






art is essential.

art tells our stories.

art is resistance.