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Those kind people at Zondervan sent me a copy of Jesus for President to review, so here goes…
I regard this as one of the best, most challenging and thought provoking books around at the moment. Despite it’s American target audience (we don’t have a president here – yet) this makes great reading for any reader, as its themes are universal.
This is unlikely to look like any book you have ever read before, it’s got nearly as much in common with a graphic novel as it has with a standard text book. The best comparison I can give, and it is quite inappropriate really given the anti consumerist approach of the authors, is with a Howies clothing catalogue. It has that same earthy, lived in, thoughtful, artistic and engaging feel, but thankfully without the pictures of models wearing expensive clothes.
Put simply, this has got to be one of the most beautifully designed books on the market – working with the writing, the design emphasises the creative, radical spirit of the text, and the provocative joy of the authors. Quite rightly the designers, Holly and Ryan Sharp, are credited at the end of the book along with the writers. The colour is full throughout the book, with design elements interacting with the text throughout, which adds immensely to the value of the content. If you liked the look of ‘Irresistible Revolution’ then this is a quantum leap forward, like as if the publishers suddenly realised what this thing was all about…
In some ways it reminds me of an illuminated manuscript, from back in the day of monkishness, when religious texts were coloured and illustrated by devoted scholars. This fits with the fact that the authors are part of the new monastic movement – and perhaps this could be seen as the contemporary equivalent.
But aside from a fantastic design job – what does the latest offering from our dreadlocked brother actually contain? Well first point to make, there are very clearly two voices audible in this book. Claiborne and Haw have coinciding views, but different emphases, or perhaps just different experiences, which while bringing occasional difficulties to the academic niceties of the text, actually helps lend weight to this book. Actually – if you count the design, then add in one or two more voices as well.
Written throughout in easily digestible chunks, the book begins as a dissection of a theme of radical God politics which the authors show running through the bible. It sidetracks through stories of friends, writings of early Christians and reflections on current affairs.
It’s a book of stories, parables, and prophecy, it is not supposed to be a tome, or a text book, or a prize winning essay – this is a work of love, an object of discussion, a catalyst (for want of a less clichéd term) for renewed engagement with the themes, and an encouragement to live a different way.
Rather than taking an easy option, such as a single standpoint, of a Christian anarchy for example, or an anti war vote, Claiborne and Haw manage to turn the whole idea around, arguing for a radical Christian engagement with politics and society in a way that is at once submissive and subversive. American voters wanting to know who the writers say they should vote for, will find themselves left with the same choices, but hopefully looking at them through new, or perhaps ancient lenses. I suspect also that this will help many bring a new creativity to their decision making.
Pacifism and anti (or non) consumerism are key themes, but they each form only part of the overall principal argument, which is to see God’s people as a people set apart by God, called to live another way, and to follow only one leader. It critiques the philosophy that one can serve God, and walk in the way of the world.
This clarion call to a subversive and renewed people of God is a creative and stimulating read – it’s not without its problems, one cant help thinking that if Claiborne authors another book, he will have come close to being part of the system which he so clearly wants to work against, but at the same time, I like many others would be happy to read anything he writes. One might also question how the authors can happily work with others such as Jim Wallis who argue for a more conventional approach to politics… clearly McLaren is not the only one with a generous orthodoxy these days.
Some readers may find biblical references to apocryphal books troubling or confusing, I don’t, in fact I like it. Some factual discrepancies may exist within the text, (numbers of dead in Iraq, or etc) but these are minor when looked at in context, and can be put down to the issue of dual authorship.
It’s a beautiful, peaceful, challenging, affirming, prophetic, subversive and creative book, well worth reading, sharing, mulling over… likely to become a classic.
Links:
There’s been a lot of coverage of Obama’s Philadelphia speech recently, (see also here and read a transcript here) where he finally dealt head on with the poisonous snipes that have been aimed his way, over (of all things) his skin colour. Of course the strong words of his church minister havent helped him all that much, but lets be honest, Christian ministers have a good record of criticising America for its sinfulness… And it goes down well, so long as its from the establishment direction of course. Right wing preachers are welcome to declare that America is going to hell in a hand cart, but not firebrand Black men.
I’ll be honest, if I was American, and I voted, I’d vote for Obama, but I’m not, so I wont. And I ‘m not alone, I suspect lots of people wont vote for Obama. But many of them will be Americans.
Hillary Clinton has been doing her best to spoil his chances, my favourite Hillary comment was the one where she said there was no reason to suspect him of being a Muslim ‘As far as I know ‘. Damned with faint praise then.
Matthew Norman writing in the Independent says Obama treated Americans like gorwn ups: “Barack Obama talked to Americans on Tuesday, as I said, as if they were adults. He did unto them, to adapt a closing line from a speech the commentator Andrew Sullivan called deeply Christian, as he would have them do unto him. Whether Americans have the capacity to respond as adults, or whether they cling to the comforting blanket of sideshows like the ranting Rev Wright, will go as far as anything towards deciding the Presidency.”
But is this infantile nation, which has a record of ridiculous presidents and loony politics, waves guns around and considers itself the ‘liberator of Iraq’ ready to be treated in this way? Sorry to my American friends, I know there are many many of you who are intelligent sophisticated people who no more support ignorant politics than anyone else, but unfortunately I dont think you are in the majority.
Will America rise to the challenge of being treated this way? Or will it, as I predict, plump for Senator oven chip? I sadly suggest that the Democrats may well get beaten when it comes to election time, because President Palmer aside, I dont think the US is yet ready for a black president.
Oh and by the way, Hillary is arguably only still in the race because of her willingness to play fast and loose with the truth, as this article on the Common Dreams site explains…
Or of course, we could simply follow the suggestions of Shane Claiborne and friends who are suggesting we elect Jesus for president, and put the Amish in for homeland security!
I have this real fear that should Barack Obama win the American election, the whole situation in Cuba could come crashing down. Essentially I am saying that the blockade of Cuba, has been one of the key factors in preserving the country from the ravages of capitalist exploitation.
I know that this doesnt make sense in terms of my feelings about the blockade generally, basically I oppose it, I think its an act of war on America’s part.
But what it has done is stabilise and bolster a number of things in Cuba, one of them being a growing environmentalist way of life, including widespread organic gardening and etc.
Should Obama win (of which more in a later post) I think he will possibly make moves to remove the blockade. If that happens, there is likely to be an economic explosion in Cuba, from increased tourism and export revenues, which could seriously threaten the eco system there.
Some people ask how Cuba became green, the answer is beguilingly simple.
Following the collapse of the old Soviet bloc at the end of the eighties, Cuba’s economy was thrown into crisis. Their markets and cash evaporated as one time communist allies became capitalists. Everything went, including supplies of agricultural chemicals.
Most people assumed that Cuba too would cave in, the Americans certainly did, tightening their blockade in the hope of squeezing them a bit more.
But instead something remarkable took place, and Cuba, instead of collapsing, underwent a different sort of transformation.
Responding to the lack of agri chemicals and shortage of imports, they began to grow food organically, and implemented one of the most progressive organic agriculture policies the world has ever seen.
The whole nation worked together to adopt a more sustainable way of life, now urban gardening, renewable energy, and permaculture practises are widespread. International support has boosted Cuba’s ability to survive and even thrive despite the blockade.
Could all that be about to change? I really hope not. As much as I despise the blockade, and all that it means, I recognise too that it has helped preserve Cuba from capitalism, and find alternative ways of living, which are the kinds of things the ‘developed’ western world, are now beginning to take seriously decades later.
I am becoming more and more convinced that one of the most significant problems in our society is money.
The story goes that Jesus told his disciples, ‘its easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’
There’s a lot about that which makes sense to me. I honestly think that one of the pronciple reasons we arent a fairer, more just society is that we are too obsessed with getting and keeping money.
This follows on from my previous post, which groaned about the way our society is totally based upon the need for a growing economy, and the fact that the government exists in no small part to look after the interests of big business, as they are inexstricable from the needs of society as a whole.
My view on this is that we are too rich in our society. We have too much. If we had less, we would still be able to make do. But instead we have a lot, and we tie ourselves in to needing more. To get the nicer house, in the better area, we must work a bit harder, in a better paying job.
As we give ourselves over to work, we abandon the needs of others, who come a poor second to us when it comes to doling out the loot. It was love others AS yourselves, remember?
As we separate, living increasingly isolated lives, out of community with one another, leaving old people alone in their houses until its time for them to go into a home, as more and more single people make home by themselves, as marriages break up and divorcees become single parents, we all find ways of getting what we need to make our lives better.
But in doing so, we are participating in an unjust system, we are bringing war on people many miles away (war over oil, over gold, over collapsing brain drain economies), and we bring misery.
The kingdom of God, we are told, is justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Our rich lifestyles bring the opposite. It really is harder for us to enter the kingdom of God, than for us or a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
Until we can collectively turn our backs on this way of living, we can never exepect to see the Kingdom of God on earth.
The maverick Scientist James Lovelock, who has consistently been the outspoken forerunner of climate change science was interviewed in the guardian at the weekend.
I’ve only just got round to reading it, and as is to be expected from the original science malcontent, it makes rather grim reading for those of us who are keen to make an impact on the world.
Lovelock’s view is that we have gone long past the tipping point in terms of climate change. There is no point in making the kind of consumer lifestyle changes that are promoted - switching to renewable electricity and so on.
His view is that in the next few decades there will be dramatic climate changes which change the face of the world, desertising parts of Europe, flooding parts of London, so on and so forth. There are also suggestions of a flood of immigrants coming here as climate refugees, and the notion that we may need to synthesise food… The latter I recongise is already with us, the first smacks of the fears of an old man.
Rather than advise us to cut our emissions or change our lifestyles, he says: “Enjoy life while you can. Because if you’re lucky it’s going to be 20 years before it hits the fan.”
At the same time as finding these claims deplorable, I am also aware of the massive scale of change that is needed if we really are to change the world. It simply isnt enough for middle class people to recycle, and to buy freerange eggs. Either the majority of society needs to change their lifestyles completely, or else I fear Lovelock’s predictions are likely to come true.
Over the coming years wars really will be fought over food and water, nuclear power will have to be our main source of energy - with all of its risks. People will die on a massive scale and only those wealthy enough to protect themselves will survive.
The trouble is that I dont see many people really being willing to make the necessary changes in their lives. Why? Because we’re bound into a system that is so reliant on a growing economy, that it is impossible for us to opt out.
Our very governmental systems have evolved to promote the interests of those companies which bring in the wealth, we’re busy storing up treasures on earth.
There needs to be some effort put into fiding ways we can live outside of this structure, because unless there is a way, not enough people will make the shift, and then we’ll all suffer. More importantly the first ones to go will be those who deserve it least.
In part of Phnom Penh that I know quite well, there is an old technical college that in recent years has become a museum. Prior to that it was a prison, known as S-21 where somewhere between 12,000 and 16,000 people lived their final days in agony and terror.
I use it as a navigation point, one of my favourite guest houses is best found by directing moto drivers to ‘Tuol Sleng museum’. Tuol Sleng is the only museum of genocide that I have ever seen.
It stands as a grisly but necessary reminder of Cambodia’s not too distant past, when 1.7 million people met their deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.
Kang Kek Iew, aka Comrade Duch was the head of the KR’s special branch, and as such he headed up the Tuol Sleng prison, where many prisoners were tortured and interrogated, before being taken to nearby killing fields to be executed. Photographs and records kept by Duch and his regime still remain in the museum, along with the remains of many of the dead.
As the guy in charge of the executions, some estimates suggest that Duch is responsible for 12,000 or more deaths.
Right now Duch is on trial, and has just taken part in a reconstruction walk around Tuol Sleng, where he was confronted with the evidence of his heinous crimes, and according to reports, wept and prayed for the souls of the departed.
Duch is a fascinating character study. In the first place, it is recorded that during the 1990s he became a born again Christian, and according to some reports began a prolific church planting ministry. Certainly when Duch was found by journalists, he was working for World Vision, the Christian development and relief agency, based in Battambang, in the North West of the country.
Secondly Duch is the only ex KR leader to have come clean and confessed his part in the atrocities. Pol Pot died years ago, and most of those who are accused hide behind claims that they didnt know what was going on, ‘it was all down to Pol Pot’.
Thirdly an amazing insight into Duch can be gained from the memoir of French anthropologist Francois Bizot, who was himself subject to imprisonment by Duch, in the jungles of Northern Cambodia. When he was released from his captivity, Bizot came to realise that he had Duch to thank for his release. Duch had become convinced of Bizot’s innocence, and such was his zeal for the justice of the revolution, he negotiated his release.
In his book ‘The Gate‘ Bizot writes about Duch: “This terrible man,was not duplicitous. All he had were principles and convictions: he was a pure, fervent idealist.”
It is amazing that this idealist, was the same man who enagaged in systematic torture of thousands, and oversaw the slaughter of many thousands more. The same man who instructed his soldiers to use baskets of spiders and scorpions to extract confessions. The same man who married a hairdresser. The same man who became a born again Christian and pastor. The same man who now defies all the threats against him and his family, in his determination to tell the truth at his trial. The same man who before his career as a toruturer and executioner was a mathematics professor…
“Duch oversaw a precise department of death. His guards dutifully photographed the prisoners upon arrival and photgraphed them at or near death, whether their throats were slit, their bodies otherwise mutilated, or so thin from torture and near starvation that they were beyond recognition. The photographs were part of the files to prove the enemies of the state had been killed. Duch even set aside specific days for killing various types of prisoners: one day the wives of “enemies”; another day the children; a different day, factory workers.” (From: ‘When the War Was Over‘ - by Elizabeth Becker)
That a man can be such a complex mixture of apparently contradictory motivations and behaviours defies explanation. I find it morbidly fascinating, and more than a little sobering.
If you are interested in reading something about Cambodia’s transition from the killing fields, to today’s trials, and the incredibly complex relationships that underpin it all, you could do worse than read this article, which was penned in 2000, but gives a chillingly accurate picture of life in Pailin, one of the last KR strongholds.
There’s been a lot of talk about Fidel Castro over the last few days, after he announced he would no longer be continuing as president of Cuba. Most of what I have heard, has been in general negative towards Cuba, Castro, and Communism.
An american friend told me today that he thought the US should lift the embargo on Cuba (so do I actually, I think its an act of war) - his reason was that it was the best way to defeat communism, by allowing Cubans to catch the capitalist bug.
This in part sums up my reason for respecting Castro. He’s anathema to today’s capitalist world. Cuba stands alone as a place where a form of socialism is actually working (not without problems - some of them big ones). I would suggest that all of our capitalist societies are just as flawed though as the socialist Cuban society.
Fidel with his fatigues, his work ethic, his unflinching attitude of revolutionary defiance, his eschewing of personal glory through conventional means, his resistance to the temptations of personal wealth (ignore what Forbes say about him - its propaganda) and his general ballsiness in taking on the world’s biggest superpower (and greatest oppressor) and surviving, is admirable.
Not so admirable are the human rights violations, the murders, internments, vilification and imprisonment of gays and jehovah’s witnesses amongst others, all of which have occurred since the revolution - over the last nearly 50 years.
But it must be said in his defence that the majority of these crimes were carried out long ago. Castro is not the same man he was back then. The days of Fidel, Raul and Che overthrowing the Batista dictatorship are long gone. Now Castro is better understood as the man who led Cuba to become a country of extraordinary achievement.
A literacy rate of 98%, a very low infant mortality rate, a strong emphasis on environmentaly friendly technology, an organic farming revolution, he even reintroduced Christmas…
And on that note I would say that the idea of banning Christmas as a national holiday is one that I actually rather like, its a lot better than the commercialised hell that we suffer each year in the name of the homeless rabbi who died a squalid death after being abandoned by his followers… anyway… it got reinstated in the end, rather like Jesus.
I know that my perspective is vastly different from that of the many cuban emigres who fled the country in boats, to get to America where they could be happy capitalists, its certainly different to those who were imprisoned for ‘counter revolutionary thoughts’. Again, I dont claim Castro, Cuba, or communism are perfect.
But I do respect Castro, I respect the way he has kept going, I resepct the fact that in those early days he and the others lived the lives they told others to live, they spent their time off doing manual labour with the ordinary people, and Fidel’s children today work in factories, where they arent afforded the luxury and privelige that the presidential children of any other nation would be.
I truly deplore killing, I am a pacifist and a believer in freedom. But the freedoms we have in the democratic countries are often much less real than we like to think. There are plenty of ways this country will punish those who step out of line, albeit somewhat more subtle! I dont agree with the human rights abuses that have taken place in Cuba, nor do I support, excuse or condone the killings or imprisonment of many innocent souls.
So there it is, despite his and his regimes manifold failings, I still say that I respect Fidel, and all that he has acheived. And if any other leaders are as ready to put their life on the line, and walk the talk like Fidel has over the last fifty odd years, then I would probably offer them respect too. Trouble is, very few have.
(post number 3 in the ‘War on slugs series’)
In a series of daring raids, our troops have taken the battle back to the slugs - capturing them in their hideouts, and showing them who is boss!
Our brave boys… and girls… take the fight to the slugs.
“Now the war has really stepped up a gear” commented one official, who explained he doesnt like “the way slugs are all slimy and stuff.”
With precise timing, a series of attacks were launched on known slug hide outs, which included paving slabs, and an area of rockery. During the rockery raid, one slug was discovered hiding only feet away from the runner bean plant which suffered a devastating attack only days ago.
“To find the slug hiding in the very area in which we lost so many young leaves…” said one onlooker, “is chilling. I can only thank heaven that we got to him, before he got to the pumpkin plant.”
Hiding in the rockery… the slugs are everywhere.
A full scale seek and destroy mission is still underway for the slugs spiritual leader, Oslima Bin Sluggin, who is believed to be in hiding in the wall between the garden, and Harold-next-door’s garden.
“The problem is that there are so many caves, a real network of hideouts” admitted a spokesman. “But we are in this for the long haul, he wont beat us.”
A cave system in the wall adjoining Harold-next-door’s garden.
In addition to the attack missions, a renewed defence system has hurriedly been put into place, three new beer traps have been put into effect, and it is hoped that these will help cut down the number of slugs who can roam freely in the garden.
Commisioned: three new beer traps.
One thing is for certain, the longer this goes on, the more difficult the diplomatic situationwith Harold-next-door, who now claims that extremist slugs are holding training camps in the compost bin.
Now Harold-next-door claims the slugs are in the compost bin!
More to follow.
“We are aware of at least twelve cells of fanatical slugs who have been planning raids on targets in the garden.
“The problem we have encountered is that our agents, have traditionally been trained to infiltrate gangs of earwigs and woodlice.
“As a result of this, our ability to speak the language of slug is hampered.
“Fortunately we have a snail in the fish tank who speaks a form of snail - which is a bit like slug, but agents who are fluent in slug are hard to come by. This is an issue we are currently redressing, but not quickly enough to make an impact to this situation.” Press release issued by the office of the supreme gardener.
This was the grim news which greeted us as we rose this morning, the world is different now… there is a tangible sense of fear in the air, and extra blackbirds and thrushes are constantly patrolling the skies above the garden.
Without a doubt, the spirit of the blitz is alive and well here. We’ve all been making the best of it, digging for Britain, that kind of thing. Last night we hunkered down as best we could, hardly sleeping, knowing that any moment the slugs could strike again.
But there is also a constant air of suspicion in the air, and it has been directed not just at the overgrown weed patch in Harold-next-door’s garden, but also at a more distant, and older enemy… the French!
Conspiracy theorists weren’t slow to point out that in fact the French beans had not been touched by the invaders, and some witnesses claimed to have seen snails in the area. These two factors taken separately may have meant nothing, but we all know snails are french, and so are french beans. Curioser and curioser.
Suspicious - the French beans werent touched.
At first light this morning the garage was raided, two slugs were discovered hiding out there, but a spokesman said that they were believed to be loners, not part of the terror network.
The whereabouts of these captives is unknown, but using the emergency powers granted by the crisis cabinet, a salt encrusted prison camp has been set up on the old-green-table-in-front-of-the-kitchen, this facility has become known as Bantam Guano Ay, or sometimes Pa Cry Max.
Meanwhile moves are underway to engage in dialogue with Harold-next-door, in a dramatic last ditch effort to prevent hostilities breaking out.
“I remember when a ball went in his garden, he didnt throw it back for weeks” said one little girl tearfully. “He’s a vile dictator!” She added.
It is certainly clear that Harold-next-door has been known to dig ‘tators, but whether he does this in a vile way, is unclear. Also unclear is the whereabouts of the slug spiritual leader, Oslima Bin Sluggin, he is thought by some to be hiding out in a small cave in the old wall which borders the side of the garden, and has so far been thought to protect us from the ravages of Harold-next-door, and his chemically powered gardening practises.
“A man who uses chemicals on his plants cannot be trusted” reminded a ministry spokesman. “This kind of indiscriminate use of chemical and biological weaponry to cleanse his gardens of plants he doesnt like, which he describes as weeds, is evidence of his callousness.”
Some dissident voices have claimed however that in fact the slugs were initially trained by our own government, during a campaign against the-bloke-who-lived-next-door-on-the-other-side-but-who-moved, which began after he kept blocking up the lane behind the houses, with his van, at inconvenient times.
“Our own government financed and trained the slugs, in an effort to destroy his plants during the spring of 2005.
“At that time the slugs, in particular the Mujasluggin were seen as useful to us… the enemy of our enemy is our friend and all that.” Said film maker and outspoken chubby guy Michael Moremoremore.
“It just goes to show!” He added knowingly.
More to follow.
This morning the world awoke to a terrible sight. Extremist slugs had wreaked untold devastation on an innocent, and unsuspecting runner bean plant.
Apparently the slugs had been secretly training for many days before carrying out the outrage, led by senior slugs who had attended secret training camps for Mujasluggin.
“This was a dramatic failure of intelligence on our part” admitted one official. “These slugs have taken us entirely by surprise, our defences have been breached, and a terrible cost has been extracted.”
The scene of devastation.
A crisis cabinet was convened, and a ministry spokesman briefed a hushed press conference early this morning:
“We will not let this go unpunished. These slugs cannot strike at the very heart of our garden and be allowed to slither away totally free.
“As far as we know, they have returned to their hiding places, under logs, in between stones in the wall, and in other dark and damp areas.
“But believe this, we will find them, and they will answer for what happened here today.”
This statement was later followed by a message of support from the primeminister of the garden over the road, who pledged his full support, and made clear his personal commitment to be “tough on slugs, tough on the causes of slugs.”
As yet though the causes of slugs are unclear. The primeminister also said that he had been made aware of intelligence which showed that slugs in Harold-next-door’s garden were able to strike at the runner beans at just 45 minutes notice.
One problem that has been highlighted in the aftermath of the attack, are that our garden’s deterrants are outdated.
“It’s clear that our systems need to be overhauled” a spokesman said, “these slugs should never have slipped through so easily.
“It may even be that they disguised themselves as snail, or even worms, to affect this infiltration, and we therefore advise that all citizens be aware of any, and I mean any slimy creature, as they may pose a real and present threat to the security of our garden.”
Some campaigners have pointed out that under the terms of the Innes no3 treaty, all gardens have pledged not to renew or update their deterrant systems. But a government spokesman pointed out that these rules are for ‘other’ gardens, where the administrations cannot be trusted to garden efficiently.
“Some of these gardens are allowed to run wild, with little or no investment made in terms of cultivation. In such places, which are best described as ‘the axis of evil’, we as responsible gardeners need to be firm in our resolve over allowing them to develop new weapons, which they could in future use against us, or worse, could fall into the wrong hands.”
“Imagine what a slug could do with that technology!” He added.
Innocent and vulnerable - the French beans could be next!
Concern is now growing for the vulnerability of some young french bean plants, which have so far remained unscathed.
“We dont know when, but we do know that at some point an attempt will be made on these french beans, and in order to prevent that we must take decisive action.” The spokesman explained.
“A garden shed cabinet has been convened, and we are considering the next step in this campaign . An invasion of Harold-next-door’s garden has not been ruled out, it is clear that he is harbouring slugs, and our intel supports the theory that the slugs spiritual leader, Oslima Bin Sluggin may be based there.”
Opposition voices have been raised, as fears grow that a full on invasion may happen, which would pose terrible problems with the police, what with it being someone elses garden and everything… Critics have also claimed that the real reason for the invasion is not slugs at all, but is motivated by the fact that Harold-next-door is brewing his own bio diesel in his garage.
More to follow.
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