The Journey of Abraham into the 21st Century

1 To Abraham and Sarah the call of God was clear,

'Go forth and I will show you a country rich and fair.

You need not fear the journey for I have pledged my word,

that you shall be my people and I will be your God.'

2 From Abraham and Sarah arose a pilgrim race,

dependent for their journey on God's abundant grace;

and in their heart was written by God this saving word:

'that you shall be my people and I will be your God.'

3 We of this generation on whom God's hand is laid,

can journey to the future secure and unafraid,

rejoicing in God's goodness and trusting in this word:

'that you shall be my people and I will be your God.'

                                       Voices United 634

 I see that the Common Lectionary, or schedule of Sunday scripture readings, offers us passages from Genesis and the story of Abraham. In fact the next four weeks tell us a bunch of gripping tales about a bunch of important characters. Abram and Sarai are called by God this week and are renamed Abraham and Sarah. Then this ancient pair are informed by angels or travelers or God that they will have a son, against all odds. The following week we're introduced to Hagar and Ishmael, revered figures in Islam. We'll then move on to the disturbing near-sacrifice of beloved son Isaac by father Abraham with the promise of a new covenant. 

These stories are key to Judaism and Islam and Christianity and in some respects bind these three monotheistic religions together and push them apart. Years ago Bruce Feiler wrote an insightful book exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly of these connections. 

One of the few positive developments in the first Trump administration are what are known as the Abraham Accords of 2020. They offered a glimmer of hope for peace in the Middle East, or at least a de-escalation of mistrust and possible violence. All that changed with the attacks by Hamas on Israel in 2023, followed by the horrendous campaign of retribution in Gaza. Then Trump blew up the stability of the region with the ongoing war with Iran, and Israel invaded Lebanon.  

In the on-again, off-again ceasefire Trump has repeatedly claimed that a peace deal with Iraq is at hand but has baffled many with his insistence that a condition will be a number of nations signing on to the Accords:

I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition,

Is "mandatorily requesting" akin to "volun-told"? Who knows. This unexpected insistence hasn't played well with several nations. 

It is interesting that thousands of years after this saga of Abraham and Sarah and others unfolded there is still at least symbolic heft, even though a certain leader probably couldn't find in the bible if his life depended on it. 

May the blessing of the God of Sarah and Hagar,

as of Abraham,

the blessing of the Son, born of the woman Mary,

and the blessing of the Spirit, who broods over us

as a mother her children,

be with you all. Amen.

                      Voices United 428

The Hypocrisy of Character Building Sport

10 

Therefore the people turn and praise them

    and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Such are the wicked;
    always at ease, they increase in riches.

Psalm 73: 10-12 NRSVue

As game one of the Stanley Cup Finals got underway last night I was aware that one of the key players for the Vegas Golden Knights was involved in a high profile trial last year 

Five former junior hockey players were acquitted of sexual assault in a London Ontario courtroom last July and there was no surprise in our household, sad to say. When Ruth was a support worker in a women's shelter she often accompanied clients to court in abuse and assault cases and saw how the legal deck of burden of proof was stacked against them. 

In yet another "he said, she said" trial the argument was not about five young men engaging in group sex with a young woman, it was about consent. Ultimately the judge concluded that there wasn't reasonable evidence that this sordid incident was illegal even though it was sickening that most of these young men enthusiastically engaged in this behaviour.

Some of them had already gone on to NHL careers by the time of the trial and one of them, Carter Hart, was an emerging star goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers. The league suspended them for a time but Hart was pursued by several NHL teams, including both now in the finals. Hart chose to sign with Vegas rather than the Hurricanes and even though I sense it was a porous game (I couldn't watch)  Hart is now three wins away from a Stanley Cup Championship.

The Golden Knights management team and coach speak about what a fine young man Hart is and he has spoken about what he has learned in rather vague terms. Yet I haven't seen any specific apology for what happened in that hotel room or for the terrible example it sets for young athletes.

 I shake my head at how often people speak reverentially about the benefits of collective sport for kids without much reflection on whether there is any moral compass for young athletes. I'm not suggesting that children and their parents should attend Morals and Ethics 101 classes as a requirement for participation. Yet this high profile case is not an anomaly in a culture of often toxic manhood. Then there are the parents who harass referees and shockingly rage away in the stands. How is this "character building"? 

The God I worship is one of second chances and forgiveness, so I want to generous in my outlook. My faith also includes acknowledgement of wrongdoing (we used to call it sin) and heartfelt repentance. 

It would be unfair to describe Carter Hart as wicked and this is really a systemic problem. Now, though, he is those few games from being a Stanley Cup hero and it doesn't sit right with me. 

UFOs and...Demons?

                                                                    from Project Hail Mary

 “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.  

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19: 33-34 NRSVue 

Just when one might assume that things couldn't get any stranger south of the border they do. The United States government has released murky images collected through the years of UFOs -- Unidentified Flying Objects -- UAPs -- Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. As always, sightings and indistinct photos lead to speculation about visits from intelligent life from beyond our solar system. 

I am certainly open to this possibility although you'd figure that if space travellers managed to get this close to Earth they'd have the ability to make contact in some meaningful way. 

It turns out that there have already been gatherings of conservative Christian pastors and leaders who are Some worry that it undercuts the Bible’s account of the Earth and humanity as the centerpiece of God’s plan for the universe. If God came to save humanity in Jesus Christ what will the possibility of aliens mean for the Christian narrative? 

Among atheists and agnostics in the United States, 85 percent say their best guess is that intelligent life exists outside Earth. Among white evangelicals, only 40 percent say the same. So, what have some of them concluded? That these are demons and we must be spiritually prepared for a demonic invasion. The Vice-President, JD Vance, a possible president at some point, supported this bizarre contention as a guest on a conservative podcast. 

There are sensible Christians who offer different responses. Decades ago CS Lewis (Narnia Series)  entertained the possibility of extra-terrestrial life in an essay and a trilogy of novels. A few years back a Vatican scientist made headlines when he mused that aliens might have souls, and said he would baptize an alien “if they asked.” Just how would an alien communicate this desire? 

Russell Moore a sensible evangelical and editor of Christianity Today says that proof of extraterrestrial life should pose no threat to Christianity and need not be received with hostility. “If we assume the possibility that there’s something outside of Earth, our basic default should be the way we treat strangers generally”  I assume this doesn't mean sending them to a squalid prison in Central America. 

I think that these UAP demon hunters should be required to watch the excellent film, Project Hail Mary and learn from the warm relationship between reluctant astronaut Ryland Grace and Rocky, the extra-terrestrial. Or maybe search out an old episode of My Favorite Martian. 

I'm far less concerned about Little Green Men than I am about the earthling with orange hair. 

Gratitude to Creator and Creation

 

                                                 Blue Heron in Flight -- Gerry Gant 

In a couple of days Ruth and I will be on different schedules travelling hither and yon for a couple of weeks, something that rarely happens. We agreed that this morning was the best opportunity to get out on the water in our kayaks until the middle of June, so we headed north 20 minutes to a stretch of the Moira River. It may not surprise you that the river was not busy at 7:00 AM on a Monday morning. Well, there were no humans about but there was a lot of activity. 

Over the course of an hour or so of paddling we saw several blue herons including one that startled us flying up from a spot at the edge of the water. There was a single deer in a meadow and we caught a glimpse of an eagle on the pair's Volkswagen Beetle sized nest. On our return to the launch Ruth let out a delighted cry as she passed immediately over a large snapping turtle and another as a large fish leapt and splashed her. The water lilies are all emerging, some already with pads on the surface while others are climbing toward the sunlight. We heard a kingfisher, a pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers. 

If this sounds idyllic, it was, other than the mosquitoes at the put-in site. We started paddling later in April but today's lush surroundings, the birdsong, and the unexpected creatures were all a blessing. We took a moment to thank the Creator as is our habit, taking nothing for granted. 

This wasn't the blog entry I had planned for today but I just had to interrupt regularly scheduled programming to express gratitude to Creator and Creation. 

Who are the Good Guys in International Charity?

 I've just finished the novel Good Guys by Newfoundland writer Sharon Bala. There are several important characters in this story about international aid organizations including Claire Talbot, the publicist for Children of the World, started by an aging rock star.  Her motives are good when she facilitates the involvement of an A-list actress at their Central American orphanage. When this celebrity visits she is moved to adopt an infant with special needs who has a family living in abject poverty. While this supposed orphan adoption brings plenty of media and online attention with plentiful monetary contributions to Children of the World the machinations of the "good guys" soon goes south (pun intended?) and the well-meaning white saviours become bad guys. 

Good Guys is a thought-provoking story, well told by Bala. It is also a focused and sometimes cutting scrutiny of the ecosystem of international charity. We have been privy to celebrity adoptions by Madonna and the then-couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Both women have been generous in their support for charitable causes, Madonna began the charity Raising Malawi and her adopted kids are from this African nation. Jolie was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees at the age of 26. I certainly don't question their sincerity but we are reminded that stars attract eyes and ears, as was the case with Audrey Hepburn decades ago. 

                              

                                                                                Angelina Jolie 

Earlier this year we watched a segment of 60 Minutes featuring the orphanage Have Faith Haiti financed by best-selling author Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie) in violence-torn Haiti. This compound with 30-foot walls and careful security is an oasis of peace and hope for children who would face a bleak future otherwise. We were impressed. I am an admirer of rock star Bono and his work in the Jubilee movement and AIDs relief. 

There are bigger questions, though, about the inequities between have and have-not nations and how children are rescued from their fate. Bala also circles around the role of churches and other Christian institutions in outreach work and the cynicism of an investigative reporter who left evangelicalism is obvious. Characters in the novel reflect on the mission trips of teens from North American churches to help build schools without much thought to how those schools will be supported into the future. Who are these trips for? We have a friend in ministry who was very involved in these trips on behalf of the United Church for a number of years. Again, we never questioned her sincerity but what is the bigger picture and what are the lasting effects of these trips in the lives of those who parachute into countries for a brief period of time at considerable cost? 

In the end Bala paints a picture that is not a simplistic polarization of good guys and bad guys. It is an indictment of privileged assumptions and actions. 

This would be a worthwhile novel for discussion by a church book club. 

Acknowledging the Shame of Slavery

 "Slave Chain with Four Yokes" from the Dexue voodoo convent in Adounko, Benin, dating from the 19th century at the Memorial ACTe, the Caribbean Centre of Expression and Memory of Slavery and the Slave Trade, in Point-a-Pitre, May 8, 2015. © 2015 Nicolas Derne/AFP via Getty Images

This past week there was plenty to catch our attention in the news, everything from Pope Leo's newly released encyclical, to the spreading Ebola outbreak in Africa, to the peace deal/not a peace deal between the United States and Iran.

There were two significant acknowledgements that probably flew under the radar in the news feed. One was the recognition by France of the nation's complicity in the international slave trade in earlier centuries and the possibility of reparations. According to Human Rights Watch:

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the need for reparations in connection with France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on May 21.

Macron said that reparations for enslavement crimes should no longer be ignored. He also warned against “false promises,” Emphasizing that the legacy of enslavement could never be fully repaired because it was “impossible.” Macron backed the symbolic repeal of the never-abolished “Code Noir,” which were royal decrees from the 17th and 18th century that governed enslavement in French colonies.

Other European nations including Great Britain are grappling with complicity in the horrendous trade in human beings and the need to support initiatives to compensate the descendants of those who were enslaved, as complicated as that might be. King Charles has addressed the shame of the royal family accruing wealth through slavery. 

The other acknowledgement was by Pope Leo within the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas who apologized for the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in slavery through the centuries. He named  the "regulating and legitimising forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of of [non-Christians]" by the church. He also acknowledged that earlier in the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions had their own slaves. Pope Leo sincerely asked for a pardon in the name of the Church, adding that it was "impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many".

Not long ago I wrote about the initiative  of the Church of England to raise money for a slavery reparations fund, controversial within the denomination which also benefitted from the slave trade. 

Pope Leo visited African nations recently. Did this trip prompt the inclusion of the apology in the encyclical? The BBC reports:

Ghana said the Pope's acknowledgment of the "painful history" was significant, at a time the world was having a "deeper reflection" on the effects of slavery and colonialism. The country successfully pushed for a UN resolution in March, which recognised the enslavement of Africans as the "gravest crime against humanity".

All these public statements and efforts toward compensation are important if they are honest and lead to results in the lives of those who continue to be affected, both individuals and nations. We'll see. 

George Washington & the Prayer at Valley Forge

 

"The Prayer at Valley Forge", a 1975 painting by Arnold Friberg done for America's bicentennial celebration in 1976.

It's hard to miss that this year marks the 250th anniversary for the United States of America. There will be celebrations "from California to the New York Island" and presumably Hawaii and Alaska. In some of the gushier praise of America's shining history there is no mention of slavery or a brutal war pitting North against South or segregation, but there ya go. 

One of the recurring myths to be brought forward is the Godliness of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington. As I mentioned recently. Washington went to church with wife Martha from time to time but he referred to go fox hunting on Sundays. He was more of a theist than a Christian and he didn't mentioned Jesus in his writings. 

The historical record has never deterred patriots from portraying him as a man of prayer, even in the midst of war. This is based on an unconfirmed story created by the same writer, Parson Weems,  who fabricated the "I cannot tell a lie" tale of young George confessing to cutting down a cherry tree. Apparently the parson could tell lies without compunction. Search "The Prayer at Valley Forge" and you'll be rewarded with lots of images going back long before the 1975 painting above. 

An article from NPR offers: 

After the publication of Weems' book in 1800, images of the first president praying became a meme — long before there were memes. Paintings and engravings were reproduced on china plates and on postage stamps in the 1920s. It appeared on the cover of the popular magazine The Saturday Evening Post in 1935, and reproduced in stained glass in a special prayer room built in the U.S. Capitol for members of Congress in the 1950s.

Of course, we could all be content to accept Washington as a person of prayer and faith, if it's true. Even if so, it's the ways in which the story of Valley Forge is used to suggest that the United States has always been Christian and therefore other religions are "lesser than" that is problematic. And then there is the blurring of the separation of church and state, along with the sanctification of war swallowed whole by millions, including lots of people in the current administration. The story is almost certainly fabricated, so why perpetuate the dishonesty? 

Well, there is likely much more to come during this year. God bless America. 

                    The altar in the Congressional Prayer Room at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

                                                                     Lisa Mascaro/AP