The Most Important Book to Read Right Now

Pat Liberty

This may be the most important book you read this year. The False White Gospel, Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True faith and Refounding Democracy by Jim Wallis is a stunning analysis of the religious landscape in contemporary American Culture and its impact on politics. “Wallis is America’s prophet and moral philosopher,” says Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. He is passionately Christian and deeply faithful to the best of what Christianity stands for.

“It is time, says Jim Wallis, to call out genuine faith—specifically the ‘Christian’ in white Christian nationalism—inviting all who can be persuaded to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy. We need to raise up the faith of all of us, and help those who are oblivious, stuck, and captive to ideology and idolatry.

Wallis turns our attention to six iconic texts at the heart of what genuine biblical faith means and what Jesus, in the gospels, has called us to do. It is time to ask anew: Do we believe these teachings or not? When we see a civic promotion of fear, hate, and violence, we need a civic faith of love, healing and hope to defeat it. And that must involve all of us—religious or not. Learning to practice a politics of neighbor love will be central to the future of democracy in America.

More than ever, the words of Jesus ring, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” From the book jacket

If you read nothing else this year, please read this. New York Times best selling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy (which I also highly recommend) writes, “Wallis sounds the alarm—arguing that the rise of white Christian nationalism is not just another symptom of partisan conflict but a false white gospel that threatens to destroy both democracy and the integrity of white churches.”

Wallis is not one for hyperbole. He writes with fervent passion for scripture, an ability to see beyond what is obvious and a deep concise analysis of the contemporary landscape of religion and politics. This is NOT a partisan book; it is a Christian book. If you care about faith and democracy, this book should rocket to the top of your “to be read” pile. It did mine.

Project 2025, What You Need to Know

Pat Liberty

Project 2025 is a playbook to establish the United States as a rightwing authoritarian state. This is not hyperbole. This is a real thing. Included in their agenda are actions such as “defunding the Department of Justice, dismantling the FBI, breaking up the Department of Homeland Security and eliminating the Departments of Education and Commerce.” (From the 30th chapter of Project 2025, a Mandate for Leadership).

If you’re not scared, you should be. In this “plan” the president would have complete power over quasi-independent agencies such as the FCC, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies. Think the end of free speech, diverse communication and independent news. The loss of free speech and independent news outlets is a foundation of the playbook for biased and one-sided communication to stifle opposing opinions to the authoritarian agenda of the next Republican president, regardless of who it is.

Project 2025 offers proposals to deregulate targeted industries, privatize government functions and help American corporations make more money at the expense of American workers, the middle class and everyone except the oligarchs and the one percent. Advances in environmental protection, rights for women and LGBTQI persons will disappear. Science will become the enemy and the planet will suffer in ways that are not sustainable.

The brainchild of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank funded by dark money, Project 2025 will end democracy as we know it. The constitution will be gutted, and free elections will be a thing of the past.

Far right conservatives and the Heritage Foundation have an extensive enemies list that includes “welfare recipients, lazy and liberal civil servants, anti-business regulators, environmentalists, union bosses, scientist, woke bureaucrats and educators, woke diplomats, generals and admirals and who don’t indulge the Republican presidents every whim.” (From the Far Right Has a Plan to Remake America)

According to Michiganadvance.com “America is at an inflection point, vacillating on a knife’s edge because of Trump, who has tapped into a deep reservoir of grievance, hatred and resentment…Trump’s incendiary rhetoric—mirroring Hitler and Mussolini—is convincing observers that he’s a fascist, to add to his authoritarian bent.”

In addition, a number of critics charge, during “Trump’s Revenge Tour,” he and his allies are determined to establish a rightwing, authoritarian theocratic white nationalist government.

This should be a cause for deep concern. Free and fair elections will be a thing of the past, there will be no peaceful transfer of power and the United States will be subject to a sexist, racist, white nationalist agenda for the foreseeable future. Author and legal analyst James Zirin said in an op-ed in The Hill on November 13 “Trump wants to terminate the Constitution to restore himself to power, an insurrectionary act in and of itself. That would be in the hands of the president with neither checks nor balances.”

Alex Aronson, executive director of Court Accountability, a nonpartisan judicial research and advocacy organization, said “Americans should be working assiduously and in concert to confront, disrupt and obliterate this insidious plot. Project 2025 is a plan to destroy the US government. It’s an enormous problem, a huge problem the U.S. government isn’t standing up to this moment. It’s complicated and speaks to some tensions on the Left.”

If you have never heard of Project 2025, you need to educate yourself immediately and take the advice of trusted centrist leaders who can guide us out of this quicksand. If we get into it, there will be no way out.

Can We Please Stop Calling it Christian?

Pat Liberty

Let’s face it, there is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism. So, it’s time we stopped calling it Christian as if it bears any resemblance to the faith and practice taught by a middle eastern man two thousand years ago. Calling it Christian legitimizes it and strengthens its purchase in the minds of those who think the United States was founded as a Christian nation.

It encourages people to envision a “return” to Christian values.

Religious nationalism is a more accurate name, though seeing the followers as religious is a stretch. At least it separates the radical nationalism that is sweeping our country from any connection with the Christian tradition. Religious nationalism is a socio-political power play to put white men in positions of power, roll back rights for women and LGBTQI people and return to a time long ago when women were the property of men. It also demeans other religious traditions and promulgates a distorted view of Christianity. Then they varnish it all with a little Jesus language and call it Christian.

Christian nationalism as a movement has roots that date back five centuries. According to an article in Time magazine, some of our forbears saw America as a “promised land for European Christians. Others saw it as a pluralistic democracy where all stand on equal footing as citizens.” Most Americans favor the latter vision of the United States, while the increasingly radical Republican party clearly favors the former.

Sadly the white Republicans have some ground to stand on. In the fifteenth century a series of papal bulls (which carry the full weight and authority of the church) established the Doctrine of Discovery. According to Time magazine, “the doctrine claims that European civilization and western Christianity are superior to all other cultures, races and religions. From this premise it follows that domination and colonial conquest were merely the means of improving, if not the temporal, then the eternal lot of Indigenous peoples.”

It was just a half step from there to the “Christian” superiority that has plagued our nation from the very beginning. We call ourselves a melting pot nation, but in truth Christianity is still the favored religion and it informs social, national and foreign policy at an increasingly alarming rate.

The “Christian” roots of white supremacy are sunk deep in American soil. From the convoluted theology of a few misguided popes’, unfettered permission was given to seize land, displace Indigenous people, murder those of other religions, remove children from their homes to be raised in “Christian” orphanages and overthrow barbarous nations so they could be brought to Christianity. It is a litany of horrors too long to list and too nauseating to read in one sitting.

The religious nationalism that is sweeping our country is firmly planted in the five hundred year old Doctrine of Discovery. By claiming a legitimate Christian history as foreordained from the beginning, there is no arguing with them over a different vision of America.

In the Time magazine article, a recent pole done by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with the  Brookings Institution, the following question was asked, “Do you agree or disagree that ‘God intended America to be a new promised land where European Christians could create a society that could be an example to the rest of the world.’ The survey found that while only three in ten Americans agreed with this statement, majorities of Republicans (52%) and, white evangelical Protestants (56%) affirmed it.”

This movement is not going away. It is growing stronger. The best we can do as Americans is educate ourselves on our history and take away the name “Christian” from its association with nationalism. It seems a small vocabulary change, but words have power. Relegating it the amorphous category of “religious” takes a little of the wind out of its sails. As Americans, it is up to us to shift the narrative and we can’t do that if we don’t know our own history.

A meme on Facebook asked the question, “What did Germans do during the rise of fascism? You’re doing it now.” If we are arrogant enough to think it cannot happen here, is not already happening here, then I guess we deserve what we get. And trust me, it won’t be pretty.

Excerpts from the Time magazine article are from The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and a Path to Shared American Future by Robert P. Jones, published by Simon and Schuster 2023.

It’s Time to Give Shame the Boot

Pat Liberty

Religion in general and the church in particular has done more to perpetuate shame than anything else on the planet. If you were raised in the church, as I was, much of our religious upbringing was based in shame. And much of that shame originates in the third chapter of Genesis, which you can read here.

The thing to remember, however, is that it is not the Scripture itself that intends shame, it is the interpretation that it has received through the years from the church. That’s right. Scripture doesn’t shame. The church shames.

It’s important to distinguish between guilt and shame. Brene Brown writes, “guilt is about what we do, shame is about who we are. Guilt says I did something bad; shame says, I am bad.”

We’ll tackle guilt next week.

From a young age we are taught to be ashamed of many things, but mostly of our bodiliness. We carry shame about our bodies. We are too tall, too short, too thin, too fat, too fill in the blank. And much of it has to do with sensuality, what it means to be sentient beings. To be sentient means to be born with the ability to perceive or feel things. This is not just true of us as humans, most created beings have some level of sentience. 

The verse that is translated in Genesis 3: 10, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked and hid myself.”

There it is. Nowhere does it say Adam was ashamed. Nowhere does it say there was an apple. Nowhere does it say there was original sin. Nowhere does it say there was any sexual behavior. Nowhere does it say being naked was a bad thing. Nowhere does it say there was a fall from grace. Nowhere is the name Satan used, or the word temptation. Bad theology and folk lore have added to the story to the point where it is almost indistinguishable from its original intent.

This story, this myth has been misinterpreted and mistranslated for thousands of years. In truth, it has a very different meaning.

And when I say myth, I mean nothing disrespectful about Scripture. Joseph Campbell describes four sacred functions of myth that help define us in our full humanity.

The first is mystical. Myth opens the heart and the imagination to the wonders of the universe and the mystery of existence. The second is cosmological, humbly understanding that we haven’t got all the answers. The third is sociological. Myths can support, validate or challenge certain social orders. Finally, the fourth function is the instructional function. Myths can teach us to how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances.

The first function of the creation myth is to open us to the mystery and wonder of the universe and of our very existence. It is our human capacity, God given, God installed ability to wonder, to feel reverence and awe. And the fourth, the capacity to live a full and fulfilling life is present in this text if we scrape away all the stuff that’s been piled on it for centuries.

As this text has been misappropriated by the history and the patriarchal institution of the church, it added an essence of shame that simply is not present in the text.

The Hebrew word that is translated into English as afraid, is the word for awe in Hebrew. Adam and Eve were awed by the knowledge and mystery they were able to apprehend from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed instruction. And there were consequences. But those consequences in no way reversed the awe and wonder that they were able to understand as a result of that. 

Imagine how differently we all might have grown up if we had been taught that this was a myth that teaches us to be awed at what it means to be human. To be silenced by the wonder of the world as it exists and is recreated with every season. Imagine how different our society and cultures might be if we were taught to reverence our bodies, to allow us to apprehend these miracles. Imagine how different our lives might be if we were taught to be stewards of the mysteries of our bodies, to understand that salvation is not about believing a certain set of doctrines, but living in reverence for the world, one another and ourselves.

The word salvation in Hebrew has the same root word as Jesus. It signifies freedom from what binds or restricts us and thus makes us whole. The Greek word for salvation is sozo which means to bring wholeness.

In case you’re wondering how the church managed to get it so wrong…Augustine is a big part of the answer. He was a north African bishop from the fourth century. His version of the Genesis story is the one I would venture most of us grew up with.

It goes like this. God created paradise for humans to live in, but Eve messed it up by eating the apple and this caused a fall from grace. So now humanity is cursed and there is original sin and it is all Eve’s fault. Therefore, men should control women so they don’t mess things up any more than they already have. Thank you, Augustine.

There are two things that shame needs to flourish: secrecy and silence. The things we are most silent about and are most secret about are most likely the things around which we feel the greatest shame. And it is high time we got rid of shame and lived into the wholeness and joy that God intends.

The first thing to get straight is that shame does not need to be confessed. It needs to be healed. Through the years so many people have come to me to confess that they were abused, or battered, or the victim of something completely beyond their control, or they made a right decision for them that the world would judge. My response is always the same. Shame does not need to be confessed it needs to be healed.

This junk we carry around is profoundly linked to our bodiliness. And the God in whose image we are created loves us as we actually are, not as what we think we should be, the thinner, more loving, more fill in the blanks part of ourselves that seem to constantly fail.

The God in whose image we are created loves us for the holy image that is at the very core of who we are, once we scrape away all the baggage that church, society and family have heaped upon us to make us more controllable.

It’s time to give shame and the patriarchal interpretations of scripture the boot. We are gloriously made in the image of God, and our bodies are to be celebrated and reverenced.

Finding Our Way Through Fear

Pat Liberty

Fear. It’s a universal feeling. Most of us are afraid of something. I don’t mean phobias, like spiders or elevators or heights. I mean clench your gut fear of things like the unknown, death, being alone, getting old and things like that.

What they all have in common is a certain loss of control over life and how we think it is supposed to go. And that’s what makes these other things so scary. These huge fears are things over which we have no control.

Most of the time we can push fears out of our mind, but every now and then they come creeping in and destroy a night of sleep or keep us from focusing on something that needs our attention. Fear generally can make us miserable.

 Fear is a big deal in the bible. It’s one thing we share with people from antiquity. The words “do not fear” or “do not be afraid” appear three hundred and sixty-five times in the bible. That’s one “do not be afraid” for every day of the year. And that’s about the frequency with which we need to hear those words, for there is surely much to be afraid about in this weird and wonderful world of ours.

For the three hundred sixty-five times the bible says do not be afraid, there are a thousand and one things that show us that the truth that God will be with us. That God is with us.

The way home from fear is simply paying attention to what is going on around you.

  • I will be with you…every single day the sun chases away the darkness and light has the final word.
  • I will be with you…there’s a knock at the door and a friend shows up with a meat loaf and the living Christ stands before us in the face of a friend.
  • Spring follows winter and life once again greens the planet and dots it with riots of color in spring buds and flowers. I like to think of it as God painting.
  • That sometimes fleeting feeling of peace that comes out of nowhere in the moments when we most need it. Not for nothing it is called the peace that passes all understanding. We can’t describe it, don’t know how it comes or why it goes, but it is as real as our heartbeat.
  • I will be with you…the gentle exhale that grounds us in the present moment with an assurance that no matter how it all turns out it is going to be okay.
  • There is no place where this life can take us where God is not. Yes, even in the wrenching scenes that cross our tv screens each night, God is there in the relief workers, the first responders, doctors without borders and the pilots who fly the planes dropping food.

When we are paying attention to what is going on around us we are bathed in grace. Everywhere we look is the reminder that God is as close as our slightest whisper. All of our senses conspire to remind us that what goes on around us every day is miraculous.

The daffodils poking out of the ground. The moldy smell of leaves making their way into the cycle of life one more time. The feel of sunshine on your face after days of rain. The clasp of a friend’s hand in our moments of deepest loneliness. The holy silence that binds us to one another when there are no words. The sacred tears that slip down our cheeks in moments too wonderful or too terrible to tell.

We will still be left with unanswered and unanswerable questions, but somehow they are beaten back down to size and made manageable when we look around and realize everything is grace. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”

Frederick Buechner wrote, “Listen to your life, see it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness, touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Do not be afraid.”   

Time to Pony Up

Pat Liberty

Some pretty big names are making some pretty big splashes in the world of philanthropy. Recently Dolly Parton announced that all employees at the Dollywood Park and Resort complexes would be given free college tuition. This includes full-time, part- time and seasonal employees. Go Dolly!

In similar fashion pop music icon and recently minted billionaire Taylor Swift has given away millions of dollars to help storm ravaged areas and food banks in cities where she performs. Her donation to the Second Harvest Silicon Valley is enough to feed 500,000 every month in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. She also gave her entourage, those responsible for transporting her sets and equipment, $100,000 EACH as a thank you for making her shows possible. Go Taylor!

A California company, Tom’s Shoes, gives HALF of all its profits to non-profits promoting mental health awareness and anti-gun violence. The company also donates one pair of shoes for every pair of shoes sold. Go Tom’s Shoes!

Novo Nordisk, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and Ben and Jerry’s are among the most philanthropic companies in the United States. They still post record profits, but their giving/profit ratio is a little higher than some other mega-companies in the United States.

Consider Starbucks. The company made $24.56 billion in profits in 2023. It could give each of its 400,000 employees an $11,000 raise and still have $20 billion in profits. But instead, workers rely on tips.

Exxon Mobil made $9.1 billion dollars profit in the third quarter of 2023. They recorded the highest ever profits for2023, exceeding $55.7 billion. This as gas prices reached outrageous heights and people struggled to put gas in their vehicles. In 2022 they gave 158 million in community social investment. Against the billions in profits, it is a drop in a very large bucket. Since the year 2000 Exxon Mobil has donated $1.6 billion dollars to educational programs around the world. Before you give them a pat on the back, know that these programs are designed to increase workforce development in areas where there are untapped natural gas and oil reserves. Nothing like generosity with an agenda.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield health insurance giant recorded $7.5 billion dollars in profits for 2023. This as health care premiums continue to increase 5-9% every year. Other mega-companies post similar profits: Tesla, $13.6 billion, Walmart, $155 billion, Verizon, $78.6 billion. And the list goes on. Most of the Executives of these companies make at least 344 times what an average worker in their company makes.

Some of these companies have charitable foundations that give grants to non-profits and make contributions to community needs. But the donations of these foundations in no way mirror the vast profits the companies make.

Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, and Tom’s shoes are setting an example that other companies would do well to follow. Returning massive gains to shareholders and paying Executives millions of dollars while employees rely on tips and make minimum wage should make anyone with a conscience shiver with guilt and embarrassment. But they post their profit statistics with pride because their job is to make money for their shareholders. And sometimes those shareholders are us.

While the topic itself is huge and seemingly unchangeable, three people and their companies are making a tangible difference in the lives of countless numbers of people. Hey Exxon Mobil, Walmart, Starbucks, Tesla, Blue Cross/Blue Sheild, Verizon and all the rest of you: Be like Dolly, Be Like Taylor, Be like Tom. The world is in need of its share of goods and services and you have more than your fair share. Pony up!

Yes, But

Pat Liberty

In a papal letter dated Feb 3, 2024, Pope Francis called for a cease fire in the Middle East and an end to antisemitism. In a letter sent to Jewish theologian Karma Ben Johanan, Francis wrote: “My heart is torn at the sight of what is happening in the Holy Land, by so much division and so much hatred.”

According to the Religious News Service, “Johanan was among 400 rabbis and experts who signed an appeal in December asking the pope to acknowledge the suffering endured by the Jewish people and asked him to reiterate his comment to Catholic-Jewish relations by condemning the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.…” In the Religious News Service story, Pope Francis goes on to note the increase in antisemitism and even anti-Judaism in instances of protest and violence around the world.

All of this is true, and troublingly so. Yes, but. The problem is that the situation is so polarized that it is impossible for anyone to say anything negative about Israel without being called antisemitic. Israel’s war against Gaza, under the guise of a war against Hamas has led to bombing schools, hospitals and other sites that are considered war crimes under the Geneva Convention. That isn’t to say Hamas isn’t doing the same thing; they are. The reporting is, however, extremely uneven. We hear about the war crimes of Hamas, but not the war crimes of Israel. If we do hear about the violence leveled against hospitals and schools, it is couched in language that points to defeating the secret hiding places of Hamas. This may well be true, but excusing the war crimes that are committed in the process is not something to dismiss lightly.

What is needed is balanced reporting that equally shines a light on the war crimes of both Israel and Hamas. What is needed is accurate reporting that cites the casualties on both sides. According to Wikipedia (a source I use with some trepidation), 1,410 Israelis and 26,637 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the current conflict. This includes Israelis, Palestinians and Lebanese journalists and 136 workers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

In addition, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are starving or on the verge of starvation throughout Gaza. According to the United Nations’ emergency relief agency, “The great majority of 400,00 Gazans characterized by UN agencies as at risk of starving are actually in famine, not just at risk of famine.” According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, “Israel has denied critical supplies from entering northern Gaza. But Israel has accused the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency of not doing enough and ‘stalling’ the progress.”

Conflict along access routes and the mobile nature of the refugee population make aid to starving Gazans difficult to deliver. Yet, this is something we rarely hear on the news. Given that 90% of the Gazan population has been displaced since the beginning of the war, it is easy to understand how delivering humanitarian aid is a challenge.

It seems clear, at the risk of sounding antisemitic, that Israel is waging a wholesale genocide on the Gazan people. It is little wonder that global support for Israel is waning. Voicing that dwindling support, however, is likely to launch a spate of name calling. I can take the heat and I hope you can, too.

The weird theology behind all this, which makes such strange bedfellows of politics and the religious right, which is not a religious movement, but a social/political voting block is that a “literal” interpretation of the Old Testament says that Gaza is part of the land promised to the Israelites. The restoration of the of Israel in Biblical times (including Gaza and the West Bank) is needed before a series of historical and theological events can unfurl which will usher in the Kingdom of God. This will cause the final victory of Christianity throughout the world. This is an oversimplification, but it is the gist of the theological “foundation” of much of the current arguments.

What is needed are balanced theological essays which debunk some of this right-wing interpretation which leaves little room for a rebuttal. What is needed is a balanced humanitarian vision of relief interventions needed in Israel and Gaza. At the very least an immediate ceasefire is a starting point. No one can think rationally about what is possible when being bombed into oblivion. The issue of war crimes is another discussion for another day, but one we are wise to not lose sight of in the current conversation.

Mostly what we need is a starting point for honest, balanced criticism of both Israel and Hamas and this hopeless war that neither side has any hope of winning. Gaza is hopelessly out-gunned (thanks to US support of Israel) and Israel claims (wrongly) that God is on their side. Reason says a two-state solution is the only possible way forward. 

Sources:

Religious News Service

Wikipedia

CNN-Christiane Amanpour

A New (Old) Rosary for a New Day

Pat Liberty

As a life-long Protestant, my experience with the Rosary is limited. Still, I’ve always had a little trouble with some of the wording. “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death” seems a little depressing for a daily prayer diet. I understand that the repetition of a simple prayer has the capacity to transport one to a deeper state of prayer and meditation, and the Rosary offers that. All that sinning and dying is still a little bit much for this heathen Protestant.

Apparently, I am not alone in my thinking. Matthew Fox, former Roman Catholic now Episcopal Priest has unearthed an earlier version of the Rosary prayer. He proposes it as a new Rosary for a new time. I think he is on to something. Check it out:

“Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you, untroubled maiden.

You are blessed among women,

you who brought forth peace to people

and glory to the angels.

Blessed too is the fruit of your womb,

Who by grace made it possible for us to

be his heirs.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us

heirs and co-workers of God

at the hour of our creativity.

Amen.”

I like it.

It affirms that we are co-creators with God in this world we share with humanity. It suggests that we are stewards of the bounty that is creation. It holds forth the possibility for peace, a gift that comes through the fruit of Mary’s womb. We call him the Prince of Peace. May it be so in our world.

So much of the Christian tradition is based in shame, guilt, and fear it is hard to lift our heads to the greater glory that is also ours as “heirs and co-workers of God.” How different our world would be if we focused on the possibilities that are ours with the loving power of God rooted within us instead of the fear of hell, eternal damnation, shame, guilt and fear.

Just a thought from this heathen Protestant.

Source

Dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org

Who Would Jesus Let Drown?

Pat Liberty

A migrant mother and her two children drowned Friday night while trying to cross the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas. A South Texas Congressman told Border Report that state officials denied federal agents access to the river to help. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers blocked access to the park earlier this week. Mexican officials found their bodies on Saturday.

According to Borderreport.com, “Border control attempted to contact the Texas Military Department, the Texas National Guard, and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Command Post by telephone to relay the information but were unsuccessful. Border Patrol agents then made physical contact with the Texas Military Department and the Texas National Guard at the Shelby Park entrance gate and verbally related the information. However, Texas Military Department soldiers stated they would not grant access to the migrants– even in the event of an emergency—and that they would send a soldier to investigate the situation.”

Talk about too little, too late. At some point one has to ask the question, when does obeying the law or a direct command violate the basic tenet of being human? This is inexcusable. It is impossible to imagine standing by, doing nothing while a mother and her two children drown. It boggles the imagination. Post traumatic stress will surely accompany the Border Patrol agents who were forced to stand by and watch this horror unfold.

Arresting migrants and providing humanitarian relief is the job of the US Border Patrol. But last Wednesday, Governor Greg Abbott (R) seized that authority when he took control of a public park in Eagle Pass, a heavily crossed section of the Rio Grande. In a interview with NPR, Mayor Salinas commented that “this was NOT something the city agreed to.”

Governor Abbott’s controversial Lone Star border security program, which uses Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Texas National Guard soldiers to deter migration is at the center of a conflict between Abbott and the Biden administration. This is not the first, just the most recent, conflict between the two entities.

Surely, we need a better immigration policy and a better border policy. The situation in Texas is untenable over the long term. That is not in question. It is interesting to note, however, that a bipartisan immigration bill is being stymied by Republicans to bolster their hardline anti-immigration stand until the election and then blame Democrats for failing to find a solution.

Somewhere in the solution there needs to be a humanitarian focus. Asking “who would Jesus let drown?” focuses the question well. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a compassionate answer to that question when a mother and her two children drown, and people stand by and watch as if they are helpless. Sometimes people need to decide for themselves what they are made of and what their priorities are. Not saving human lives in obedience to an unjust order is one of those times.

Aside from all the political kvetching, which never solves anything, the real issue at hand is what it means to be human and to whom our ultimate allegiance belongs. The religious preferences of any of the players is not known, but at the very least a human response would have favored intervention.

Governor Abbott is quoted as saying, “The only thing we are not doing is we’re not shooting people who come across the border because, of course, the Biden administration would charge us with murder.” That’s a pretty a pretty low bar. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio said in a NPR interview, “Intentionally keeping people from saving a drowning mother with her kids—that’s bloodthirsty. You know, that’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ stuff.” Well said.

What is just as troubling is the lack of public outcry against Governor Abbott and this inhumane policy. You don’t have to live in Texas to be concerned about immigration. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican is irrelevant. What is relevant is who you are as a human being and what you hope might happen for you if you were in that mother’s situation.

Salvation and Other Misnomers

Pat Liberty

If you spend any amount of time with “religious” people the topic of salvation is bound to come up, with either a positive or negative connotation. In a negative connotation, the reference may have something to do with those who claim to be “saved” but who may not manifest that change in the way they live their lives. In a positive connotation, it may have to do with something that has been accomplished, like being baptized. This is sometimes called being “washed in the blood.” It also refers to Jesus dying on the cross for us.

In the early years of ministry I served a Baptist church. As candidates came to the waters of baptism they were asked the question, “Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and do you promise to be his faithful disciple all the days of your life?” I’m not sure I fully understood what that meant, I’m pretty sure the 12 and 13 year olds I was baptizing didn’t either.

Since the radical religious right is claiming a corner on the market on all things God, I decided to revisit the topic. In conservative/fundamental religious traditions salvation is something personal between the individual and God. It is true for us too, but it involves more. And it involves more for conservatives, too.

I’m all for having one’s heart filled with the Holy Spirit and having a vital faith. I’m not so much for the mindset that is about only me, my relationship with God, and winning as many souls for Jesus as possible. While it fits the individualistic tendencies of our culture, I’m not as convinced it has much to do with what Jesus called his first disciples to as he was beginning his ministry.

A better word for me than “saved” is “whole” or “liberated.” These words suggest what is closer to the truth for many people. Our movement toward God in a life-giving way is a process. It is about growing in our relationship with God, but also with each other and the created order. Being liberated suggests that we need to be freed from our captivity to the world’s bells and whistles. There are lots of shiny and beautiful things that distract us from what is truly life-giving. Competing priorities and the ever-present need of the ego to be stoked with affirmation and self-building praise, keep us from seeing a clear vision of what wholeness looks like. Seeking a life of wholeness and freedom keeps us grounded on a life-giving path. It is firmly rooted in love for others, care for creation, justice for all people and embodied mercy in our daily living.  

It’s easier to ask if one is “saved” than it is to ask if one is “whole” or “liberated.” When written in the same sentence, it is easy to see how being saved is an event while being whole or liberated is a process. It is much less intimate to ask someone if they are “saved” than it is to ask how they are doing in their human and spiritual development in a life-giving relationship with God. I think, however, there is value in asking the intimate question and having a conversation about one’s faith formation.

A common conservative connotation of salvation is an event, the focus remains on personal sin and our wretchedness in the sight of God that can only be healed by the blood of Jesus. Salvation occurs when one accepts Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Later it is symbolized in baptism, usually by immersion, when one dies with Christ and is raised with Christ. In truth, there are as many understandings of salvation and baptism as there are religious traditions. 

In my tradition salvation is viewed as an ongoing process. Baptism is understood as a symbol of radical inclusion. We are recognized as God’s beloved creation from the moment of our birth. It is an event celebrated by the entire church, which takes its rightful place in offering nurture to the child and family. It is a cause for celebration in the entire church and not just for the family who’s loved one is being baptized. Baptism is the quintessential symbol of being claimed for God’s purpose and welcomed into the church. Salvation happens again and again as we grow in our relationship with God.

It may not seem like a big deal, but I believe language matters and words have power. How we name something says volumes about how we understand it. I understand the life of faith to be a lifetime walk toward wholeness and liberation, and that is what it means to me to be saved.