Work, Leisure and Full Engagement

I just finished this blog 5 minutes ago, but it deleted it so this will be a little condensed.

I found that his section on community got me really excited, but let me down when it didn't really go in as much depth as I would have liked. I found his story of the mortgage broker to sound as if it would be very unfulfilling and it would be a never ending circle of feeling trapped in the cycle. The months spent working to earn money would become very frustrating knowing the freedom you would like to have. The other extreme is that your work is your leisure, but the problem with this is that your leisure becomes cheapened because of money. I feel like there has got to be some way out of these unfulfilling lifestyles, but being young and without much work experience I don't really have much of an answer and haven't been able to find one in Crawford's book, hopefully I'll figure it out soon to find out what to do with my life.

I am a disembodied brain in a jar.

After reading this chapter in Crawford, I can't help but relate to the feeling that I am being treated like a man in a box cut off from the outside world getting instructions and being expected to follow along and spit out some paper. I'm merely regurgitating much of what I've been "taught", but I don't really know how much of it I have taken in or have understood. It seems as though the education seems to work both ways where professors are treated with the same sort of robotic functions. I wonder what sort of learning environment would be created if students and teachers could learn how to interact with each other as if they were normal human beings and not just another face of a careless institution looking for our money.

I would have appreciated if Crawford hit more on how relationships affect learning and doing, because it seems to me that there is something more than individuals being treated like machines. I would like to hear some suggestions with sound reasoning for a different way for things to be done rather than just more concerns about the current way of society.

Cubicle Contradiction

This book continues to be like the scratching of fingernails against a chalkboard, the dissonance hard to take. There is this continuing contradiction that the academic author is telling us to not get so caught up in academics. The abstractive thought is creating contradictions in many people's lives that can continue because the contradictory thought justifying their actions is in disjuncture with reality.

Crawford's analysis of college degrees is very interesting as we have already discussed similar issues in class where we feel like we're just getting a piece of paper that doesn't really mean anything besides status. I get the general feeling that society pushes towards having degrees in a manner that is disenfranchising the poor and minority groups. The white privileged people have more access to a college degree to secure their spot in society while minorities have a much more difficult time because of the on going cycle of poverty. Degrees are a large part of what decides class in the United States, a way of disguising or abstracting the racism that exists within the system.

The Further Education of a Gearhead

I really appreciated this chapter for the bluntness in which Crawford criticizes the academic world and the colorful language toward the end of the chapter. I personally find it very difficult to take people in higher education very seriously when I see little connection between thought and their actual existence. Crawford portrays the realm of academics as being influenced by the capitalist motivations of the corporations in power and this also makes me even more skeptical of scholars. If I was in Crawford's position once he took the high paying job I would not have been able to last more than a few days. I had a similar experience while working at a church in Colorado this past summer where much of the motivation and reasoning behind what they did seemed to counteract what I had learned about Christ. I made it through the summer in hopes of being able to help the kids in the youth group I was working with, but had it not been for the kid's need for good mentors in their lives I would have left.

Today this makes me question what I plan to do when I graduate in 5 weeks and how I will be making decisions for my life. Currently it's leading me to live off of a bike and the kindness of strangers and I hope that it will not be so affected by money and the necessities of life.

To Be Master of One's Own Stuff

This chapter was very interesting as there were parts I could totally connect with and other parts I had no idea what was going on. When he gets to talking about cars and motorcycles I have no idea what he's talking about and I found it a lot harder to pay much attention. I found his section about the faucet without a handle to be very interesting, the notion of infantilization seems to be something I can see nearly everywhere. We have been made into a generation of consumers rather than producers making us pretty boring. The example he provides about the musician is enlightening and something that Tom loved. People in society today simply prefer easy things over something requiring time and dedication, the satisfaction found in writing and playing a song cannot compare to just plugging an iPod. Overall I have really enjoyed Crawford, but I get lost every time he starts talking mechanics.

Also in response to the seminar Monday I struggled in trying to understand the separation the presenter had with the state from the government. I personally believe that if somebody is participating in anything from the government they are dependent on a system that needs the use of violence and manipulation to stay in existence.

Living Under Occupation

This chapter is interesting in how Wilson-Hartgrove tells the story about Pat, because it is something I can understand having been in a similar place when the Iraq war started. I'm embarrassed but when the invasion took place I thought it was a good idea and justified. Years later I now realize not only that violence is wrong, but according to Just-War tradition this war could just be justified anyway. After taking Just-War for my dialogue II class I began wondering why even Christians who believe in any form of Just-War theory (which is dumb in itself) could even justify Iraq or Afghanistan. I also agree with Wilson-Hartgrove's connection between economy, government and violence.

I still struggle with Wilson-Hartgrove's ideas as they still seem to be leaning on the weak side, which sort of makes sense understanding the audience of this book, but I feel much stronger than Wilson-Hartgrove. I have also been reading Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You and the book is known as the central work dealing with Christian anarchy. In his book, Tolstoy uses very strong language that no resistance to government, which will inevitably always use war to stay in existence, is wrong for a Christian who instead must be much more decisive with their practice (although this resistance was still non-violent). I think Wilson-Hartgrove's book is very solid and good for an audience entering into the economy of God, but by reading Wendell Berry and Leo Tolstoy at the same time with this book I feel even more strongly radical about these topics.

The Separation of Thinking from Doing

This chapter was very interesting because it brings up something that I find in my life to be extremely frustrating. Over the past century there has been a shift where jobs have moved (in America) to a post-industrialized race of white collar cubicle jockeys. The problem I often have with this is that I see a huge disconnect, not only in society but myself, between thought and action. Sometimes I think a lot of great things, but I find it very hard to actually act on that thinking and make something tangible from that. I feel that much of this mindset has permeated into the Church as well where thinking the right thing is more important that doing the right thing.

Why pluck a string when you can strum the guitar?

Reading through the first chapter of Shop Class as Soulcraft really got my mind thinking on many different levels. Our class is full of college students (obviously) so reading this book will create quite the conversation in class, as it challenges a lot of what we have all grown up with. Our parents generally have all told us that going to college is much better than being a plumber and there is a societal expectation that we are to go to college to "make something of ourselves". I find it very interesting how there can be a huge disconnect with people working within the same company where one concentrates on the business side while another is working in the service part, they even made a reality tv show about this recently where the bosses act like new entry level employees in their business to see what it's like.

Growing up my father got me really involved in Boy Scouts and over the time I was involved I got a ton of merit badges some of which included plumbing, electricity and even atomic energy. With all of these we took a hands on look at how people worked in these fields (even visiting a nuclear power plant) and I have grown to have an appreciation for "blue collar" work. It's now ingrained in me that instead of giving up immediately when I have a problem, I try to work through things and I appreciate seeing how things work.

As a BTS major I often times see a disconnect between theologians who sit in their study all day trying to find God as the rest of the world keeps moving along around them (this sounds very much like a North Park thing to say). While there is a place for study, if it's disconnected from the real world, which it oftentimes is, then it becomes pretty useless. This is probably why Dietrich Bonhoeffer is such a bad ass.

What good is a single wind-chime hanging quiet all alone?

John Howard Yoder is completely ruining my beliefs on sacraments, and it's awesome! The social implications of breaking bread together as seen in scripture is very clear, but Yoder's critique on the Church's idea of Eucharist can be challenging to somebody who holds fast to tradition. At first it seems as though Yoder is making claims that carelessly throw out much of tradition in typical protestant fashion, but Yoder supports his claims in appealing to early Church history as well as examples throughout time up until the reformation (very much unlike a protestant). He delves into the social and economical sides of the practice of sharing a meal together that is very evident in the life of Reba Place. I have also seen this practice used with our Friday Night Homeless Ministry in which not only is there the economic implications of bringing food to the needy, but also social implications in breaking down class/race/cultural barriers. Community is also at the center of this idea because clearly we need to share a meal with somebody and that somebody has been identified in Christ's life/actions/words.

Telling All The Stones "We're Gonna Make A Building!"

Hate is obviously looked down upon by society but, "During times of war hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism." I feel as though this words are prophetic to times like today.

Jesus was a revolutionary born in a middle eastern state controlled by a western imperial power, under threat of a genocide for fear he would try to take control of this nation, became a refugee, spoke out against the powers and principalities of this world and then was put to death by the religious and governmental institutions (and nearly everybody else). After his death, resurrection and ascension into heaven his followers (for the first few hundred years) refused to take part in governmental activities such as worshipping their leader and taking up arms against one another. Even writing a book against this western imperial power using religious language the westerners couldn't understand about how it will fall and this middle eastern nation will be restored (you might know it as the Book of Revelation, but there's some other ones we don't have in our Bible as well).

If you are an american or from any other western nation today this situation might sound awkwardly familiar to you. Maybe people in these western nations need to think more about the history their religion is built upon and reevaluate their actions.

Deception

What is life if one is not free? Can it even be considered life? I don't think 'living' life for the sake of survival or just 'living' fulfills our purpose as human beings. Thurman outlines the way deception is used by the disinherited and he comes to the conclusion that it is a device used to keep the status quo and negates the dignity or humanity of the unprivileged. He even says that living in such deception creates the same attitude among the disinherited that the dominant group holds for them. How absurd!

Thurman claims that the sincerity exemplified by Jesus is the ultimate goal by which the disinherited should strive to live up to. This sincerity is disarming to the dominant group and thus places every human at the same level, "Instead of relation between the weak and the strong there is merely a relationship between human beings. A man is a man, no more, no less. The awareness of this fact marks the supreme moment of human dignity."

This chapter made me think of Friday Night Homeless Ministry at North Park where a group of students goes down to Lower Wacker to eat and have fellowship with the homeless population that lives down there. Our ministry is different than that of a soup kitchen, or focus isn't on feeding them but creating a place where we are all on the same level. We are not trying to serve them (or save them), but to show them the dignity they deserve as fellow human beings and children of God. So we all eat together and have conversation about whatever happens to come up, all notions of "us and them" are thrown away and we just become human with each other. This idea strongly disagrees with the notion of missionary work and I think that's something that needs to be addressed.

:SIDE NOTE: I think that this chapter could also be applied to the state of much of the american church, fear has driven much of the church into a survival mode. Some churches in fear water down the message of Christ so that they may keep attendance up, while others seek to instill a fear of everything different so as to scare people into god. The purpose of many churches seems to be to survive rather than to actually preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. If the Church continues to 'survive' without actually fulfilling its purpose than is it really even the Church? :END SIDE NOTE:

I think once we accept the inevitability of death and ditch the desire for 'survival' the idea that God will beam us up to heaven will seem absurd; the beauty of God's creation will be seen showing signs of the kingdom. Learning to live with the utmost sincerity will show the image of God in which we've all been created.

Fear

Before I delve too much into the recent chapter in Thurman's book, I'd like to share my thoughts on previous discussions and our night at Reba. After reflecting on some of our conversation from last Wednesday I began to think that while the intended audience of this book may not be us, we can still relate because in some way or another we have had similar experiences (though they may be less oppressive or obvious).

Growing up in a fairly wealthy family in a midwest suburb I found myself in a poverty not of physical or material things, but of a spiritual and emotional effect. I lacked identity and community feeling forced into a lifestyle that did not make much sense to me at all. After a thorough reading of the New Testament I was particularly hit by the way Jesus interacts with the people of different social classes and his statement of it being more difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is to fit a camel through the eye of a needle. How in my wealth, individualism and comfort could I possibly live out the call that Christ has for me? I found myself pressed into a life of comfort that I did not agree with and, oddly enough, felt oppressed because my views were seen as irrational. I did not quite understand how oppressive monetary wealth could be until I had experienced the opposite situation and saw how it was freeing.

As far as my experience with Reba, I really appreciate the differences in age as being a college student surrounds me with people who are typically just within a 5 year age range and lacks the wisdom that comes with that diversity.

Fear seems to be a funny thing, because while I was conforming to the typical life of a white male it took fear to shake me out of that life of comfort and advantage. Then while I was fearful I was molded into a person that lived on the faithfulness of Christ. My fear was not that I was disadvantaged because I had no status or money, but my fear was that I was disadvantaged because of my status and money. I saw the evil that wealth does to a person and the emptiness found in wealth and material possessions, your possessions eventually possess you. My fear was also derived in the questioning of God's existence, not that he did not exist but that he existed as a malevolent hateful God torturing me with money, guilt and shame. It took the faith of the oppressed to lead me to believe in the loving yet just God we find in Christ.

Thurman is right on when he talks about fear and it is interesting how he says, "It ill behooves the man who is not forced to live in a ghetto to tell those who must how to transcend its limitations." The reason Jesus can speak so effectively to the disinherited is because he was in the same position as well. What I wonder though is how I can help the situation as one who is advantaged, even though I cannot help it. That's been something that has been driving me insane for years.

Jesus and the Disinherited - Jesus: An Interpretation

Thurman's 1st chapter in Jesus and the Disinherited rocked my world, after the first 2 pages I was hooked. From what I've read of the other posts it seems that the story of the Hindu man hit us hard and I felt the same way. This man called Thurman a traitor because he was black and a Christian, totally nuts! It is sad that a religion that began with very humble origins has become quite the opposite, really it is now the religion of the oppressors. Jesus was a middle eastern revolutionary in a state occupied by a western imperial power. Thinking about that and how it is eerily similar to america today really is crazy.

I've also seen in other posts that liberation theology has been mentioned in connection with Thurman and I wonder what sort of connotations our class has about liberation theology. Personally I found Thurman's insight of the character of Jesus to be right on and something that some of the prosperity gospel people should hear about. I would have loved to see him delve into the fact that he was a refugee, criminal, and possibly illiterate. With where the whole body of the Church seems to be headed (South America, Africa, China) I think that much can be learned by the way African Americans have read the bible and hopefully other Christians would catch on because it is truthful and could really speak to these populations. I also think that this sort of understanding is huge even for the prosperous american Christians because it provides more of a context to what Jesus was acting in and could teach us a few lessons.

Thurman's writing could probably get quite a bit of criticism because it does seem like the typical North Park/social gospel/justice overload. I don't think that what Thurman has been writing is not an empty call to social justice activities without any focus on the rest of Christianity but really a refocusing on Jesus understanding the context he was in. The implications of this view of Jesus just happens to call for more action but this is certainly not throwing out faith or grace. Also being only a chapter into the book I'm sure there is much more to come, so I'll have to wait until the end of the book before I could firmly state if I feel he is missing anything.

In conclusion this book kicks butt so far and I am looking forward to finishing it.