Timothy Kurek is a living example that you can only trully understand someone if you have walked a mile in their shoes. He proved exactly that when he decided to pretend to be openly gay in his very conservative community for a whole year. When his experiment ended he had managed to change not only his way of thinking about the homosexuals and any other person who could be different, but also his family’s way of thinking, making of himself a living example of the verse ” Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Timothy Kurek is a passionate writer, tackling some of the front burner issues of our day. His unrestrained style of immersion lends a uniquely empathetic perspective, engaging his audiences with empathy, humor, and refreshing candor. Through his work he unravels a tale of self-discovery, and the perks of questioning ones’ own beliefs. Dedicated to opening the eyes of the broader public to issues of social justice and equality through the medium of story, Timothy shows the way to new ways of thinking and believing.
Author: Brian Legate
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) courtesy of Fr. Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations
In Teilhard’s view, Christian life is essential to the progress of evolution. He emphasized that the role of the Christian is to divinize the world in Jesus Christ, to “christify” the world by our actions, by immersing ourselves in the world, plunging our hands, we might say into the soil of the earth and touching the roots of life. . . . The world, he claimed, is like a crystal lamp illumined from within by the light of Christ. For those who can see, Christ shines in the diaphanous universe, through the cosmos, and in matter. He posited a “mysticism of action” in a universe moved and com-penetrated by God. For him, union with God means not withdrawal or separation from the activity of the world but a dedicated, integrated, and sublimated absorption into it. [2]
Teilhard . . . viewed the cosmos on a journey to God in a process of divinization, which he called Christogenesis. . . . Love is the force that energizes the process because love permeates the entire cosmos, that is, the affinity of being with being. Teilhard wrote, “Driven by the forces of love, the fragments of the world seek each other so that the world may come to being.” He identifies this energy of love with Christ, the Omega, saying, “the love of Christ is an energy into which all the chosen elements of creation are fused without losing their identity.” [3]
Teilhard held that the whole of natural evolution is coming under the influence of Christ, the physical center of the universe, through the free cooperation of human beings. God evolves the universe and brings it to its completion through the instrumentality of human beings. Thus we are not called to relate to God without a world. To love God we must also love what God loves. We are called to love this created world as God loves it. . . . We are to help transform this universe in Christ by seeing Christ in the universe and loving Christ at the heart of the universe. [4]
References:
[1] Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Christ In Evolution (Orbis Books: 2008), 18-19.
[2] Ibid., 139.
[3] Ibid., 81.
[4] Ibid., 81-82.
“We Call You Different Names” Prayer by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
O God, we thank you for the fact that you have inspired men and women in all nations and in all cultures. We call you different names: some call you Allah; some call you Elohim; some call you Jehovah; some call you Brahma; some call you the Unmoved Mover. But we know that these are all names for one and the same God. Grant that we will follow you and become so committed to your way and your kingdom that we will be able to establish in our lives and in this world a brother and sisterhood, that we will be able to establish here a kingdom of understanding, where men and women will live together as brothers and sisters and respect the dignity and worth of every human being. In the name and spirit of Jesus. Amen.
Prayerful Life
Dear Indiana Governor Mike Pence – By Caleb Woods
Dear Indiana Gov. Mike Pence,
You’ve made a mistake. You’ve signed a very dangerous bill into law.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows discrimination against LGBT people. FACT. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows businesses to refuse service to LGBT people. FACT. Not only that, but the law allows discrimination against a multitude of people.
You are aware of how many sins are in the Bible, right? Businesses can claim “religious freedom” and refuse to serve anyone who might be seen as a “sinner.” This isn’t limited to LGBT people.
This law opens up possible discrimination against:
- interracial couples (Deuteronomy 7:3-4, Ezra 9:1-2, Daniel 2:43, Matthew 25:32, Deuteronomy 22:9-11)
- people who are divorced (Matthew 5:31-32, Mark 10:2-12, Luke 16:18, Matthew 19:89-9)
- known adulterers (Proverbs 6:32, Matthew 5:28, Hebrews 13:4, Exodus 20:14, John 8:4-11)
- unwed parents and single mothers (Ephesians 5:5, Galatians 5:19)
- people who have tattoos, piercings, or jewelry (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Leviticus 19:28, 1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Peter 2:3)
That’s a lot of discrimination to go around!
When you go out to eat, do you openly pray before every meal? When you attend church, do you openly pray in front of everyone? Are you aware that “the Bible is quite clear on the issue” of praying in public? Matthew 6:5-7, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, and Luke 6:12 all condemn praying in public. And all of those verses are from the New Testament!
Do you eat bacon? Leviticus 11:7-8, Isaiah 66:17, and Deuteronomy 14:8 all state that eating bacon is a sin.
Do you eat shrimp or shellfish? Leviticus 11:9-12 is quite clear on the issue. If you’d like to see what the world would look like if people viewed eating shrimp as a sin, view my article on that here.
Under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, you have made it legal to discriminate against a multitude of people. Christians can refuse service to Atheists, Buddhists, and Muslims. Atheists can refuse service to any religious people. People who have a religion other than Christianity can refuse services to Christians.
You have opened up a huge can of worms.
You claim that you abhor discrimination, but your record shows otherwise. You claim that the law doesn’t discriminate against gay people, yet you refuse to support laws that would help protect gay people from discrimination. It’s ironic that you keep using the word “abhor” in your interviews. You know who also used that word? David. Psalms 119:163.
“I hate and abhor lying…”
The Bible is VERY clear about lying (Leviticus 19:11, Proverbs 12:22, Proverbs 13:5, Proverbs 14:5, Proverbs 17:7, Hosea 11:12, Acts 5:3, Colossians 3:9, James 3:1). By openly lying about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, people now know that you’re a liar. You’ve been open about it. When you walk into your favorite restaurant, it’s possible that the business may refuse you service due to their “religious convictions about lying.”
I’m going to be blunt. You’re not fooling anyone anymore. You’ve been caught. Instead of making things right, you continue to dig your hole deeper by lying over and over.
You were warned numerous times that this law was discriminatory. Unlike the “Good Samaritan,” you looked the other way.
Your willful ignorance has cost you and the state of Indiana dearly. Instead of apologizing and showing that you don’t want LGBT people to be discriminated against, you’ve built a house of lies and retreated into the corner.
It’s not good enough for you that the First Amendment already protects the freedom of religion. You and many other conservatives have to go one step further and force your religion on others. But don’t you see? You DO have the right to any religion (or lack thereof) and to worship freely!You DON’T have the right to use your religion as a tool of hate and discrimination.
And quite frankly, why would any “god” support discrimination? That raises questions as to what kind of “god” you believe in. If you honestly believe that your “god” wants you to treat LGBT people differently, then you should re-evaluate your religion.
Jesus Christ taught love, compassion, friendship, and hope. He didn’t teach fear, discrimination, and prejudice. If you’re not using the Bible to learn more about understanding, compassion, acceptance, and love, then you’re reading the Bible completely wrong. Period.
So, I beg you, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence — show compassion, acceptance, and love to LGBT people. Sign a non-discrimination law for LGBT people. Show that you truly abhor discrimination just as much as David abhorred lying.
As Governor, show that you support ALL of your people in Indiana.
Sincerely,
Caleb Woods
On Earth as in Heaven
Beyond Words by Richard Rohr
All words are metaphors approximating the hard-knock of reality itself. That doesn’t mean we throw words and ideas out. Quite the contrary! The best Jewish approach to scripture study was called midrash; they struggled with the text, unraveled it, looked at its various possible meanings, and offered a number of interpretations that often balanced and complemented one another. There was never just one meaning, or one certain meaning that eliminated all others. If only Christianity had imitated our Jewish forebears in this regard our history would have been so much more peaceful and life giving.
After the Enlightenment in the 17th century, we regressed in many ways as religion wanted to compete with the rational, intelligent thinkers of Europe. The later Protestant Reformation moved forward with this mind as individuals and groups claimed there was only one correct interpretation of every scripture. Catholics looked to the Pope for that one correct interpretation. It’s no surprise there are 30,000 Protestant denominations today, and Catholicism became so monarchical. We will never agree on the meanings of words. That’s why the Word became flesh, to reveal that words can’t get you there. Only experience, love, and relationship can.
Jesus’ truth claim was his person (John 14:6), his presence (John 6:35), and his ability to participate in God’s perfect love (John 17:21-22). Emphasizing perfect agreement on words and forms, instead of inviting people into an experience of the Formless Presence, has caused much of the violence of human history. Jesus gives us his risen presence as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). No dogma will ever substitute for that.
Most of Jesus’ teaching is walking with people on the streets, out in the desert, and often into nature. His examples come from the things he sees around him: birds, flowers, landlords and tenants, little children, women baking and sweeping, farmers farming. Jesus teaches with anecdote, parable, and concrete example much more than creating a systematic theology. Particulars seem to most open us up to universals. “Thisness” is the actual spiritual doorway to the everywhere and the always, much more than concepts. Incarnation is always specific and concrete, here and now, like this bread and this wine, and this ordinary moment, or this half-crazy person right in front of me.
Adapted from Hell, No! (CD, MP3 download)–Coming soon!;
and Things Hidden: Scripture As Spirituality, pp. 124, 126-127
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The “Holy Fool” – Father Richard Rohr
The “holy fool” is the final stage of the full human journey. Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said, “It is those who become like little children who will enter the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3). Jesus, in his frequent allusion to children, was in his own way describing this final stage of life. We return to that early childhood, as it were, running naked and exposed into the great room of life and death. “I am who I am who I am” now. God has accepted me in my most naked being, and I can now give it all back to God exactly as it is with conscious loving trust that it will be received. What else would God want?
Adapted from The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis
Father Richard Rohr
Living in the Now
Our Soul Dwells in God – By Julian of Norwich
“Greatly are we to rejoice that God dwells in our souls, and more greatly are we to rejoice that our soul dwells in God. Our soul is created to be God’s dwelling place, and the dwelling of our soul is God.”
The Blessed Fool 