Hungarian Church of God sets up their sanctuary once a month in a new neighborhood to do outreach and evangelism!
10th Annual Patty Awards: Top 10 Books of 2015
It's time for the 10th Annual Patty Awards, where I give out the awards for the best books I've read in 2015. All of the big stars are walking onto the Red Carpet. Is that Meeno Pelucci of "Voyagers" fame? Look, it's Don Rickles and Sally Struthers! And there's Nancy McKeon of "the Facts of Life." Truly an astonishing Red Carpet Crowd.
Well, it was a very eclectic reading year full of really good books. There was no real theme this year, it was a hodgepodge of things with an attempt on my part to read more fiction. And so we begin:
10) The Terror by Dan Simmons. A novel about a maritime Arctic expedition that goes horribly wrong in the mid-1800's. Based on real experiences of arctic explorers, this is a novel about a supernatural enemy, and even more frightening, the unbelievable hardship caused by being stranded in Arctic conditions for years aboard a foul ship. Very entertaining and surprisingly educational about life at sea. The amount of suffering these sailors endured in those voyages is amazing.
9) Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga by Stephen Davies (408 pages): A classic rock biography of the life and decadent times of Led Zeppelin. Obviously for hard-core Zep fans only, and even then, proceed with caution.
8) China's Second Continent: How a Million Migrants are Building a New Empire in Africa by Howard W. French (269 pages). An extremely well-done look at Chinese investment in African resources, land, and infrastructure. By traveling to various parts of Africa, French fleshes out how the new Chinese influence and "colonization" looks very different from region to region and country to country. Excellent in its balanced and nuanced view of China's influence in Africa. Both the positive sides and the negative sides of China's influence are exposed. A crackin' read!
7) A Wind in the House of Islam by David Garrison (Kindle version). The largest global survey of Islamic people groups and their mass conversions to Christianity. Garrison shares true stories from every part of the Islamic World of Muslims turning to Christianity at an unprecedented rate. The number of conversions and Islamic people groups choosing Christianity over Islam has been exploding since 9/11. A highly-recommended overview of something you never hear about: The growth of Christianity and the shrinking of Islam in the Muslim world.
6) The Epic of Eden by Sandra L. Richter (259 pages). The Old Testament in the Bible is very misunderstood, misinterpreted, and complicated. Much of this is due to the fact that this is Ancient Hebrew literature which is concerned with the issues, styles, language, and genres of Hebrew Literature, not Western-style literature. This is a Freshman-level introductory book to the Old Testament that does an excellent job of introducing the main themes of the Old Testament in a way that is very easy to understand and helps it to all make sense.
5) The Sicilian by Mario Puzo (Kindle version). A story that takes place between "The Godfather I" and "The Godfather II" while Michael Corleone is hiding in Sicily after avenging his father's shooting. The story revolves around a Robin Hood-like bandit causing trouble for the Sicilian Mafia in the 1940's. Full of action, but also a fascinating look at the very unique Sicilian culture. Sicily is colorful and mysterious, and this book is a great way to learn about it.
4) The Almost Absolutely Nearly Perfect People: The Truth About the Nordic Miracle by Michael Booth (393 pages). I absolutely loved this book that seeks to find whether the Socialist, Democratic Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland) are really as great as people think. Booth is a British journalist that lives in Denmark who is not only a great writer but also very funny. The book shows the good sides and the dark sides of each country, but overall---yes, life in Scandinavia is very good compared to the vast majority of the world's nations. What is remarkable is not only how similar each country is, but how very different they are as well. How history, culture, and geography shape a nation is a subject that always fascinate me, and Booth does his homework. While he doesn't shy away from their problems: high cost of living, divorce rates, immigration issues, etc.,--the overall picture that emerges is of societies that try very hard to provide the most important services for their people so that they are free to pursue their own goals. Everything I hoped the book would be!
3) The Cartel by Don Winslow (Kindle version). The sequel to one of my favorite novels of all time, "the Power of the Dog" which tracks the rise of the U.S. War on Drugs in Mexico. An angry DEA agent and a rising drug lord face off again, but this time in an era of globalized drug trade, Los Zetas, and the anarchy of a Mexican state dominated by competing cartels. Just as good as the first novel and based on real events that are taking place now. It shows you what mess the drug war is.
2) A Kim Jong -Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power" by Paul Fischer (Kindle version). Super-riveting true story of how South Korea's most famous Director and Actress were both kidnapped by Kim Jong-Il to jump start North Korea's fledgling movie industry. As is true with any book about North Korea, reality inside the Hermit Kingdom is as bizarre as humanly possible. The portrait of their life inside North Korea and their desire to escape is a total page-turner. It is often hilarious to read about how absolutely poorly made North Koreans films were. It is also tragic and frightening and, well...utterly insane. This came so close to being number one.
AND THE WINNER IS....
1) The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD (Kindle version). Finally, a book that explains why your extended family is so screwed up and why your Uncle is crazy. This is a must-read for anyone from a dysfunctional family, anyone who has struggled with depression, anxiety or trauma, or anyone wanting to understand where psychotherapy is headed. Trauma could be anything from divorce, being fired at a job, or more severely sexual, emotional, or physical abuse, war, rape, car accidents, abandonment or other life-changing traumatic moments. Van der Kolk began studying trauma by looking at Post-Traumatic Syndrome Disorder in Vietnam veterans. This led him on a journey to understand how traumatic events in our lives affect us psychologically and physiologically. He explains the ways that our bodies act out under stress and how disorders develop. He also chronicles the various ways that medics have tried to deal with this from the rise of antidepressants and SSRI's like Xanax and Prozac, to EMDR therapy, Yoga, and many other techniques. Each chapter is divided into smaller sections so it is not a difficult book to read. The author makes complicated subjects regarding neurology and neuroscience very easy to read. This is a book that will give you a ton of "aha!" moments and explain a lot about you, your family, your friends, and the world we live in. I can't recommend it highly enough--especially to those that have endured significant trauma in their lives or work closely with people that have.
Honorable Mention:
Fate is the Hunter by Ernest Gann (383 pages): Memoir by a pilot who worked during the rise of the airline industry when planes were just being understood and crashes were not at all uncommon. Gann flies people, mail, and war supplies in the 1940's and sees a huge majority of his fellow pilots and co-pilots die. He has near-disaster after near-disaster as the science of aviation has not been perfected and you learn as you go. It's a reminder that the extremely safe air travel we have today came at a huge cost. Many accidents happened and many people died in order for corrections to be made that now enable us to fly almost without fear of anything going wrong.
The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Oscar Martinez (Kindle version). A journalist from El Salvador hangs out with Central Americans trying to get smuggled across the U.S. border. The journey is extremely deadly as human-trafficking, drug-violence, and robbery and rape threaten migrants at every turn of the trip. Unlike what Donald Trump suggests, the border is already extremely hard to cross and getting more difficult every year. These true stories of people's attempts to escape the violence in their homelands is tragic.
Biggest Disappointment:
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Malantes. A much acclaimed novel about young soldiers fighting in Vietnam and all the complex realities they have to quickly figure out in order to survive. Technically, it's great and educational, but I just found that I didn't care about hardly any of the characters.
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by the Abridger Institute. Also very acclaimed, this books is about the importance of creating an organizational culture that has a high E.Q (emotional intelligence), which we intentionally try to do at Three Worlds here in Europe/Middle East. I thought the book sucked however, because the whole book is based on a fictitious company that is already full of high E.Q. employees and they are trying to help their new low E.Q. employee. This is not helpful since the vast majority of companies and organizations are filled to the brim with low E.Q. employees and bosses. So if the point is just to say E.Q. is important organizationally, okay. But if this book is somehow supposed to help the poor sod stuck in a low E.Q. environment, forget it. The question is how to get the power to change it. That is much more difficult.
Next Year:
Well, that's it. The big stars are heading home and the limousines are pulling out. We'll be back next year for some more book reviews. Up next year: A two volume biography of Elvis Presley, a journalists look inside the NFL, A biography of Christopher Columbus, A Christian novel about a Roman Centurion, a Novel of the Civil War, and books on Russian history. Thanks for joining us at the Patty's. See you next time!
3W Seminars: Children and Family Ministry
This month, Three Worlds is excited to host a team from County Line Church (Auburn, Indiana) to lead seminars in Paris and Rome on Children and Family Ministry. The team includes Nathan Tatman, 3W Roundtable participant and Mission Advancement Pastor, will be joined by Mary Ellen Rayle who is County Line’s Kids Ministry Pastor, and Chelsea Buckwaler who is the Kids Ministry Assistant. The team will present the seminar at the Church of God congregation (Eglise de Dios) in Paris on March 21-22, and then again for Italian Church of God congregations in Ostia on March 28-29.
Joining the presentations in Paris will be Ken and Keli Oldham, 3W Middle East. The EDD in Paris was planted by Michel Fegali, a Lebanese graduate of the Mediterranean Bible College, and it consists largely of believers from Lebanese, Egyptian, and other Arabic speaking backgrounds. The congregation worships in French and Arabic each week, but their children’s ministry is offered only in French. The EDD pastoral ministries have recently been handed over to a young Lebanese born believer, Samir Salibi. The Oldhams have been getting to know and encouraging Samir via Skype video conferences over the last year. With the work the Oldhams are doing with congregations in Egypt and Lebanon, and the weekly children’s ministry program they offer to Egyptian children in English, this is a great opportunity to begin creating relationships for future partnership and mutual support between the Church of God in France and the Middle East.
We asked each of the County Line team to answer a question about the upcoming seminars for this post; here are their questions and answers.
Nathan, as a Missions Advancement Pastor who has been actively supportive of the approach of 3W in Europe and Middle East, what excites you most about the future of the Church in our region?
"I am very excited for this next season of ministry and church life within the Europe and Middle East Region. Over the last four years I have seen exponential increase in connectivity amongst churches and leaders, a hunger for partnerships with pastors and churches in Europe, Middle East, and North America, the next generation of leaders adding a voice to the local church, and health beginning to permeate in these congregations. The church in North America must take notice of what is happening as we are in the midst of seeing God do some amazing work in and through His people and the local churches. I believe the foundation has now been laid for these next years to see these once struggling churches and isolated leaders to flourish in the gifts, abilities, and ministries that God has designed for them."
Mary Ellen, your approach to Children's Ministry is family-centered; what are one or two things you hope to encourage or inspire the congregations in France and Italy to do as they minister to the next generations?
"One of the best opportunities the Church has to reach more people for Christ is through children and families. I am looking forward to meeting with the congregations in France and Italy to share my passion about the great power we have when the family and church unite in shaping faith development and nurturing spiritual growth. I want to encourage them to think about creative and meaningful ways to include children in their worship and church life. I hope leaders will consider prioritizing ministry to children and families in their planning with the potential of impacting more people for Christ. And ....we hope it is fun! We are bringing some engaging ideas for Bible stories, memory projects, crafts and games that will help all of us, kids and adults, learn to look with fresh eyes and listen with understanding ears."
Chelsea, you are the youngest on the team presenting next week; what are you most looking forward to experiencing as you interact with Christians in these different cultures?"I am so excited for this opportunity and eager to see how God brings everything together. I can’t wait to meet and build relationships with the people in France and Italy. God has placed on our hearts Bible stories, activities, and teaching methods to share about Children’s Ministry. Although we are coming to share with other church leaders from different cultures, I know that we will be learning from them how they do ministry and interact with each other. I am very thankful and honored to be a part of this workshop and look forward to sharing my heart for family and children. I have grown already through preparation and prayer over the last several months. God is amazing and doing great things and I can only hope to be a light to the people we meet in Europe."
Three Worlds is so thankful for the partnership and support offered by congregations like County Line. We are hopeful for the seminars in the next two weeks, and we want to invite you to pray with us for the equipping and inspiration that will take place in each location. Pray also for the Church throughout the region to intentionally, creatively, and powerfully work to pass the faith on to the next generations.
Racism Around the World
From Facebook: Three Worlds Is the USA very racist? As a minority, I've always argued that the answer is a strong "no." Race relations in the United States are far better than they are in other places around the world. I used to live in South Korea--and there, all minorities were discriminated against, including me. Many other countries are the same way. Even in brown-skinned countries, a lot of time the prejudice is against darker brown-skinned people. The lighter the brown skin, the better off you are. Racism is a human problem.
Now a survey has been done exposing the racial intolerance of countries. Notice that most of Europe looks good and the US and Canada are very tolerant. India scores very poorly, so does South Korea, and some Arab States. Homogenous populations (S. Korea, Japan), places of ethnic tension (Nigeria, India), and Confucian societies are pretty intolerant.
Societies that have a lot of mixed ethnicity (Brazil, Columbia) or a strong belief in liberal democracy (Canada, UK, Sweden) and/or a Christian heritage that emphasized the value of all human beings did well (the big exception being France).
You could definitely pick through these. For instance, Brazil does have a lot of prejudice against blacks, but people are fine living next to each other (which is the question that was asked in the survey to illicit responses that gauge discomfort with people from other races.
This is not to say that the USA and Europe are perfect (Ukraine and Poland come to mind), but most Western societies are very OPEN about their race problems which makes them seem more concrete. This is particularly true of the USA. On the flipside, there has never been a Korean Martin Luther King critiquing racism in Korea. Racism is not a moral issue in some societies. It is understood to be natural and right. "We ______ are the superior people in the world." The same goes for many other countries. A true movement against racism has been absent in many countries around the world.
I do think that the Christian value of the individual has been internalized in many countries around the world because of the Gospel impacting culture--even if the culture moved away from the Gospel.
Financial Support: The 3W Way
At Three Worlds we support a variety of project throughout the Middle East region. Donors can give to the Cedar Home Orphanage in Lebanon, the new Church plants in Russia, assist the church in Egypt during these difficult days, help the Church of God in Athens, Greece as it helps the less fortunate during the worst crisis since the 1930's, or support the Next Generation of leaders in our region (and our interns from around the world) through the NextGen Fund. These are just some examples of projects we have open in the region.
Some Problems with Money on the Mission-Field
In general, however, 3W is careful with money because missions and money don't often go together well. It's very easy to create dependencies--where churches or countries don't grow on their own. Instead they just wait for the next check from the U.S. Because the Christian culture is a high-trust culture, it's easy to have people in the system that abuse that trust and not use money as donors intended. It's also easy for people to think that money will solve all of their problems, when often it just compounds them in new more divisive ways. It is also a problem when things are constructed (such as buildings or schools) and there's no one there to really manage the property adequately. Many countries can become extremely unhealthy very quickly if the floodgates are opened and money just pours in from North America. Power battles can ensue, a sense of entitlement can be formed, and the church's mission can be more about sustaining its facilities and remittances than it is about actually doing evangelism. Unfortunately, we have seen this too often.
Real Relationship First
At Three Worlds, we do not think the flow of funds from North America to Europe/Middle East should be our core purpose. That, in fact, is low on the list. We do not have many projects in the region on purpose. New project proposals must meet certain requirements and we are only willing to open two a year for the entire region, and even that is not guaranteed. We prefer to spend our time ministering in churches, training, encouraging and empowering the next generation of leaders, as well as reaching out to the young, and creating a regional sense of unity and purpose. Relationship and ministry comes first. The flow of funds from North America to our region is the lowest priority. We have seen time and time again (especially in the Church of God), the more money a mission-field gets over the years, the less ministry you see happening. While those countries that learn to do with what they have, tend to stay focused and grow in a healthier manner.
There is a place for financial support. Often certain projects need to be kick-started, or an infusion of cash can help a ministry come to life or survive a turbulent time. Or assistance for a pastor can help a church plant to get launched. But these should be taken on a case by case basis and the deeper, structural realities should always be examined before the checkbook is pulled out. A need is not enough. There needs to be health underlying that need.
At 3W, we go by an internal plan that we call "RAISE NUT (R-A-I-S-E-N-U-T). The "Raise"principal comes from Jonathan Martin's "Giving Wisely." However, those principles are pretty common-sensical. Why was that book such a hit? It's because the Church of God in North America got so careless, that it started violating even those common-sense principles in their support for missions. Many people got burned time and time again.
WHAT IS RAISE-NUT?
R=Relationship First: This means that it's vital to have a real relationship first that's based on friendship and partnership in ministry, not just an arrangement to enter into a financial agreement to transfer funds from North America to some country overseas.
A=Accountability: There obviously needs to be some pro-active oversight over the funds with the recipients demonstrating clearly that they are using the funds as designated. The missionaries and mission-agency must be very transparent in how they are delivering the funds.
IS=Indigenous Sustainability: The funds given should enable the mission-field to continue operating on its own and not create dependence on foreign funds. It something new is starting, there should be a clear explanation of how this ministry will be funded without outside help in the near future.
E=Equity: The money must not be distributed in a manner that is unequal (one village church gets a lot, the other village church gets nothing), or which begins to separate the recipient from the living standards of those they work with and serve.
At Three Worlds, we also added three more key pieces in 2011 based on our observation that these things can also be problems:
N=Next Generation. Is the country empowering the next generation? Are they putting emerging leaders into positions of influence? Are they doing the things that it will take to make sure that the country will have churches 20 years from now? In some cases, leaders intentionally block young people from leadership (and by younger I mean under 50 even)!. We are very intentional about partnering with countries that are serious about reaching young people and having a future, not just preserving and protecting the past.
U=Unity: Does the project bring unity to the country or the churches? Or does it cause division? Furthermore, if a country is already suffering from a lot of division and divisive behavior, we are highly unlikely to start a project there, which will only exacerbate the problems. There's no reason countries or churches should get money when they have no interest in being united in fellowship with each other. We only work with countries and churches that are committed to unity or willing to work toward unity in humility.
T=Timeline: We want a concrete time-line that tells us when the project will end. We have phased out open-ended projects because it becomes too tempting for mission-fields or churches to become dependent on those funds. In special circumstances, the project may be extended, but only after a careful review; and that review will happen with someone on the OUTSIDE of 3W to give us better perspective and objectivity.
Of course none of these guiding principles mean anything if they are not taken seriously or enforced. A non-profit organization must have standards that it insists on if it is to protect its donors, not create dysfunction on the mission-field, and stay on the right side of the law. But it's easy to get wobbly in the knees when people are making personal pleas. There's a place for compassion, but there's also the need to be fair, ethical, and not become enablers.
For 3W, having standards that we all agree on (donor, missionary, national) makes things run far more smoothly. All of us must be challenged to some extent and reigned in at times. A system designed to do that is going to work better than a purely subjective, unplanned process. Ultimately the thing we value most at Three Worlds is health, because once you lose that, it really damages your witness.
We're happy to be working in this region and happy to see that we are all doing our part in a healthy, accountable way.
Another Time to Laugh: Charity
I'm back from a whirlwind trip to the USA where I had 3W presentations to make in Ohio and New York City. Both of them went very well and the trip was so worth it. I was on the move constantly, and greatly enjoyed catching up to some of the 3W boys (Kelley Philips, Daniel Kihm, and Zach Langford) in Columbus. We had a lot of good laughs, and as always there's great chemistry and synergy. My drive took me past the homes of some friends in Connecticut and New Jersey. And because of the jet-lag, I didn't drive later than 6PM at night, so I made Pittsburgh my stopping place. As you two diary readers know, I absolutely love Pittsburgh. This time I saw new areas I hadn't seen before, and fell in love with it even more. I had one evening to myself just walking across the bridges of the city. It was so relaxing. So many parts of the United States are just so beautiful. The Southwest, New England, Pacific Northwest, amazing California, and the hills of Pennsylvania. And then there was the joy of driving through downtown Manhattan as I used to in the old days when we lived in Connecticut. The city looked wonderful.
And then there was that fatty American food!!! So delicious. Congratulate me as I only drank water on the trip. And tea. Unsweetened except for once. And I'm glad to see that a lot of the healthy stuff on the restaurant menus is actually getting really good. I really like Applebees lemon shrimp and rice dish. Oh America....you are such a delicious, saucy, tart.
Now I'm back and jet-lagged (which seems to get worse with age), so before I get to writing on the diary again, here's one more laugh. A video poking fun at Millenial charity works. Enjoy.
Time to Laugh: Sports Mascots
I'm off to the USA for a very short trip. I have a meeting in New York City and a meeting in Columbus, Ohio. I'll be flying into NYC, picking up a rental car, and then driving back and forth. Since I have friends in Connecticut and New Jersey, just outside of NYC, I hope to get to see them this week. It's been quite a while. Meanwhile this week, I will be meeting up with 3 of the 3W gang of boys (Kelley Philips 3W-Berlin, Zach Langford 3W-Liverpool, and Daniel Kihm 3W-The Netherlands. Should be a great time as we kick it South-Central Style.....in Central Ohio.
Well, it's time to laugh again. The other day Marco was asking me why sports mascots are so stupid? I don't know, but here they are being stupid. Enjoy and take time to laugh.
Porn Really is Dangerous!
I posted a comment about an incident involving porn over on my personal Facebook page. I did it because I thought it was important to share, so I am posting it over here at the 3W Diary as well. Feel free to "friends" me over at Facebook: Patrick Nachtigall
Remember 3W is also on Facebook and is the best place to hear what is currently happening in the region: Three Worlds.
We are also on Twitter: 3WCHOG
(From my Facebook page)
Well, it happened. A 10-year old friend of Marco tried to show him pornography when they were having a play-date. Marco has never seen porn before, but we had told him about pictures of girls on the internet that should not be seen. So he said to his friend he wasn't interested and told him to stop. He went to the other side of his room, but his friend just thought it was funny and kept trying to find images. Fortunately, his friend couldn't get the images to come up on the screen. Marco came home and immediately reported it to us. We knew that the average age for children today to be exposed to porn for the first time is 10, so that's why we had told him some basics. But now it was time to have THE porn-talk, which I've been dreading.
While it's natural for boys and girls to be curious about sex, today's internet pornography is extremely dangerous--particularly for children who have not reached a sexual age and for teenagers. The abundance of images now available in private is dangerous to the brain. That's not religious, puritanical talk. It's science (and the TED talk below goes into details).
Marco and I had a special father-son talk. I wanted him to understand a little bit about addiction and the dangers of being exposed to internet porn. I wanted to talk about the re-wiring issues (dopamine/brain malleability issues) that scientists are identifying, so I used a computer cord as an example. I showed him a plug on the wall with two sockets and said that one was a normal plug that was good. It's natural to be curious, sexuality is human, and puberty is a fact of life etc. But what internet porn can do to children, or teens (or anyone) is plug the cord into the wrong socket and it can be extremely addictive and difficult to fix. Maybe that sounds silly, but Marco and I have already talked about drug addiction and alcoholism (and watched episodes of Dog the Bounty Hunter to emphasize the point), so he's familiar with that concept and the plug was a visual tool to solidify it. (I don't know what I'm doing here folks!!! Just a first-time parent with one child in a world of triple X porn available on cell phones!!).
Of course we also talked about the moral/spiritual problems and how inappropriate it is to objectify women. But, I wondered if there was a video that would explain the science in a way he would understand--since Marco likes science. I found this TED talk which is excellent and I recommend everyone watch it. So many of my Facebook Friends have children between the ages of 5 and 15, and they are growing up in a world of excessive sexual iopportunities that no generation of humans has ever had to deal with. Is it normal? No. Is the human body wired for this kind of excessive sexual imagery? No. Should this issue be taken seriously be parents of children that are under the age of 10? Absolutely. So I'm posting this to help others.
I don't have the answers. I'm humbled by all of this. Maybe I've already gotten some things wrong. I'm just trying to navigate this new world as a parent. I'm not interested in preaching fear and condemnation to my son. I want him to alway feel free to share with his parents and to know that they will respect him and provide a safe place to process life's challenges. I want him to avoid these things, but also have compassion for people. Most of all, I love him and want him to know I'm here no matter what.
As for Marco's friend--it's not one of his close friends at all, but I'm worried about this kid. It's not about being judgmental or acting self-righteous. As the video shows, it's a mental health issue. I know I have friends on Facebook from all 6 continents, different faiths, atheists, agnostics, different world-views, cultures, and such. I respect that. You know I do. But I really worry about our teenagers and children, and some of the biggest problem areas are in countries and communities where you wouldn't expect it. Feel free to post comments, criticisms, suggestions, or experiences you have had talking with your kids. Just be respectful of others in your comments. We're all trying to make our way through this complicated thing called life; imperfectly, but sincerely.
PS--I'm not really comfortable talking about this on Facebook (or anywhere), but maybe it will help some people out there. And maybe the video can be a helpful teaching tool. Oh, and yes, I am proud of my Son.
Check out the Great Porn Experiment: Ted Talk.
PS--3W's Audrey Langford (Liverpool) adds this article--"This is your brain on porn:" http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/29332-this-is-your-brain-on-porn
Are Muslims LESS Violent Than Other Religions?
Over at Facebook: Three Worlds we've opened a discussion about this article by Juan Cole. Professor Cole of the University of Michigan argues that Muslims are no more violent (and in fact less violent in the 20th Century) than any other religion. Cole is a well-known apologist for Islam and the Middle East, but he also has a lot of important things to say, and gets things right quite often. He states:
I don’t figure that Muslims killed more than a 2 million people or so in political violence in the entire twentieth century, and that mainly in the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988 and the Soviet and post-Soviet wars in Afghanistan, for which Europeans bear some blame.
Compare that to the Christian European tally of, oh, lets say 100 million (16 million in WW I, 60 million in WW II– though some of those were attributable to Buddhists in Asia– and millions more in colonial wars.)
No, I do not completely agree with Professor Cole, but...
First of all, I like the article (but have issues with it) because Muslim violence is exaggerated in the Western media. There are about 1.6 Billion Muslims and many of them live in places like Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Senegal, Niger, Kenya etc. where they have peacefully lived with their neighbors for years. These Muslims (that I have met in my travels) are never written about. They are hospitable, kind, and want to live normal, peaceful lives like everyone else. Like most human beings, they want to see their children have a better life than they did, as opposed to say, blow them up or strap explosives to them.
Furthermore, many Muslims have a faith that is different from the more militant strands of Islam that we see the terrorists adhere to. In fact, in many cases, not only might they be from a different major branch of Islam, but they may also have infused their Islam with a lot of local African or Asian folk beliefs. So they are labeled Muslim, but may actually follow something that has little resemblance to Islam.
And then there are those Muslims who are born into a Muslim country, and get labeled Muslims simply because they were born in a Muslim country. Much the way people were born "Catholic" in many Latin American countries. They have not really accepted or rejected Islam but can be called "Muslims."
So there is a peaceful side to Islam that is not written about. At the same time, Western/Christian violence is often not counted or remembered. And Cole does a good job of reminding the reader that the 20th Century was filled with Christian religious violence. And he's right when he suggests that the Nazi's, Franco, and Communism all co-opted the Christian church for their evil deeds and there was much silence from Christian communities.
If we take World War I and II as having happened primarily by "Christian nations" (and to be fair, if it had been Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt leading World War II wouldn't we label it an Islamic problem?), then clearly, the Christian West has been very comfortable with violence. Even if you argue that these were post-Englightenment, post-Christian societies, you could just go back 300 years in Western history and find that they were still just as violent, just with weaker weapons. Or if you discount Europe completely (too secular), and just focused on the United States--you would still find a country incredibly comfortable with violence--often at war, invading nations, or settling land with guns at hand. Truly, the West (and the USA in particular) has always been comfortable with violence. And then in the essay, he outlines examples of political terrorism from non-Muslim religions.
Issues with Professor Cole's Claims:
So is Professor Cole totally right? Well, he makes some important points that non-Muslims need to deal with. However, there are some other things that need to be mentioned.
1) The size and scale of WWI and WWII were indeed massive, but that was because modern weaponry was becoming more lethal at an exponential pace. Christian societies through the reformation and then the secular Enlightenment advanced quickly and modernized while many Islamic societies languished. Cole is right in suggesting that all societies with access to weapons can become violent. It's a human thing. But it's also then true that Islam may have been more violent had they had the technology to act out on it.
2) The upheavals of Western Civilization in the past 500 years had a lot to do with the death of Christendom (the mixing of politics and religion in statehood) and the birth of more secular nation-states. In other words, Christian civilizations seemed to be learning about the limits of religion and what it can achieve politically. Christianity was going through a reformation that allowed for some secularization. Islam doesn't seem to have gotten to this point. It lacks a Martin Luther-like moment, it lacks a secular Enlightenment, and a clear separation of church and state. It also lacks a state like The United States which models the separation of church and state (though oddly, some Evangelicals wish it weren't that way). Some are looking toward Turkey to be the first example (or perhaps a second example since Ataturk's Turkey was supposed to be a truly secular state) of a healthy, modern, Islamic country. But even there, Islamism is making big inroads into Turkey and threatening the most well-rounded economy in the Islamic sphere. Why? The reformation has not happened.
3) Another point is that unlike the other religious faiths, Islam's leader was both a religious leader and a military leader. Born in the very violent cultural atmosphere of 7th Century Arabia, Islam prophet (who is the final prophet) clearly did not agree with Jesus' "turn the other cheek" mentality. He waged Holy War against idolatry and that included violence. Islam, unlike Christianity, is far more culturally bound to a specific culture (Bedouin Arab culture) than Christianity or the other major faiths. This has limited its ability to reject violence.
4) Political violence isn't the only violence problem in Islam. The chances of any of us, or anyone we know, being killed by an Islamic terrorist is remarkably slim. I'm more concerned about the violence against women and the mass subjugation and the misogynistic tendencies of Islam. Subjugating half of the population is a stupid idea for any society. But even worse is when women become treated like property, and violence is allowed, all sanctioned by a religion. That is something that is being abandoned in most religions of the world. Islam and Hinduism still struggle in this area quite a bit and to great cost of their societies. An India or Saudi Arabia that was more empowered by women would be far more advanced than those countries are today. Yet, Islam, more than anything, holds women back and allows a violent and misogynistic culture to keep Islamic countries underperforming around the globe.
Having said all of that, however, it is important not to paint with broad brushes regarding Muslims. The vast majority of Muslims in the United States, in Europe, and in other places are peace-loving people, who love their children, like McDonald's, and just want to watch a good movie and eat some popcorn. It's dishonest to think this is not true. I've met many Muslims. I have yet to meet one that was anything but polite and trustworthy. I can't say the same for the Christians I've met and worked with.
Here is the video that made Professor so Cole that he wrote the article defending Muslims. In this context, I think Bill Maher in the video definitely gets the better of the argument. Islam is in a category of its own.
Warning: Some bad language included, but an important argument to hear nonetheless as it relates to this article.
Bono: A Sort of Prophet
Some thoughts on U2's Bono... Aside from being a big U2 fan, I've always appreciated lead singer Bono's thoughtful reflections. He has always been a deep thinker. As his fame was taking growing, he ditched everything and went to Central America to see the Civil Wars first-hand. Not many self-absorbed Rock Stars would risk their life to head into mid-1980's Central America. He was the one who introduced a generation of us to Amnesty International. After the Live Aid performance in 1985 (which along with Queen's, was the best of the massive extravaganza), he devoted himself to learning more about Ethiopia. And he didn't do what a lot of celebrities do---hire a publicity firm to put them in good photo-ops, memorize a few key facts, and exploit suffering as a way to build up their image (their are entire agencies that specialize in doing that for celebrities).
No. Bono, a ridiculously passionate person, became an expert in these subjects. He became a student, a learner, and an evangelist about the power that people could have to make a difference. Sometimes it seemed laughable to people---Bono in his black "fly" outfit in some poor village in Africa telling us that we could see infant mortality rates plummet if we would only do our part. But sure enough, that is what has happened in Africa and other parts of the world. Bono met with Presidents, Prime Ministers, and the head of corporations and tried to make giving to charity cool--which he did. Bono did the very non-rock star thing of hanging out with George W. Bush and got a pledge for US assistance against the fight with AIDS which has been a serious-game changer. And he quickly credited Bush with having gotten that right. That took guts. He put the cause ahead of the coolness, although he always self-consciously points out that he's a "rock star." "You may be wondering what a Rock Star is doing at a meeting of the G8?" etc.
His band certainly struggled with the amount of charity and long-winded sermons he would give. They eventually ended up in U2's concerts: The lights dim and Bono gives some speech about saving the crustaceans instead of launching into a blistering "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Some fans have turned away tired of the pomposity and piety, but most have stayed.
Most remarkably to me, it was Bono, long before any academics wrote about this, predicted that the end of the Cold War would make Berlin a hub of experimental art and freedom, and that the downside would be that society would get lost in virtual reality. The themes found on the 1993 album Zooropa, which was basically formulated in Berlin during the making of "Achtung Baby," pointed to the world we now live in. During the first Gulf War in 1991, he discussed the effects technology would have on war and how soldiers could be disconnected from the damage they wrought through new weapons--which today can be exemplified by drones. In the marvelous book "U2 at the End of the World" Bono's prophetic thoughts are captured as he camps out in this new unified city of Berlin. Bono once met John Paul II and the Pope put on Bono's "fly shades." It was perhaps the most remembered photos of JPII's papacy outside of the assassination attempt. The Pope and Bono had very similar views of the upcoming 21st century. Both of them were eager to put the ideological warfare of the Cold War aside, but both harbored skepticism as to whether humans could handle the freedom that would be unleashed through globalization. They were oddly kindred spirits in many ways.
I think he also put his finger on the "Clash of Civilizations" idea long before Harvard's Samuel Huntington wrote the famous Political Science book which caused so much controversy and, itself, became viewed as prophetic after 9/11.
Although I'm a huge Beatles fan and love John Lennon, Bono is John Lennon 2.0. He's not a lazy, idealist mostly lost in self-absorption and dysfunction as Lennon was. He does his homework and his ideas are rooted in reality. Many of his insights in "U2 at the End of the World" are true, profound, and simply brilliant.
Long before the Post-Christendom emerging movement began taking the stage, Bono was a symbol of what a post-modern Christian could be. Back in the late 80's, he challenged the church to be less about dogma and more about experience. Less about concrete theology and more about mysticism ("Mysterious Ways".) Most of all, he was pretty emphatic that Jesus would have been with the AIDS sufferers and the poor. This was about 15 years before Evangelical Christians started using this same language. Perhaps it was because he grew up in Ireland in a Protestant-Catholic environment and he had plenty of time to mull the ineffectiveness and hypocrisy of the institutional church in Ireland. Whatever the reason, one could easily look at interviews from the mid-1980's and find that Bono sounds like a Gen-X preacher talking to Relevant Magazine. No matter how you cut it, that's pretty remarkable. It's no coincidence at all that many Gen-X pastors grew up on U2 music. Perhaps they might have given up if someone like Bono had not talked of a new way, and then mostly walked his talk.
Bono will be the first to tell you he's no saint. But even that is a pretty big break from where we were in the old days. Bono has always been fascinated by the concept of Grace "Grace makes beauty out of ugly things," primarily because of what it means for him. He has once said that this is the reason he doesn't become a follower of other religions: because he hasn't seen anything like the concept of Christian grace.
Nobody is arguing that Bono should be your pastor or your spiritual hero. But it's worth noting that in the world of rock n' roll, we've never seen anything like him, and that often, he is worth listening to when he speaks, not just when he sings.
(In this video, Bono discusses an epiphany he had as he watched his father die of cancer):