To Theo-

I just started taking a class on the gospel of Luke, taught by the, “Alternative Seminary.” Alternative Seminary courses bring the academic “meat” to people who want the feast of meaning found in the scriptures hidden behind the historical and cultural context, yet cannot afford to dine at the high-end institutions where the scholarly appetite is fed. My classmates come from a variety of backgrounds- a mix of oppressors and the oppressed, benefiters of the system and those who suffer under the system, Bible College grads and recovering drug addicts. Most of the people in my class have never read the gospel of Luke, or any book of the New Testament. They approach the scriptures with hungry eyes, curious about Jesus, but well knowledgeable by experience about the social context our “Jesus” found himself in. This brings so many exciting dimensions to the discussion- there is a freedom of questioning that I never found in Bible College. In the semester course I took over Luke at Johnson, I found myself jumping in my chair because we did not dig deep enough into the radical message Jesus has to say about the social, economic system we are a part of. The gospel of Luke is good news to the poor, and even greater news to the rich- there is another way of living! Why did we not address these “hard sayings” like, “turn the other cheek, take no thought for what you are to eat or wear, leave your family behind, LOVE your enemies.” Am I missing something because I thought Jesus said DO what the word says- don’t merely listen to it, discuss it, exegete it, make a sermon out of it…..when the hell did the gospel become just something “that’ll preach!?”

I gained an interesting insight into the context material of Luke last night, particularly WHO it was and is addressed to. We all know that Luke addresses his gospel to Theophilus, his wealthy patron. Yeah, Luke butters him up in the opening statements because he is, after all, the financial moo moo behind the book. This address echoes something Josephus wrote; Luke is repeating the literary form of this time. Whatever the case, Theophilus is obviously someone who is benefiting from the Roman Empire, someone with power, wealth, privilege- WE ARE Theophilus. I benefit from this damn empire everyday, and am usually totally clueless as to how my cheap and easy American lifestyle is not so cheap and easy to those who make it cheap and easy. Does anyone understand what I’m saying? It’s almost like Luke is communicating underneath his brown-nosing rhetoric, “Hey Theo- this gospel stuff is for you to, it’s revolutionary, everything you’d expect it NOT to be. Yeah, it’s for the poor….you know, the poor you are making poorer everyday, but it’s also for you- how you can change your life so that by financial distribution everyone can benefit.” Let’s not forget the Old Testament, where true worship is taking care of the helpless widows and orphans. This same theme is all over Luke’s gospel…..and who is our poor, helpless widow today, and what about all of those orphans?

Are you helping the poor helpless widow when your tax dollars contribute to the funding of “empire militization” and the spread of “democracy” all over Iraq? Those tax dollars are funding the death of thousands of Iraqi children. Here is an excerpt from a book I’m reading, “Other Lands Have Dreams”, that details what is happening to the children in Iraq as the result of our invasion to search for “weapons of mass destruction.”

“In Children’s wards, tiny victims writhe in pain, on blood stained mats, bereft of anesthetics and antibiotics. Thousands of children, poisoned by contaminated water, die from dysentery, cholera, and diarrhea. Others succumb to respiratory infections that become fatal full-body infections. Nine hundred sixty thousand children who are severely malnourished will bear lifelong consequences of stunted growth, brain deficiencies, and disablement. At the hands of U.N/U.S policy makers, childhood in Iraq has, for tens of thousands, become a living hell.”

So, back to church life in America, where patriotism, nationalism, and militarism are easily applauded. I cannot tell you how many church services I’ve been at on Memorial Day where I’ve been asked to stand up, because of my soldier duty, and receive a warm thank you and recognition for my service. There’s also the picture boards we have up front that “Thank Our Troops” who serve. I think I’m pictured on a few…..that’s a scary thought. They might as well frame me next to my buddy Theo.

So these are just some of my thoughts- not a homily or 10 minute sermon nugget. There’s even bigger thoughts on my mind: Logan and I have been doing some God dreaming lately. We want to start a G.I Rights Coffee Shop for soldiers, vets, family members of soldiers and vets, and anyone and everyone else hoping to understand more about these issues. This would be in Hawaii of course, home to over 25,000 active, reserve, and retired soldiers. Maybe of the course of time, encha-Allah, the coffee shop could be duplicated in Indonesia. I’m so freakin’ excited I cannot stop thinking up menu items and coffee drinks in my head. It’s a latte brainstorming right now.