Featured Writers
These articles express the opinions of the writers, not necessarily the policies of Simple Living Works! Original submissions are welcome. If you submit an item written by someone else, include the exact source.
2020
Chemical Shenanigans--short story by Gene SagerRuth Ann Angus of Yes! We Can PeaceBuilders on 'NonViolence or Non-Violence?'--supplement to podcast 12/19
2019
Banker Pat Trahan on 'Creative Capitalism'--supplement to podcast 04/19'Wholistic Simplicity' by Gene Sager
Poem: 'Nature's Warning Cry' by Paula Wansa
2018
Climate Change Drivers: Overpopulation and Overconsumption2016-2017
Jerry's Guide: Where to Get BooksHealthy Political Practices / Spiritual Disciplines
Post-Election Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Survival Guide by Gerald Iversen
Simpler Living SANITY Suggestions
Review by Gerald Iversen of From Egos to Eden: Our Heroic Journey to Keep Earth Livable by Lee Van Ham
GDP: a poem by John deGraaf
Pre-2016
Kristina Kahl's Ph.D. Dissertation on Alternatives: Abstract / Table of Contents / Email / Podcast / Ordering a copy
Pastoral Economic Struggles: Facing Together Global Capitalism's Domination in Daily Life by Lee Van Ham
There's No Place Like Dome! Gerald Iversen reflects on life in a Buckminster Fuller style geodesic dome for a house, and the interesting fate following his leaving it. [back-up]
How to Celebrate Any Day by Ashley Nedeau-Owen
What Might a Christian Life Look Like? by Gerald Iversen
Living Within Your Means by James Stage, Jr.
Being and Doing at Home by Gene Sager
How to Save Money: A Wedding Gift by Rita Iversen
Take My Yolk Upon You by Karl Lehman
Beyond Simplicity, Chapter 1 by Bob Sitze | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3
Unwrapping Christmas by Lee Van Ham
Where Is Christ in Church Life? by Jon Zens
This short story is quite different than the other items Gene Sager has submitted for SLW! The others are more 'educational.' The take-away of this one for me is the non-violent extremes we may have to take to stop the Earth plunderers. It's engaging, even clever. --Ed.
Chemical Shenanigans
The well-known, 30-year-old green writer Jack Garcia left his neighbor friend with the task of making it look like Jack is still in LA, his apartment in use and Jack's articles sent from his LA address. In fact, Jack is in New York, planning to secretly investigate Fitzpatrick Chemical Offices in Queens. Jack's given name was "Jacob," but his peers preferred the nickname "Jack." Jack is divorced. In a recent interview, he confessed that he failed to tell his wife-to-be that he was already married -- married to the project of exposing those who commit atrocities against the earth. Garcia gives his friend his cell phone and tells him, "If my ex calls, tell her Jack has gone to New York to get a sex change." He tells his friend this is not just a bad joke.
Jack is using his Jewish background, his computer savvy, and his theater acting experience to get inside Fitzpatrick because a journalist friend of his has informed him that Fitzpatrick's new CEO is using black market and mafia methods to make big bucks selling dangerous, illegal pesticides. Claiming to be writing about Jewish quarters in major US cities, Jack plans to disguise himself as a woman and get a job with Fitz. He hopes to employ his tech skills and his knowledge of "green-wash" techniques to reveal the truth about chemical corporations like Fitz.
Jack's journalist friend and informant was murdered by Fitz's henchmen. It turns out that Jack has multiple motives for shutting Fitz down. He wants to save the planet, avenge his journalist friend, and impress the girl who runs Bergman's Kosher Deli in Queens.
Rebecca Bergman is pleased to see a cute guy come out of the rain into her Deli just before closing time. She is a 25-year-old Jewish woman who runs Bergman's Kosher Deli in Queens. Her father is an orthodox Jewish Rabbi. He is very conservative politically and religiously. He sees "activists" as rabble rousers. Through the five years since her mother's death, Rebecca and her father have developed their own kind of symbiosis -- he, overprotective and she, devoted. Rebecca and her father live on the 2nd floor of the Deli building and rent out the 3rd story apartment. She has a friend who works in the Human Resources Dept. at Fitz. Jack enjoys himself chatting with Rebecca over a beer and sandwich. She listens to Jack's story and finds it fascinating and believable. He doesn't tell her about disguising himself as a woman, thinking this might be a bit much. Jack tells her with a wry smile that experienced activists realize that in dealing with the likes of Fitz and its new CEO Robert Height, the Torah calls on us to practice the principle of "a lie for a lie" and a "trick for a trick." " If you don't out lie and out trick them, they outsmart everybody," he says. To impress Rebecca, he manages to use some of the Yiddish words his mother had taught him.
Jack assumes a casual tone to ask, " Did I see a sign in your window about an apartment for rent?" Rebecca is hesitant because she will have to ask her father: "Yeah, I will ask my father tomorrow." Rabbi would have a fit if she took in a stranger off the street. He would stretch out his arms and say, "Who does something like that? A stranger off the street." This image makes Rebecca think of Mrs. Schwartz, matron of "Mrs. Schwartz' Boarding House" across the street from the Deli. She would take in this stranger, especially if she thought he was a "nice Jewish boy." Mrs. Schwarz has been a self-appointed deputy and news source for the greater Queens region for 20 years now. If she didn't know about it, it didn't happen. She would be curious to find out about this stranger.
Rebecca grabbed her cell phone and called Mrs. Schwartz, who picked up immediately, saying, "Honey, your light has been on for an hour after closing time. And who is that man?" Rebecca saw her chance: "Actually he needs a place to stay tonight and I can't ask Rabbi about staying here at the Deli until tomorrow. So..." Mrs. Schwartz was anxious to help, saying, "I might have a room for tonight. Why not? Send him over now and I'll see what I can do." Jack felt comfortable at Mrs. Schwartz' that night. The next day, at Rebecca's behest, Rabbi Bergman rented his 3rd floor apartment to Jacob "Jack" Garcia.
Jack invents the character, Josephine Kompaneck, a woman who applies for a job at Fitz. He makes himself up into quite an attractive Josephine. Given Jack's slight build and acting skill, he pulls this off well. He cannot apply for a job at Fitz as Jack Garcia since he is a well known writer. Josephine interviews very well and her computer skills and general smarts yield her a job in records and shipping. Josephine repeatedly says she is a "team player" and Robert Height interprets this to mean she will do whatever the boss says. But here is a problem with Jack's plan: He didn't do a thorough job of preparing Josephine's resume and background. Some of her university transcripts are blurry copies and the work experience information is somewhat sketchy. Jack used a girl friend's ID and document materials, but there are a few red flags. At first, on the job, Josephine excels. She looks so attractive that one of the good-old-boys in data processing hits on her.
Josephine finds out that Fitz is selling on the white and black markets -- some pesticides are EPA-approved, and some are illegal. The company uses multiple mottos claiming they are a "green" way to control pests. The pesticide business has its back against the wall. There is more and more demand for organic products. Fitz and other corporations have lost several big legal battles (their products shown to be carcinogens) and their reps are bad. As Jack's journalist friend had discovered, Fitz hired the new CEO, Robert Height because he was a known money maker, but Height can only pull the business out of trouble using shady methods. Josephine finds out that when concerns about toxins began, the new CEO quickly shipped most of the kegs of glyphosate to an undisclosed location. Glyphosate causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Robert Height uses diversity as a method to overwhelm investigators. Many products they produce are not dangerous. Massive data in the company records make it impossible to work through the materials to find problems.
Informed by Jack's friend, Josephine knows what to look for. Height makes sure inscription is not used because it arouses suspicion. The identity of the illegal chemicals is hidden by giving them several different names of legal products and this code is kept in handwritten notes. The most important information is not put into the computers. Inspectors find massive detail on the computers, but nothing about Fitz's shenanigans. Another Height method is to set up decoy sub-companies which purport to be part of Fitz's business. The decoy company data figures massively in the records, but this data does nothing except preoccupy the inspectors with irrelevant material.
When Josephine has a day off, Jack secretly makes his way to the New York Times offices and agrees to have them publish the scandalous information one chapter per week in the NYTimes Sunday Supplement. The NYTimes agrees not to use Jack's name but rather attribute the articles to "an anonymous Fitzpatrick employee." Jack's journalist friend had explained that Robert Height's weakness is his anger and reactive nature when threatened. When threatened, his reactions lead him to make mistakes. When Jack's first chapter comes out, the Fitz CEO starts searching his staff for the leak. A young loading dock worker seems suspicious; he is too curious and asks pointed questions about the strange labeling of products being shipped out. Height has him " disappeared." His body is found in the East River. The EPA and the FBI are also investigating the Fitz facility in Queens. Josephine's background check raises suspicions. She is under intense scrutiny.
The Fitz CEO has surveillance cameras installed throughout the offices, even in the restrooms. In addition to cameras, Fitz even shadows workers under scrutiny, so Jack-as-Josephine is followed out of the offices all the way to the Deli. Jack cannot change out of his disguise because he is constantly being watched. He walks the 2 miles from the Fitz Offices in the painful heels. At the Deli, Rabbi Bergman, who knows nothing of the disguise, sees a woman (Josephine) enter the side door of his building. She has a key and makes her way to the apartment on the 3rd floor. Rabbi looks askance at the idea of female visitors. He tells Rebecca to talk to Jack about his female visitor and evict him.
Rebecca climbs the squeaky stairs to Jack's apartment, not sure why she was trying to be quiet. She knocked gently on the door, too gently, she thought. He is pleased to see her and they drink stale coffee in the sparsely furnished apartment. Her voice trembles with a mixture of fear, disappointment and curiosity as she says, "My father says a woman came here today. She had a key and she went up to your apartment." Jack chuckles and brandishes a black wig and a pair of high heels from a suitcase and asks, "Did she have black hair and was she wearing these red heels?" Then he dangles a padded bra in front of Rebecca and asks, "Was she well endowed?" Rebecca was relieved to know there was no prostitute or girlfriend. But was this "nice Jewish boy" a cross-dresser, a transvestite? Jack sensed her confusion and said, flatly, "The woman was me, in a disguise. I couldn't go to Fitz as myself because they know Jack Garcia is what they call a 'tree hugger' and a critic of pesticide companies. So, I disguise myself. Like, every day is halloween." He hoped he could lighten up the serious, anxious atmosphere in the tiny apartment. Rebecca is relieved and Jack is relieved on seeing her relief. But the spell of the moment is broken by Rebecca's cell phone. She says, "My phone. This is sooo 2020. I better pick up." Mrs. Schwartz barks into Rebecca's ear: "Oy Gevalt, Honey, there is going to be an attack on your Deli building any minute now. You, Jack and Rabbi have to lie down under the counter at the Deli. That’s the safest place and you say the Shema over and over." Mrs. Schwartz hangs up and calls NYPD to report a "situation" at the Deli. Some of her boarders work at Fitz and she has overheard their conversations. Schwartz intelligence is ahead of all of the agencies, but they all spring into action when she gets wind of trouble in Queens.
Jack and Rebecca clamber down the inside stairway in panic, interrupting the Rabbi at prayer on the 2nd floor and bustling him down into the Deli and under the counter for refuge. In a few short minutes, closing in on the Deli are the NYPD, EPA, Fitz’s henchman, and the FBI. Rabbi Bergman is praying furiously aloud. With bull horn threats and warning shots,,the FBI overcomes and arrests the Fitz hitmen just as they attempt to break into the Deli, breaking the doors down with semi-automatic weapons. After lengthy interrogations, Jack makes a deal with the FBI: In exchange for all the information Jack found out about Fitz, the FBI agrees to conceal Josephine's true identity.
Based on information supplied by Jacob Garcia, Rebecca Bergman and Rebecca's friend who works at Fitz, Fitzpatrick Chemical administrators are found guilty of fraud, sale of illegal substances, and murder. Robert Height is put away for life.
A year later, Rabbi has moved two degrees to the left of the conservative right pole and Jack's book, Chemical Shenanigans, has become a huge success, increasing vigilance in regard to the use of chemicals in agriculture and elsewhere. Since Rabbi says Jack is "a good Jewish boy," Rebecca and Jack are engaged to stand under the chuppah. A plaque is posted at Bergman's Kosher Deli in honor of Josephine Kompaneck. The plaque reads: "In Honor of Josephine Kompanek, Muckraker and Lover of the Earth. Josephine Lived in the 3rd Floor Apartment of this Building and Worked at Fitzpatrick Chemical in 2020. Through Her Efforts, Fitzpatrick's Was Shut Down Because of Their Illegal Practices." The Deli is still open for business. Mrs. Schwarz' Boarding House has one vacancy.
The Truth of Nonviolence
By Ruth Ann Angus
In a recent article on the Waging Nonviolence website, author Kazu Haga wrote about why we must move closer to King's understanding of nonviolence. It's called Kingian Nonviolence but is no different than the nonviolence practiced by Mohandas Gandhi and Jesus of Nazareth. In an excerpt of Haga's new book Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm published by Parallax Press, she writes of the philosophy and teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The most relevant point made in the article is the best description of nonviolence that I have ever come across. In offering workshops and discussion groups, those of us at Yes We Can Peacebuilders have wrestled with participant's misunderstanding of what it means to be nonviolent. Haga, according to King, explains it excellently. Here it is:
'There is a distinction made between nonviolence spelled with a hyphen and nonviolence spelled without a hyphen. Non-violence is essentially two words: 'without' 'violence.' When spelled this way, it only describes the absence of violence. As long as I am NOT being violent, I am practicing non-violence. And that is the biggest misunderstanding that exists.'
Most people tell us, as we offer nonviolence instructions, that they are not violent and therefore they already are practicing nonviolence. If we think that nonviolence is simply about the absence of violence on our parts and we define nonviolence as 'not violent,' 'then we can hide behind the veil of nonviolence while still condoning violence.'
Haga goes on to say, 'It's easy to be a bystander. We see rising homelessness, and we turn the other way. We see unarmed black folks being killed by police, and we blame the victim. We hear about the high rate of suicide rates among LGBTQ youth, and we do little about it. We read reports on the climate crisis but leave it to the next generation to deal with. We watch our communities and the Earth being assaulted every day, and we just gather around and watch. Nonviolence is not about what not to do. It is about what you are going to do about the violence and injustice we see in our own hearts, our homes, our neighborhoods and society at large. It is about taking a proactive stand against violence and injustice. Nonviolence is about ACTION, NOT inaction.'
In our next issue we will cover the topic of negative peace, an outcome from the misunderstanding of nonviolence. In the meantime I invite you to think on these things. Where do you stand? Are you living Non-Violence or Nonviolence?
The Great Misunderstanding
By: Ruth Ann Angus
In the last issue of SATYA, the 'Truth of Nonviolence' described the difference between a hyphenated non-violence and a non-hyphenated nonviolence indicating that true nonviolence requires dedication and action on our parts, not just believing we are truly nonviolent because we do not do violent actions. It is a subtle difference but vitally important to understand.
Misunderstanding nonviolence is probably the biggest cause of misunderstanding peace. What is meant by a misunderstood peace? Kazu Haga, in her book Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm gives true examples where violent incidents that have been stopped by means that were not justified have resulted in statements that peace has been restored. For instance, she cites the case of a black woman attending a southern university in 1956 causing riots to break out. Claiming the woman's presence caused a threat to the safety of everyone on campus, the University's solution was to expel her. Afterwards they stated that peace had returned to the campus. It begs the question as to how this can be called peace. If this can be so, then what is peace?
There appears to be different definitions of peace. I live in a peaceful neighborhood because it is quiet. The town I live in is peaceful; nothing very serious happens here in terms of violence. The sirens don't sound too often. As a country we think we live in peace notwithstanding a terrorist attack, gun violence, mass shootings. Most people in the United States of America say we are at peace here. However, it's okay to send our troops to middle eastern countries. It's okay to round up everyone we think might cause trouble. Let's not allow certain persons into our country to make sure we are safe. Now we can go about our days working at our jobs, going to the movies, socializing in the bars, watching the kids play sports -- eat, drink and be merry for this is a peaceful country. One wonders what it would take to make that belief change because it isn't peace at all, it is complacency and toleration. We tolerate a lot in this country. We've just tolerated a gross injustice allowing an acquittal of a president without a trial with witnesses. But, it's okay. He can't last forever. We’ll vote him out.
Really? Is it okay?
We tolerate a lot in this country. Send the troops to Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine; drop the bombs. It's okay, these countries are used to it. They're always in conflict. We're sorry if some of our boys get killed.
Really? Is it okay?
We tolerate a lot in this country. So, they raised our taxes, us, the little people, the ones who work in the stores, the servers in the restaurants, the little manufacturing company, the insurance office, the medical clinic. Not the wealthy, us. We tolerate it. Well, what can we do? We must pay our income taxes, right?? It's okay, just a few less dollars in our pockets.
Really? Is it okay?
But we live in a peaceful country. Haga tells us that Martin Luther King, Jr. said this is 'a peace boiled down to stagnant complacency -- a peace that describes the absence of tension at the expense of justice.' Haga goes on to say how we think of peace as calm and quiet and have pleasant imagery in our minds, like waves breaking on a shoreline, a forest glade, a sunset. She writes, 'This can be as problematic as thinking nonviolence is about not being violent. I guarantee you that the moment after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, things were really quiet.
'We justify peace by marching off to war. Let's kill all the terrorists, then there will be peace. As Haga writes, 'Let’s just lock up all the protestors . . .' all the bad people,' then there will be peace. We settle for a negative peace. We do it nationally and we do it personally in our home lives, with our loved ones, in our churches and schools. Anything to just keep the peace. Ignore it all, hold it in, it will go away eventually. It's okay.
Really? Is it okay?
Revile complacency and toleration! Use true nonviolence (not hyphenated) to confront violence and injustice. Do real peace building. March in the streets for justice sake. Hold those difficult conversations with family and friends. Perform acts of resistance. Disturb the peace? As Haga sums it up, 'We cannot disturb something that does not exist in the first place.' Do the difficult, hard work of nonviolence and social change. 'We are not disturbing the peace. We are fighting for it.'
You can read Kazu Haga's article 'Why We Need to Move Closer to King's Understanding of Nonviolence' at www.wagingnonvioolence.org or in the book 'Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm' published by Parallax Press.
Peace Podcast from John Dear
On the first day of each month, Pace e Bene is pleased to post a free, new podcast featuring Fr. John Dear reflecting on some aspects of nonviolence. John Dear has been studying, teaching and writing about nonviolence for 40 years, given thousands of lectures and published over 36 books. We are happy to share his latest insights on nonviolence each month. They are specially recorded for Pace e Bene in an informal conversational style. We encourage you to listen to the whole show, or to break it up and listen to it over the course of a week.
Yes! We Can Peace Builders is part of Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolencewww.paceebene.org.
yeswecanpeacebuilders1@gmail.com // www.yeswecanpeacebuilders.org // on FaceBook: YesWeCanPeacebuilders
YES! WE CAN PEACE BUILDERS February 20, 2020
Recovering Banker
Today's reading of 'Egos to Eden' reminded me of another essay I wrote years ago. Below is sort of a book report I wrote after reading a book called Creative Capitalism by Michael Kinsley. Kinsley's book was based off of a speech that Bill Gates gave at The World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland in 2008. I wrote the attached essay when in a reflective mood on Dec 31st 2008.
So you can see, that I've been a recovering banker for a long time now. I was honored to speak with you for the podcast. I may say some things that could get me fired. If that happens it will finally launch me into the heroic journey you describe so well.
Patrick Trahan
Vice-Chairman-Lafayette
IBERIABANK, 200 W. Congress, Lafayette, LA 70501
Service or Exploitation?
The poor in America seemed better off economically 30 years ago when lenders, primarily banks at the time and other large businesses simply ignored them. Now, businesses and chains of businesses are formed every day not to sell to but to exploit the poor by loading them down with goods they don't need and mounds of debt at high rates with excessive fees that they can never repay with their ordinary income. The rent to own furniture and electronic stores and the buy here/pay here used car lots are nothing but usurious lenders disguised as low end retailers.
The only thing worse than the old system of redlining--not lending in poor neighborhoods--is the new system of pay day lending which is perfectly designed to keep poor people poor. So before we have further serious discussions about the feasibility of capitalism selling to or serving the poor in new ways it may be a worthwhile exercise to study the capitalists who are selling to the poor today. Are the poor any better off as a result?
The Almighty Dollar
You can't sort all initiatives like charter schools and label them as either capitalistic or socialistic. Charter schools are formed out of a desire to do justice. Justice is a higher ideal than either capitalism or socialism. Recognizing injustice and desiring to do justice requires a higher level of consciousness. As Einstein said, ''No problem can be solved by staying on the same level of consciousness at which the problem was created.'' These are tough problems which we ponder. They are not likely to be solved with either/or dualistic thinking.
In the early days of capitalism it was laid up against a largely independent but perhaps equally powerful force of a strong sense for the common good. Today's system of unfettered capitalism has helped if not caused our global society to lose the concept of common good and especially the concept of standing with the poor. As capitalism has grown and prospered it has over shadowed if not devoured the ancient Judeo-Christian concept of the common good. It is no coincidence that this concept is still alive and well today in what we call 'undeveloped' countries that don't practice capitalism. So it is a worthy debate to attempt to discern if capitalist companies can serve the poor efficiently where other institutions have failed. I just don't believe that there are any lasting solutions that don't include recapturing somehow a sense for the common good.
Capitalism has done to the common good the same thing that Fundamentalism, Patriotism and Nationalism have done to the concept of Justice. You will be criticized much more quickly in America if you do or say something which is viewed as unpatriotic or that smacks of socialism (remember Joe the plumber) than you will if you do something that is unjust or uncharitable. In essence, we have thrown the flag over the cross. With unfettered capitalism we truly have allowed the dollar to become the 'almighty dollar.' There is nothing at all wrong with pursuing a dollar even though dollars can and do tip the scales of justice in favor of the wealthy. However, the 'almighty dollar' created by unfettered capitalism is so big that we can no longer see the gaps we create. The 'almighty dollar' is draped over the scales of justice such that we can't even see the inequities and imbalances we create.
Punt the Ball
As I think about the history of serving and caring for the poor it occurs to me that this began as an individual person to person exchange--caring for widows, orphans and strangers. As churches organized and grew, we punted the ball to the larger entity. As time went on and the government grew in size and scope, churches largely abdicated their role of caring for the poor and punted the ball to the larger entity. Government has run with the ball for the last 40 years. As Bill and others point out, the government is probably not big enough to address all of the issues. The Creative Capitalism movement appears to be another attempt to punt the ball to a still larger entity--private enterprise. I really like some of the concepts put forth in the book, but it seems like our efforts to serve the poor have become less effective as we continue to punt the task to larger entities that are further removed from poor.
Cheap Charity
I agree with Richard Posner that corporate philanthropy and especially government aid to 3rd world countries have probably slowed the needed reforms in those countries. The same could be said for the 4th world which is defined as concentrations of poverty in inner cities of 1st world countries. The overwhelming majority of philanthropy in America is doing 'for' the poor instead of doing 'with' the poor. Writing checks and sending money across the world or throwing it over the wall into inner city neighborhoods in America provides only relief to the poor. Relief does not require or typically help the patient to get better. John Perkins in his book A Quiet Revolution called this 'cheap charity.'
Fred Kammer who ran the Catholic Charities said that the new word for charity is development. A few of the contributors in the book hit on this point. I believe it deserves more emphasis. We can relieve from afar but we can't develop from afar. We must go to the poor and live and work amongst them. We must provide hands on knowledge, resources and infrastructure that enable the poor to provide for themselves and their families. Then both giver and receiver are transformed. If our efforts are hands on, focused on development and the patient actually gets better and lives more independently, then there is a true exchange where the giver also receives something of great value.
A New Way
I'll be a little presumptuous and thank you for reading my prior missives. Even if you didn't read them I was able to get a few things off my chest. I was actually leading up to a point and a few suggestions that I believe may be worthy of some consideration by your esteemed group. Not being an economist I find myself incapable of quantifying the economic impact of these suggestions. However, based on my study of the poor I believe there might be some social benefit to be gained.
One of the advantages of Bill's Creative Capitalism concept is that the initiatives are funded with pre-tax dollars. The disadvantages are well chronicled in some of the responses to Bill's thesis. My research and a study of history would suggest that this work is more effective when funded and administered by individuals rather than increasingly larger institutional entities. A recurring theme in the book is what can government do and what can it not do effectively and efficiently? We know that government can't legislate morality. I rather doubt that it can legislate corporate responsibility either.
Instead, what if government gave larger tax deductions or maybe even tax credits to organizations or individuals who donated money to the truly needy (not the opera or private schools) or promoted the common good. Don't raise corporate taxes which may kill the golden goose. Keep the machine competitive. If necessary raise tax rates along with deductions and credits at the individual level to encourage individuals to share the golden eggs. Having the government coax dollars away from excess consumption by the rich to development of the poor seems to be a noble and just cause.
What if we set up a new type of non-profit classification for entities that focus on development as opposed to relief/charity. These entities could focus on leveling the playing field for those who come out of a poverty environment providing them with the skills and resources necessary to compete in a capitalist society. I agree with Churchill. Capitalism is a great system... especially if you have plenty of capital! What if you have none? These entities would work along side the poor and help them develop and implement their own solutions to their own problems. Then, they can become a new and relatively cheap source of labor for our companies.
We could give individuals a higher tax incentive to donate to organizations like these that do with the poor instead of those that simply do for the poor. Federal Government programs heretofore have largely done for the poor. With this type of charity the patient is not expected to get better. Capitalism gives people an economic incentive to become rich. Traditional charity gives people an economic incentive to remain poor. In fact the only way to continue to get most charity is to remain poor.
These new entities would require employees and leaders with a wide range of experiences including entrepreneurial skills and management skills. One of Bill's reasons for advocating Creative Capitalism is that in the corporate environment you would have access to the best talent available to tackle these tough problems. I believe that large and small companies are filled with very talented people who are looking for more meaningful work as they mature. Bob Buford in his book Halftime describes halftimers as men and women who worked the first half of their lives to achieve success and are looking to the second half to achieve significance. I believe that there are thousands of highly skilled and experienced men and women who have worked and toiled and sweated to make their way up the corporate ladder only to discover when they got to the top, the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.
These halftimers tend to be the brightest, most successful people in many of our best companies. As a result many have achieved some measure of financial flexibility if not financial independence and can afford to not maximize their current earnings potential. Can you say Bill Gates? Many of these folks have left the corporate world and entered the non-profit arena via a traditional charity only to become frustrated by the slow pace, lack of creativity and lack of results. These developmental entities would make much better use of their considerable skills and energy.
Thanks again for getting these ideas out. There are many, many wise observations in Bill's speech and in the book. The alternatives I suggest here address most of the domestic issues without diluting the competitiveness of corporations or the talent level of the platoon of soldiers attacking the problems. I think this alternative also assigns a more appropriate role to government as a provider of incentives to individuals to support developmental entities so that the government can provide less direct charity to individuals. Bill's passion and the focus of the book is more towards international efforts. My comments and my heart are pulled toward domestic issues. In the event that none of my proposals are workable, I at least hope that my writings may spark a better idea from you or a member of your team. Thanks.
Jerry's Guide: Where to Get Books
Thinkers tend to like books. Since I converse with numerous writers on SLW! Podcast, you may want to get ahold of some of their writings. Some are available free online. I try to include links to those. Others are in books. Here are some hopefully helpful ideas.
1. If you're like me and our eyes are gradually getting dimmer, use eBooks. Get over that obsession of holding a book in your hands and turning those comfortable paper pages. Why? Because, unless you can get large-type books, you can make the words bigger on a eBook, such as a laptop or iPad. The same goes for almost any article on the internet. Blow it up! Don't making reading so much work struggling with small type. Another option is audio books, though it's harder to find anything but novels in audio format.
2. The last place a book belongs is a personal library! A large personal library is no longer a symbol of status or intellect. It's a mark of consumerism!
3. Unless it's properly maintained and promoted, a church library is a space-taker and dust gatherer. Church libraries must move beyond books to other accessible media.
4. The public library is first choice. Support yours. Even rural areas usually have bookmobiles. The incredible interlibrary loan system allows me to get anything I need on short notice and minimal charge. I Iove the new-ish auto renewal system and the email reminders when they're due. And now I can check out audio books at home through my public library.
5. If you must buy a book for yourself or as a gift, patronize your local independent bookseller. Avoid the chains and big box stores, though their incentives may be attractive.
6. If you must buy books online because you're home bound or live in a remove area, as examples, you have options besides Amazon. Shopping online in general can save us time and gas. Be aware that Amazon offers a donation service, whereby a small percentage of your purchase goes to a charity of your choice. Register in advance so that you don't have to choose each time you buy. I, for example, as a Minister of Word and Service with the ELCA, report to the Bishop of the Western Iowa Synod. So I have registered the synod as the recipient of the charity portion of any of my Amazon purchases. This does not pertain, however, to Amazon's third-party vendors.
7. If you buy used books online, be aware that many vendors offer books at ridiculously low prices and make their profit on shipping and handling fees.
Your ideas and comments are welcome at SimpleLivingWorks AT Yahoo.com
Post-Election Emergency/Disaster Preparedness and Survival Guide
Nov. 9, 2016Simpler Living SANITY Suggestions
These suggestions are not in priority order.
We Californians must be prepared for an earthquake anytime. Now everyone in the US must prepare for emergencies and disasters -- natural, political, social, spiritual.
1. Don't waste time, money or energy trying to convert fundamentalists. They are not open to what you have to say. Focus on supporting progressives and other open-minded people.
2. Vote with your dollars. Buy from local farmers' markets. Buy products produced in Blue states, avoid products produced in Red states. Leave a 'I Buy Blue' card at local stores. Don't use the word 'boycott.' Continue to buy organics and avoid GMO foods; if necessary buy some imported. Consult the National Green Pages at GreenAmerica.org.
3. Move your money out of a mega-bank and into a credit union, such as Thrivent Federal Credit Union, which serve the entire nation. Thrivent Financial is the nation's largest fraternal, which means that profits go to non-profits selected by members, rather than to shareholders or CEO's.
4. Live simply to lower your income and thereby lower your Federal Income Tax; give as much as you possibly can to the needy through low-overhead charities. This is vital to keep as much money as possible away from the military, which exists primarily to protect the interests of the rich.
NOTE: if you're at least 70-1/2, you can give QCD's (Qualified Charitable Distributions) from your non-ROTH annuities' RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions). Since the money goes directly to the 501-c-3's of your choice, you have not received it, therefore you don't need to pay tax on it. So, if you're in the 25% tax bracket, for each $4000 you give away, you save $1000 in taxes, diverting $500 from the war machine (since half our tax dollars go to the military). I'M NOT GIVING TAX ADVICE. Contact your financial advisor.
This is especially important now that the Republican Tax Scam of 2017 has raised the standard deduction to 20%, making it much less desirable to itemize deductions. This has been a major blow to non-profits!
5. Keep at least three days of food and water on hand, as well as an emergency preparedness kit.
6. Install solar panels and a household battery.
7. Take an emergency preparedness class from your local fire or civil defense dept. Learn first aid.
8. Avoid national news on commercial stations and networks. Rely on independent, non-commercial channels, such as Free Speech TV at FreeSpeech.org, and LINK TV at LinkTV.org; and on daily news from 'Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman' at DemocracyNow.org (also on Free Speech TV, LINK TV and some 1000 community and public radio stations).
9. For spiritual support, seek out a progressive congregation, such Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, or Reform Jewish Synagogue.
10. For political support, contact your closest chapter of the Green Party US or visit gp.org.
11. To work for social change, contact your local chapter of a peace and justice organization, such as Fellowship for Reconciliation at forusa.org; an environmental organization, such as Sierra Club at SierraClub.org. Be wary of corporate-controlled organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Tips for Banishing Fake News
I blogged recently that we were changing our long-standing 'Alternate Celebrations' to 'Non-Conform-Freely Celebrations' because the terms 'alternate' and 'alternative' had been compromised by the new buzz words 'alternative facts' in DC. Larry Trover asked, 'Do you have any ideas for banishing fake news without abridging freedom of speech and freedom of the press?'1. By far the best sources of news, public affairs and documentaries are Free Speech TV (FreeSpeech.org) and LINKtv (LinkTV.org), both available primarily on satellite tv and the internet.
2. Though more people receive their 'news' from Facebook than from traditional outlets, it is not a news source. It is social media. It can be fun. It can promote events. It is NOT a news source, except possibly a platform that makes distinguishing 'fake news' from 'real news' virtually impossible.
3. Since purveyors of Fake News thrive on conflict, do not confront them directly. That energizes them. Instead, ignore them. They will not go away, but they will be 'banished' from your life. Encourage your friends to do the same.
4. Realize that some 'news' is not really news. Fox News, for example, might more appropriately be called 'Fox so-called News' or 'Faux News.' It is propaganda disguised as 'fair and balanced.' I had to make several attempts to get it 'banished' from the lobby of our local senior center. It was making a friendly meeting place a really toxic environment. Now the TV there plays old-timey TV shows, maybe not the greatest choice, but vastly superior to Faux News.
5. The labels of 'liberal' and 'conservative' media are less relevant than the real difference, which is between corporate, for-profit media, and independent, non-profit media. As bland as they are, PBS and NPR are superior to the main-stream media, such as NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN.
6. Some of the best reporting comes from outside the US, e.g. BBC, RT-America, Al Jazeera and WorldChannel.org (also distributed on many PBS channels), especially DeutscheWelle from Berlin.
7. Some consider independent, non-commercial news/public affairs programs, such as 'Democracy Now!' with Amy Goodman to be too negative. The problem is that they avoid 'news light,' info-tainment, fluff pieces. They work for change. That is more than some can bear. So don't watch them every day, or watch the first 15 minutes, the news headlines. Democracy Now! is broadcast on over 1500 public and non-commercial radio and TV channels in America. Plus it is available 24/7 on the internet at DemocracyNow.org.
8. Avoid AM talk radio. Though it may contain a few worthwhile programs, such as Ed Fallon's FallonForum, it is grossly full of hate speech, such as Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, Matt Drudge, and the like.
9. Educate yourself about Fake News, e.g. NPR podcasts: Planet Money #739 - Finding the Fake-News King (12/3/16); Fresh Air - How Fake News Spreads and Why People Believe It. (12/14/16)
10. Avoid commercial internet consolidators, such as Yahoo, AOL, etc. Instead receive daily email reports from Reader Supporter News (RSN), AlterNet, DailyKos, CommonDreams, TruthDig.com, etc.
11. See how Banishing Fake News fits into an overall plan. Read 'Post-Election Survival Guide' above, especially #8.
12. Fake news used to be limited/isolated to 'The National Inquirer' and 'The Star' available at the check-out lanes at grocery stores, for those who fawned over movie stars and their latest escapades and publicity stunts. Now National Inquirer has come to DC!
13. Media Literacy has been a long-time focus of SLW! See more resources.
14. Newer sources of highly biased news to be avoided are: OAN -- One America News and NewsMax.
BONUS Resources
Tips to Spot False News on Facebook
The Religious Origins of Fake News and Alternative Facts
Counterpunch Radio Podcast Ep. #76 with Mickey Huff of Project Censored.
Review:
From Egos to Eden: Our Heroic Journey to Keep Earth Livable
by Lee Van Ham
In contrast to the 'proof texting' that many Christian authors use to make their point, Lee Van Ham uses multiple sources of wisdom from many spiritual traditions. The Foreword by Patricia St. Onge is indicative of this wide scope. She is a representative of the First Nations Haudenosaune people.
Though Van Ham uses the image of Eden in his book series, he does not limit our thinking to the Old Testament. He uses Eden as an icon of what life on Earth could be when humans come to their senses that we live on One Earth, not five, as the MultiEarth, consumer model thinks and lives.
This volume has distinctive cover art by the renowned John August Swanson that portrays humans and animals living together in a verdant garden. Although the setting and the book's concept may seem primitive, even regressive, it is both hopeful and realistic. Humans have the consciousness to get beyond their own greedy egos to live for the benefit of all life on one planet.
Van Ham has done the reader a real service by blogging about each chapter of the book, thereby putting his thoughts into morsels online for free at TheOneEarthProject.com. So, a reader can invite a friend, relative or associate to dip into this thoughtful, new view of possibilities without feeling intimidated by a 400 page book!
Although this is the second in a series -- the first being Blinded by Progress: Breaking Out of the Illusion that Holds Us (2013) -- it stands alone. One needn't have read the first to read this one. (And Van Ham does us the favor of summarizing the first book in the Introduction to the second.) A third and final volume is planned in the near future.
The book is designed to keep us engaged. Within six sections and twelve chapters, one finds numerous subheading, bullet points, charts, illustrations and quotations from notables. Most helpful is a chart in the appendix that succinctly contrasts the MultiEarth and OneEarth Worldviews on topics of economics, government, religion, nature, etc.
At the end of each chapter is a conclusion that helps summarize the new thinking of the chapter and prepares us for the next. Finally come 'Ponder, Discuss, Act' items for personal or group development, making the book a potential study guide.
Some may read Van Ham's words as 'Change or Die!' For those who will hear, he is most emphatically and sincerely saying 'Change and LIVE!'
Though the subject of the book is 'deep,' Van Ham keeps it from getting academic. Without being self-indulgent, he connects each of the steps toward OneEarth consciousness to his own personal story.
Don't read this book unless you're willing to see life on OneEarth in a new, exciting way! You may begin listening more to the Earth by spending more time in Nature, even watching more Nature documentaries.
Hear the author discuss his new book on Simple Living Works! Podcast #79 at
https://simpleliving.startlogic.com/SLW-PODCAST/?p=1472
Gerald 'Jerry' Iversen, Minister of Word and Service, ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
Chief Activist, SimpleLivingWorks.org
Former Executive Director, Alternatives for Simple Living
January, 2017
THOUGHTS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. I don't write a lot of poems, but this morning--on the day many of us celebrate the birth of a faith--I was thinking that the economy has become our real religion and these words came to me:
GDP--a poem
He is gone now,Thirty years and one,
Simon Kuznets,
The man who gave us
The Gross National Product.
He never meant to start
A new religion.
Indeed, he warned repeatedly,
His magical numbers,
And their idol, productivity,
Could never tell us
If we were living
Well or happily.
The high priests,
In the sanctuaries
Of academe and policy,
Were not listening.
In Growth We Trust,
They loudly proclaimed
And proclaim.
And proclaim.
Republicans and Democrats alike
Are Sunnis and Shi'ites
Of the one true faith.
Their sacred reports
Ignore the melting Arctic
And the hungry ghosts
Sleeping in the doorways
Of blazing Babylon.
John deGraaf, 12/15/16
P.S. It seems my purpose in what years I have left, is to question this religion and its dangerous assumptions.
Re: Sep 18, 2016, Nudge Gerald, in light of your astute remark, 'The system' is designed primarily to keep us passive, to let professionals do the work while we pay them outrageous salaries, I thought I would pass on a piece I wrote recently. JZ
Where Is Christ in Church Life?
Jon ZensR.C. Sproul for years has been a well-known Presbyterian teacher and author. In 1996 Tyndale published a book by him called Now, That's a Good Question! On pages 325-368 there is a chapter titled 'Church Life. Since Sproul's approach to church mirrors the concepts practiced by many of today's churchgoers, I would like to explore aspects of his views, seeking to see if they are in touch with Lord's mind.
Church Is Boring
'Church is boring' is the number one reason, according to R.C., why people are leaving churches (p. 330). While general boredom is widespread, it would seem that other reasons vie for first place. Based on books like William Hendricks' Exit Interviews, people are leaving churches because (a) they longed for meaningful relationships, but felt like they were in a religious machine, (B) they have been deeply hurt by the way things are handled (politics), and (c) they had no say in anything, but were expected to shell out big money to meet the looming demands of the budget.
What cannot be denied is that myriads of folks are leaving institutional churches for a number of reasons. The tradition of throwing mom and the kids in the car on Sunday morning and heading off to a church building no longer has the cultural pull it once did.
Follow the Bulletin or Spirit-Led?
R.C. suggests that 'If people were having a vital encounter with the Living God, nobody would say that church is boring' (p. 331). Perhaps this statement reveals the ultimate reason people are exiting churches in droves. After 'going to church,' they leave the doors without having had a living encounter with Jesus Christ. On the other hand, it is safe to say that if Jesus was being expressed through brothers and sisters in an open gathering, the time together would hardly be boring! Should this not give us pause to stop and ask, is the traditional bulletin-led Sunday service conducive to those in the pews experiencing the depths of Christ? Is there any echo of NT practices in today’s Sunday worship service? No. In fact, all the evidence in the NT points to informal settings, usually homes, where everyone had the opportunity to participate. There is nothing in the NT to suggest that in order to have 'church' you need a special building, pews, a pulpit, a pastor, a sermon, hymnals, a choir or worship band, the collection plate for tithes, and ushers.
The largest window we have in the NT of a believers' gathering is found in 1 Corinthians 14. Paul was correcting some problems here, but in doing this some fascinating elements were uncovered. Please note these pivotal ones:
** It was a body gathering. Anyone who had a portion of the Lord to bring to the feast was free to share Him. 'Each one of you has a song, a teaching, a revelation, etc., etc.'
** There was no 'up-front' where certain people functioned, and others couldn't. Usually, all were in a home together, an open atmosphere.
** There was no 'pastor,' no pulpit and no sermon. 'You may all prophesy one by one,' said Paul. The focus was on the Living Christ flowing from living stones, not on a sermon by one person occupying a center position.
The vital question that begs for an answer is, why have we, practically speaking, taken scissors and cut 1 Cor. 14 out of the NT, and substituted for it a 'church service' which has no warrant from the NT? Further, why have we not practiced a body meeting lifting up Christ together, and instead constructed a 'service' that is fixated on what 'the pastor,' and often a worship band, do in front of others?
My heart was very heavy recently when we went to a church service with about 100 people present. The meeting was typical, except here they did not take an offering. The pastor's sermon made some real good points, but I found myself thinking -- here are a lot of believers, many of them over fifty, who no doubt have a latent, unique, wonderful portion of Christ they could share publicly, yet the structure will not allow it to be expressed -- only one 'ordained' person is allowed to speak to the whole body. What is wrong with this picture? In 1 Cor. 14 Paul said, 'each one of you has . . . .' In 1 Cor. 12 he said, 'the body is not one part but many.' Why have we turned the tables around, exalted that which opposes Paul's words, and dismissed that which is in line with his teaching? Such a serious deviation from Paul's letter to an assembly should not be taken lightly.
This shift from body-voices to one-voice, which is diametrically against Paul's line of thought, graphically illustrates what Jesus pointed out as a fatal flaw of the Pharisees: when you pour all your energy into the wrong things, the right things are pushed out of sight. What we have done is place the health of the church on one person, the pastor, and thereby left undone the mutual care of the body through the 58 one anothers that Jesus left us with.
Expository Preaching?
In his view of church, R.C. states, 'I also think that one of the vital ingredients of growing churches is strong, biblical, expository preaching' (331). He gives no consideration to the possibility that 1 Cor. 14 might be relevant to how believers gather. To him, it all boils down to the centrality of preaching.
Preachers vary. Some do topical sermons -- they'll speak on angels one week and demons the next. Others will go through a chapter or book of the Bible verse-by-verse. This would describe what R.C. means by 'expository preaching.' He's saying that this type of sermonizing is a must for growing churches.
He leaves unanswered a huge question. Where in the opening sixty years of the early church is there any clue that thriving assemblies were structured around one person preaching any kind of sermon? Further, during this period there was not a 'pastor' in every community, and there was no Bible for one person to exposit! R.C.'s assumption of the importance of expository preaching is thus based on a long-standing tradition, greatly influenced by Greek rhetoric in the period of roughly 250AD - 500AD. There is no hint of the 'centrality of preaching' in the assemblies portrayed in the NT.
'Preaching' in the First Century was a proclamation of Christ to unbelievers, not the big moment in a gathering of disciples. The words used within the believing community are connected to mutual relationships -- encourage one another, speak the truth to one another, etc. The only time 'preaching' is mentioned within body-life is in 1 Cor. 11 when Paul told the assembly that in the Lord’s Supper 'you do proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.' This was a corporate proclamation, not the expository monologue of one person.
How we read our inherited assumptions into the NT is revealed by our use of the word 'sermon.' Tradition came to call Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6 'the Sermon on the Mount.' The public proclamations of Peter and Paul in the Book of Acts are usually called 'sermons.' But what tradition means by the word 'sermon' -- a monologue by an ordained person behind a pulpit -- has nothing to do at all with what Jesus, Peter and Paul presented to their hearers.
Three Types of Church Government?
R.C. suggests that there are three types of church government. The episcopal form rests upon a bishop (overseer), and thus 'authority or pastoral leadership is vested in one person who rules over an area' (p. 332). Seeing the bishop as standing in the place of Christ, and ruling over churches in a territory, emerged about 250AD, and developed further as time rolled on.
The presbyterian form, which R.C. endorses, posits that 'authority is not rooted in one man who oversees other pastors, but in a presbytery . . . . this body of elders has authority over the local churches' (p. 332).
In the congregational form, 'authority of the structure of the church is rooted within the local congregation' (p. 332). 'All of these forms,' as R.C. summarizes the matter, 'have some kind of governing authority that gives magisterial leadership to the people within their fellowship of believers' (pp. 332-333).
Those holding to traditional views of church are always concerned about finding a final seat of authority -- in a bishop, in a pastor, in a church board, or in a congregation. But this approach misses entirely the crucial reality that Christ is the only final authority. The body of Christ meets under his Leadership, and He expresses Himself through all the brothers and sisters. The buck stops with Jesus, not with any human or humans on the earth.
R.C. feels that believers 'yearn to hear somebody with authority say, 'your sins are forgiven' ' (p. 360). Well, that person of authority is Jesus Christ, not some ordained church leader.
It is significant to note that church historians and New Testament scholars are all united in this one observation: the early church moved from simplicity and every-member participation to complexity/bureaucracy and an inordinate focus on 'clergy.' For example, Lutheran scholar, George Wolfgang Forell, in his History of Christian Ethics, Volume 1, pointed out that 'ethical guidance . . . was offered at first by a polyform ministry of grace, reflected in the New Testament. But as time went by, moral authority was increasingly focused in an ordained ministry of bishops and deacons' (pp. 39-40).
'The Pastor'
R.C. believes that the 'pastor [is] the head of a group of people' (p. 343). He compares the pastor to being 'the president of a company' (p. 343). One must ask, where is such a job description found in the NT? Also, it is fair to inquire, how can a human be designated as the 'head' of a church when the NT affirms that only Christ is the Head of His ekklesia?
This office of pastor is the linchpin of Protestantism (and in different ways, Catholicism), yet the existence and prominence of this position cannot be discovered anywhere in the NT. Does it concern anyone that all of our eggs have been put into a basket that doesn't exist?
Of course, the NT speaks of elders, overseers and shepherds, but where does it portray the centrality of 'the pastor'? Ministry magazine boldly asserted several years ago, 'the local church pastor is key -- absolutely central -- to everything we are and do as a church.' Really? How could anyone read the NT from Matthew to Revelation and convince a jury of that conclusion?
This human construct called 'the pastor' is replete with many risks. R.C. asks, 'What causes the most pressure or strain on my pastor?' (p. 342) The truth is, the clergy profession brings with it one of the highest percentages of burn-out, drop-out, nervous breakdowns, moral failure, and divorce. Mark Galli of Christianity Today wrote, 'Pastors complain about how lonely and isolated they feel . . . . [Pastors are] stuck in a religious system from which few escape unscathed.'
'When Any Woman Prays or Prophesies'
R.C. sees 'women’s ordination' as an issue (p. 345). Truth is, the traditional practice of male ordination has roots that are essentially bogus! R.C. holds that 'Paul prohibits a woman from having some kind of authority. The role of juridical authority or of governing authority is not to be held by a woman' (p. 346).
Obviously, this is a large can of worms not to be elaborated on here, but it needs to be noted that R.C. does not touch on the fact that Peter approved sisters prophesying on the Day of Pentecost, and Paul approved females praying and prophesying in 1 Cor. 11, and concluded in verses 11-12 with a mutuality between husband and wife 'in the Lord.'
Bias is indicated when a person takes one Scripture and uses it to run roughshod over other revelation in the NT. Literature that is more sensitive to the whole picture regarding women can be found in Philip Payne, Man & Woman, One in Christ, Zondervan, 2009, Felicity Dale, ed., The Black Swan Effect: A Response to Gender Hierarchy in the Church, and Jon Zens, What’s With Paul & Women? Unlocking the Cultural Background to 1 Timothy 2.
The Essence of 'Church'
Tragically, but accurately, when the curtain is raised on traditional church, R.C. rightly concludes that “in Protestant worship, for the most part, we sit and listen to a sermon” (p. 353). Is it any wonder, then, why so many are exiting church buildings? People are waking up and realizing that there must be more to being a believer than just being ears for one person’s monologue.
In R.C.'s unfolding of 'Church Life,' he never mentions Christ's authority, and he never wrestles with the fact that there is zero in the NT about 'the pastor,' yet there are 58 one anothers that are for the most part swept under the rug.
R.C. asks, 'Do you have to go to church to obey Christ? Yes, you do' (p, 340). The reality is, 'No, you don't.' There is nothing in the NT about going to a building, working your way through a church bulletin, singing some songs, putting money in a plate, hearing a sermon, and shaking the pastor's hand as you head for your car to go home. In the NT, you find believers following Christ together in community, letting His life flow through them as they flesh out the one anothers in daily relationships and in body gatherings. It's not about running and maintaining an organization with a leader in charge. It's about Jesus' life continuing on earth through us His body.
For further reflection:
Randall Arthur, Wisdom Hunter (a novel about the ruin and rise of a pastor's life), Multnomah.
Miles Austin, 'Letter from A Pastor's Wife,' 1989 http://searchingtogether.org/articles/Pastors_Wife_Letter_1989.pdf
Shirley J. Case, The Evolution of Early Christianity, The University of Chicago Press [orig. 1914], 1960.
Werner Elert, Eucharist & Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries, Concordia, 1966.
William Howitt, A Popular History of Priestcraft in All Ages and Nations, London, 1833; reprinted 1982, Milton Printing.
Richard Jacobson, Unchurching: Christianity Without Churchianity, 2016.
David Murrow, Why Men Hate Going to Church, Thomas Nelson.
David C. Norrington, To Preach or Not to Preach? The Church’s Urgent Question, Paternoster, 1996; reprinted by Searching Together, 2013.
Wayne E, Oates, The Christian Pastor, 3rd Edition, Revised, Westminster Press.
Yvonne Partyka & Joanne Klinger, Surviving Shattered Dreams, WinePress Publishing, 2009. (Two former pastor's wives tell their stories).
Clyde Reid, 'The God-Evaders [1966],' Searching Together, 38:3-4, 2012, pp. 1-26. ('I am convinced that religious life today constitutes a massive evasion of God').
Milt Rodriguez, The Community Life of God.
David S. Schuller/M. Strommen/Milo Brekke, eds., Ministry in America, Harper & Row, 1980.
Frank Viola/George Barna, Pagan Christianity, Tyndale.
Frank Viola, Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity, David C. Cook.
Hans von Campenhausen, Ecclesiastical Authority & Spiritual Power, Hendrickson.
Marjorie Warkentin, Ordination: A Biblical-Historical View, Eerdmans, 1982, 202 pages.
Jon Zens, http://www.searchingtogether.org/when-are-we-going-to-wake-up-to-reality-the-nightmare-of-the-pastoral-institution/
Jon Zens, http://www.searchingtogether.org/?s=boil+down+to+pulpit
Healthy Political Practices / Spiritual Disciplines
Recommendations for Political/Spiritual SANITY in the Age of Trump
[11/9/20 UPDATE--In the spirit of President-elect Biden's call for unity, I change the title to 'in the Shadow of Trump.'
Intro: These practices are proving helpful to me. I urge you to consider them. I don't pretend to be a guru, just a caring, thoughtful, well informed guy. Sanity is a balance, a combination of self-preservation and community-building.
1. Subscribe to at least one free publication from Simple Living Works! Faith-based Voluntary Simplicity is based on the Five Life Standards of Living More with Less. It is not a hobby. It is an effective, satisfying, faithful, comprehensive way of life. Choose from 'Today's Simpler Living Nudge,' SLW! Blog/Weekly Nudge, Simpler Living Digest, Simpler OneEarth Living Podcast, SLW! eNews (monthly). If you live in San Luis Obispo County, CA, or the Sioux City, IA, area, subscribe to the appropriate monthly Social Justice eNews. Send SUBSCRIBE [choose one or more: BLOG/eNews/SLOeNews/IAeNews/Nudge] to SimpleLivingWorks@yahoo.com. Subscribe to Simple Living Works! podcast at iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast service.
2. Choose your media carefully. Avoid most commercial TV, radio and websites. My preferred commercial-free news sources are:
a. Free Speech TV on DISH, DirecTV & internet
b. LINK TV on DISH, DirecTV & internet
c. RT-America (yes, Russia Today) on DISH TV and internet. Now also DirecTV.
d. PBS and NPR, though their coverage has become quite bland over the years.
Free Speech TV rebroadcasts some programs from RT. Likewise, many programs are now archived on YouTube, though as a Google slave, YouTube restricts some programs or episodes of programs that they deem not to be commercial-friendly, such as 'The Zero Hour' with RJ Eskow, a most insightful program.
RT is state-supported, as is another excellent network Al Jazeera-English from Qatar. That doesn't make it propaganda, any more than most American networks! RT carries some of America's brightest social commentators: Chris Hedges (On Contact), The Big Picture, Mike Papantonio (American's Lawyer, known for Ring of Fire), The World According to Jesse (former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura), as well as some rising stars, such as Tyrel (son of Jesse) Ventura (Watching the Hawks), Lindsay France (Boom or Bust) and others. [2019 update: RT has recently begun running a few ads, e.g. Russian airlines.]
If you like long-form talk and call-in shows (I don't), Free Speech carries several dailies: The Thom Hartmann Program, Shephanie Miller Program, Bill Press Show, David Pakman Program, Rising up with Sonali, and weekly The Zero Hour with RJ Escow.
I tend to record the programs I want to see, so that I'm not tied down to their broadcast schedule, and so I can share some with family and friends. But then I'm a really linear guy and like to plan ahead. A sliver of my philosophy of life: Make a plan, work the plan, change the plan when you need to.
3. Develop a Spiritual Discipline that will help enliven and sustain you in both positive and dark times. Avoid fundamentalist, legalistic sources, such as TV-preachers. They are NOT tel-Evangelists. 'Evangelical' is a precious Christian word that has been coopted by fundamentalists and the media as a political term.
Attend a Bible study that you can trust, such as an ELCA, UCC, Episcopal, PC-USA or Reform Jewish congregation. If you choose a United Methodist, Presbyterian or Lutheran group, be aware that some still cling to their anti-gay, anti-woman roots and are not truly open and welcoming. Online Prayer and Politiks weekly (from Ken Hested), Sojourners' daily Verse and Voice, daily Pace e Bene (from Peace/Action and Contemplation).
4. Choose political activities carefully. Avoid both regular and mainstream Republican and Democratic parties (and of course, the Libertarians). They have proven themselves corporatist Neo-liberals and unreliable for the vast majority of Americans. Instead attend activities, donate and receive info from the Green Party, Social Democrats, Peace and Freedom Party. Most Progressives -- Bernie Democrats -- are worth some time. (Bernie is actually a Social Democrat, an independent who caucuses with the Dems in Congress.) BoldProgressives.org, for example, produces excellent materials, largely supporting worthy politicians such as Elizabeth Warren. MoveOn.org too.
5. The list of worthwhile organizations is long indeed. Support Population Connection (originally Zero Population Growth), Population Balance (formerly World Population Balance, from Dave Gardner's GrowthBusters), Population Media Center and Planned Parenthood. Negative Population Growth focuses on anti-immigrant policy.
My favorites include AARP, Public Citizen, Sierra Club and Earth Island Institute. Mother Earth News is a weird blend of environmentalists, homesteaders and survivalists. Beware!
However, I check CharityNavigator.org before I contribute any money. If an organization gets fewer than four stars (of five) or the CEO makes more than $250K, I don't give anything, except maybe a basic membership.
6. Avoid commercial news aggregators online, such as AOL, Yahoo, etc. Instead, I get news from Reader Supported News (RSN), Daily Kos, Common Dreams, TruthDig.com, and AlterNet.
7. Podcasts are an excellent way to select series you want to hear when you want to hear them, like radio on demand (a few are video). Note that some contain commercials, either products or begging for support. Styles vary -- some, like mine or 'academic' and serious and polite, some are chatty with hosts and guests stepping on each other -- not my preference! If you think podcasts are just a fad, remember that a couple of years ago iTunes recorded its one-billionth podcast download. Now 100,000+ different podcasts (not episodes) are available from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher (primarily for smart phones), and dozens of lesser known podcast syndicators and distributors. You can listen online or subscribe and receive episodes automatically on your computer, iPad or iPhone. You can set your Settings to erase episodes you've listened to or that are old, so that your phone doesn't get completely plugged up. If you can't figure it out, ask 'most any 13-year-old. My apple laptop automatically transfers new episodes to my iPhone so I can listen when I'm walking or biking.
8. Recommended news/public affairs: DW News, Global 3000, Focus on Europe, all from Deutsche Welle; Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman (daily); Laura Flanders Show (weekly); TYT Network tytnetwork.com (The Young Turks on YouTube); France 24; Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp (strong language); Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (satire) and, of course, The Tonight Show with Stephen Colbert.
9. My favorite religious news sites are Patheos-Progressive Christian, Religion Dispatches and Tikkun.org [Jewish].
10. The difference between commercial and independent networks and programs may not be clear to the untrained eye. Having spend my entire long career in communications, they are to me. RT (Russia Today) has gotten a lot of criticism for being a propaganda machine. Yes, RT the network is state sponsored. RT-America, headquartered in Moscow, carries programs from many sources. To make a comparison, people who work for CBS News or Fox News, are hired and paid by CBS or Fox. However, Tom Hartmann, Mike Papantonio, Lee Camp and others who have shows on RT-America, are not hired by or paid by RT-America. They are independent.
11. See Action. Media. Sites.
Climate Crisis Drivers
Offering Options to Curb Overpopulation and Overconsumption
- OverPopulation
OverConsumption
Theses: 1. Overpopulation and overconsumption of natural resources are the primary drivers of the current and ongoing Creation Crisis.*
2. Both overpopulation and overconsumption are issues that humans can do something about.
NOTE: After you have read the following RATIONALE, comments are welcome at SimpleLivingWorks@yahoo.com.
Historical Note: Until 2018, SLW! has focused on overconsumption and avoided overpopulation. Now, however, the challenges to women's health posed by fundamentalists, has prodded us into this issue.
RATIONALE
OVERPOPULATION
Global human population now exceeds seven billion. By 2100 at the current growth rate it is expected to exceed nine billion. Optimally the Earth can perpetually sustain 1.5-2 billion. The optimal world population has been estimated by a team co-authored by Paul R. Ehrlich.[6] End-targets in this estimation included:
Population reduction will eventually happen involuntarily unless we take action now. Billions--especially the poor--will suffer and die when the environment implodes. It is immoral to put even more children at risk! The Earth will regenerate with a small number of humans or none at all. Humans are not clever enough to solve the problems caused by overpopulation and overconsumption while maintaining both overpopulation and overconsumption. Only reducing population and consumption can begin to solve those problems, most notably Creation Crisis.*
In an 10/26/17 email from Daniel Rift, director of Hunger World Hunger and Disaster Relief, I was informed that the program is not directly involved in population control. ''We are tending to talk more specifically about reproductive health -- into which concerns for child spacing, maternal and child health, and disease prevention all speak to the topic,'' he said.
*That is a valuable but inadequate approach. We need to work on the root causes of the Creation Crisis, which some euphemistically call 'climate change' or 'global warming.' Although not a term in wide use yet, 'Creation Crisis' is a faith-based term that implies that all life on Earth is at risk.
Lutherans, especially in the US and Western Europe, have proven themselves responsible by having small families in the 20th century. At the same time we feed and care for people who have more children than they can provide for. We will continue to provide both emergency aid and long-term education for hunger relief and health care. At the same time we need to share with peoples around the globe the need for smaller families, such as 'Stop at 2!'
We can promote prevention of overpopulation in numerous, non-coercive ways. We can provide free, voluntary contraception for men, women and others, both short-term, such as condoms and birth control pills; and long-term, such as contraceptive injections and patches, and sterilization. In accordance with the ELCA Social Statement on 'Abortion,' we can offer abortion as a 'means of last resort.' We can support agencies that provide reproductive health care for women, men and others, such as Planned Parenthood, both in principle and with actual dollars. We can also disclose 'fake pregnancy counseling agencies' that do not present people with all their options.
We can educate through traditional classes and one-to-one counseling, and also through new, creative mass media, such as the very effective 'soap operas' produced in several languages, primarily for radio and to a lesser degree for television, by the Population Media Center.
We must help to break down the myths that drive overpopulation, such as that God created women to have babies, that a women's worth is determined by the size of her family, myths that are perpetuated by mis-readings of the Old Testament and by the 'complementarity' movement among religious fundamentalists.
Let's encourage women, men and others to see that sexual pleasure is a gift from God, that it is not linked solely to conception. Let's question the notion that having children is solely the decision of women. Decisions about family size have both immediate impacts on a woman's health and also long-range impacts on the health and sustainability of the Earth. We in the US have romanticized motherhood through commercialization of dolls, and through stereotypes about raising children as the most important and satisfying purpose of women, men and others.
In the developing age of robotics, artificial intelligence and medical advances, we'll need fewer humans to meet life's daily needs, unlike the age when muscle power was central for manufacturing, agriculture, etc.
This resolution is not about eugenics, racial superiority or forced sterilization. It does suggest that for the sake of the health of living species, some cultural traditional practices may have to change, including large families. Maintaining ethnic diversity is essential to the welfare of the whole system, as is biodiversity.
There are many possible coercive ways to limit population growth, such as eliminating tax deductions for every child past the second one, or requiring each potential parent to secure a permit/license before having a child after taking parenting class. This resolution does not suggest any such negative means.
OVERCONSUMPTION
Overconsumption is driven by corporate greed through commercial marketing, especially advertising. Overconsumption leads to air, water and soil pollution and to shortages of natural resources, species extinction and habitat destruction.
We can curb overconsumption by promoting voluntary simplicity (VS), a movement that was strong in the ELCA Hunger Program in the 1990's but which has been sidelined in the past decade. A recent variant of VS is called Minimalism and is quite popular among young adults, both secular and religious.
Also, Media Literacy can be effective in curbing overconsumption. When people realize that the commercial media exist primarily to sell them more stuff, whether they need it or not, they are better equipped to resist advertising's temptations. Though the media literacy curricula in some public schools have become outdated (according to a recent documentary on Public Television), some sources, such as The Center for Media Literacy (MediaLiteracy.org), continue to be helpful.
This essay is not anti-entrepreneurial. It does suggest that some economic practices may need to change, such as corporate greed and perpetual economic growth.
[See: Call for Resolutions email, 2/12/18, from SWCA Synod // Deadline: Thur., 3/29, 5 p.m.]
Overpopulation Resources
SWCA Synod Assembly Resolution [below]
Access First Unitarian Church, Sioux City, YouTube channel at http://www.siouxcityuu.org. Just click on the YouTube button at the top of the page. If you haven't already subscribed, please do so. We need 100 subscribers to get our own web address.
Overpopulation: Creation Crisis by Jerry Iversen, 10/7/18
Population Project, Post Carbon Institute; Bill Ryerson, Fellow
- President, Population Institute--Phone: 202-544-3300 // Fax: 202-544-0068 // email: info@populationinstitute.org // Podcast: REPROs Fight Back
- Population Media Center
GrowthBusters: movie, blog, podcast
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Center for Reproductive Rights
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (DC)
Physicians for Reproductive Health (NY)
Population Balance (formerly World Population Balance
ELCA Social Statement on Abortion
World Population Day, July 11
Population Connection (formerly Zero Population Growth)--SLW! Podcast Episodes 72-73: John Seager, Exec. Dir.
SLW! Blog: Vision of the Future
America's Reproductive Slaves by Chris Hedges
CAUTION: Negative Population Growth [npg.org] is an anti-immigrant organization!
Commentaries from Eco-Justice Ministries
Whenever the subject of population comes up, I'll quote a quip that I heard many years ago. 'If you want to have unproductive political battles, talk about The Population Problem. If you want to do something about population, work for the education of women, widespread basic health care including contraception, and the elimination of stark poverty.' Your resolution works in that direction in looking for the practical steps to slow population growth.
As I look back, I've done two Notes dealing specifically with population over the years.
Both of those (and perhaps your document?) are out of date in the projections for 2050 population. I'd been referring to figures that looked for a slowing of the growth curve by then, and leveling off at about 9 billion. I've heard more recently that explosive growth in central Africa is steepening the curve, and pointing toward even higher numbers.
Another complicating factor that I'll raise is that several developed countries are facing financial crises when their population does not continue to grow. Most urgently in Italy and Japan, and soon in the US, a demographic with more older folk than younger means that there is not a robust tax base to pay for pensions and increased health care. A planned reduction in global population will need to deal with that reality, probably with much older retirement ages and with some kind of limits to health care for seniors. (There's a political fight for you!!) The earlier of the two Notes does stress that we have an exploding human population, not because of increased fertility, but because of reduced mortality. So the solutions will have to address that older end of the demographic range.
SWCA Synod Assembly Resolution (2018)
[2019 revision below]
Offering Options to Curb Overpopulation and OverconsumptionWHEREAS, overpopulation and overconsumption of natural resources are the primary drivers of the current and ongoing Creation Crisis*; AND
WHEREAS, both overpopulation and overconsumption are issues that humans can do something about; AND
WHEREAS, the ELCA motto 'God's Work. Our Hands.' implies that we of the ELCA believe that God forgives us our sins of omission and commission, and that we are to do God's work while not expecting God to make everything OK; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that we of the SWCA Synod commit ourselves to offer options to curb overpopulation globally and overconsumption, especially in the US; and be it further
RESOLVED that we memorialize the ELCA at the next Church-wide assembly to commit the ELCA to the same; and be it further
RESOLVED that we urge ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Relief to adopt and implement projects to offer options to curb overpopulation and overconsumption--to our members, synods, agencies and partner organizations and denominations.
SIGNATURES
Deacon Gerald 'Jerry' Iversen, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA (primary author)
Rita Iversen, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Paula Wansa, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Ron Wansa, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Russ Wyllie, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Pr. Wendell Brown, Member, Hope ELCA, Atascadero, CA, Assembly Delegate
Steve W. Ladwig, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA, Assembly Delegate
Janet Varin, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Pr. Herbert Warren Alderson, ELCA Chaplain, CDCRC
QUESTIONS
I. What is the financial impact of this resolution on our synod budget?
None
II. A. 1. What are the personnel implication within our synod--2. or churchwide?
1.The bishop may instruct existing staff, in education and communications, as examples, to advance the concepts in the resolution. They may invite members and rostered leaders in the synod to contribute to a pool of information to share with members of the synod via the newsletter, educational curricula, etc.
2. If the resolution is passed at a future churchwide assembly, ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Relief may be instructed by Churchwide Bishop and/or national church council to adopt and implement projects to offer options to curb overpopulation and overconsumption to synods, congregations, agencies, other denominations (especially faith partners), interreligious partners, and/or partner organizations of the ELCA.
B. Who will be responsible for implementation of the resolution?
1.The bishop may instruct existing staff, in education and communications, as examples, to advance the concepts in the resolution. They may invite members and rostered leaders in the synod to contribute to a pool of information to share with members of the synod via the newsletter, educational curricula, etc.
Furthermore, the appropriate committee or staff member would advance the resolution to the churchwide assembly.
III. How does this resolution enhance and forward the mission of the church and our synod?
This resolution makes our faith real. It shows that the ELCA's Care of Creation has real consequences, that the ELCA is willing to take on difficult, even controversial issues for the sake of all living species, that the ELCA does not believe that humans can despoil God’s Creation for the sake of profit, believing that since Earth is only temporary we can do whatever we want with it because it's going to be destroyed by God eventually anyway! Or even worse that we can bring on the End Times by destroying God's Earth!
Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
2019 Southwest California Synod Assembly
Offering Options to Curb Overpopulation and Overconsumption
WHEREAS, overpopulation and overconsumption of natural resources are the primary drivers of the current and ongoing Creation Crisis, which some euphemistically call 'climate change' or 'global warming.'
OVERPOPULATION: Global human population now exceeds seven billion. By 2100, at the current growth rate, it is expected to exceed nine billion. Optimally the Earth can perpetually sustain 1.5-2 billion.
The optimal world population has been estimated by a team co-authored by Paul R. Ehrlich. End-targets in this estimation included:
* Decent wealth and resources to everyone
* Basic human rights to everyone
* Preservation of cultural diversity
* Allowance of intellectual, artistic, and technological creativity
* Preservation of biodiversity
Based on this, the estimation of optimum population was to be roughly around 1.5 billion to 2 billion people. Population reduction will eventually happen involuntarily unless we take action now. Billions--especially the poor--will suffer and die when the environment implodes. It is immoral to put even more children at risk! The Earth will regenerate with a small number of humans or none at all. Humans are not clever enough to solve the problems caused by overpopulation and overconsumption while maintaining both overpopulation and overconsumption. Only reducing population and consumption can begin to solve those problems, most notably Creation Crisis.
OVERCONSUMPTION: This resolution is not anti-entrepreneurial. It does suggest that some economic practices may need to change, such as perpetual economic growth.
OVERCONSUMPTION is driven by corporate greed through commercial marketing, especially advertising. Overconsumption leads to air, water and soil pollution and to shortages of natural resources, species extinction and habitat destruction.
AND WHEREAS, both overpopulation and overconsumption are issues that humans can do something about;
OVERPOPULATION: This resolution is not about eugenics, racial superiority or forced sterilization. It does suggest that for the sake of the health of living species, some cultural traditional practices may have to change, including large families. Maintaining ethnic diversity is essential to the welfare of the whole system, as is biodiversity.
Daniel Rift, director of ELCA Hunger World Hunger and Disaster Relief, has said that the program is not directly involved in population control. ''We are tending to talk more specifically about reproductive health--into which concerns for child spacing, maternal and child health, and disease prevention all speak to the topic,'' Rift said.
That is a valuable but inadequate approach. We need to work on the root causes of the Creation Crisis. Although not a term in wide use yet, 'Creation Crisis' is a faith-based term that implies that all life on Earth is at risk.
We feed and care for people who have more children than they can provide for. We will continue to provide both emergency aid and long-term education for hunger relief and health care. At the same time we need to share with peoples around the globe the need for smaller families, such themes as '2 Will Do, Adopt a Few!' or 'One and Done!'
Coercive ways to limit population growth include eliminating tax deductions for every natural child past the second one, or requiring each potential parent to secure a permit/license before having a child after taking parenting class. This resolution does not suggest any such negative means.
We can promote prevention of overpopulation in numerous, non-coercive ways. We can provide free, voluntary contraception for men, women and others, both short-term, such as condoms and birth control pills; and long-term, such as contraceptive injections and patches, and sterilization. The ELCA Social Statement on 'Abortion' offers abortion as a 'means of last resort,' not a form of birth control. We can support agencies that provide reproductive health care for women, men and others, such as Planned Parenthood, both in principle and with actual dollars. We can also disclose/expose 'emergency pregnancy counseling agencies' that do not present people with all their options.
We can educate through traditional classes and one-to-one counseling, and also through new, creative mass media, such as the very effective 'soap operas' produced in several languages, primarily for radio and to a lesser degree for television, by the Population Media Center.
We can help to break down the myths that drive overpopulation, such as that God created women to have babies and that a women's worth is determined by the size of her family. We can debunk myths that are perpetuated by mis-readings of the Old Testament and by the 'complementarity' movement among religious fundamentalists.
Let's encourage women, men and others to see that sexual pleasure is a gift from God, that it is not linked solely to conception.
Decisions about family size have both immediate impacts on a women's health and also long-range impacts on the health and sustainability of the family, the community and the Earth.
We in the US have romanticized parenthood through stereotypes about raising children as the most important and satisfying purpose of women, men and others.
In the developing age of robotics, artificial intelligence and medical advances, we'll need fewer humans to meet life's daily needs, unlike the age when muscle power was central for manufacturing, agriculture, etc.
We can curb OVERCONSUMPTION by promoting voluntary simplicity (VS), a movement that was strong in the ELCA Hunger Program in the 1990's but which has been sidelined in the past decade. A recent variant of VS is called Minimalism and is quite popular among young adults, both secular and religious.
Overconsumption can be treated as an addiction, such as Spenders Anonymous. Education can focus on the Share-Save-Spend model effectively promoted by Thrivent Financial: Share (donate) at least 10%, Save at least 15%, Spend more more than 75%. And Financial Literacy is critical to understanding concepts such as price, value and debt.
Also, Media Literacy can be effective in curbing overconsumption. When people realize that the commercial media exist primarily to sell them more stuff, whether they need it or not, they are better equipped to resist advertising's temptations. Though the media literacy curricula in some public schools have become outdated (according to a recent documentary on Public Television), some sources, such as The Center for Media Literacy (MediaLiteracy.org), continue to be helpful.
AND WHEREAS, the ELCA motto 'God's Work. Our Hands.' implies that we of the ELCA believe that God forgives us our sins of omission and commission, and that we are to do God's work while not expecting God to make everything OK; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that we of the SWCA Synod commit ourselves to offer options to curb overpopulation globally and overconsumption, especially in the US; and be it further
RESOLVED that we memorialize the ELCA at the next Church-wide assembly to commit the ELCA to the same; and be it further
RESOLVED that we urge ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Relief to adopt and implement projects to offer options to curb overpopulation and overconsumption--to our members, synods, agencies and partner organizations and denominations.
SIGNATURES
Deacon Gerald 'Jerry' Iversen, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA (primary author)
Rita Iversen, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Paula Wansa, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA, Assembly Delegate
Ron Wansa, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA, Assembly Delegate
Pr. Wendell Brown, Member, Hope ELCA, Atascadero, CA
Steve W. Ladwig, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Janet Varin, Member, Bethel ELCA, Templeton, CA
Pr. Herbert Warren Alderson, former ELCA Chaplain, CDCRC
Poem
Nature's Warning Cry
by Paula Wansadedicated to the grandchildren of the world
I saw a bird fall from the sky.
It did not moan, it did not cry.
There were no limbs on it to perch.
The trees were gone, no need to search.
Our winter storms were cold and cruel,
it caused the trees to be burned as fuel.
The forests sick from drought and disease,
Burned up like matches in a breeze.
We lost the birds and then the bees.
Next were gone the plants and trees.
God's creatures searched for a wooden ark
For the land and sea lay empty and stark.
The Earth lay parched, its skin was cracked.
It's now too late; we can't turn back.
We had our chance to change the course,
But the pundits yelled it won't get worse.
We were complacent and did not believe
And learned too late we were deceived.
They told us climate change was not something man did do
It was only the weather fooling you.
Few worried about overpopulation or nature's destruction.
Greed and waste brought us now to the brink of extinction.
The masses were wandering from shore to shore;
Searching for the land that they had known before.
The consequence of ignorance last long after us.
On bended knee we all agree to ask for God's forgiveness.
Did we stop to consider, what would our children say?
For it was on our watch when the sky turned gray.
It was on our watch when the seas did rise.
It takes so long for man to become wise.
But I am here and this is now,
I need to help, but I don't know how.
I'll join a group of environmental friends
To save the planet before life ends.
For God made Earth our only home
For all the species to love and roam.
I'll take short showers and conserve on gas.
When taking walks I'll pick-up trash.
I'll protect the butterfly and bee
and plant some milkweeds and a tree.
All such simple things that we can do.
So listen nature's warning you.
We need the fox, the wolf, the bear,
It's up to us to show we care.
I'll write and vote and take a stand,
Together we can protect our land.
What kind of planet would it be
if only man survived this calamity.
Yes, yesterday I walked the park.
I heard the song of the morning lark.
The sky was blue, the sea was calm.
Nature's path was a soothing balm.
I saw the clouds slowly drifting past.
Then all at once I looked aghast.
For I saw a bird fall from the sky.
Was this an omen from on high?
The sands of time are slipping by.
Can we change? I hope we'll try?
I'll strive for the health of land and sea
For we must save the Earth--There is no plan B.
Read by the author at Bethel Lutheran Church ELCA, Templeton, CA, Sunday, 3/24/19, as part of the congregation's Lenten Care of Creation theme: 'For the Beauty of the Earth.'
Hear Paula's story of fighting for clean water on SLW! Podcast Ep.87.
Page updated 11/4/22
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