Where do we begin? For an idea so absurdly ambitious as The Jubilee Project this question makes me feel like I have writers block for visionaries. It is dangerously easy to write thoughts and ideas, and an altogether monumental leap to take abstractions and make them concrete. I guess that's why I am writing this, because I need your collective genius to get this idea off the ground. There are so many aspects to consider, for example because this idea is, in part, a business, we need a business plan. A strategic and concrete way of conducting ourselves in the market. We also need to know which expirement we will do first (clothing, publishing, music...?). We also need to establish a some sense of how this will progress, i.e. first x then y then z or first a then b then c... or whatever. That is why I have talked to each one of you and asked you to contribute, because each of you in your own unique way can contribute to each of these; be it the strategizing, the planning, the expirementing, or the growing parts of this Project.
It seems to me that we do need to clarify the abstract so that the abstract can be a light along our concrete sidewalk, if you pick up the metaphor. How do we do this? These are important questions because if these don't happen, this Project will belong to the colossally huge information wastebasket that is the world wide web. So my dear companions, how now shall we proceed?
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
A Robin Hood Complex and Band-aids Over Cancer
It is not love to give someone clean water yet and fail to proclaim the gospel, "for what does a man profit if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his own soul?" We could do many good things for people, but without telling them they are dead in their transgressions, are perilously close to damnation, and that there is been provided a way out from under the wrath of God by Jesus Christ, we actually would do them a severe disservice. Who cares if their lives are better but their souls shall perish apart from the knowledge of God? To do this would be to place a band-aid over cancer. But clean water is a sign of love that points to the perfect love of God in Christ. Perhaps those who recieve the water (or whatever good work) would look along the sign to what it points to, perhaps they would cling to God and not to their water. We must consider, if ever we give what we have recieved, that all the good we could do is but a sign; for us to cling to the good we do as if it made us something is likened unto the foolish hiker who holds fast to the sign pointing to the summit of Half Dome thinking that the signpost is "really great!" and misses out on the staggering splendor of the Yosemite Valley. What is worse is if we were to gather others to "come see our sign!" How silly! All we do is but a sign pointing to the Majestic God to whom we are but the metaphor. So we must seriously ponder any good we do, and if God grants, any momentum given to this Project.
In addtion to this I feel deep in my heart an affinity for Robin Hood. The Christian story is a story that has as part of its narrative a preferential treatment for the poor. Throughout both the Old and New Covenants God admonishes His people to be mindful of those who are in need. America is an empire of emperors, and kingdom of kings, who to our great shame have hoarded our wealth in vast gilded storehouses and we have not heeded the commission given to the kings of Israel not to multiply gold and horses (see Deuteronomy 17:14-17). Here also we must heed the admonition of Wendell Berry who articulates the nature of a global economy and its damage to the earth, "The name of our present society's connection to the earth is "bad work"... All of us are responsible for bad work, not so much because we do it ourselves (though we all do it) as because we have it done for us by other people... Living as we now do in almost complete dependence on a global economy, we are put inevitably into a position of ignorance and irresponsibility. No one can know the whole globe. We can connect ourselves to the globe as a whole only by means of a global economy that, without knowing the earth, plunders it for us (Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community, pg. 36-37). Is this any way for kings to conduct themselves? Do we as Solomon expand our wealth to our shame? Or can we, in responsible, generous ways reverse the damage our society does to its world? Can we steal from their wealth and contribute to the needs of others, especially our brothers and sisters scattered among the nations? Let us remember Paul's admonition to "let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." In so doing, it is clear, that this will bring great glory to Christ and to His gospel.
In addtion to this I feel deep in my heart an affinity for Robin Hood. The Christian story is a story that has as part of its narrative a preferential treatment for the poor. Throughout both the Old and New Covenants God admonishes His people to be mindful of those who are in need. America is an empire of emperors, and kingdom of kings, who to our great shame have hoarded our wealth in vast gilded storehouses and we have not heeded the commission given to the kings of Israel not to multiply gold and horses (see Deuteronomy 17:14-17). Here also we must heed the admonition of Wendell Berry who articulates the nature of a global economy and its damage to the earth, "The name of our present society's connection to the earth is "bad work"... All of us are responsible for bad work, not so much because we do it ourselves (though we all do it) as because we have it done for us by other people... Living as we now do in almost complete dependence on a global economy, we are put inevitably into a position of ignorance and irresponsibility. No one can know the whole globe. We can connect ourselves to the globe as a whole only by means of a global economy that, without knowing the earth, plunders it for us (Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community, pg. 36-37). Is this any way for kings to conduct themselves? Do we as Solomon expand our wealth to our shame? Or can we, in responsible, generous ways reverse the damage our society does to its world? Can we steal from their wealth and contribute to the needs of others, especially our brothers and sisters scattered among the nations? Let us remember Paul's admonition to "let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." In so doing, it is clear, that this will bring great glory to Christ and to His gospel.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Turning Stones into Bread?
So for those of you who have asked me, I will unveil to the degree that it is possible the plans for the Jubilee Project. I begin this with a relatively high degree of ambivalence, because I, in my own heart of hearts am so tempted to turn stone into bread. I am tempted to use my powers/gifts to make life happen for me, to provide for myself. I am also tempted to do this thing "for God" and so step off the pinnacle of the temple and presume there will be God's holy angels waiting to swoop me up and make this "thing for God" to work. And I am also tempted to go on a search for glory, and have power by means of this Project, and yet in attaining this power I would bow and worship the tempter and not the Beloved Son of God. Maybe some of you feel the same ambivalence, maybe some of you feel with fiery conviction that this is the thing for us to do.
The Jubilee Project began as an idea spawned from Jesus' words in Luke 4 wherein He proclaims that the Kingdom which He is ushering in is the substance which cast its shadow as the Jubilee Year (found in Leviticus 25). It is a time of reconcilliation, liberty, justice, and reparation. It is the re-ordering of the now decayed worldly order. Thus the Jubilee Project was an idea centered around liberty, justice, and reconcilliation as functions of the Kingdom.
It has morphed a number of times, and I am sure will continue to morph if God wills. But as I surveyed the group of people that sorrounded me I thought to myself, "surely this is no coincidence!" Gifted people, friends. So the idea was the The Jubilee Project would be a sort of Board of Trustees all mutually committed to the Values, Goals, and Purposes of the Project, who would in turn oversee a multiplicity of expirements. These expirements would include things like a music label/recording studio, a clothing company, a publishing company (including online and paper publications), perhaps cafes, art studios, reading rooms, etc... Each of these expirements would be overseen by a member of the Board of Trustees, and would not by name be attached to the Jubilee Project. These expirements would, if God so willed, generate profits, the profits would then be collected by the overseer and turned over to the Board of Trustees. This Board would then decide how to allocate these funds in such a way as to fulfill the values, goals, and purposes of The Jubilee Project. In other words these funds would be used to contribute toward the purposes of the Kingdom. This could be anything from supporting Sudanese Pastors and freeing women from African slave trading (yes it still happens!), to building wells for clean water in impoverished areas and supporting evangelists who work in the Muslim world. Literally anything that can be legitimately be shown to fulfill Kingdom purposes.
That is a broad brush stroke, without many details, primarily because as of this moment there are no details. What do you think the Spirit of God is doing, is this something He is leading us to do, or is this something that we may be tempted to do "for God?" I don't know, I don't have peace, but I do have a group of friends I trust, and a group of friends I trust that the same Spirit is moving within. May He whisper in our ears, "go this way." And may we follow where He leads.
The Jubilee Project began as an idea spawned from Jesus' words in Luke 4 wherein He proclaims that the Kingdom which He is ushering in is the substance which cast its shadow as the Jubilee Year (found in Leviticus 25). It is a time of reconcilliation, liberty, justice, and reparation. It is the re-ordering of the now decayed worldly order. Thus the Jubilee Project was an idea centered around liberty, justice, and reconcilliation as functions of the Kingdom.
It has morphed a number of times, and I am sure will continue to morph if God wills. But as I surveyed the group of people that sorrounded me I thought to myself, "surely this is no coincidence!" Gifted people, friends. So the idea was the The Jubilee Project would be a sort of Board of Trustees all mutually committed to the Values, Goals, and Purposes of the Project, who would in turn oversee a multiplicity of expirements. These expirements would include things like a music label/recording studio, a clothing company, a publishing company (including online and paper publications), perhaps cafes, art studios, reading rooms, etc... Each of these expirements would be overseen by a member of the Board of Trustees, and would not by name be attached to the Jubilee Project. These expirements would, if God so willed, generate profits, the profits would then be collected by the overseer and turned over to the Board of Trustees. This Board would then decide how to allocate these funds in such a way as to fulfill the values, goals, and purposes of The Jubilee Project. In other words these funds would be used to contribute toward the purposes of the Kingdom. This could be anything from supporting Sudanese Pastors and freeing women from African slave trading (yes it still happens!), to building wells for clean water in impoverished areas and supporting evangelists who work in the Muslim world. Literally anything that can be legitimately be shown to fulfill Kingdom purposes.
That is a broad brush stroke, without many details, primarily because as of this moment there are no details. What do you think the Spirit of God is doing, is this something He is leading us to do, or is this something that we may be tempted to do "for God?" I don't know, I don't have peace, but I do have a group of friends I trust, and a group of friends I trust that the same Spirit is moving within. May He whisper in our ears, "go this way." And may we follow where He leads.
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