More on Lebanon

Not to harp on this topic, but I've found the current situation in the Middle East highly disturbing. Note this article on the most recent Israeli airstrike, which killed over 50 civilians, most of whom were children. The reason for the strike? Because Hezbollah guerillas had fired rockets into Israel from near that building. So here is the logic - guerillas stood near the building while they fired their rockets, therefore we'll level the building, regardless of who occupies it (in this case, sleeping Lebanese villagers).

Israel's extraordinarily disproportionate strikes in Lebanon are counterproductive. Not only do they create more ill will towards themselves through the needless destruction of innocent human lives, but they are also derailing the peace process. The article reports the following:

The Lebanese government this week had put forward ideas on disarming Hezbollah and deploying an international force in the south. But after the strike, Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said any negotiations on a broader deal were off.

So, it seems that some progress was being made, but it's one step forward, two steps back due to the current strike. While Israel's prime minister has apologized, he is unwilling to take any action (like curtailing the strikes) that would demonstrate any real remorse.

I am especially saddened by the fact that the United States has continually resisted pressure from numerous other countries to push for an immediate cease fire. Instead, we continue to demand that a complete plan for removing Hezbollah guerillas from Israel's borders and placing an international peacekeeping force in the area be in place before the bloodshed is halted. The end result of such an all or nothing approach is more lives lost, and the consequent deepening of hostilities between Israel and the rest of the Middle East.

Israel & Lebanon

I highly recommend checking out this article, written by Jim Wallis, about the currently escalating conflict between Israel and Lebanon. Regretfully, you must sign up to receive Sojourners weekly emails to view it, but for what it is worth, they are worth receiving, and easy to unsubscribe from if you don't want them. Wallis is regularly insightful, and the current article is no exception. Here is an exerpt:

Jan Egeland, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, who has been critical of Israel's "disproportionate" response, has also assailed Hezbollah's tactics: "Consistently, from the Hezbollah heartland, my message was that Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending ... among women and children."

Hezbollah's rocket attacks into northern Israel have killed 19 civilians and injured hundreds more. But the disproportionate Israeli air strikes in Lebanon, with their horrible death toll among civilians with nothing to do with Hezbollah must also be condemned. The latest estimate is more than 400 Lebanese civilians killed, with the needless destruction of the country's infrastructure, which took 15 years to rebuild after the devastating civil war. Israel has gone after Hezbollah, but is destroying Lebanon and, don't forget, its fledgling democracy. And let there be no double standards when it comes to how we label "terrorist" acts. When a nation state, such as Israel, carries out military policies which it knows will kill many civilians, including the use of cluster bombs, and deliberately targets civilian infrastructures and areas, does not the label also apply?

Prior to this excerpt Wallis is careful to note that the current conflict is ultimately the fault of Hezbollah, and later he goes on to discuss possibilities for the United States and U.N.'s possible role in resolving the conflict.

What I appreciate here is the acknowledgement that Israel's response, even though some response was certainly necessary, is problematic. The U.S. is well known for its support of Israel as a nation-state, and we should absolutely support and defend their right to exist, but I'm afraid we are at times too quick to condone their actions no matter the cost. As Wallis accurately points out, Israel has escalated the situation, and caused a great deal of hurt doing so. A cease fire is essential, but thus far it is unlikely because the both Israel and the U.S. want an entire package from the outset - a cease fire accompanied by concessions to certain demands. Unfortunately, the result of such an all-or-nothing approach is that while they argue, more (mostly innocent) people die.

The Rise and Fall of Ralph Reed - Christians and Republicans

I ran across this article the other day and found it interesting. In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I never cared for Ralph Reed. He always seemed a little phony to me - a little too slick and self-satisfied, and far to ready to play the political game. I guess he never seemed genuine to me.

The article, of course, argues a similar point, and believes that it proved to be his downfall. Specifically, the author notes that his close relationship with Jack Abramoff likely cost him the Republican primary in the race for Governor of Georgia. It likely cost him the election because the Christian voters he was so good at producing throughout his career chose not to vote for him when as the connection between Reed and Abramoff became public knowledge.

The reason I found this article worth noting here is that it exemplifies something I have been concerned about for a little while now - that in many cases, Christian votes are used by the Republican party. Many Christians will blindly vote for Republican candidates, assuming that they have a monopoly on morality (they do not), and Republicans are more than happy to take advantage of their ignorance.

A couple of examples will illustrate my point - one from this article and one from the last presidential election. The article notes that Reed was once paid a very large sum of money by one indian tribe to run an anti-gambling campaign in order to prevent another indian tribe from opening a casino. Reed's campaign against gambling, of course, was based on religious reasoning and supported by many Christian voters. If this information is true, and it seems to be (although Reed denies knowing where the money came from), it certainly provides an example of an instance where Christian voters were mobilized and used under false pretenses.

The 2004 presidential election provides a second example. I find it interesting that the issue of homosexual marriage became such a "hot button" issue during that election, but seemingly disappeared completely from Bush's agenda after the election was won. It seems to me that the reason it became so "important" is because it is an issue that typically mobilizes conservative Christian voters, the great majority of whom also typically vote Republican. Thus, focusing on the issue brings more conservative Christians to the polls, which results in more votes for the Republican party. The fact that it disappeared so quickly after the election leads me to believe that the focus on the issue was politically expedient, but not based on any genuine conviction regarding the issue.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that Christians should not vote Republican, or that they should vote Democrat. I am also not trying to imply that Republicans are the only party guilty of using people to get what they want - unfortunately both parties are guilty of such behavior. What I am saying, however, is that it would behoove some Christians to be a little more wise when determining who will receive their vote, and I would emphatically argue that the Republican party is not the Christian party or "God's party," as the bumper sticker above proclaims. I'll leave it at that for now, since this post is already much longer than I intended.

Update #1

I mainly want to use this blog for other purposes, but I do occasionally want to give a quick update on what is going on with Cari and I since so many of my readers (do I have readers yet?) are not in town.

So, for those of you who don't know, Cari and I are in Omaha, Nebraska for a little while - probably about a year. It was quite hard to leave Cincinnati, but we're settling in, and its nice to be closer to family and some of our old friends. We'll (hopefully) save some money and pay off lots of bills, and then we'll be off someplace else so I can work on my Ph.D, which will be somewhere in the area of Cultural Studies, Religion and Culture, etc.

Cari is working for Avantas, a company owned by Alegent Health - she's in a pool of Administrative Assistants that fill in when people are on vacation or sick leave, or have to be gone for an extended period of time for some reason. She's been there for about a month now. It took me two months to find a job, because she is MUCH more employable in the business world than I am! However, two days ago I was offered a job at Ameritrade, which I happily accepted. Nothing too exciting - its a data entry position - but it pays well and I have a friend who enjoys working for the company so I think it'll be good. Honestly, I was just happy to have a job! I will also be teaching one course at my alma mater, Nebraska Christian College, this fall - a freshman Life of Christ class.

That's life right now. I hope you're all doing well.

Atom Feeds

Just an FYI - if anyone uses a service with Atom feeds (like, for example, my.yahoo or gmail), you can actually add this blog by looking it up using the following link: http://this-sky.blogspot.com/atom.xml. This allows you to add the blog to your page, and it automatically shows any posts that are made to the blog. If someone wants to do this and is confused about how, let me know in the comments section - I think I know enough to walk you through it.

Safe for the whole family?

Soon after we moved back to Omaha I noticed a billboard advertising the local Christian radio station, KGBI (100.7). The billboard proclaimed, in large, bold letters, that the station was "safe for the whole family."

On the surface this would seem to be a welcome characteristic, and perhaps it is for a Christian radio station. I'll tell you why it rubbed me the wrong way, though. It seems to me that this billboard reflected an idea prevalent among conservative Christians that the definition of Christian art/entertainment should include the idea that it be "safe for the whole family." This was exemplified during my short period of employment at Berean Christian Stores. In the movie section, Berean carried the typical array of Christian movies, of which none could be accused of being inappropriate for children (unless, perhaps, one considers the "Left Behind" movies too intense). I suppose Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" could also be considered an exception, although an astonishing number of Christian parents considered that ultra-violent movie acceptable viewing for their entire family. However, what was astonishing to me was that Berean also carried a variety of movies which had nothing to do with the expressed purposes of the store (as a Christian bookstore), but were considered "family friendly" - including The Polar Express (with Tom Hanks), Because of Winn Dixie, and the Garfield movie and cartoons. At the same time, Berean stocked the movie "Woman, Thou Art Loosed" (based on a novel by Bishop T. D. Jakes) but kept it in the back because they feared offending patrons. Additionally, an excellent movie like Hotel Rwanda would never have been carried because of its disturbing subject matter, despite the fact that its message is far more Christian than that of Garfield.

Certainly some of this was wrapped up in marketing agreements with certain companies (in this case, I believe they had an agreement with Fox to sell a line of family movies they produced) - I could write plenty more about the inherent problems with such an arrangement. But I do think this also reflects the perspective of Christian art that argues that it must be appropriate for viewers of all ages.

However, I wonder if there is not a place for Christian art that may not be appropriate for an all-ages audience? In fact, I would emphatically argue that there is a place for such art. Art should reflect life, and life is not always as clean and "safe" as we would like it to be. Still, such art can be profoundly moving, and even redemptive, as evidenced by movies like Schindler's List, Hotel Rwanda, Million Dollar Baby, and American Beauty. The subject matter of these movies is certainly not appropriate for younger viewers, but each deals with themes that are profoundly Christian. A Christian perspective on art needs to judge art by different criteria than whether it is "safe for the whole family."

Beginnings

Well, this is it . . . the long awaited blog. I wanted to start by explaining a few things - my purpose in starting a blog in the first place, and my choice of a title.

I hope for this blog to be a regular outlet for my thoughts on a variety of issues, mostly centering around religion, popular culture, and politics. There'll likely be a good amount of music, movies and television thrown in as well. And, the occasional update on what's going on in Cari and I's lives. Obviously this covers a wide range of topics, but hopefully what I have to say will be of interest to at least a few people. My hope is that my posts will generate some discussion - people won't always agree with me, and that's alright, and discussion sharpens everyone. Additionally, it is also a way for me to improve my writing abilities - to learn how to better communicate what I'm thinking.

And the title. A poem by a 14th century Sufi Muslim poet may seem like an odd choice for inspiration, particularly if you know me and know that I really don't care for poetry. This poem forms the basis of a great song by an even greater band - the Derek Trucks Band (if you haven't heard them, you really should check them out) - this is how it came to my attention. I like it because "this sky" seems to encompass, at least in my interpretation, the entirety of the world we live in, and that fits this blog, since it touches on such a wide range of topics. Hopefully that makes sense.

I do hope to post regularly here . . . several times a week if possible. I'm pretty sure I can find enough to write about - we'll see if I have the time. Thanks for taking the time to check it out - I hope that what I have to say is of some value to you.