Ched Myers: Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark's Story of Jesus
David Talbot: Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years
Marcus J. Borg: The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth
Gustaf Aulen: Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement
"We are always ready to make a saint or prophet of the educated man who goes into cottages to give a little kindly advice to the uneducated. But the medieval idea of a saint or prophet was something quite different. The mediaeval saint or prophet was an uneducated man who walked into grand houses to give a little kindly advice to the educated."
G.K. Chesterton
My, my, a whole lot of people seem to have "the burbles" all of a sudden. Here's one of many in Matt Stoller's piece at OpenLeft:
Obama made his bet that the country isn't into ideological combat and wants a politics of unity and hope, and he has won at internally...the Obama campaign is masterful. From top to bottom, they have destroyed their opponents within the party, stolen out from under them their base, and persuaded a whole set of individuals from blog readers to people in the pews to ignore intermediaries and believe in Barack as a pure vessel of change.
Continue reading "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!" »
She is great too--one of the very best writers on the internet, and always worth reading. Today, though, she was absolutely burbling over, admittedly, a lot of smart stuff Sen. Obama has done in his campaign. First, she says:
There's nothing shadowy about this (Obama's voter registration efforts) - it's an extension of what the Obama campaign has been doing since he entered the race. He's building a new Democratic infrastructure, regimenting it under his brand, and enlisting new technologies and more sophisticated voter contacting techniques to turn it from a normal GOTV effort into a lasting movement.
Well, I'm all for new and better things, though I do blanch a bit at "regimenting it under his brand." What's that supposed to mean? But, hey, I'm all for new technologies and more "sophisticated voter contacting techniques"--especially if it means that I get fewer phone calls from politicians asking for money. Then, she says this:
The long-term goal is to subvert the traditional structures of the Democratic Party since the early 1990s, subvert the nascent structures that the progressive movement has been building since the late 1990s, and build a parallel structure, under his brand, that will become the new power center in American politics. This is tremendous news.
To which I replied:
Less enthusiasm, please. I'm a traditional Democrat. There is no such thing as "transformational" leadership in the presidency. It's never happened, and never will. "Transformational" leadership only comes from outside the system--like the Hebrew prophets, or MLK. The political system is inherently transactional, on the other hand. In a democracy, groups compete and contend. This is not "transcended". It is "transacted."
Plus, I'm not all that crazy about the new guy dissing and blowing up the Democratic Party, supposedly to remake it in his image. Excuse me, the Democratic Party is the oldest, continuously-existing political party in the world today. What's more, we're on the verge of victory--a partisan victory, one that could bring a long-term governing majority--and our presumptive nominee wants to "transcend" our differences. No way. Most Democrats want to engage those differences.
An Australian doctor argues that people ought to be able to sell one of their kidneys. He argues that many people need kidneys, and people who donate theirs can get along quite fine with only one. Canberra physician, Gavin Carney, notes that there are 1800 Australians currently waiting for a kidney, but only 343 were donated in the last year. He suggests $50,000 might be a fair price. To which I say: Sold!
This one was released yesterday. The text may be found here. This latest formal missive from the evangelical world seems to argue for a "decoupling" of evangelicals from automatic association with the religious right. The full list of signers hasn't yet been made public, but the following names have appeared in connection with it: Rick Warren, Os Guinness, Richard Mouw, and Timothy George. These folks are generally considered "moderate evangelicals," as opposed to the fire-breathers like James Dobson.
The reaction has been curious. Richard Land claims he never saw the thing. James Dobson didn't sign it because he was concered about the absence of African-Americans in the process. Really, Dobson said that. Fox News:
The Rev. John Huffman, pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, a megachurch in Pasadena, Calif., acknowledged the effort lacks participation from African-Americans and women. But he said the initial signers are merely a beginning and "anyone can sign on if this resonates with them."
Reaction from conservatives has been rather muted. Warner Huston said, "This so-called 'manifesto' seems to be just another attempt by the political left to undermine the devotion of Christians to the political right." Considering that Jim Wallis is one of the signers, it looks to me like he's managed to peel off a few evangelicals and drag them toward the middle.
Or be in a movie with Johnny Depp? Or have lunch with Tom Brokaw? Or meet Oprah? Check out the RFK Memorial Center Charity Auction.
See K.C. Hanson's article, "The Galilean Fishing Economy and the Jesus Tradition," a very thorough discussion of the economics of the Galilean region in the context of the Roman occupation.
The first century Galilean fishing economy was not a "free market." This lake belonged to Caesar. (The Sea of Galilee was also known as the Sea of Tiberias.) Caesar said who could and could not fish on his lake.
Fishermen had to get a license from the local tax collector, quite likely in Capernaum. Capernaum had both a tax office, and a major harbor. In fact, it was probably the major fishing village on the Sea of Galilee. The tax collector might well have been Matthew, in fact, who was a tax collector in Capernaum.
Licenses tended to be sold to associations of fishermen, quite often based in kinship--James and John, for example, who had a "kinship-based fisherman's association," as did Peter and Andrew. Incidentally, all four of them were from Capernaum.
The fishermens' relationship to the larger economy was quite complicated. The main dynamic was the flow of money from people on the bottom to the people on the top. There were taxes on almost everything. The total level of taxation approached 50%. (Hanson has an interesting diagram of those relationships.)
Jesus spent a lot of time in these fishing villages, and seems to have used Capernaum as something of a "base" for his campaign. Various other fishing villages, some also with harbors, are mentioned in the gospels. Jesus spent time in Bethsaida, Gennesaret, Magdala (his girlfriend's hometown), Gerasa, Tyre, and Sidon.
In terms of social pecking order, fishermen would have been about one notch up from land-less artisans, but half-a-notch lower than a landed peasant. The number of landed peasants was declining as a result of Roman tax and commercialization programs, thus driving more and more people further into poverty.
Hanson doesn't say this, but some of these newly land-less peasants may have been trying to work their way into the fish economy. This may have had the effect of driving down wages, and perhaps, in some cases, increased competition for fish.
It makes you wonder what particular characteristics of Jesus' appeal would have attracted fishermen? His radical critiques of the Temple perhaps? The Temple bureaucrats and rich families of Jerusalem generally looked down on the boorish plebians of the northern hinterlands.
His crafty subversion of Roman imperial theology likely had appeal as well. It's not for nothing that Jesus' stories often refer to debt and have a rich or powerful person as the villain of the story. In a declining economy, which was the result of Roman occupation, such a message would have had some resonance.
Obama planned to win Indiana by 8%. He lost by 2%. The Obama projections have been wrong only twice--Maine, and now, Indiana.
Hillary won the majority of "late-deciders," as has been customary throughout the primary season, indicating that her plan to alleviate the gas tax, widely derided in the media, may have actually scored with voters. Obama did better with women than he did in Ohio, while Clinton did better among young people.
Bottom line, though? We saw essentially the same voting patterns in Indiana as we saw in Pennsylvania and Ohio--working class for Hillary, "eggheads and African-Americans," as Paul Begala puts it, for Obama. The proximity to Obama's home-state--20% of the population of Indiana is basically a suburb of Chicago--mitigated some of the demographic effects, but any fair assessment would call it a solid win for Clinton.
Obama's win in North Carolina, which appeared to be a landslide early in the evening, set some of the narrative for the evening's pundit-bloviation. In fact, comparing North Carolina to nearby Virginia, Obama did worse in every demographic category, except African-Americans. Still, 14% is a solid win as well. MSNBC said "split decision," which--surprisingly, coming from them--seems about right.
United Methodists are suffering along with everybody else. The rapid growth of United Methodism in the third world gives the third world more clout in world Methodist circles, and generally tilts the denomination in what, here in the United States, would be considered a "conservative" direction.
In other words, they take a conservative position on homosexuality. On many other issues, the third world church would be considered "liberal." In terms of social justice, leading Anglican conservative, Bishop Akinola, for example, is more "liberal" than are many "liberal" bishops in the first world.
Continue reading "Methodists suffer same strains as everyone else" »
Obama took the conservative Democratic vote in Iowa, lost conservatives in the middle primaries, won them by 5% in Ohio, but lost them by 24% in Indiana. Meanwhile, liberal Democrats supported Obama in nearly all primaries, then went to Clinton 7% in Ohio, then went back to Obama by 14% in Indiana.
United Methodists met in Fort Worth, Texas last week for their quadrennial General Conference. The General Conference upheld the position that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." The vote was 501-417.
The action was protested by about 200 participants who called the Conference's action "sinful."
Primarily dressed in black, demonstrators walked onto the legislative floor at the Fort Worth Convention Center, formed a two-lined cross around the communion table located in the center aisle and draped it in a black shroud to witness against the church's stance on homosexual practice. They entered silently, but once all demonstrators were in place, they sang, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?"
Photo: Mike Dubose, United Methodist News Service
Each party has "fault lines." For the Republicans, it's Main Street vs. Wall Street, or neo-cons versus theo-cons vs. paleo-cons, or social conservatives vs. money conservatives. As GOP operative, Roger Stone, once put it, "Half the Republican Party wants to lower sin, the other half wants to lower taxes."
The Democrats have their "fault lines" too. As has been oft-suggested in this race, it's Starbucks vs. Dunkin' Donuts, or the "wine track" vs. the "beer track," or "creative class" vs. "working class."
Side-note: Can we put the "creative class" thing to bed? In the first place, it's a label that was proposed by the so-called "creative class" itself, and, generally speaking, one should not automatically buy into self-congratulatory labels that others put on themselves. In the second place, the so-called "creative class" is no more "creative" than the working class. In fact, you want "creative"? You can't get more creative than a single mom trying to juggle three jobs, or a construction worker trying to get by without health insurance.
If you're trying to figure whose going to win what primaries today, and by what margin, forget it. Obama's lead in North Carolina is--variously, depending on the poll--anywhere between 4 and 14 points. Considering trend lines, he's either gaining support (Zogby) or losing support (ARG). In Indiana, Clinton is either down 2 (Zogby) or up 12 (SurveyUSA), and is either losing (Zogby) or gaining (SurveyUSA)--ARG says gaining too, but Insider Advantage says not.
Pick your favorite candidate and make your own call. Somebody out there will back you up, and, when the vote tally is in, at least a few of them are going to be further off the money than you are, and they get a lot of money to do this, and you don't get a dime. NC: Obama by 8. IN: Clinton by 6-8.
"As humanity becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of the civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations in examples of justice and liberality."
George Washington
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Judeans, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
The fourth gospel speaks of "signs" which are presented in order to encourage faith in Jesus (20: 30-31). The various "signs," and their numbering, are open to interpretation, but N.T. Wright arranges them thus:
The number 7 was commonly thought to be the number of completion and wholeness--the "number of God," says Eugene Peterson. In the fourth gospel, the first seven "signs," taken together, give a "complete" picture of Jesus. He is the one who brings life in abundance, healing for outsiders, true sight, then raises the dead, and dies for the love of the world. The resurrection is the 8th sign--the sign of the "new creation."
The fourth sign, incidentally, since it is equidistant from both the first and the last sign, is sometimes considered the "central point." The fourth gospel's "central point" is the abundant life and power of Jesus, which is represented by the feeding of the 5000.
Continue reading "Lectionary blogging: Pentecost Sunday, John 20: 19-23" »
ht: KDrum
US carmakers now employ more people in Ontario, Canada than in Michigan because in Canada their health care costs are lower.
See progressivepunch.org, which ranks all the candidates on a variety of issues. On 17 issues related to poverty and aid to the poor, Hillary gets a 99% score, Obama scores 96%--both stellar, in other words. On corporate subsidies, Hillary scores 100% and is ranked first among all Senators in trying to get corporate America off welfare. Obama criticizes Hillary for her corporate ties, but managed only a 78% score on this issue.
In fact, Hillary's score was more progressive in all categories except the environment--92% to Obama's 94%--and what progressivepunch calls "war and peace," which considers Obama slightly more progressive with an 88% score compared to Hillary's 85%.
On everything else--education, fair taxation, family planning, health care, human rights, civil liberties, government checks on corporate power--Hillary has a more "progressive" score than does Sen. Obama. Yet, most of the so-called "progressives" in the Democratic Party seem to be supporting Sen. Obama. You wonder why. Certainly not on the basis of the record.
The people of North Carolina are voting "in droves," which is the same thing we saw in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and in almost every primary and every caucus. In the Colorado caucuses earlier this year, the previous high of participation for my county (Arapahoe) was around 800. This year it was over 12,000.
Yesterday, the Democrats of the 6th Congressional District of Colorado (CD-6) held their Assembly and Convention. At 8:00 in the morning, 1000 people were already standing in line, waiting patiently to get in the building for the 10:00 start of the meeting. (Kudos to the Hillary team, by the way, for festoning the premises with Hillary paraphernalia--including a decked-out RV with a monster Hillary sign, arranged by Manny Rodriguez, national committeeman for Colorado and big Hillary supporter.)
These 1000 voters were there because they had been chosen by their respective county assemblies, a month previous, to be their delegates to the CD-6 Assembly and Convention. That Arapahoe County Convention a month ago had itself been packed with delegates who had been chosen at the yet earlier caucuses.
By the time a person had been through the CD-6 Assembly and Convention, they would have given up one entire evening to endure a chaotic maelstrom (the caucuses), as well as two full Saturdays--both beautiful days as it turned out. When the CD-6 Convention closed, every one of those 1000 people attending would have devoted about 17 or more hours of their time merely in attendance at official meetings. That's not counting the tons of time that most of them have devoted to various campaigns.
At least on the Democratic side, this campaign season breaks all records. This is not only a hopeful sign politically, for the Democrats, but a sign of the re-invigoration of American democracy. We must be doing something right for our people to be voting "in droves" in state after state.
