Mulberry House

An Open Letter to Ellen Degeneres

2012-02-10T13:17:00.002-06:00

Dear Ellen Degeneres,

Hello. My name is Jack and I live in Springfield, OH. We have never met.

I’ve seen your name in the headlines a lot these past few weeks. I’ll admit I am not a regular viewer of your show (it’s nothing personal, I just don’t watch much television). But I see you now and then, and you’ve always made me laugh. I remember you dancing at the beginning of your show, which I think is really cool.

I also remember when Dori told me to, "Just keep swimming." I thought I'd try and return the favor.

I read a story in the news about JC Penny, and how they hired you to join their team, and the terribly troubling events that transpired afterward.

I read about a group of people who protested, boycotted, and petitioned JC Penny to fire you as their spokesperson because you are gay. This group seems to think they have the right to silence you, to write you off, to push you aside. I find that to be painfully sad on many counts.

I made this an open letter for 2 important reasons. First, the attacks against you and JC Penny were very public. I think public offenses warrant public apology. Second, I was thinking that maybe there are some others out there who could benefit from reading a letter like this.

So, yes, I want to apologize. I am not arrogant enough to presume that my words are adequate, or or that I am even qualified to give them. I was not involved in the JC Penny incident in any way. I actually was pretty disconnected from the controversy, only hearing about it after JC Penny decided to stand by their decision. But I wanted to extend an apology nonetheless.

I’m sorry some people are convinced we are at war with each other. They seem to believe that different lifestyles, such as yours, are a threat to their children. When they see someone living differently than they would, they are convinced they must “fight back.” I do not believe we are enemies and I don’t believe we have to fight with each other. I believe the culture war is a myth and I refuse to be pressed into combat.

I’m sorry you have been vilified and called terrible things. It seems as if this organization has made you the face of all they disagree with. I’m sorry for the hurtful things being said.

I’m sorry so many people have judged you and categorized you without even meeting you.

I am sorry that this conversation has become all about sex, when it should be a conversation about love.

I’m sorry that members of the Christian church have waved signs at you from a distance, or shouted mean things through a bullhorn. I’m sorry they didn’t approach you and address you with the respect and dignity you deserve.

I’m sorry some people are bullies.

I'm sorry some people think their sins are better than your sins, who think they are closer to perfection than you are.

I'm sorry you've been treated like a second class citizen.

I’m sorry some people aren’t satisfied to have differences of opinion and lifestyle but rather attempt to legislate their own morality. I’m sorry people try to change others by force.

I am sorry for the deafening silence that is often perceived from the Evangelical church when it comes to the defense of people in the LGBTQ community. With bullying on the rise, and a rash of disturbing teen suicides, those proclaiming themselves as the light of the world should be… well, brighter. Some of us are trying to be better about that, but our silence is inexcusable and I apologize.

I’m sorry you have to fight for things that were given to me freely.

I teach preschool for a living. I teach four-year-old children their ABCs, their 123s, their colors, their shapes. Those things are important. But I find myself spending more time on other important life skills. Things like sharing, honesty, peacefulness, respect, and love for one another. And I certainly don’t tolerate bullying.

Maybe some of the adults in our society have forgotten these important preschool values. Perhaps I have grossly underestimated the need for decent preschool teachers in this country. They may have never learned these values in the first place.

Of course, there is also the possibility that they all just need a nap.

I looked up the One Million Moms website. I won’t repeat any of the things I read there, but I was troubled to see that the group believes, among other things, that their mission is a godly one.

You may have gathered from some of my language that I consider myself a Christian. I hesitate to say that, but not because I am ashamed of my faith. I hesitate to use a word to describe myself that has become associated with bigots and gay-haters and small-minded hypocrites. I am also wary of being lumped into a certain constituency, or voting block, or demographic… the Evangelical base, or whatever. You know them. They’re the crowd that cheers at a debate when somebody talks about executing prisoners or building an electric fence to zap immigrants to death. I want to be a Christian, but not that kind (it sounds very unlikely, I know, but there are more of us out there than people realize).

Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to sound like I have been victimized or anything. Like the “liberal media” is unfairly portraying us or something. Other Christians have gotten pretty good at playing the victim, and that is not what I am trying to do. I am simply trying to draw a distinction between my faith and the one I’ve seen in the news lately.

It may sound empty and simplistic to say, “We’re not all like that.” Perhaps the best I can do is say that one of the central teachings of Christianity is that nobody is perfect, that we all fall short of what we are called to be. This is why so many of us mess up when it comes to loving our neighbor. If you can find it in your heart, please forgive us. Give us grace, because sometimes we don’t know what we are doing.

Another thing I don’t want to do is preach. I don’t want you to think this letter is my way to sneak in a gospel message. Some Christians are good at that too… trying to evangelize in some covert, sneaky, or less than forthcoming way. I don’t mean to do that.

But some of my Christian friends don’t understand letters like this one. They think that by apologizing, I am compromising. They think I have abandoned the truth or gone lax on my convictions. This being an open letter, can I briefly share a few of those convictions?

I believe in God, Creator of all things. I believe He made all people in His image, and as a pastor friend of mine says, “God didn’t make no junk.” From the beginning, God has loved us and wanted to be with us, but our own broken sinfulness keeps getting in the way. Despite our blemishes, flaws, and rebellions against His good plan, God looks on all of us with love.

God has pursued the people He loves throughout history, beckoning us to turn away from lifestyles of oppression and manipulation and destruction, inviting us to live a better way. God loved us so much He took on flesh, and dwelt among us, and lived among the outcasts and marginalized and forgotten. He started His Kingdom with terrorists and murderers and sinners, only He made them into new creations and gave them a fresh start. He loves us today like He loved us in the beginning, and the day is coming when He will return and permanently establish the Kingdom He initiated.

Today I write to you in eager expectation of that coming day, when every tear is stayed and nothing is left of our brokenness but faded scars. I wait for a Kingdom where nobody is an outsider. I believe Jesus my Redeemer can do that, and I want to see you there in God’s Kingdom, and One Million Moms, and people from every nation and tribe and tongue.

And I think we’ll dance there.

Anyway, Ellen, although we have never met, I wanted to tell you that I love you. I care about your well-being, I want you to be happy, and I want the best for you. I want you to have the same blessings I have. I want you to be as free as I am. I want you to be here with us, not because you are gay, but because you are you.

And someday, we will all be able to look on one another with real understanding. I believe that.

Peace to you,

Jack

The Fourth Mark

2012-01-15T22:00:00.000-06:00

Posted by Jack

The 12 marks of New Monasticism are simply 12 principles that have resurfaced in Christian communities throughout church history.

In the coming weeks, I plan to highlight each of these 12 marks, briefly explain them, and explore their significance in relation to the Mulberry House.

1) Relocation to the abandoned places of the Empire.

2) Sharing Economic Resources with Fellow Community Members and the Needy Among Us.

3) Hospitality to the stranger.

4) Lament for Racial Divisions Within the Church and Our Communities Combined with the Active Pursuit of a Just Reconciliation.

Chris Rice has written a very insightful and helpful chapter on this mark and I am indebted to him as I write this post. I will summarize some of his main ideas, but be sure to pick up the book and read his very relevant words in full.

When it comes to racial divisions, we live in a fuzzier time than we used to. We are a generation removed from the Civil Rights Movement, and many of us today have no memory of the intense battles that raged or the freedom fighters who led us into a better age. While racial divisions still exist, they are much harder for us to see sometimes as they are below the surface, or hidden in plain sight, and not as overt as they once were in this nation.

Fuzzier times do not call for quick solutions, but deeper diagnosis of the divisions among us.

To see racial division in our society, one needs look no further than the church. It is reported that 95% of white American Christians worship in all-white congregations while 90% of black American Christians worship in all-black congregations (see Michael Emerson's Divided by Faith, Oxford University Press 2000).

* [Please note, I am using the terms "black" and "white" in this post as shorthand representing the broad divisions among us. These terms are not meant to be blanket descriptions of all races as many unique and beautiful contours exist among us, including but not limited to Asian-Americans, African-Americans, and European-Americans as well as South and Central Americans... please give me grace as I speak in generalizations.]

This tells us that the vast majority of our churches are ethnic specific. Rice begs the question, are these different church worlds acceptable? Should we accept the existence of these sub-cultures within the Body as diversity and preference? Is it okay to simply worship with people who are "like me" without harming others? Or do we declare this segregated Sabbath a sign of deep seated racialization and division?

What Do We Lament?

Rice writes about two congregations in his city: both of them are over 100 years old, both are situated in the same neighborhood, very near one another, but one remains essentially white and the other remains essentially black. Despite their close proximity to one another and their shared history together, these two congregations have never worshipped together, entered one another's sanctuaries, prayed together, worked together on a shared project, or even become friends with one another until very recently.

In the century they have existed, they have remained strangers. If Christians everywhere are one family, how is it possible to remain so isolated from one another?

Where isolation from others is rampant, language of division is sure to follow. We. They. Us. Them. It becomes easy to put others, and ourselves, into categories. These self-imposed categories and patterns are soon taken for granted. Our divisions become "normal." The gulf between us and our neighbors continues to widen, our differences look less and less reconcilable, and division is seen as inevitable.

Wendell Berry called the problem of racial division our nation's "hidden wound." He noted that this problem is not marked by open hostility, but by normalization within racialized, divided, accepted patterns of who "our people" are and who they are not. These divisions are seen as normal and acceptable on both sides. Them, not us. Those people, not our people. Other and alien, not family.

Lament as Remembering and Grieving Well

Rice makes 4 points I will summarize briefly here.

Divided congregations, such as the one described above, did not fall from the sky. The ground we live on is not innocent; it only seems so because of our forgetfulness. Recognizing the trajectories and histories that have brought us here is essential. We must look below the surface to understand why seemingly "normal" divisions have come to be.
Lament, then, becomes a practice of remembering and grieving well. We must say BOTH, "God, we see and feel the pain of our divisions and brokenness," AND, "We know this is not the way God wants things to be! We have new life in Christ!" Grief over our past, and hope for our future.
In pursuit of holiness, we are called to social analysis. Through theological and social discernment, we must bring visibility to divisions within our communities, whether it be between men and women, privileged and marginalized, or even between different faith traditions.
Diversity, or differences among us, should not be seen as divisions, but as facets of God's beautiful creation. We must celebrate the unique features of the Body of Christ, not eliminate the differences that "stick out."

It will be a messy challenge, but it is a vital one. This is not a matter of political correctness or mere tolerance. It is a matter of allowing the Holy Spirit to disrupt our normalized brokenness and transform us into New Creatures.

Throughout the book of Acts, in the Bible, two themes pervade the growth of the church. First is the power of the Holy Spirit in the Risen Christ. Second is the formation of profound new communities across lines of language, ethnicity, and privilege.

As I write this, I risk sounding naive or simplistic. Concrete solutions are hard to come by. It is not as if any of us can effectively reach a just reconciliation to address our racial divisions and brokenness.

I will leave you with the words Chris Rice spoke to a friend after addressing this topic in a speech. He said, "To be deeply bothered is a sign of hope. We have to keep proclaiming what is not, even what is not in our own midst."

It is absolutely right to put "lamenting racial divisions" in front of "pursuing a just reconciliation." Lament reminds us that we are not God, that visions like the new monasticism do not capture the Kingdom, that true reconciliation is only in the eschaton, when all things are reconciled in Christ. We keep naming the "not yet" of the coming Kingdom, keep praying to be interrupted by the unexpected, keep reaching out to the stranger, keep holding our hands outward for the gift of new people that the Holy Spirit may bring us tomorrow. Or not.

Saddest City in the United States?

2012-01-11T06:52:00.003-06:00

Posted by Jack

A local news source has informed us that Springfield, OH is the saddest city in the U.S., according to a recent Gallup poll.

Granted, these polls are not infallible... in fact, they are often quite subjective. But since Springfield is making national news in this regard, maybe we ought to be alert to it.

We do not quite know how to respond to this news, but in the very least, we hope to plan some joy-inducing actions here in our neighborhood. What do you think? Let's raise the Happiness Index together.

More to come...

Merry Christmas...and Peace on Earth

2011-12-23T14:26:00.006-06:00

Posted by Tim

Glory to God in the highest! Peace on the earth and good will towards men.

- Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas from Mulberry Street! Jack, Carlos, and I (along with the rest of our community) would like to wish you all Grace and Peace as you remember Love Incarnate, Jesus Christ, this season. May we never grow tired of hearing how God put on skin and showed us how to love. The miracle of Christmas is not the Nativity itself, but the Notion behind it. He gave up everything, that we might have Peace.

Peace...it's so easy to talk about Peace during Christmas. It's all over cards and billboards, written into songs and sermons; but how much peace do we honestly experience? Many take time off for Christmas, but between gift wrapping, tree decorating, caroling, and candlelight vigils, the season in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus seems to be one of the most hectic times of the year. Add the busyness, heavy traffic, and congested shopping malls to the anxiety of finding the perfect gift and the strain of visiting relatives, and you'll find a season where many people get downright miserable. I'm afraid that sometimes we are in such a hurry to give of ourselves that we drown out His presence.

Peace...a hard concept to grasp when this year the Christian West celebrated the deaths of Bin Laden, Gaddafi, and Kim Jong Il, withdrew from one battlefield only to contemplate another, and watched as violence rose again in Afghanistan despite the presence of our "peacekeepers." It is hard for the Church to claim Peace while trusting in earthly armies to protect it. The Child in the manger conquered death by yielding to the sword, not wielding it Himself.

The Angels that appeared to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem rejoiced, but they weren't proclaiming generosity or victory by might. So how do we share the Gospel message in a culture where Peace is so foreign? Can we offer Good Will to all men? 800 years ago, a young monk named Francis offered this prayer:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen."

This Christmas, make it your goal to shout light into the darkness where you find it, because the darkness cannot overcome it. Just as Jesus gave completely of Himself, pour yourself out to family, friends, and enemies this Season. And when you have exhausted what you have, give more. And when we have given it honestly to everyone we know, maybe we ourselves can find Peace this Christmas.

We Love You,

The Mulberry House.

The Rebel Jesus

2011-12-19T06:11:00.008-06:00

Posted by Jack

This year, I have tried to be intentional about reclaiming the Christmas mythology. The following will serve as my final entry on this topic: a vision of the Rebel Jesus.

Part 1: The Grinch was Right
Part 2: Rudolph was a Gimmick
Part 3: The Candy Cane is a Lie

Part 4: The Rebel Jesus

All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
While the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around the hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

Well they call him by 'the Prince of Peace'
And they call him by 'the Savior'
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

Well we guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

Now pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus

As an alternative to unnecessary shopping, consider reading this post and giving the gift of clean water to families in Haiti. Jeff Cook has drawn our attention to a beautiful group of Jesus followers who are drilling wells in areas that need them most. Click here to sacrifice unnecessary stocking stuffers on behalf of the poor and needy.

The Candy Cane is a Lie

2011-12-16T12:46:00.002-06:00

Posted by Jack

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas candy cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.
He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy: White to symbolize the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the church, and firmness of the Promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the bloodshed by Christ on the cross so that we could the promise of Eternal Life.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a candy cane-a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear."

Every year, this amazing and heart-warming story finds its way into my email inbox. This year, I received a candy cane from my employer with this story attached, and I was also given a storybook version of the legend to read to the children this holiday season. There is no question that the story is touching. But there is one little detail that persists in bothering me…

The story is complete and utter bulls***.

It turns out, candy canes existed long before Indiana did, and there is little in this story that rings true. Fact-checking gurus at Snopes.com cried foul on the crooked tale years ago, and other verifiable histories exist. The internet abounds with various contradictory accounts, but regardless of the true history of the candy cane, it is clear that the treat has little or nothing to do with Jesus.

Of course, charming folklore bears no threat. But it should be noted that many people in leadership (knowingly or unknowingly) perpetuate this story every year in response to questions of the candy’s origin.

(Psst. Did you know that PEZ dispensers were created by a Sunday School teacher in Pennsylvania who wanted to teach his children about sanctification? Spread the word.)

I am all for reclaiming cultural practices and re-clothing them with new meaning and Kingdom values. If something can be redeemed, or reworked, or celebrated in light of the reality of our King, then by all means, let’s do it! If someone wants to live old-world practices with new-Kingdom understanding, I find nothing wrong with that. If the candy cane reminds you of all those doctrinal truths, great!

But is it necessary to rewrite history? Must we create false origin stories to justify our favorite cultural practices? Should we take something completely secular, or neutral, and make it seem as if it has been “Christian” all along?

(Maybe we should go back and photoshop Jesus into the background of all those Coca-Cola Santa advertisements…)

I got a similar vibe a few years ago when I was attending a church Christmas pageant for children. Santa made an appearance in the program. After passing out gifts to the children (including a card that spins a bogus candy cane yarn), Santa turned and knelt before a cross. It was then explained to the children that Santa Claus is a servant of Jesus and that the jolly old fat man always pauses to remember the true meaning of the Christmas. What the Fa-la-la-la-la is that?

It seems efforts like these are an attempt to make our own Christmas traditions more acceptable. Some people seem to think there is no place for certain cultural practices unless they are somehow Jesus-related. So, these people take on the cheery chore of squeezing Biblical concepts into every nook and cranny.

This type of thinking looks something like this: If we can make the Christmas tree about Jesus, it is okay to have one. If we can make the gift exchange about Jesus, it is okay to have one.

(“No, children. This is not a gingerbread man. It’s a ginger-angel! Now go hang your Jesus-footies by the fireplace and get to sleep!”)

Listen, there is no danger of the Gospel losing its power. Even if the population at large is consumed with consumption, we do not need to sneak Jesus into their stories in hopes of winning them over. Changing world traditions to incorporate our beliefs may make us feel better, but it is not necessary.

We are not needed to “guard” Christmas in the public square. It is not our job to infiltrate holiday traditions and inject Scripture. We are not soldiers locked in battle to protect Christmas. Instead, let us fascinate others into a relationship with the newborn King.

There is no need to create a new Christmas mythology. And we certainly don’t need to change existing Yuletide traditions to reflect a Savior they have nothing to do with.

This holiday season, break the influence of the candy cane.

Fear not! The meaning of this season is lost ONLY if the people of God get distracted and become contaminated by the shallowness of worldly practices.

Good tidings! Share the true Christmas story. Do not invent a new one.

Great joy! Allow Jesus to fill your life; do not cram your life full of Jesus by stuffing Him into places He doesn’t belong.