WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:05.120 Welcome to Compass, Finding Spirituality in the Everyday. And this is a 2 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:08.934 podcast by United Methodist Communications. And it's where we 3 00:00:08.934 --> 00:00:12.615 seek to build connections with spiritual seekers through stories and 4 00:00:12.615 --> 00:00:16.075 insights revealing God's action in the world today. 5 00:00:16.375 --> 00:00:20.210 I'm Ryan Dunn. I wanna wanna thank you for joining me in this episode. We're 6 00:00:20.210 --> 00:00:23.750 diving into the topic of living out our faith in a complex 7 00:00:23.810 --> 00:00:27.285 world. So with so much polarization and outrage around us, 8 00:00:28.385 --> 00:00:30.965 how do we express our faith authentically 9 00:00:31.905 --> 00:00:35.560 without adding to that polarization and 10 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:39.400 division. Over the weekend, the Olympics kicked off Friday in 11 00:00:39.400 --> 00:00:41.900 Paris. Whoo. Alright. 12 00:00:43.615 --> 00:00:47.295 But then there was instant controversy over 13 00:00:47.295 --> 00:00:51.055 an opening number featuring drag performers that some people 14 00:00:51.055 --> 00:00:54.880 said was a blasphemous take on da Vinci's painting, The Last 15 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:56.980 Supper. And see the opening ceremonies 16 00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:02.045 completely blast theme and mock the Christian 17 00:01:02.045 --> 00:01:05.504 faith with their interpretation of the last supper 18 00:01:06.125 --> 00:01:09.140 was disgust. I thought it was a disgrace. I thought it was, 19 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:13.860 terrible. Such mockery is a deliberate attack on 20 00:01:13.860 --> 00:01:17.555 Jesus Christ, And to sit here and let France mock the country, mock 21 00:01:17.555 --> 00:01:21.075 your religion, make fun of every single thing you feel holy. This is the last 22 00:01:21.075 --> 00:01:24.850 supper. This is everything holy about Christianity. All these clips have 23 00:01:24.850 --> 00:01:28.210 come in reaction to the opening ceremonies of the 24 00:01:28.210 --> 00:01:30.950 Olympics presented in Paris, France in 2024. 25 00:01:31.875 --> 00:01:35.655 The assumption made by many was that a scene 26 00:01:35.715 --> 00:01:39.155 of a number of people, some of them in drag around a long 27 00:01:39.155 --> 00:01:42.610 table was a mockery of the 28 00:01:42.610 --> 00:01:45.970 last supper scene specifically as it was 29 00:01:45.970 --> 00:01:49.750 depicted in Leonardo Da Vinci's famous last supper painting. 30 00:01:50.355 --> 00:01:54.115 The retort in what many of us understand is 31 00:01:54.115 --> 00:01:57.555 that the scene was really a recreation of a completely different 32 00:01:57.555 --> 00:02:01.330 painting depicting a Dionysian party, not the 33 00:02:01.330 --> 00:02:04.690 last supper. And, actually, many of us aren't that 34 00:02:04.690 --> 00:02:07.750 uncomfortable with the idea of people in drag being 35 00:02:08.175 --> 00:02:11.235 seated with Jesus. It's funny to me, 36 00:02:11.935 --> 00:02:15.315 about what some people choose to express 37 00:02:15.775 --> 00:02:19.340 outrage over. I feel like there are so many 38 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:23.180 more outrageous things happening in the world. For example, we've 39 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:26.780 heard some outrage over the violence being committed in 40 00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:30.224 Gaza, but it hasn't felt nearly as loud 41 00:02:30.845 --> 00:02:34.605 as this outrage. At least not over the past couple of weeks as 42 00:02:34.605 --> 00:02:38.370 the Olympics have been going on and still the 43 00:02:38.370 --> 00:02:41.910 outrageous stuff in Gaza continues to happen. Or 44 00:02:42.290 --> 00:02:45.985 was there a sense of outrage expressed over the amount of money invested 45 00:02:46.845 --> 00:02:50.225 in these opening ceremonies? I mean, they were quite extravagant 46 00:02:50.605 --> 00:02:54.420 and I think the old w w j d question, you know, 47 00:02:54.420 --> 00:02:58.180 what would Jesus do would challenge us to consider using 48 00:02:58.180 --> 00:03:01.695 much of the money differently for sure. The outrage we're 49 00:03:01.695 --> 00:03:05.235 hearing again is in relation to a supposed recreation 50 00:03:05.375 --> 00:03:08.595 of Leonardo da Vinci's depiction of the last supper. 51 00:03:09.210 --> 00:03:13.050 I have to wonder if Jesus and the disciples would have felt any kind of 52 00:03:13.050 --> 00:03:16.670 sense of outrage that da Vinci depicted them 53 00:03:16.965 --> 00:03:20.665 as a bunch of European guys. Maybe that's outrageous 54 00:03:20.805 --> 00:03:24.185 that we've whitewashed the whole Jesus 55 00:03:24.245 --> 00:03:28.090 crew, but also even in the midst of 56 00:03:28.230 --> 00:03:31.909 the misunderstanding of what the scene represented, what a 57 00:03:31.909 --> 00:03:34.730 chance this was to break down some walls 58 00:03:35.355 --> 00:03:38.495 instead of really investing in building them higher. 59 00:03:39.115 --> 00:03:42.495 My point of view is that Jesus was like the ultimate 60 00:03:42.715 --> 00:03:46.510 wall destroyer. The notion of the incarnation, this 61 00:03:46.510 --> 00:03:50.270 notion that Jesus is God come to earth as 62 00:03:50.270 --> 00:03:53.615 a human to experience that all humanity 63 00:03:53.835 --> 00:03:57.195 experiences, that incarnation represents a 64 00:03:57.195 --> 00:04:00.415 removal of any wall that would separate 65 00:04:00.635 --> 00:04:04.420 humanity from God. This episode though, isn't 66 00:04:04.420 --> 00:04:08.180 about explicitly really reacting to the ceremonies or 67 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:11.000 the evangelical outrage after those ceremonies. 68 00:04:11.695 --> 00:04:15.535 Instead, I wanted to explore how to express our faith in a 69 00:04:15.535 --> 00:04:19.350 way that fosters understanding and connection rather than 70 00:04:19.350 --> 00:04:22.950 division. And hopefully, I'm gonna provide a couple examples. This is really 71 00:04:22.950 --> 00:04:26.390 about identifying some helpful ways that we express our 72 00:04:26.390 --> 00:04:29.685 faith in an age of outrage and polarization. 73 00:04:30.705 --> 00:04:34.245 This podcast, the compass podcast itself is for people 74 00:04:34.465 --> 00:04:37.930 who feel like spiritual seekers. It's for the people 75 00:04:37.930 --> 00:04:41.610 who don't have all the answers, but we're curious about 76 00:04:41.610 --> 00:04:45.335 finding out more is for the people who feel like we're on a 77 00:04:45.335 --> 00:04:49.015 bit of a journey. I believe a majority of our 78 00:04:49.015 --> 00:04:52.775 audience is probably uncomfortable with the 79 00:04:52.775 --> 00:04:55.629 supposed, can I quote this Christian 80 00:04:56.169 --> 00:05:00.009 response to the opening ceremonies? Because that response 81 00:05:00.009 --> 00:05:03.695 reflects a closed off mindset that I don't think our 82 00:05:03.695 --> 00:05:07.055 audience values much, probably because in our question 83 00:05:07.055 --> 00:05:10.275 asking we would or have 84 00:05:10.979 --> 00:05:14.740 found ourselves pushed towards the outside or 85 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:18.225 the margins of faith communities. I 86 00:05:18.225 --> 00:05:21.745 think that closed mindset also makes us a 87 00:05:21.745 --> 00:05:25.425 little uncomfortable in expressing our own faith 88 00:05:25.425 --> 00:05:29.159 in the public forum because we might be lumped in with, you 89 00:05:29.159 --> 00:05:32.680 know, the them, the loud voices who are 90 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:35.500 expressing a clear sense of judgmentalism 91 00:05:36.785 --> 00:05:40.625 and partisanship. So this episode provides some 92 00:05:40.625 --> 00:05:44.405 ideas for bringing our faith to the public forum without perhaps 93 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:48.659 adding some height or some depth to the walls 94 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:52.265 that divide us. I hope that what comes out of this 95 00:05:52.665 --> 00:05:56.265 at least. So this is far from a checklist. You're not 96 00:05:56.265 --> 00:06:00.000 gonna leave this episode with 5 action steps to undertake in order 97 00:06:00.080 --> 00:06:03.680 to be a bridge builder or anything like that. It's more about 98 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:07.280 postures and attitudes and even providing a couple of 99 00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:10.295 examples. Now, as I see it, 100 00:06:10.835 --> 00:06:14.515 Jesus must have been pretty good at reading an 101 00:06:14.515 --> 00:06:17.575 audience. At least in the stories that were given in the gospels, 102 00:06:18.130 --> 00:06:21.970 Jesus is a debt at delivering a message for a 103 00:06:21.970 --> 00:06:25.190 particular audience. His use of parables, 104 00:06:25.410 --> 00:06:29.175 they turned complex teachings into relatable 105 00:06:29.235 --> 00:06:33.075 tales. And I'm explicitly thinking of teachings like the parable of 106 00:06:33.075 --> 00:06:36.729 the sower, which communicated this deep spiritual truth in 107 00:06:36.729 --> 00:06:39.389 familiar terms of the agricultural 108 00:06:40.090 --> 00:06:43.229 Jesus was again and again, accessible 109 00:06:43.915 --> 00:06:47.695 and relatable. I have to wonder in our current age, 110 00:06:47.995 --> 00:06:51.135 when we immediately resort to a default 111 00:06:51.355 --> 00:06:54.860 reaction of outrage, who are we 112 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:58.699 actually considering the audience for 113 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:02.535 our outraged responses? Now, some people may 114 00:07:02.535 --> 00:07:06.215 say, well, I don't do it for anybody. And for those who are saying that 115 00:07:06.215 --> 00:07:09.980 they're not responding to anyone are in particular, then why 116 00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:13.520 would you actually offer a public response at all? 117 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:17.420 In the case of the Olympics, I have yet to see an outraged response that 118 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:21.005 was really about building some kind of dialogue with 119 00:07:21.005 --> 00:07:24.685 the supposed transgressors. Instead, the 120 00:07:24.685 --> 00:07:28.510 audience of those public outrage responses are people who 121 00:07:28.590 --> 00:07:32.110 are already inclined to believe or 122 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:35.630 agree with the outrage. So they are 123 00:07:35.630 --> 00:07:39.205 those who are behind the proverbial wall 124 00:07:39.505 --> 00:07:43.185 already. This public facing response is 125 00:07:43.185 --> 00:07:46.405 not meant to be a bridge. It's meant to, gas 126 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:50.729 enclosed or encircle the wagons around 127 00:07:50.729 --> 00:07:54.490 the, the faithful community already. Now, maybe 128 00:07:54.490 --> 00:07:57.805 this is an opportune time to talk about 129 00:07:57.944 --> 00:08:01.625 what sin is in the United Methodist church, 130 00:08:01.625 --> 00:08:05.324 that religious tradition that I'm a part of, we're often accused 131 00:08:06.020 --> 00:08:09.620 of neglecting sin that like, we just don't preach about 132 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:13.380 it enough. And the assumption goes with this, that we just have this, anything 133 00:08:13.380 --> 00:08:17.125 goes attitude and there is no sin or the assumption 134 00:08:17.125 --> 00:08:20.965 is made that it's too uncomfortable to talk about sin. So we just kind of 135 00:08:20.965 --> 00:08:24.470 sweep it under the rug. I think that those criticisms 136 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:28.229 come from a place of divergent perspectives 137 00:08:28.690 --> 00:08:31.990 about sin. Now Jesus ministry certainly 138 00:08:32.695 --> 00:08:36.294 brought up sin. It's revealing though, as to what kind of 139 00:08:36.294 --> 00:08:39.950 sins Jesus really condemned people for note 140 00:08:39.950 --> 00:08:43.470 that the woman caught in adultery. We get this story in John chapter 141 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:47.310 8. She was not condemned embezzling tax collectors 142 00:08:47.310 --> 00:08:50.895 like Matthew and Zacchaeus were not condemned, but those who 143 00:08:50.895 --> 00:08:54.675 wanted to gate, keep access to the community of faith, 144 00:08:55.215 --> 00:08:58.930 they received the harsh words. They received some 145 00:08:58.930 --> 00:09:02.610 condemnation. And in Matthew 23, Jesus really lays 146 00:09:02.610 --> 00:09:06.194 it out there. He calls these, these gatekeepers, children of 147 00:09:06.194 --> 00:09:09.654 hell, and he calls them blind fools explicitly. 148 00:09:10.115 --> 00:09:13.930 He notes that these religious leaders quote, crush people 149 00:09:13.930 --> 00:09:17.610 with unbearable religious demands and never lift a 150 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:21.435 finger to ease the burden and quote consistently. 151 00:09:22.455 --> 00:09:25.435 Those on the outside were treated with a conciliatory 152 00:09:26.055 --> 00:09:29.550 attitude and those on the inside got the 153 00:09:29.550 --> 00:09:32.910 harsh stuff when assuming the roles of 154 00:09:32.910 --> 00:09:36.750 gatekeepers. So what does this have to do with sin? It would 155 00:09:36.750 --> 00:09:40.595 seem that sin is not just a condition of being a rule 156 00:09:40.595 --> 00:09:43.475 breaker. So, you know, God said it, therefore we have to do it. And if 157 00:09:43.475 --> 00:09:47.180 we don't, then we're breaking the rules and committing sin. Instead, sin 158 00:09:47.180 --> 00:09:50.959 is the state in which people are destroying their relationships 159 00:09:51.339 --> 00:09:55.075 with one another and with God. That's what I believe 160 00:09:55.075 --> 00:09:58.755 in a nutshell. And I'll say it again. Sin is the state in which 161 00:09:58.755 --> 00:10:01.895 people are destroying their relationships with one another 162 00:10:02.595 --> 00:10:06.100 and with God. And I need to note that I can't 163 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:09.700 speak for the entirety of United Methodism on 164 00:10:09.700 --> 00:10:13.325 that. I can offer that this is an acceptable 165 00:10:13.385 --> 00:10:17.225 view in United Methodism. And that actually probably needs 166 00:10:17.225 --> 00:10:20.880 to be said in a lot of United Methodist theology as 167 00:10:20.880 --> 00:10:24.480 a denomination with a pretty open and wide spanning 168 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:28.100 theology. It's hard to say, here's what United Methodist 169 00:10:28.160 --> 00:10:31.585 believe without someone else saying, well, that's not what I 170 00:10:31.585 --> 00:10:34.885 believe, but we can surely say 171 00:10:35.345 --> 00:10:38.565 this is a widely held view in United Methodism. 172 00:10:38.970 --> 00:10:42.810 Now my view of sin certainly falls into that category. So someone who 173 00:10:42.810 --> 00:10:46.510 is legitimately United Methodist is saying, I disagree 174 00:10:46.570 --> 00:10:50.265 with Ryan on that, but also it is an acceptable view in 175 00:10:50.265 --> 00:10:54.105 the United Methodist church. Anyways, this relates to 176 00:10:54.105 --> 00:10:57.879 how we live out our faith in a complex world, because there's a 177 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:01.240 vein of Christianity that views condemnation of 178 00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:04.600 sin as a vital way of living out 179 00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:08.445 faith in the public arena. And the harshest example of this would 180 00:11:08.445 --> 00:11:12.125 be like the street corner preachers who want to let 181 00:11:12.125 --> 00:11:15.780 all passers by know that they're going to hell. A more common 182 00:11:15.780 --> 00:11:19.380 example is what we're seeing right now in response to 183 00:11:19.380 --> 00:11:23.140 the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, that outrage that is 184 00:11:23.140 --> 00:11:26.575 being expressed. Now, the flip side of this public 185 00:11:26.575 --> 00:11:30.355 display is to go to an extreme to say that 186 00:11:30.415 --> 00:11:33.950 faith is a private matter in one doesn't need to bring their faith 187 00:11:33.950 --> 00:11:37.790 into the public sphere. And in some degrees, there's a little bit of wisdom 188 00:11:37.790 --> 00:11:39.454 to that. I don't believe it's respectful to others to like throw our faith in 189 00:11:39.454 --> 00:11:42.875 their faces. And to others to like throw our faith in their 190 00:11:42.875 --> 00:11:46.555 faces. And that might look like being 191 00:11:46.555 --> 00:11:49.980 invited to something like a bachelor party at a strip club 192 00:11:49.980 --> 00:11:53.420 and responding with a statement like I'm 193 00:11:53.420 --> 00:11:56.995 Christian and I don't do that now as a person of 194 00:11:56.995 --> 00:12:00.835 conscience and a person of faith. I also don't feel like it's the 195 00:12:00.835 --> 00:12:04.375 right thing for me to go to a strict club, 196 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:08.040 but a more compassionate response, maybe to say something 197 00:12:08.040 --> 00:12:11.660 like, I can't do something like that without objectifying 198 00:12:11.800 --> 00:12:15.625 to performers and that weighs on my conscience. So, that tends to 199 00:12:15.625 --> 00:12:18.985 work my mind a little bit. So I'm going to pass on that 200 00:12:18.985 --> 00:12:22.584 invite. Now that's not the best example, but it does 201 00:12:22.584 --> 00:12:25.960 hint at the way in which faith and 202 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:29.800 conscience inform our public lives. This is this public action. 203 00:12:29.800 --> 00:12:33.535 Me not going to that club without faith, 204 00:12:33.835 --> 00:12:37.595 being a barrier to our relationships with others, and maybe without a 205 00:12:37.595 --> 00:12:41.199 sense of judgmental gatekeeping on that as well. And in 206 00:12:41.199 --> 00:12:44.959 this example, faith is a personal thing, but it's 207 00:12:44.959 --> 00:12:48.740 affecting public behavior. So yes, faith is personal, 208 00:12:49.295 --> 00:12:52.975 but it's also a little bit public. And that's why the 209 00:12:52.975 --> 00:12:56.735 incarnation of Jesus is important because it 210 00:12:56.735 --> 00:13:00.530 shows publicly a better way. It's a very 211 00:13:00.530 --> 00:13:04.370 public display of what God is doing in the 212 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:07.430 world. Jesus revealed the possibilities 213 00:13:08.315 --> 00:13:12.155 of a life with God. And on the flip of that, Jesus did not 214 00:13:12.155 --> 00:13:15.455 come to inflict a life with God, 215 00:13:15.839 --> 00:13:19.520 but instead came to exemplify a life with God. And 216 00:13:19.520 --> 00:13:23.200 that example based mindset is something missing in much of 217 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.535 the discourse around Christian discourse. 218 00:13:26.995 --> 00:13:30.515 And it is certainly missing when we stretch the truth around public 219 00:13:30.515 --> 00:13:34.269 events in order to create a sense of outrage. 220 00:13:34.810 --> 00:13:38.649 And this again is what has happened around the 2024 Olympics 221 00:13:38.649 --> 00:13:42.375 opening ceremonies in Paris. The scene causing the outrage 222 00:13:42.435 --> 00:13:46.274 was not, as we've noted, a mockery of the last supper, nor 223 00:13:46.274 --> 00:13:49.990 was it even a mockery of Da Vinci's painting. I'm 224 00:13:49.990 --> 00:13:53.510 not convinced that a portrayal of the last supper by people in 225 00:13:53.510 --> 00:13:57.270 drag would be a mockery of anything. Instead. I think it would be 226 00:13:57.270 --> 00:14:00.865 a commentary on the all encompassing love of God, 227 00:14:01.165 --> 00:14:04.605 but that's beside the point nor were 228 00:14:04.605 --> 00:14:08.290 later scenes in the opening ceremonies like scenes 229 00:14:08.290 --> 00:14:11.890 with that mechanized horse at the end, nor was 230 00:14:11.890 --> 00:14:15.510 that a mockery of 1 of the riders from revelation 231 00:14:16.774 --> 00:14:20.454 rather than a life of faith being inflicted. The life of 232 00:14:20.454 --> 00:14:24.295 faith is an invitation. Shane Claiborne, who's a friend of 233 00:14:24.295 --> 00:14:27.920 this podcast from back on episode 45. He talks 234 00:14:27.920 --> 00:14:31.300 about the irresistible pull of 235 00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:34.895 the family of God or the kingdom of God or 236 00:14:35.055 --> 00:14:38.815 kingdom of God enacted. And he writes 237 00:14:38.815 --> 00:14:42.655 about this ideal extensively in both the 238 00:14:42.655 --> 00:14:46.420 irresistible revolution and his book, Jesus for president, 239 00:14:47.040 --> 00:14:50.880 noting that wherever we see people being lifted up, people 240 00:14:50.880 --> 00:14:54.385 being included and finding joy, There's something 241 00:14:54.524 --> 00:14:57.584 inviting to that. We all want to participate 242 00:14:58.204 --> 00:15:01.904 in that kind of public action. It's not about coercion. 243 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:06.060 It's 1st and foremost about instead an attitude 244 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.975 of humility. What would it look like if 245 00:15:09.975 --> 00:15:13.735 Christianity if Christianity's attitude towards 246 00:15:13.735 --> 00:15:17.115 the world was marked by Christ centered humility 247 00:15:17.800 --> 00:15:21.420 as opposed to a sense of outrage. Augustine 248 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:25.235 said that humility is the beginning of Christian discipleship. There's a 249 00:15:25.235 --> 00:15:28.995 lot of wisdom there. It suggests that the beginning of growth 250 00:15:28.995 --> 00:15:32.650 on our spiritual journey is to adopt a sense of 251 00:15:32.650 --> 00:15:36.030 humility and to stay grounded then in that humility 252 00:15:36.490 --> 00:15:40.330 throughout our journey. Outrage on the other hand, while that's not one 253 00:15:40.330 --> 00:15:43.845 of the fruits of the spirit, it's something that turns people away. And I 254 00:15:43.845 --> 00:15:47.365 think that there are these attitudes that we should 255 00:15:47.365 --> 00:15:51.110 concentrate on in terms of living out a faith in 256 00:15:51.190 --> 00:15:54.870 a complex world, because these are the attitudes through which life becomes a 257 00:15:54.870 --> 00:15:58.630 bit simpler and becomes peace filled. These are 258 00:15:58.630 --> 00:16:02.315 the irresistible attitudes. And I think Galatians 5, 259 00:16:02.315 --> 00:16:05.915 what we call the fruits of the spirit sums it up very 260 00:16:05.915 --> 00:16:09.760 well. Galatians 522 through 23 says this, the fruit of 261 00:16:09.760 --> 00:16:12.980 the spirit is love, joy, peace, 262 00:16:13.520 --> 00:16:16.180 patience, kindness, generosity, 263 00:16:17.040 --> 00:16:20.715 faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. There 264 00:16:20.715 --> 00:16:24.155 is no law against such things. I love that 265 00:16:24.155 --> 00:16:27.775 little aside thrown in the end there. There's no law against such things. 266 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:31.180 And all of us want a piece of that, a piece of kindness, a piece 267 00:16:31.180 --> 00:16:34.560 of patience, a piece of self control. That's the irresistible 268 00:16:35.020 --> 00:16:38.705 invitation of faith Outrage? Well, 269 00:16:38.705 --> 00:16:42.065 not so much. So is outrage ever 270 00:16:42.065 --> 00:16:45.904 warranted? Well, Jesus got outraged. So I would 271 00:16:45.904 --> 00:16:49.350 have to say yes, Times it is warranted. But again, 272 00:16:49.730 --> 00:16:53.430 what outraged Jesus seemed to be acts of exclusion. 273 00:16:53.810 --> 00:16:57.404 Those acts that told others that they had no access 274 00:16:57.785 --> 00:17:01.305 to the love of God. There's a group in the United Methodist 275 00:17:01.305 --> 00:17:04.684 Church called El Plan for Hispanic Latina Ministry. 276 00:17:04.930 --> 00:17:08.550 El Plan strives to develop Hispanic slash 277 00:17:08.610 --> 00:17:12.369 Latinx leaders in faith communities working as 278 00:17:12.369 --> 00:17:16.185 partners, equal partners in decision making in 279 00:17:16.185 --> 00:17:19.805 the broader church. In a recent newsletter, Al plan 280 00:17:20.025 --> 00:17:23.859 executive director, Reverend Doctor. Lydia Munoz shared what 281 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:27.480 she's learning in participating in another collaborative 282 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:31.299 group with other Hispanic Latino leaders from different 283 00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:34.845 denominations. And she wrote this. It's really well put. 284 00:17:34.845 --> 00:17:38.684 Quote, what we all acknowledged was that our seminaries and 285 00:17:38.684 --> 00:17:42.044 training have prepared us to have conversations inside the 286 00:17:42.044 --> 00:17:45.549 church about the church and around the church in the public 287 00:17:45.549 --> 00:17:48.990 square, but we've not learned the skills to engage as 288 00:17:48.990 --> 00:17:52.455 participants in the conversation in the public 289 00:17:52.455 --> 00:17:55.755 square as a partner with the public square, 290 00:17:56.215 --> 00:17:59.919 not with a hidden agenda or to gain members, but because we 291 00:17:59.919 --> 00:18:03.760 are disciples of Jesus with a sincere concern for the common 292 00:18:03.760 --> 00:18:07.519 good of all people. She continues to say, when 293 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:11.285 we read about the church that began to take shape in acts 2, we 294 00:18:11.285 --> 00:18:14.905 see a community of faith that didn't know what they were becoming. 295 00:18:15.365 --> 00:18:19.110 All they knew was that they had experienced the power of God that 296 00:18:19.110 --> 00:18:22.250 convened them together. I mean, together, 297 00:18:22.790 --> 00:18:26.525 like all things in common together. That ends her 298 00:18:26.525 --> 00:18:30.125 quote. And the characteristics of the acts 2 church that she talks 299 00:18:30.125 --> 00:18:33.560 about were a sense of community and commonality. 300 00:18:33.860 --> 00:18:37.540 Acts 2 that says that the church at that time held all things 301 00:18:37.540 --> 00:18:41.185 in common. They worshiped together almost every day. Many met 302 00:18:41.185 --> 00:18:44.705 daily for shared meals and they shared what they 303 00:18:44.705 --> 00:18:48.385 had with those in need. I recently had a 304 00:18:48.385 --> 00:18:52.150 Instagram conversation with another friend of this podcast, 305 00:18:52.210 --> 00:18:56.050 Reverend Adam Baker. Adam was a guest alongside Krissy Reeves, 306 00:18:56.050 --> 00:18:59.875 Pendergrass on episode 54 And Adam has 307 00:18:59.875 --> 00:19:03.395 just visited 924 Gilman Street in 308 00:19:03.395 --> 00:19:06.375 Berkeley, California. And 924 Gilman 309 00:19:06.919 --> 00:19:10.520 is a music club, sort of. Now most clubs will hire 310 00:19:10.520 --> 00:19:14.345 musical guests, and then they determine the price of entry and how 311 00:19:14.345 --> 00:19:17.725 much they paying their musicians. And there'll be primarily 312 00:19:17.865 --> 00:19:21.625 responsible for publicity and such, and, you know, therefore make 313 00:19:21.625 --> 00:19:25.430 most of the profit on that as well. 924 Gilliaman 314 00:19:25.430 --> 00:19:28.870 street, which is also known as the alternative music 315 00:19:28.870 --> 00:19:32.395 foundation is a nonprofit collective. The 316 00:19:32.395 --> 00:19:35.995 policy decisions of the collective are written up during bimonthly membership 317 00:19:35.995 --> 00:19:39.410 meetings. Anybody can show up to those membership meetings. And these 318 00:19:39.410 --> 00:19:42.470 membership meetings are at the core of the decision making process, 319 00:19:43.010 --> 00:19:46.850 and they've been taking place since the nonprofit's origins in the late 320 00:19:46.850 --> 00:19:50.585 19 eighties. The rules of the club, the rules of 9/24, 321 00:19:51.285 --> 00:19:55.045 Gilman, are are pretty simple. They are to be all 322 00:19:55.045 --> 00:19:58.390 ages. There's no racism, no sexism, no homophobia 323 00:19:58.850 --> 00:20:02.210 it's volunteer run. So there's a very low barrier to 324 00:20:02.210 --> 00:20:05.695 entry. And most of the time they just say, show 325 00:20:06.235 --> 00:20:10.075 up, show up, and we'll give you a job. There are a few paid 326 00:20:10.075 --> 00:20:13.600 positions like the security people, but mostly though it seems the 327 00:20:13.600 --> 00:20:17.440 bands determine the details of their show, including how 328 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:21.095 much they charge for admission. Though, the paid staff normally 329 00:20:21.095 --> 00:20:24.615 get 10% and then the rest is split between the bands and the 330 00:20:24.615 --> 00:20:27.914 venue. It's almost as if they're offering this space 331 00:20:28.320 --> 00:20:31.380 location, these resources, the sound system, 332 00:20:31.840 --> 00:20:35.460 and inviting bands to come in and make use of it for the building of 333 00:20:35.600 --> 00:20:39.085 community in that space. The Gilman community 334 00:20:39.305 --> 00:20:43.145 reflects a posture that we seldom utilize in the church. It's 335 00:20:43.145 --> 00:20:46.830 one that says we have this resource. How are 336 00:20:46.830 --> 00:20:50.590 you going to use it to people outside of the church? That's 337 00:20:50.590 --> 00:20:54.325 what they're saying. How are you going to use this resource? I don't see 338 00:20:54.325 --> 00:20:57.865 evidence that 9 24 Gilman has ever existed 339 00:20:57.925 --> 00:21:01.285 really for just the sake of perpetuating 9 340 00:21:01.285 --> 00:21:05.030 24 Gilman. It exists for the sake of nurturing and 341 00:21:05.030 --> 00:21:07.770 empowering a specific community of people. 342 00:21:08.790 --> 00:21:12.225 This looks like an example of what Reverend Lydia calls 343 00:21:12.225 --> 00:21:16.065 for in her email. So here's where all this comes 344 00:21:16.065 --> 00:21:19.445 back to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. 345 00:21:19.910 --> 00:21:23.590 The outraged response suggests a posture of, well, 346 00:21:23.590 --> 00:21:27.430 we need to bend the world to our viewpoint or at least make the 347 00:21:27.430 --> 00:21:31.145 world sympathetic to our viewpoint. I think the truly biblical 348 00:21:31.205 --> 00:21:34.565 response counter to that is one that we 349 00:21:34.565 --> 00:21:38.405 witness in the actions of Jesus and of the church 350 00:21:38.405 --> 00:21:42.090 in acts. It's one that says, how do we share, 351 00:21:42.870 --> 00:21:46.630 grace filled, justice minded viewpoint through our acts 352 00:21:46.630 --> 00:21:50.165 of service to our communities? It's a posture that asks, 353 00:21:50.625 --> 00:21:54.065 how do we give what we have? And our 354 00:21:54.065 --> 00:21:57.585 outrage comes not when the world doesn't get what we're talking 355 00:21:57.585 --> 00:22:00.450 about. It comes when we become 356 00:22:01.149 --> 00:22:04.590 barriers to our own sharing in the grace and 357 00:22:04.590 --> 00:22:08.255 justice of God. All right. So I, I think 358 00:22:08.715 --> 00:22:12.475 that's, an affirmative type of action 359 00:22:12.475 --> 00:22:16.309 that we can take within the world. And that's kind of cool. And that's 360 00:22:16.309 --> 00:22:20.070 my story for this episode of compass. I want to thank 361 00:22:20.070 --> 00:22:23.830 you for joining me today. If you found this episode helpful, please check 362 00:22:23.830 --> 00:22:27.355 out more episodes of Compass Finding Spirituality in the Everyday. 363 00:22:27.735 --> 00:22:31.470 Subscribe, rate, share this podcast with others, 364 00:22:31.950 --> 00:22:35.789 follow us on social media through Rethink Church or visit our website, which 365 00:22:35.789 --> 00:22:36.530 is umc.org/compass. 366 00:22:39.505 --> 00:22:42.325 You can find show notes there and more resources. 367 00:22:43.425 --> 00:22:46.885 Also give a listen to the episodes that I mentioned in this particular 368 00:22:47.025 --> 00:22:50.700 episode. They're both from much earlier in our compass experience. 369 00:22:50.760 --> 00:22:54.140 So it might be kind of a fun sojourn through the evolution 370 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:58.345 of this podcast. And again, those episodes were episode number 371 00:22:58.345 --> 00:23:01.405 45 with Shane Claiborne and episode 54 372 00:23:02.025 --> 00:23:05.669 with Adam bar Baker and a Barker. Adam Baker 373 00:23:06.049 --> 00:23:09.889 and Krissi Reeves Pendergrass. That's a wrap here. It's been a 374 00:23:09.889 --> 00:23:13.429 pleasure. Again, my name is Ryan Dunn and I'll chat at you again 375 00:23:13.649 --> 00:23:15.134 in 2 weeks. Peace.