I am an atheist.  Sure lots of people have heard me talk about God, write favorable things about God, pray and worship.  And it was all sincere.  Still I am an atheist.  I’m an atheist the way the members of the early church were atheistic.  Atheism was one of the central charges officials of the Roman Empire made against Christians.  They were vilified for “irreligiosities” and “sacrilegium.”  Christians were regarded atheists because they rejected the gods of the state.  They refused to honor the religion of the empire.  The charge of atheism was at least as much – if not more – about politics as it was religious.

I am an atheist in the same way.  I reject the religion of the state, the civil religion.  This religion is expressed in the national motto “In God We Trust” which is printed on currency.  It is found in the words of the Pledge of Allegiance, “under God.”  It is expressed in the incessantly evoked phrase, “God Bless America.”  It is reflected in the claims of those who say that the constitution was inspired by God. It finds its way into speeches of politicians and proclamations of Presidents.  This god is more form than substance, more decoration than an expression of spiritual depth.

Consequently, I can’t fret alongside those who fear that the word “God” will be dropped from the Pledge of Allegiance.  I don’t share the concern of those who worry that “In God We Trust” won’t appear prominently enough on coins.  I have no investment in such things and wonder why any Christian would see them as important.  I don’t believe in the god of flag pledges and national mottos.  Such a god is not the God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Read the rest of this article here.

Craig M. Watts in the minister of Royal Palm Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Coral Springs, Florida, a member of the DPF Executive Committee and the author of the book Disciple of Peace: Alexander Campbell on Pacifism, Violence and the State (Indianapolis: Doulos Christou Press, 2005).

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For I am sure that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38, 39

The Palestinian Christian community, with roots dating back to earliest Christianity, now numbers less than two percent of the population in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  But the community prominently offers a non-violent witness for justice and peace.  Last December in Bethlehem, Palestinian Christians launched “A Moment of Truth.”  They called it a “Kairos” document, the word in early Greek meaning “opportunity” or critical moment in time, and meant to allude to the crucial South African Kairos document which in 1985 prompted debate about Apartheid worldwide.  The Kairos document states that “… Love is seeing the face of God in every human being. Every person is my brother or my sister. However, seeing the face of God in everyone does not mean accepting evil or aggression on their part. Rather, this love seeks to correct the evil and stop the aggression.”

The believer in nonviolence has deep faith in the future.  Palestinian Christians write, “Our hope remains strong” based on the expectation in faith of a better future.  “In the absence of hope, we cry out our cry of hope…  We believe in God, good and just [and that God's goodness] will finally triumph….  We will see here ‘a new land’ and ‘a new human being’, capable of rising up in the spirit to love each one of his or her brothers and sisters.”

We pray, for hope, patience, and steadfastness and a time for repentance.  Though their numbers are few, their message is great and important, in a land in urgent need of love.

Peter Makari is Global Ministries Area Executive for the Middle East and Europe.

You will find the Kairos document, action resources and updates at:
http://globalministries.org/mee/kairos/

For More Information
Peter Makari
Area Executive
Middle East and Europe
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland,Ohio 44115

216-736-3227
Phone: 866-822-8224 ext. 3227
Fax: 216-736-3203
makarip@ucc.org

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By God’s great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…I Peter 1: 3b

I recently flew to East Timor for a week of teaching a group of lay preachers who were being prepared to administer the sacraments and provide pastoral care to the many tiny groups of Protestant Christians scattered throughout the mountains of East Timor.  The Protestant Church of East Timor (IPTL) grew a good deal during the Indonesian occupation due to the presence and money of Indonesian protestants, but is now left with an unsustainable structure, empty churches in some areas and Christians, but no churches in others.  They are in a long process of death and resurrection, and Global Ministries has been one of their most faithful partners in the struggle.

From East Timor I flew to the island of Ambon, where I worked with an interfaith program of “Preaching Peace,” which involves pulpit exchanges between Christian and Muslim preachers.  This is one of many creative responses by local people of faith to the devastating communal conflict that wrecked the area in the early 2000s.  I worked with my friend Abidin, who is vice chair of the Muslim council in Ambon.  He grew up in an area where Muslims and Christians had lived together in friendship for centuries and has spent much of the last ten years working tirelessly to restore those friendships.

As you can see, a lot of our work is being done among post-conflict communities.  While churches here are often slow to respond to social events (as they were in the original crises 10 years ago), the churches are very good at providing the long-term commitment and care that is needed to restore these communities to life.  The churches continue to plug away at healing the hidden wounds and listening to the silent voices of the victims.

We cannot overstate the power that the idea of resurrection has among traumatized Christian communities in Eastern Indonesia.  It gives them the strength to strive for a future different than the one dictated to them by a history of terror and grief.  When I work with these people I am convinced that the power of the life of Jesus is not confined to “long ago and far away,” but a very present reality.

Together we pray for the hope and strength of the faithful people of Indonesia who help heal the wounds of trauma in so many.

John Campbell-Nelson serves as a Global Ministries Missionary as professor with the Evangelical Church of West Timor.

For More Information
James Vijayakumar
Area Executive
Southern Asia
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland,Ohio 44115

216-736-3228
Phone: 866-822-8224 ext. 3228
Fax: 216-736-3203
vijayj@ucc.org

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“I will not let you go until you bless me.” (Gen. 32:26)

Every Wednesday at noon, Mrs. E is there. She sits in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, Korea with her friends to ask the Japanese government to apologize for its past treatment of Korean women as sex slaves during the Asia Pacific War. Mrs. E is elderly, as are her friends. Many of the so-called “comfort women” have passed away. Mrs. E hopes that justice will be done before she meets her grave. She is surrounded by a crowd of civilians who support her struggle. Over the loud speaker a statement is read, a song is sung, a prayer is given. The window blinds of the Japanese embassy are shut. Stone faced guards and secret police make sure there is no outright confrontation. This peaceful sit-in has continued for seventeen years.

In December 2009, religious leaders from around the world, gathered for the Second Conference on Article Nine and Peace in Asia. There were various Buddhist, Christian and Muslim denominations represented. There was great meaning when we gathered in Seoul, because we were all made aware of the realities of the Cold War which still divide the Korean peninsula. East Asia has not been able to move beyond the dualisms of the Cold War era. What we witnessed was a wall; a remnant from the Cold War. The wall is invisible, but no less as real as the wall being built in Israel.

Part of our program was to join the sit-in, and pray alongside these women who were victimized by war. We were all moved by the experience. I was reminded of the story of Jacob who wrestled all night with the angel of God. Jacob refused to let the angel go until he received a blessing. Mrs. E is one of those Jacobs of our time. I see in her a faith that refuses to let go, trusting that God is a God of love and blessing for all.

Let us pray for the tenacity of Mrs. E and others that their belief in the possibility of justice becomes our call for the enactment of justice.

Jeffrey Mensendiek serves as a Global Ministries missionary with the Council on Cooperative Mission, and as director of the Gakusei (Student) Center in Sendai Japan.

For More Information
Xiaoling Zhu
Area Executive
East Asia and the Pacific
700 Prospect Ave.
Cleveland,Ohio 44115

216-736-3226
Phone: 866-822-8224 ext. 3226
Fax: 216-736-3203
zhux@ucc.org

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For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. II Corinthians 1: 5

There are a few “commodities” and “luxuries” our family had in Chicago which we no longer have, relatively speaking, here in El Quiche, Guatemala.  For example, having access to potable water is not only a national problem, but for our area has been a years-long problem. The water truck drives down our street as early as 6 am every day of the week honking the horn and selling water. We buy our water this way. It is then stored in cisterns where the already murky water gets even murkier. Some days I wish I could submerge myself in Lake Michigan to bathe – and to be honest, I have never been interested in Lake Michigan, but now I miss it!

Having access to potable water is not only a social problem but also an environmental one. There have been mild droughts each of the recent years, but in the past year throughout most of Guatemala and much of Central America, there was no rainfall whatsoever. Now the government has officially announced a severe drought. The drought destroyed most of next year’s subsistence maize (corn) crops, and the cost of maize has increased astronomically. Not only is there a lack of food for the upcoming year, but this has created a serious economic hardship for most families. While historically, many rural residents have been internally displaced, or uprooted from their communities due to colonialism, the 36 year old armed conflict and the recent mining business, now many are being displaced due to grave environmental changes. Yet there is something impressive about an organization like Guatemalan Cultural Action (ACG) which has a staff so committed and dedicated to improving the lives of each person in the community, even while living with their own economic hardships.

Pray with me, giving thanks to God for the Guatemalan Cultural Action (ACG).  May God bless you and your family in everything you do to support me and my family and the ACG.  I humbly ask for your continued prayers.

Gloria Vicente serves through Global Ministries with Guatemalan Culture Action (ACG) as a youth and communication worker.

For More Information
Felix Ortiz-Cotto
Area Executive
Latin America and the Caribbean
PO Box 1986
Indianapolis,Indiana 46206
United States
317-713-2563
Fax: 317-635-4323
fortiz@dom.disciples.org

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All things are possible to those who believe. Mark 9: 23

Eva Chipenda challenged and inspired me to go to Angola. Let me tell you a little about her: As Eva closes in on 80 years of age, she has pushed with all her considerable might to open the Canata Preschool Program which currently enrolls nearly 100 children between the ages of 3 and 5. When you walk in the courtyard door, the children run to greet and embrace you – but, not with the same fervor that occurs when they see Dona Eva enter. They cry out her name and last week practically knocked her off her feet in their enthusiasm to hug her!

Read the rest of the story here.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9

Our historical secondary school in Izmir, Turkey began a new chapter in its long history. Founded by our missionary predecessors in 1878, the Izmir American Collegiate Institute has now opened a renovated building. In addition to the usual classrooms and school facilities, the new building has a girl’s dormitory. Thirty girls now live on the top floor enjoying modern, spacious living quarters with a magnificent view of Izmir and its bay. What’s more, these girls are from more distant parts of Turkey and this means greater diversity in the student body…

Read the rest of this story here.

Washington, March 21, 2010 — As more than 700 delegates to Ecumenical Advocacy Days continued to pursue their hope for just immigration laws, the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins preached about the oneness of the human family.

Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), delivered the sermon at Sunday morning worship on the third day of the ninth annual Advocacy Days gathering in Washington.

Throughout the ages, Watkins noted, human beings have separated into distinct groups. “The broad sweep of human history is not a feel-good story,” she said. “We make boundaries, and we decide who’s in and who’s out.”

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Since Haiti was struck by a massive 7.0 Earthquake on January 12^th, North American Disciples congregations have responded out of faith, hope, and a radical sense of generosity.

Faith apart form works is dead.  James 2:26

Many groups travel from the US to another part of the world on a mission trip. Some of these groups plan their trip with Global Ministries’ People to People Pilgrimages office in order to maximize their spiritual experience as well. One group from Atlanta, GA recently traveled to India.  One pilgrim wrote:

“One month ago today we were ringing in the New Year sitting half way around the world in the Christian Church of Mungeli, India.  Even though the words spoken were unrecognizable Hindi, there were some comfortably familiar sights as I gazed around the sanctuary:  wooden pews filled with worshippers, Bibles and hymnals in their hands; the open communion table; a temperamental sound system that worked intermittently, and the cadence of the Lord’s Prayer …

Read the rest of this story here.