Can I refuse to pay for war?

I know that real people actually do this, including real Mennonite Christians.

The refusal to pay for war is not a new idea. As I previewed "Death and Taxes", I listened intently to the 28 voices who spoke with clarity and passion about their call to action and I was definitely inspired to do something, even a token action to resist using my taxes to fund war and militaristic action.

This resource is presented in five sections: Becoming a War Tax Resister; Methods of Resistance; Redirecting Taxes, Risks and Consequences, and Goals and Choices. This film won't answer all questions and solve all dilemmas related to this issue. It is designed to provide an introduction, motivation, and to raise awareness of tax resistance.

I heartily recommend using this 30 minute DVD in small groups, Sunday School classes, peace and justice retreats, etc.  It is fast paced,very positive and upbeat with lively music. Watching it is not drudgery, its inspiration! Drawback: it does not provide any Christian or scriptural basis for being a war tax resister, nor does it provide actual discussion prompts.

"Death and Taxes" is produced by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, a coalition of groups from across the U. S. formed in 1982 to provide information and support to people involved in or considering some form of war tax resistance. More info: www.nwtrcc.org.

Why we need an Embodied Apologetic in Faith Exploration and Catechism

Look what I found!

 I read a couple pages on line, succumbed to temptation and promptly ordered it.

It seemed to make especially good sense to me as I prepare for some resourcing with our pastors on thinking through the issues surrounding the experience of Faith Exploration and Catechism for Anabaptist Mennonite youth.  Here is an assortment of my thoughts and book quotes after reading just a couple pages from Embodying Our Faith: becoming a living, sharing, practicing church by Tim Morey, IVP, 2009. 

• Some of us question our faith from time to time and wonder, "How can this belief-set possibly be true?"  What if the church's response to these queries comes up lacking because we observe the church's practice overriding it's spoken values and ethics.  (When I was 16, I called this hypocrisy, and left the church for a while.  Today...I must be part of the problem!).
• If the methods are the message, then the Gospel we present must be repackaged,, while remaining  faithful to scripture.  Well ... Dah!  Leonard Sweet says it this way: "I am virtually a fundamental about content, but I am virtually a libertarian when it comes to the container."
• Therefore the "apologetic" that we offer to our Anabaptist Mennonite youth through the experience of Faith Exploration and Catechism should be based more on the weight of our actions than the strength of our arguments.  This, according to Morey, is "an apologetic that is high-touch, hands-on, engages people relationally, takes place in the context of on-going friendship and addresses the needs of the folks asking the questions."  
• An embodied apologetic provides the transformative edge and opportunity that reason and head knowledge alone cannot.  
• An embodied apologetic could be designed around the practices of the Christian faith.  This may or may not be good news, because in part, this will depend on the youth observing how their congregation lives out the Christian practices. (Seriously, do we really want others to watch us try to be Christian?)
  

And so - I pose these questions to pastors and church teachers as they foster an environment ripe for questions during Faith Exploration and Catechism:

• In what way do you present the Anabaptist Christian Faith as an Embodied Apologetic?
• In what way do you empower your students to be high-touch, hands-on, and reflective?
• In what way are you encouraging them to observe and participate in the practices of the Christian life, both individually and in community?
• In what way do you involve other adults, parents, mentors, youth sponsors in this initiation journey, helping them to see that they are never alone, in their decisions, in their discernment and in their faith development?

Let's keep this conversation going!

I just read...

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.  (Hyperion, 2009).   In true Albom form, we find tender writing of fruitful lives and encouragement for living our own authentic faith experiences.  Ahhhh. I actually discovered this book displayed in our church library and immediately snatched it up.  I read it faithfully almost every night, and each time it warmed my heart and confirmed my belief in the sometimes joyful, sometimes plodding journey of Christian faith.

Portrayed are two very different men of God with very different paths and promises.  Albom moves between their worlds of Jewish and Christian, white and African-American, well-to-do and impoversihed.  Themes are survival, mentoring, perseverance, forgiveness, miracles and more.

This Christmas, reach for an old favorite or one just published.  But make it a tender read - after all, Christmas is about faith, and promise!

First Blog posting

And Marlene said, "let there be a blog!" And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And Marlene surveyed all that was created and she said that it was good.

Ok, well, maybe that's a bit overly dramatic, but hopefully the fruits of this labor won't get Marlene into as much trouble as the apple did for Eve.

At this point you're probably wondering what's going on here. The answer to that is basically, wait and see. At this time of this posting, the site still kind of under construction. The real magic will happen when Marlene starts updating on a regular basis. (as if you can't tell already, the person writing this posting is not, in fact, Marlene. Who am I? Oh....let's just say a "friend"). Marlene will be filling the pages of this blog with all kinds of updates, thoughts, brain droppings and other fun, helpful and thoroughly interesting stuff.

Until then, here are some pictures of happenings at the Library to wet you're appetite. And yes, Library's are exciting places. You just have to know the right librarian!