I’m in Gettysburg giving a retreat on Sophia. My series. We’re using my book, The Liberation of Sophia. It’s a very profound experience, and we’re going much deeper and getting more vulnerable than I anticipated. It’s incredible in such a way that I can’t wait to tell you about it in next week’s letter.
When coming to Gettysburg, I was hoping to see the fields upon which the famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought and seriously influenced the direction of the war. Little did I know that I would be staying right in the middle of it all… the seminary campus. I’m staying in a building that the Confederates took over at the seminary for an infirmary on the first day of battle. I look out the windows over the fields where thousands of Americans died at the hands of their fellow Americans. The rivalry between families and friends and fellow citizens was devastating. And is! I am painfully aware of how fragile community can be. If it happened once it could happen again.
2. Genocide
I just posted again my original artwork, “Gaze” (reminiscent of Gaza). (EM: Please hyperlink to the original art in my store.) This image of Christ begs us to just LOOK! To look at what is actually happening, free of our political opinions or preconceived notions or theological proclivities. Just gaze at all the bodies, mostly of women and children, innocent victims of a political, theological, ideological, and colonialist agendas. Just gaze! Let your mind just look, without judgment, at all the atrocity. After Auschwitz we said “Never again!” After Rwanda we said “Never again!” But we can now gaze upon at least 5 genocides occurring as you read this. Did we even know? Do we even care? If it happened once it could happen again.
3. Church
I went to a downtown Baltimore Lutheran Church on Sunday morning, Saint Mark’s. I was nervous because, well… you know… church! When I walked in I was impressed with all the art, the music, the people, the pastors. The same-sex married pastor was happy to meet me, as well as his assistant. There were many queer people there, trans people, needy people, white people and people of color, younger and older… just a wide diversity of folks. I met with the pastors after and I learned about all the things they are doing to advance compassion, love, and “inclusion” (I’m not a fan of this word, but it will have to do for now). They are spending lots of time and money to make a positive and compassionate and social-justice change in their city and in this world. It gave me some hope for the church. If it can happen here it can happen anywhere.
I choose to not underestimate us.
Our capacity to hate must conquered by our capacity to love.
Our capacity to destroy and kill must be eliminated by our capacity to create and bring life.
Our capacity to do evil must be overcome by our capacity to do good.
