From England With Love (letter 2)

Hi all. Its been a busy week or two. I was in Chicago for a week of training at LSTC (Luther Theological Seminary Chicago). For the most part I had an amazing time. I met hordes of young energetic Lutherans and Presbyterians and bonded with them. We learned a whole lot about other cultures, how not to be the “Ugly American,” shared faith stories, and of course went over the do’s and don’t’s of the program. We also got to listen to some wonderful speakers, especially Winston, from Wartburg Seminary (who I had met previously on a Seminary tour with Pastor Sarah), who’s basic thesis was that one’s Biography changes the way they read the Bible and understand their Faith. He used a lot of comparrisions between Cricket and Baseball to drive the point home. And Rick Ufford Chase, from the Presbyterian Church USA, was another great speaker. He discussed Structural Sin using Mark 5 (Jesus’ interaction with the Demoniac). He gave a brief history of Latin American economics through role playing, and also discussed the Presbyterian Church’s work with Mexican Immigrants.
By the last day of training we were quite drained; pretty much been lectured out. And so we left for England Monday Afternoon. We had a harrowing flight in which a woman flipped out and attacked Stewardesses and ended up being subdued for the flight (very disconcerting, she screamed madly the whole rest of the flight over the Atlantic!). We arrived in London Tuesday Morning around 7AM. I promptly found my bed at Chester House, the Retreat Center outside of London where the Time For God training was held, and fell asleep. Then we entered into more training. It was geared a lot to our non-English speaking colleagues (who make up most of the group), though it dealt with many important issues, homesickness, relating to one’s supervisor, and British culture. We also had a little bit of free time in which I checked out London proper (it turns out when you to London from anywhere else in England you go “up” which, interestingly enough is the same thing that one does when they go to Jerusalem, one “Goes up.” I’m sure there are all kinds of interesting cultural nuances one could glean from the fact that Americans often go “downtown.”). Tonight we had country presentations. The US contingent decided to deal with regional dialects. We covered the North East, the South, the Midwest, and I handled the Northwest. Here is the utterly Northwesternized thing I said:

I’m from Eugene Oregon, also known as Nikeville. Eugene is a pretty dank town, though a bit hippy-wo-wo. Of course I’m kind of Granola, not a Trustafarian mind you, so I don’t mind.
Oregonians take sports seriously. There are the Jailblazers in P-town, not to mention the annual Civil war between the Ducks and the Beavers. I’m gang-green.
In Cascadia we take our Java seriously. As you may know Starbucks was born in Latteland. Most webfeet get a double shot. Of course if they are about to go to bed they order a why bother or a Chi. If you feel like Californicating you ask the barista to fill you with led.

I’ll let you translate that yourself. (just to make sure no one gets the wrong idea Californicating is acting like a Californian, not what you were thinking, get your mind out of the gutter).
Tomorrow morning I go off by train to my placement in Saffron Walden. I’ll get to meet my supervisor as well as my room mates Ian (pronounced yawn) and Victor.
Peace,
Chris

ELCA program I'm in

I got to thinking. I should show people who they can contract to do what I'm doing this year.
Peace,
Chris

Jet Lady/Jet Lag

Well. Made it to London, but not without a scare. A woman on our plane from Chicago to London went crazy when we got over the Atlantic. She attacked stewardesses, threw trays, shouted that they were sending her to prison, and had to be then escorted away by cops when we landed. It was interesting because one of the lessons we focused on at our retreat event was Jesus with the Demoniac. This woman was acting like one. I was worried she'd open up a emergency hatch or something. All a little scary and I didn't fall asleep on the flight.
Then we got to London, go through customs etc. We left Chicago at 5pm or so, arrived in London at 7am. So was very jet lagged.
That's about it. I'm safe.
Oh, one last thing, it finally hit me that I was going to a foreign country to live for a year when I was on the plane and asked for Tomato Juice, the stewardess pronounced it "Tamato." A very small thing, but that was the point when I finally realized I'm really off.
Peace,
Chris

England wins!

I leave in the morning

I'll be in Jolly Old England by Tuesday morning.
Also, before I leave I'd like to address the folk who left the post about the ELCA being the Democratic party.
Piss off.
Sorry, practicing my English. What I ment to says was...
I left myself open for that, with the Jesus Republican link along with my stuff about Globalization and the IMF. From now on I'll try to keep links and comments about the non-internet world seperate unless they are related.
That said I think considering root reasons for poverty is part of our mission as Christians, that said as some of you know I'm experimenting intellectually with the Samizdata folk and their extreme free market ways. Still I thought the Presbyterian fellow's (Rick Uffsomething) presentation showed the missionaries who are going to the 2/3rd's world why some of the people they will be serving are poor, and that it doesn't have so much to do with them being "uneducated" "lazy" or anything like that, but in fact many poor desisions by 3rd world leaders in the 70's and 80's involving borrowing money at a non-fixed rate have hurt their people.
Also, another interesting thing Rick talked about was how we as church need to be church everywhere, including in the dessert with Illegal immigrants AND with much of Christianity that considers us a bunch of liberal wackos. Basicly they need to take our call to fighting poverty at it's heart seriously and we need to take their call to end abortions seriously. We need to do more than just agree to disagree, but in fact be one body of Christ.
I have a lot more to say, but I still need to re-pack.
Peace and Love to all!
Chris

Jesus and the GOP, and mission stuff

Today we did a 2 hour program about economics, specifically about globalization/the IMF/ and 3rd world debt. It pulled everything together rather well. On some level most of the problems Latin America has go back to a rejection of free trade in the 50's, at least that's what the Libertarian in me is saying. Still it seems the IMF is forcing Latin American leaders to make desisions that do nothing more than pay the interest on their debt.
Economics is such a big issue, I'm not informed enough about it.
Peace,
Chris

Post-Colonial Christianity

The mission event has been good so far. I'm feeling that a lot of the talks are more geared toward 3rd world/non-english speaking missionaries, not folk like me who are going to Europe. We are reading "Whose Religion Is Christianity" a book about Christianity beyond the west. One of the biggest things I learned was that Christianity flourished in Asia and Africa only after both the colonialists and the Western Missionaries left. In countries where the tribal gods were still around Christianity became the dominant religion, where the local god names were not kept Islam took control. Interesting that! I don't really know what to do with that, perhaps Christianity is more adaptable, whereas Islam is more hegomonic and Uniform (though I know there are many syncratic forms of Islam and truly man Islams).
Peace,
Chris

The Journey Begins

Often times I think of Abraham leaving his family for the Promised Land, I think of Moses leading his people out of Egypt, I think of the Israelites going to exile in Babylon, I think of Paul spreading the Good News all the way to the heart of Rome. Those words, Promised Land, Exile, Exodus, are big powerful words, filled with a strangely mystical quality that exudes adventure, journey, questing, and faithful perseverance. It conjures up images of a bearded Charlton Heston, noble people suffering and defying tyrants. These are the motifs, images, and role models I think of when I think of journeying.
Leaving Eugene I now have some new images set away in my memory banks. Bowling with my parents the night before they drove my car, bike, and other miscellaneous stuff back to Cheyenne. Emptying my room into my suitcase and bequeathing anything that didn’t fit into it to various friends. The blue and yellow banner my housemates made me wishing me good tidings. The pat down by airport security when the staples in my chest set off the metal detector. Staying awake to cling to the last few hours and minutes in my home until I was on the plane headed from Eugene to Denver. The heartache, yet satisfaction, I felt as I hugged the two Kylas and Kevin, some of the closest friend I have, goodbye when they dropped me off at the airport.
I am beginning on a journey, and I have now taken the first step. I am in Chicago for Young Adult Orientation where the seminary here is hosting sixty plus Lutherans and Presbyterians. We’ve supped at the refectory, done a little meeting and greeting, and worshipped. In a week I’ll be on another plane headed for England.
Thus begins the adventure, not with big epic words or ideas, but with little flashes of change.
Peace,
Chris

Robert's is for a National ID

As you may have noticed as of late I've been posting quite a few articles from Neo-con and Libertarian websites. I don't know what to say, I'm still a liberal, but I've been concidering lots of things, how to deal with the existance of Evil on a policy level, whether imposing values with force of arms is okay, how exactly market forces work, why the hell Buchannan and David Duke are siding with us, how the whole Israel thing works, if the UN and other international agencies lack efficacy, that type of thing... No worries though valient readers, I'm still crazy liberal ELCA Democrat. More as my political thoughts progress.
Peace,
Chris

An explanation as to why Israel is abandoning Gaza

When David Duke is on your side you know something isn't quite right

That Lady camping in Texas is accusing Bush of making her son die for the sake of "A Jewish Cabal." Now David Duke is anti-war. It is worrysome when David Duke, Pat Buchannen etc. are siding with the left. Of course some argue it is a temporary alliance with the left by the Paleo-cons to oust the Neo-cons. I don't know about that, but I do know that I feel kind of dirty.
It reminds me of the first anti-war protest I attended where I nearly got into a scuffle with a family of anti-semetic anarchist over the idea that there was a "Jewish conspiracy" controlling America. That these "regressives" (as opposed to progressives) are siding with us makes me feel kind of bad about my position on the war.
I don't think Bush went to war over oil, but because America was still hurting from 9-11 and needed something more to smash (as Afghanistan was too easy) to make us feel like we'd done something. So he justified this emotional response to tragedy by saying there was WMD and that creating democracy will subvert radical Islam.
Sometimes I want to become a Neo-Libertarian, an advocate of free market practices, small government, and Liberal values, by all means necessary.
Then I stop and think about how much I hate Ayn Rand and how much I realize much of Libertarian values, both right wing and left wing, are hedonistic. Left wing Libertarianism leads to no nobeler vision than legalization of drugs, right wing Libertarianism leads to nothing more than corperatism...
That was a wandering post.
Peace,
Chris

Camping/Wedding

Went camping out by the coast with some folks from Christus House. Had a good time. Went to a friend's wedding. Had a good time there too. But it was a little scary. Specifically all the people that showed up. I realized when you marry someone you aren't just marrying one person, you aren't just enmeshing your life with anothers, you are gaining thousands of connections, thousands of people.
At this point I can hardly even distinguish between some of MY cousins/neigbors etc. Its liking gaining a second family. I'm sure all of this is obvious, but when everyone was going through the food line after the wedding I just realized how big and profound marriage is. Yipes!
Peace,
Chris
PS Congrat Dann and Sarah!

"Slut for faith" or Marriage in a church, not for the religious

By the way there is going to be a Lutheran Carnival

My Bio for my mission

Turns out I was one of a list of irrisponsible Lutherans who forgot to send a Bio to the ELCA. I whiped one up rather quick... I think it is kind of cleaver.

Chris is a Religious Studies and History graduate from the University of Oregon. This coming year he will be at St. Mark’s College in Northern Essex, England teaching children about Trampolining, Archery, and Jesus.
When not plotting to become a second Robin Hood with the use of his legion of bow wielding British children, Chris enjoys, (and is infuriated by) trying to write the great American novel before he’s graduates Seminary, squeezing the last few drops of ruckus fun out of Eugene before he flies off to jolly old England, trying to keep cool at the co-op he lives at in spite of no AC and 100 degree weather, and reading as much good literature as he can before his bookcase is shipped off to his parents in Wyoming.
Peace,
Chris