What is awe and wonder?

 At times when I contemplate nature, science, humanity, and Biblical texts I have a sense of awe and wonder. What do I mean by that? I know it when I feel it but it is hard to describe in words.

Members of my family have been reading Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder, and things that sustain you when the world goes dark, by Julia Baird. In this memoir, she intersperses descriptions of her own experiences of awe and wonder, her struggle with cancer, scientific studies on the value of encounters with nature, her struggles with churches, her own faith, and what all this may mean for a fulfilling life. She includes quotations from famous people that I found helpful in considering how might define and characterise awe and wonder. 

Awe makes us stop and stare. Awe humbles us, gives us perspective, and makes us aware that the world is unfathomably larger than ourselves.

Wonder makes us stop and ask questions about the world.

Here are quotes from Einstein, Adam Smith, and Rachel Carson.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.

Albert Einstein

Adam Smith was a moral philosopher and the founder of modern economics. He said that wonder occurs

“when something quite new and singular is presented… [and] memory cannot, from all its stores, cast up any image that nearly resembles this strange appearance.”

This wonder can be felt physically, characterised by

‘that staring, and sometimes that rolling of the eyes, that suspension of the breath, and that swelling of the heart’.

Adam Smith, A History of Astronomy

“Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties or mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life… Their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” 

Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

To me this is a hint of transcendence. There is something going on and behind this which goes beyond material reality and what we can quantify, control, and describe.

A brilliant presentation of the power of Elijah

At church, the current sermon series is on 1 Kings and we recently came to where the prophet Elijah enters the scene. This led me to return to a favourite piece of music, Elijah, which was first performed in 1846.

Elijah is a compelling figure in the Bible. He is a prophet who faithfully seeks to follow the God of the covenant, YHWH in the midst of a declining Israel (Northern Kingdom) characterised by injustice, violence, and idolatry.  The people suffer from drought and food insecurity. Elijah does a great miracle to defeat the prophets of Baal. Intimidated by death threats from Queen Jezebel he runs away, and is exhausted, both physically and spiritually. But Elijah is cared for by an angel and has his faith and courage renewed.

Felix Mendelssohn took the story of Elijah and composed an oratorio [a composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists] that some considered to be one of the greatest expressions of that musical genre.

The text [libretto] written by Julius Schubring is brilliant and creative, composed only of interspersal of the text of Kings and other passages from the Bible, as can be seen on Wikipedia. The accompanying musical score emotionally empowers the text. This is all brought out in a beautiful and detailed commentary on the oratorio that was written by John Maclay for a performance at Grace Church in New York. 

Lessons from the ants for the Christian church

6 

 Go to the ant, you sluggard;  consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,

yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

    Proverbs 6:6-8

Ant colonies are amazing. It is incredible what they can achieve. I love the video below. It highlights how complex structures and functions emerge in an ant colony even though there is no individual directing the whole operation. The colony can achieve much more than individual ants acting independently of one another.

Ant colonies are fascinating from a scientific point of view, particularly as they are a model for the concept of emergence. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Here, I explore how scientific observations about ant colonies might inspire followers of Jesus as they reflect on the church, its mission, its corporate character, being the body of Christ, and the living presence of God in the world.

Humans do not rule the world. Ants do! They have colonised every continent. There are more than ten thousand trillion ants on the planet. Their total body mass is comparable to that of the eight billion humans on earth. There are more than sixteen thousand different species of ant. Their survival, expansion, and impressive achievements are not the result of heroic gifted individuals, charismatic leaders, benevolent dictators, advanced technology, or great intelligence.

Rather the global success of ants results from cooperative action and individual self-sacrifice. It is not just a matter of strength in numbers. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Observations by entomologists and mathematical models show that it is through the synergy of cooperation that a colony produces new structures, functions, and achievements. These are qualitatively different from what is possible for a small number of ants. Each ant has a job to do. They just get on with it, cooperating with others in their immediate neighbourhood, and acting for the greater common good. 

Individual ants have limited abilities. Each ant has a specialist task. A colony is composed of several distinct classes of workers (castes): soldiers, excavators, foragers, garbage collectors, and gardeners. 

Ants are simple small animals. They have poor hearing and sight. They have limited ability to communicate. They use a few signals based on touch, but mostly communicate by producing trails of distinct chemicals (pheromones).  

Discoveries about ant colonies are leading biologists to rethink individuality and its role in the survival of a community. Individual ants do not seem to have "selfish genes". That is, they do not act in a manner oriented towards preserving their individual genetic lineage. Ants have a sacrificial existence. They appear to have no self-interest. They do not compete with one another. They have unwavering loyalty to their queen and to the preservation of the colony that she has given birth to. Some biologists refer to the colony as a superorganism.

No analogy is perfect. All models are wrong, but some are useful. Nevertheless, I think it is worth asking what lessons Christians might draw from the science of ant colonies? The author of proverbs would affirm such contemplation. The properties and workings of the created order may reflect important truths about how God wants his people to live.

A Biblical metaphor for the church is that of the Body of Christ. The body has many members. Each of these members has a special function and contribution to make. These members are to work together for the good of the whole body. There are many different gifts and abilities. No gift or individual is to be valued or elevated more than another. The weak are indispensable.

Humans are a lot smarter and stronger than ants! We have vastly more capabilities than ants. But, just like ants, individual Christians are not exceptional. They are finite and have limited abilities and strength. Paul pointed out to the Corinthian church their own severe limitations.

Not many [of you] were wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.  (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)

Christians are to have an undying loyalty to their King, Jesus. Followers of Jesus are to live sacrificially. Jesus said

“If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it." (Luke 9:23,24)

Paul exhorted the church in Rome to live sacrificially, considering themselves as one body made of many parts, and to exercise the gifts God had given each of them. 

in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. ...I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think... Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. (Romans 12:1-8) 

Paul continues identifying specific gifts: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy. Each member of the body should use that gift. Paul expressed similar ideas to the church in Ephesus.

[God] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, ...let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Paul told the Philippians that it would bring him great joy if they had the same attitude as Christ,

thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:2-4)

Both the behaviour of ants and these Biblical exhortations are in stark contrast to the ways and values of the modern capitalist world. It worships the individual, promotes the rights of the individual, and motivates individuals with money, punishments, and the promise of celebrity.

Christians and the organisations that they start have a limited life span. People die. Even excellent institutions do not last forever, particularly in terms of having enduring relevance and impact. The goal of members of the Body of Christ is that during each of our lifetimes we should use our limited abilities and work together so that the community of our King endures forever. Ant colonies illustrate how with collective action and self-sacrifice much more can be achieved than through small numbers of independent individuals. Christians need to consider the ways of the ants. They can give us wisdom.  This may lead us together to achieve "far more than we can ask or imagine."

Four dimensions to making sense of science, life, and God

Reality and our experience of it are rich and complex. How do we make sense of it? How do we find meaning in life, God, and science? Where do we start? 

To explore such questions I find it helpful to consider four different dimensions: experience, tradition, reason, and transcendence. I have drawn inspiration from the Wesley quadrilateral in theology, but stress that I consider a broader application and perspective.

This quadrilateral is both descriptive and prescriptive. I believe it provides a good description of the different dimensions that people do use to make sense of things, whether science, theology, or ethics, even if they are not explicitly aware of what they are doing. People place different values and emphasis on each of the four dimensions, but they may all be present in their discussions. I also think the quadrilateral is also prescriptive.  For a broad range of topics, considering these four different dimensions is a good way to proceed, particularly when explicitly stating how one employs and prioritises each of the different dimensions. 

In this post, I briefly explain what I mean by each of the four dimensions and the strengths and weaknesses of each. The four dimensions are complementary. A strength of each dimension is that it can compensate for the weaknesses of some of the other dimensions. On the other hand, the four dimensions are not independent of one another.

Experience

In some sense, as individuals, this is all each of us has. We each have a unique personal history: family, education, employment, travel, church, and personal relationships. Associated with our history are experiences of joy, pain, confusion, insight, success, failure, and disappointment. Experience includes books we have read, movies we have seen, and music we have listened to. These experiences shape us: who we are, what we believe, and what we value. The influence of experience plays out at every level: individual, family, community, institution, and nation. Experience is not determinative but it is influential, perhaps more than we might like to acknowledge. Experience influences the relative priority we place on reason, tradition, transcendence, and experience!

A philosophical perspective that puts the highest priority on elements of experience is empiricism. We should only believe to be real what we can experience through sensation (sight, touch, hearing, smell) and measurement.

Experience is central to modern science. Theories are tested by experiments and independent observations (experiments) by different groups have to agree. Experience is validated by others having the same experience. 

In contrast to empiricism, romanticism was a movement in the eighteenth century that put a different emphasis on experience, valuing intense emotions, individualism, nature, intuition, inspiration, and subjectivity.

Strengths. Experience can help us engage with reality, tempering fantasy and wishful thinking. Experience can expose us to a diverse range of perspectives, including the life experience of others. In some sense, this engagement with others enables us to go beyond the limitations of our own individual experiences, abilities, personalities, and perspectives.

Weaknesses. Our own experience is finite and limited, particularly relative to all of humanity and all of history. Our experience is subjective and may not be accurate. For example, two individuals may observe the same event but have contradictory perspectives on what actually happened. Optical illusions, such as that shown below, show that even simple observations can be wrong. Experiences do not stand alone or speak for themselves but need to be interpreted. Any interpretation will involve reason, tradition, and likely transcendence.

In the picture above is the vertical line longer, shorter, or the same length in the left or right panel?

Reason

Reason is an intellectual activity. It means thinking and writing down arguments about what we think is true and why we think it is true. The essential form of a rational argument has two components. First, a set of assumptions (axioms) that are considered "reasonable" (e.g., because they are based on observations or a principle that every "reasonable" person can agree on) are stated. Then one investigates the conclusions that follow from these assumptions, using rules of logic. Reason is central to science, and plays the greatest role in the natural sciences through theories that can be formulated mathematically.

A philosophical perspective that puts the highest priority on reason is rationalism. Truth can only be found by rational argument. This was the way that ancient Greeks did science. They discounted the need to do experiments, deeming that common sense observations about nature were adequate.

Strengths. Careful reasoning can expose inconsistencies in arguments or lead to conclusions that we might not expect. Clearly stating assumptions can clarify the basis of a "rational" truth claim. Mathematics in the natural sciences has been incredibly powerful and successful. Theories such as classical mechanics, relativity, quantum theory, and electromagnetism, are based on just a few assumptions and mathematical equations. Yet, using rules of mathematical logic one can describe diverse phenomena quantitatively and make specific predictions about the outcome of experiments.

Weaknesses.  Reason is only useful and reliable if the validity of the assumptions made in an argument has a strong justification. Assumptions that may be "reasonable" or "self-evident" to one individual may not be to another. The ancient Greeks were wrong about science, believing things about nature that they thought were "common sense", but turned out to be false. In some sense, at some point in the development of an argument, it is necessary to just take some assumptions on "faith." Reason is sometimes claimed to be pre-eminent in contexts that are debatable. For issues that are predominantly emotional, relational, or artistic, reason may be of marginal relevance or unhelpful. 

Tradition

Tradition is all about the past. There are traditions that relate to many different spheres of life, including culture, religion, science, philosophy, morality, and government. A tradition is a framework, inherited from the past, that claims authority about what is true and the way that things should be done. In the context of moral philosophy, Alasdair MacIntyre, states "A tradition is an argument extended through time in which certain fundamental agreements are defined and redefined" by internal and external debates. He claimed, "no way of conducting rational enquiry from a standpoint independent of the particularities of any transition has been discovered and that there is good reason to believe that there is no such way". In different words, reason cannot be separated from tradition.

Traditions are embodied in institutions, such as universities, governments, and religious denominations. Education in a particular subject involves learning a particular tradition.

Culture is an example of tradition. Culture is "the way we do things around here." Culture consists of the ideas, knowledge, beliefs, values, skills, and attitudes, that shape the behaviour of a community.

Strengths. Subjects such as philosophy, theology, and science have developed over centuries. Traditions within them are the accumulation of the knowledge, wisdom and insight gained from all hard work. It is efficient to make use of a tradition. In fact, it is unrealistic to jettison all tradition and claim that in the present one can simply start from scratch and ignore the past. Traditions provide stability, predictability, and a community with shared values, assumptions, and ways of doing things. Traditions can temper some of the foolishness associated with new fashions.

Weaknesses. Traditions can be resistant to the positive change that can come through new ideas, discoveries, and new methods. Traditions can be resistant to adapting to new and different contexts. Traditions tend to leave authority and power with an older generation, who may have a vested interest in things not changing. This is how tradition may stifle the creativity and energy of youth. Max Planck, the founder of quantum physics, stated

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it ...

Science proceeds one funeral at a time! 

Transcendence

The transcendentals are truth, beauty, and goodness. Transcendence is that which goes beyond the categories of being. In the metaphysics of Immanuel Kant, the transcendent is that which lies beyond our ability to know. In theology, transcendence refers to aspects of God that are independent of the physical universe. Here, I use transcendence to mean that which is beyond reason, experiment, or the content of a tradition. I would include experiences that aim to access truth and aspects of reality through intuition, the subconscious, or mysticism.  Some might claim that transcendence has no role in science, and even goes against the whole spirit of science. However, there are many stories of scientists who made important discoveries that had their origin in dreams, visions, perceptions of beauty, and "flashes of insight." 

Peter Berger argued that there are five aspects of human experience that are inexplicable apart from a transcendent reality. His "signals of transcendence" are the "human propensity to believe that the world is ordered in a trustworthy manner, the capacity to play, the capacity to hope in the face of death, the conviction that some things are just wrong and must be condemned, and the capacity to laugh."

Strengths. Transcendence provides a way to describe the ineffable elements of reality and knowledge that induce mystery, awe, wonder, and paradox. It provides room and a vocabulary for that which goes beyond reason, experiment, and tradition. It allows for the possibility of something more than the material.

Weaknesses. Transcendence and its domain of relevance are hard to define and to constrain. Invoking it may be an escape from the hard work needed to engage seriously with reason, experiment, and tradition. It may be invoked in order to engage in fantasies.

In conclusion, the four dimensions of experience, reason, tradition, and transcendence provide a helpful framework to describe and understand how different people grapple with reality. Although they complement one another they are also inter-related.

Following Jesus is costly

 In my theology reading group this month we are discussing, The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I now realise that I am reading the book the "wrong" way. It is not like a "typical" theology book that can be read over a couple of weeks and digested. Although there is much profound theology the book is more suited as a "devotional" book that should only be read in short segments and returned to often.

I find the book profoundly challenging. In some ways, the message is simple: if you want to be a disciple of Jesus that means you have to take the followings of Jesus seriously and obey them! The middle third of the book is an exposition of The Sermon on the Mount. As much as we may want to it is very hard to perform the hermeneutical gymnastics needed to wheedle out of Jesus' commands. Love your enemies, forgive your enemies, do not love money, hating someone is akin to murder, a lustful thought is akin to adultery, do not draw attention to yourself, fast and pray, deny yourself and its desires, ... the list goes on and on... Later, I give some choice quotes. 

First, I want to discuss something about the book I find increases its significance and power. Bonhoeffer identified as a Lutheran and embraced Luther's theology, including sola fide (justification by faith alone) and sola gratia (salvation by grace alone, not by good works). Ephesians 2:8-9 is a central text to this theology. However, in Chapter One, Bonhoeffer contrasts "cheap grace" and "costly grace."

Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks' wares... Grace is represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! ...What would grace be if it were not cheap?...

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

In Chapter 2, "The Call to Discipleship", begins with Jesus calling Levi, the tax collector, to follow him. Bonhoeffer then claims

the following two propositions hold good and are equally true: only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes. 

This is illustrated by the interactions of Jesus with two men who avoided obedience by asking Jesus about moral dilemmas: The rich young ruler  (Matthew 19) and the Pharisee whose question, "Who is my neighbour?" led to Jesus telling the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).

Heinrich Hofmann, "Christ and the Rich Young Ruler", 1889 

[Aside: it is ironic that this painting was purchased by John D Rockefeller Jr, and donated to Riverside Church, New York.]

In Chapter 3, "Single-minded obedience," Bonhoeffer states some of the hermeneutic that he uses.

the whole Word of the Scriptures summons us to follow Jesus. We must not do violence to the Scriptures by interpreting them in terms of an abstract principle, even if that principle be a doctrine of grace. Otherwise we shall end up in legalism.

We must therefore maintain that the paradoxical interpretation of the commandments does always includes the literal interpretation... 

 Here are some the reflections on the Sermon on the Mount that this leads to. First, on the danger of materialism.

Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. In the wilderness God gave Israel the manna every day, and they had no need to worry about food and drink... Where our treasure is, there is our trust, our security, our consolation and our God. Hoarding is idolatry.

On loving your enemies. 

Christian love draws no distinction between one enemy and another, except that the more bitter our enemy's hatred, the greater his need of love. Be his enmity political or religious, he has nothing to expect from a follower of Jesus but unqualified love. In such love there is not inner discord between the private person and official capacity. In both we are disciples of Christ, or we are not Christians at all. 

Disciples of Jesus are to be distinctly different from other people. This is a narrow way that few will choose.

To be called to a life of extraordinary quality, to live up to it, and yet to be unconscious of it is indeed a narrow way. To confess and testify to the truth as it is in Jesus, and at the same time to love the enemies of that truth, his enemies and ours, and to love them with the infinite love of Jesus Christ, is indeed a narrow way.

Jesus told his disciples "when you fast ...". It was a given that they would fast. Ascetism is an important part of discipleship. 

If there is no element of asceticism in our lives, if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh (taking care of course to keep within the limits of what seems permissible to the world), we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ. When the flesh is satisfied it is hard to pray with cheerfulness or to devote oneself to a life of service which calls for much self-renunciation.

I found the book very challenging, particularly as it cuts to matters of the heart: what do I love? what do I value? what are my motives? what are my private thoughts? 

Who is my neighbour? Surely, not "them"!

What would it be like to not have a home? To have no country. To be wanted by no country. To be constantly on the move, searching for safety, for food, for water, for stability, ... Or to be trapped in a detention centre for "illegal immigrants" with no hope of ever escaping? Or to be living in a tent in a camp for hundreds of thousands of refugees. Unfortunately, this is reality, day-to-day life, for more than eighty million people. Tragically, this number is growing and unlikely to decrease.

In 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) forecast that 1.4 million refugees would need resettlement in 2019. Yet, only 107,800 were accepted. Only, three countries in the world accepted more than 10,000.

Refugees, internally displaced people, and asylum seekers present a moral and political challenge to our time. They are vulnerable and suffering. Yet, rather than receiving empathy or practical help from wealthy Western nations, refugees too often are demonised as threats to the security, prosperity, and culture of Western nations. I am ashamed of how Australia has "led" the way in this regard, particularly with policies of detaining asylum seekers in offshore detention camps.

At the theology reading group this month we discussed Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics, by Mark Glanville and Luke Glanville.

One of the many strengths of the book is the complementary expertise of the authors, two brothers. Mark is an Old Testament scholar who is also actively involved in helping settle refugees in Vancouver. (This is through the organisation Kinbrace that emerged through Grandview Baptist church and is also discussed in Tim Dickau's book that we recently read). Luke is a scholar of international relations and provides a global political perspective on displaced peoples. As a result, the book has depth in both theology and in political science, which is unfortunately rare in Christian books about political issues. The arguments are laced with references to the academic literature on Old Testament scholarship and on global politics, but the book is still easy to read.

There is a beautiful section on how to interpret the Old Testament ethically today, using a jazz metaphor (page 49). (Both authors are accomplished jazz musicians). Jazz is a rich tradition, but each performance is unique. Performers respond to the local context, creating something new, but rooted in tradition. Similarly, the Old Testament represented and shaped a rich tradition in the communal life of ancient Israel. The translation and application of this tradition to modern life in churches and secular nations is not straightforward but can be rich and beautiful. Ethics for today should respect and draw from that tradition, but adapt creatively.

In the first half of the book, Mark argues persuasively how the concept of "festive kinship" is central to the Old Testament, particularly in Deuteronomy. Kinship is not defined by bloodline or ethnicity, but rather by a community characterised by obedience to God's commands. In particular, this community enfolds the resident alien. 

A natural question is how this concept of kinship fits with the Old Testament narratives that describe how Israel is commanded by God to "devote to destruction" the Canaanites? (pages 55-59). The texts actually show that Canaanites can be Israelites (e.g., Rahab the prostitute who acknowledged the works of YHWH and in faith protected the spies) and Israelites can be Canaanites (e.g., Achan who stole devoted things from Jericho). Being Israelite (Canaanite) is not defined by bloodline but rather by obedience (disobedience) to YHWH.

Jesus further expands kinship to include those on the margins: Samaritans, prostitutes, "sinners", tax collectors, ...  He shares meals with them. In fact, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus spends more time eating than teaching! (page 78). Some do repent but this is not a pre-requisite for joining the meal (page 79).  Jesus' community is defined by its centre rather than by its boundaries (page 94). This contrasts with the Pharisees and many churches today that define themselves by who is in and who is out and by what they are against rather than what they are for.

Jesus proclaims "forgiveness of sins". There are several different Greek words that are translated into English as "forgiveness". Some actually mean "release" in the sense of release from oppression (pages 85, 86, 101).

The Deuteronomy feasting texts are characterised by a four-part movement: lament-gift-thanksgiving-inclusive justice. The purpose is to "forge and inclusive and celebrative community in light of the generosity of God." (p. 107).

"The festal call to thanksgiving with inclusive celebration highlights the importance of the distinctive life of a missional congregation." Howard Peskett and Vinoth Ramachandra note, "Mission is not primarily about going. Nor is mission primarily about doing anything. Mission is about being. It is about being a distinctive kind of people, a countercultural ... community among the nations."  (p. 110).

Careful consideration is given to a number of commonly stated fears and claims that opponents express about the impact that Western nations accepting more refugees will have on security, economics, and culture. (pp. 168-178).

The scale of the problem is daunting. There are about 45 million internally displaced people, and more than 26 million refugees. Most refugees are in poor countries such as Uganda, Bangladesh, and Lebanon. Yet, somehow these countries care for them as best they can. For example, in Lebanon schools are running double shifts as there are as many Syrian children as Lebanese needing and education! This makes a mockery of the greed and xenophobia of wealthy Western nations who are unwilling to bear the cost, risk, and inconvenience of caring for tens of thousands of refugees.

That's enough for now... 

This is a wonderful and challenging book that I pray will stimulate some significant action, particularly among Western churches.

John Dickson also has an excellent podcast episode in which he interviews the authors and a refugee. The associated webpage also has links to relevant materials.

On the subject of refugees and the value of small individual acts of kindness, Malcolm Gladwell has a powerful podcast episode.

Initiatives to alleviate poverty that empower

 Robin and I are giving a talk this evening at The Village Academy on "When Helping Hurts.." based on the book by the same name.

Here are the slides.