Peace, Man

A BBC news item chronicled the 50 year anniversary of the peace symbol. It was originally designed for use by a group of British anti-nuclear protesters who were marching from Trafalgar Square in London to a weapons factory in Aldermaston, 50 miles away. One of the group, Gerald Holtom, realized that the protest would be more effective if it had a visual image to identify their aims. So, superimposing the semaphore letters of N, for nuclear, and D, for disarmament, and placing them inside a circle representing the earth, Holton created the peace symbol.

The symbol itself has been used by groups world-wide since then. I was first aware of it in the protests against the Vietnam War in the 1960's, but civil rights groups, environmental groups, women's groups, and gay rights groups have all used it, according to the BBC article. It was even used by South African groups protesting apartheid, and, as a consequence, the South African government tried to ban it.

I can remember preachers referring to the peace symbol as a sign of the devil. More than once, I heard a "holier-than-thou" speak of the peace symbol as an inverted and broken cross and, thus, it was an obvious anti-Christian symbol. I learned in the article that this idea originated with and was promoted from the John Birch Society.

There have been peace movements in various countries, but it seems that the world is no closer to peace now than it was 50 years ago. The world's press is filled with references to the violent protests between Tibetans and the Chinese, to on-going violence in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and to recent violence in Kenya, to name but a few.

To borrow from good material: "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they will be called the children of God" and "All we are saying is give peace a chance". Perhaps, one day, the human race will be able to effect peace, for all people and in all its dimensions, and retire the peace symbol.

Politics and Religion Redux

The debate about the comments made by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's long-time minister, continues to swirl. Those on the right proclaim that the comments are an abomination to all Americans. Those on the left point to some similar comments made by conservative evangelical Christian ministers, which have largely been ignored. Those on the right turn a blind eye to the comments and positions (which are equally offensive to me as anything Reverend Wright has said) made by two prominent ministers - namely the Reverends John Hagee and Rod Parsley - who have endorsed John McCain. Those on the left claim that Reverend Wright's comments are actually in the main stream of Black Liberation Theology. Some on each end of the theological continuum maintain that the media should not even be interested in anything that a minister says because he is a minister after all and not a political analyst.

Personally, I think the furor is a direct consequence of the trend for office seekers to seek political endorsements from ministers. I have been in ministry for a long time. I have strongly held political opinions - both on candidates I support and positions I hold - and share these in discussions with friends. Yet, in my position as minister, I have never endorsed a particular candidate or a political party. I have always considered my role as minister - that is as a spiritual support for the people - to take precedence over partisan politics.

This has not always been easy for me to do. At one church I served, a very influential member of the congregation asked me to include a petition for the Republican Party to prevail in elections as part of the morning service prayer time. I refused. That church member held my refusal against me for the rest of the time I served that church.

It would be interesting to hear how politically minded pastors deal with the current flap with their congregations. It will be interesting to see how this influences the upcoming primaries and the general election in November. I, for one, will always take comfort in the truth that God is not a member of any of the American political parties or any other political organization in the world.

Follow Up ... to a year

As we have both - and I use the plural because we have both been affected by this journey, though in markedly different ways - been very aware of the anniversary of the beginning of our journey into cancer this week, both Vicki and I have been searching for some sense of 'meaning.' We had occasion to talk about this search on our way to a concert on campus, but neither of us had many answers.

The Piedmont College Chamber Singers presented a concert of music related to Holy Week. It included mostly modern pieces, such as one written in the aftermath of the Indonesian tsunami in 2004, but they also sang a piece by Brahms and some modern compositions of older poetry.

Interestingly, the first piece of the second half of the program was a setting of a poem by the 17th century English poet, Henry Vaughn. It was the program note for the piece that caught my eye. I do not know who wrote the notes, so I cannot give proper attribution, but the words had an impact. "The period shortly before the publication of this poem was an extremely important period in Henry Vaugn's life. He suffered a prolonged sickness, which he interpreted to be an encounter with death and a wake-up call to his 'misspent youth.' Vaughn believed he wass spared to make amends and start a new course not only in his life but in his writing. It is during this period of Vaughn's life, around 1650, that he adopted the saying, 'moriendo, revixi', meaning 'by dying, I gain new life.'"

Perhaps, that phrase captures the best meaning of life, especially one that has been transformed by disease. It is only as one realizes the impermanence of this life that she or he is free to shape life in order to make a difference.

It's been a year.

A year ago today we received the letter informing Vicki that she needed to have a second mammogram because there was some concern with her first one. At the time, I tried to tell myself that there was little cause to be too concerned. After all, there are a lot of reasons why a second mammogram might be needed, and many of them are no big deal. Yet, I remember feeling a tightening of my stomach and the beginnings of the proverbial butterflies starting a migration through my insides.

It's been a year, but so much has happened since then. The second mammogram did show a mass, but there were still questions about what kind of mass it was. Vicki then went through a needle biopsy so the docs could get a tissue sample to ascertain whether the mass was cancerous or not. It was. She then had a double radical mastectomy in the first of May 2007. When the biopsy report came back from that, we found that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Her chemotherapy started at the end of May and lasted into September. Then, she went through radiation treatment that lasted until mid-November.

Obviously, Vicki is taking various drugs, and that will continue for years, but it has been four months since the major treatments ended. Yet, we can still identify behaviors and reactions that seem to be related to her chemo or radiation. I talked with a woman last week who had her last treatment more than two years ago; she told me that she still has times when she experiences the kinds of things that Vicki does. That is not surprising I guess considering how powerful the drugs and radiation were, but certainly it is not encouraging.

It's been a year, but what a difference a year makes. There are times when I feel like time has speeded up, and it was just last month that this year long journey fraught with fear and panic and concern started. At other times, I feel like time has come to a stand still, and we have been living with this situation for years and years and years.

I feel like I should have some deep insight into this year of fear and struggle, but I don't. I am not certain why. Perhaps, this is because it has just ended, and I will need some longer time to provide a proper perspective. Perhaps, though, it is because I feel like we are still going through the journey and will continue to travel this path until our death.

I did take some comfort this morning from the Psalm text for this Sunday of Passion moving the person of faith into Holy Week. In the 31st Psalm it is written: "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. ... But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love." May it be so.