God and Weather

Over the years, I have been asked to pray for certain weather to happen or not happen. Usually, the requests have come from farmers or from folks who have scheduled important activities outdoors. I typically comply with the requests without actually thinking that my prayers influence the global weather patterns or that it matters to God whether the annual 'John Doe family' picnic gets rained out.

Over the course of the years, there has often been a conflict between the prayers I have offered. Such as, when a farmer in the congregation wants me to pray for one thing to happen - like rain - and another family wants the opposite to occur - like sunshine. I have prayed for both of them. And most often, one of them did take place.

In the past week, I have read of two people who evidently think there is a stronger connection between the weather patterns and divine prayer. A minister has seen the 'Hand of God' in the tornado that hit Minneapolis where the ELCA are struggling to resolve issues relating to homosexual clergy. This minister is certain that God was sending a strong message to the ELCA to repent of their sins and turn from their wicked ways. And, a governor of a southern state was saying this week that, since he has been praying for no hurricane to hit his state - including having prayers placed at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, no hurricanes have hit his state.

I guess both of these men have more spiritual power and insight than I do. It seems to me that I remember reading about someone who said it rains on the just and the unjust alike, certainly suggesting that weather patterns are not used by God as punishment or reward. Maybe that person was not as spiritual as these two men either.

Same old stuff

Over the last few weeks, I have been reading Simon Schama's book, Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves, and the American Revolution, in bits and pieces. It chronicles the rise of the anti-slavery movement in England, the response of slaves in the colonies to the Revolutionary War, the promises made by the British Army to many slaves, and the attempts to establish a colony of freed slaves in Sierra Leone.

While I have read only about 75% of the book, it is a tragic story. Slavery itself was a horrific thing, but the people involved made the situation much worse. The story is one of promises made and broken to the freed slaves, of unscrupulous white men lying and cheating them, of those same white men being protected by the laws, all of which served to deepen the tragedy.

Through it all, so far, it has been interesting to read, and be reminded of, the rationales used by the people in power - the whites - for keeping a people enslaved. Most of the reasons had economic factors. "We cannot free the slaves because to do so would ruin the sugar cane industry, the tobacco industry, the cotton industry, etc." "We cannot give this particular land to them, even though we promised it and signed a contract to do so, because it is too valuable. They can have this other land, which is not as good." In many ways, I feel like I am reading the story of how the European settlers have always sought to gain the absolute advantage for themselves in their dealings with indigenous peoples or with slaves.

There was indeed a strong free market, capitalistic, pressure for the white landowners to keep things as they were. That is why people of conscience and morality have to look beyond the free market reasons for taking, or not taking, a particular action to try to discern what the right thing would be. I wonder if we have gotten any better at doing the right thing. I wonder if we are any better than the slave owners in the 18th century? Or, is it just the same old stuff?

Bearing Witness

One of the issues raised in opposition to interfaith dialogue by evangelical Christians relates to their desire to continue to bear witness to their faith. They wonder, "How can I share my faith with people who follow other religions if I engage in dialogue with them?"

The Christian Muslim Forum has proposed a set of guidelines that address this. The guidelines are:

1) We bear witness to, and proclaim our faith not only through words but through our attitudes, actions and lifestyles.
2) We cannot convert people, only God can do that. In our language and methods we should recognise that people’s choice of faith is primarily a matter between themselves and God.
3) Sharing our faith should never be coercive; this is especially important when working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Everyone should have the choice to accept or reject the message we proclaim and we will accept people’s choices without resentment.
4) Whilst we might care for people in need or who are facing personal crises, we should never manipulate these situations in order to gain a convert.
5) An invitation to convert should never be linked with financial, material or other inducements. It should be a decision of the heart and mind alone.
6) We will speak of our faith without demeaning or ridiculing the faiths of others.
7) We will speak clearly and honestly about our faith, even when that is uncomfortable or controversial.
8) We will be honest about our motivations for activities and we will inform people when events will include the sharing of faith.
9) Whilst recognising that either community will naturally rejoice with and support those who have chosen to join them, we will be sensitive to the loss that others may feel.
10) Whilst we may feel hurt when someone we know and love chooses to leave our faith, we will respect their decision and will not force them to stay or harass them afterwards.

In my mind, the single most important statement in these guidelines is one that most witnessing faiths overlook. Satement 2 places the whole conversion process as a God thing. Our statements, techniques, or approaches may be helpful for someone to hear, but no human is the agent of conversion, despite claims made by many. The entire faith enterprise is God's bailiwick.

Having been "witnessed to" by any number of people from different faith or theological understandings, I wish more folks would adhere to these guidelines.