A COLLABORATION OF ADVENTIST ACTIVISTS
AUGUST 2024
ISSUE 5
FOUR QUESTIONS
(BEFORE THE CONVERSATION)
TRUMP RALLY PRAYERS EXAMINED
COSTCO ODE
WADJDA
IS IT HOT IN HERE?
PATH OF THE JUST
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
—Proverbs 4:18, KJV
THE AGE WE LIVE IN
Edward R. Murrow, journalist (Written in 1951)
We hardly need to be reminded that we are living in an age of confusion. A lot of us have traded in our beliefs for bitterness and cynicism, or for a heavy package of despair, or even a quivering portion of hysteria Opinions can be picked up cheap in the marketplace, while such commodities as courage and fortitude and faith are in alarmingly short supply.
Around us all is an enveloping cloud of fear.
Around us all now high like a distant thunderhead, now close upon us with the wet choking intimacy of a London fog there is an enveloping cloud of fear There is a
physical fear, the kind that drives some of us to flee our homes and burrow into the ground in the bottom of a Montana valley like prairie dogs to try to escape, if only for a little while, the sound and fury of whatever may be coming There is a mental fear, which provokes others of us to see the images of witches in a neighbor’s yard and stampedes us to burn down his house. And there is the creeping fear of doubt doubt of what we have been taught, of the validity of so many things we have long since taken for granted to be durable and unchanging. It has become more difficult than ever to distinguish black from white, good from evil, right from wrong. What truths can a human being afford to furnish the cluttered nervous room of one’s mind with when one has no real idea how long a lease one has on the future?
COSTCO ODE
And they did all eat and were filled: and they took up the fragments that remained, twelve baskets full.
—Matthew 14:20, KJV
Today, my people the people Jesus loves are shopping at Costco Membership checked, we’ve entered the light-drenched Kingdom of More. We’re sampling Finger Lake Champaign Cheddar morsels nested in tiny paper cups. We’re watching golden chicken carcasses ride a Ferris wheel to nowhere. Our carts are full to overflowing with applesauce squeezes and shrink-wrapped Siamese twin Nutella jars. Take. Eat. Take some more But it’s not enough Here you can buy a theme park for your master bath, on credit. You can buy buckets of pain killers, boxed sets of princesses, a Rebel 4-pack of Star Wars Bobble Heads. The crushed ice battlements of the seafood kiosk bear Wild Cooked Red King Crab legs so big it looks as if a dragon has been dismembered by retirees in hairnets and aprons. If abundance assumes satisfaction, this is a place of famine But why shouldn’t a miracle happen at Costco? Up the frozen food aisle now comes a woman on her electric “Amigo Value Shopper” with a cow catcher-sized basket up front and an orange safety flag in back. It’s been six months since her husband died, so she’s parking at the “Human Touch Massage Chair” Center. Tamara in Ugg boots knows this won’t be a sale Still, defying risk managers everywhere, she’s hugging the widowed shopper from behind to help her swing one leg over the seat of the “Amigo” before
hoisting her to the iJoy Active Wholebody chair for “plus sizes ” The woman lays back, as if suspended in a jar of honey shot through with afternoon light And if you sink into the chair next to her just to be closer, you will hear her telling Tamara how he brought her tea to bed and how he stayed up with the sick kids, no matter how late And you know she’s only romanticizing, that she’s forgotten the abandoned diabetic hypodermics on TV trays, his rage at her interruptions while telling stories in which he always starred. But Tamara doesn’t care. She’s undoing the Velcro straps of the woman’s orthotic shoes with little tearing sounds like the husking of a coconut. Let it all go with your breath, Sweetie. And somewhere deep in the interior of the iJoy Active Wholebody a motor answers a remote and starts to whir, pushing its energy outward through meshes of gears until the leather pads begin squeezing and releasing But the woman is holding tight to Tamara’s hand Don’t let me go, she’s saying, until I can’t take no more.
Craig van Rooyen This poem first appeared in New Ohio Review and in the San Luis Obispo Adventist Church bulletin
InterAct
LET’S TALK RECYCLING
Agreed: We all want to live on a cleaner, more sustainable planet (country, community, home). One of the keys to sustainability is recycling. Check your knowledge of recycling by answering the following questions bit ly/PulseEarthDay
Anything can be recycled.
TRUE/ FALSE
FALSE Don’t try to recycle anything smaller than a credit card That includes straws, coffee pods, plastic forks or spoons, bottle caps Such items are too small to be sorted and often jam sorting equipment Hint: put plastic bottle caps back on the bottle and voila! larger than a credit card
SUGGESTION: Think before you throw
Know your plastics. The higher the resin code, the easier it is to recycle.
TRUE/ FALSE
FALSE Yes, in the United States plastics have “resin codes,” often found somewhere on the container Rigid plastics (codes 1 through 7) are recyclable Codes 1 and 2 are easiest The higher the number, the more time and energy it takes to recycle That means no “clam shells,” cracker bags, chip bags, or cereal bags. They go in the trash.
SUGGESTION: Check your community’s website for the types of plastics it accepts for recycling
In order to be recycled, plastic have to survive the “poke test.”
TRUE/ FALSE
TRUE. Plastic grocery bags, bubble wrap, food bags, plastic wrap, are too flimsy to be recycled. They should be trashed. That means that recyclables should not be placed in plastic bags for pickup Put recyclables in the appropriate recycling bins
SUGGESTION: Buy a couple tote bags and use reusable containers to store leftover food.
When in doubt, recycle.
TRUE FALSE
FALSE A lot of us make the mistake of “wishcycling,” optimistically putting non-recyclable items into recycling bins. Plastic-coated coffee cups, laminated paper, and bubble-wrap envelopes can’t be separated. They’re trash.
SUGGESTION: Try to avoid buying non-recyclable materials. That may mean shopping locally instead of using “next-day shipping.”
Stephen Chavez
By now you have likely experienced at least one A conversation concerning our rainbow friends, a dialogue begun with halcyon hopes and noble intentions, left you frustrated, stunned, puzzled, and disappointed
Wow, you thought afterward, they really weren’t interested in listening at all I was tossing words against a brick wall.
As a sad result, you may be tempted to abandon future discourse about LGBTQ+ matters. Take heart, I’ve been there. But that was then, this is now
Of course, the grace-filled preamble to any conversation should be, Am I more eager to be understood or to understand? How interested am I in listening?
Establishing personal contexts is paramount In my favorite biblical passage, Jesus is being cross-examined by a lawyer “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? How do you read?’” (Luke 10:25, 26).
You’re a lawyer, so let’s talk law Jesus meets us where we are. That’s the prime c of Incarnation In typical Jewish fashion, R Yeshua answers a question with a question to hear and confirm what is brought to the table
The Adventist Church is not against “homosexuality.”
Four on the floor
We each bring our truths to the conversation table Regarding my rainbow friends, I carry certain truths about humanity, God, justice, and love I hold these truths to be self-evident To create common ground, these truths must be mutually acknowledged As a result, I draw upon the following questions before the conversation.*
Until people recognize and resolve these four questions, they will not be free to
discuss LGBTQ people (this is really about people not “issues” or “problems”) with anything approaching authentic, open, substantive depth. They will not be ready to discuss Scripture not clobber texts, slavery, eunuchs, literalism, metanarrative, or women talking in church
Now, I generally start with, “Before we begin, let me ask four questions.”
“First, is sexual orientation a choice?”
The follow-up is, “Tell me, exactly when did hoose to be heterosexual?” (Be sure to or an answer ) I readily admit that I did hoose and I know of no one who did.
Second, can basic sexual orientation hanged?” Your follow-up is, “How ult would it be for you to change so you’re attracted only to members of y own sex?” (Wait for an answer.)
They really weren’t interested in listening.
In 2013, Exodus International, an umbrella organization for dozens of “change ministries” (aka “conversion therapy”) shuttered their doors forever after 37 years and apologized for being “imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”
“Third, is this mainly about sex?”
Follow-up with, “Is marriage mainly about sex?” (Wait, again.) Nope. Marriage is mainly about connection
The Adventist Church is not against “homosexuality.” The Church is not opposed to any orientation or temptation, or else Christ, who was tempted in every respect as we are (Hebrews 4:15,) must be
considered sinful The official Adventist Church stance is against same-sex marriage that’s what it comes down to. Everything else is window and salad dressing
“Finally, how does same-sex marriage in any practical way diminish love?” Love is the reason for our existence, the sine qua non for life. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10). Jesus immigrated to this lost and bewildered planet to demonstrate what godly love looks like
Follow-up: “How does two people of marriageable age committing themselves in love to one another in any practical way devalue love?” I haven’t heard a satisfactory answer to that question
Asking these four questions establishes a “How do you read?” basis for shared understanding and growth We could also add one consideration: Do I expect others to get in 30 minutes what took me 30 years to figure out?
Naturally, we can all learn something through discussion, particularly when we’re challenged. You and your conversational partner will not agree on everything. However, by introducing four self-evident themes choice, change, sex, and love you will find yourself with a better dialogue companion than a brick wall
* I am indebted to Justin Lee for this overall concept
Chris Blake is a former pastor and communications professor
WHO WE ARE
Pulse is the monthly digital magazine of JustLove Collective.
This month’s issue is sponsored by two generous anonymous donors (thank you!), edited by Chris Blake, and designed by Jeffers Media
Unless indicated otherwise all Bible references are from the New Revised Standard Version
CHRIS BLAKE
Taught Critiquing Film and Conflict and Peacemaking at what is now Union Adventist University. He also served as an editor and pastor
STEPHEN CHAVEZ
Retired after a career as a parish pastor, then as a staff member of Adventist Review He is Director of Church Relations for Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International
MARCIA NORDMEYER
Lives and works in Lincoln, Nebraska, and can be found in the library of Union Adventist University She is happily married to Jeremy. They are parents to two kids who are encouraged to read banned books.
CRAIG VAN ROOYEN
Is a judge and a poet living in San Luis Obispo, CA His poems have appeared widely in literary journals and he is a past winner of the Rattle Poetry Prize and the Neil Postman Award
In Australia, A recent arrivals fr on July 14 Acco of ADRA in Victoria, the aim of the day was to “share love through food, games, music and social interaction”
truly Christian thing to do ”
ADRA volunteers and members of local Adventist churches have been supporting the families with food, furniture, clothing, and bedding. “The Family Fun Day was a highlight to spend time with these families,” said Ms Auriant.
Hosted at the Narre Warren campus of Heritage College an Adventist school in south-eastern Melbourne buses collected families from the south-eastern, western and northern suburbs of Melbourne The Fun Day featured lunch provided by members of the Samoan Adventist community, live music, referrals to legal services, and art and games for the children, as well as household goods and food that the families could take home with them.
To humanize issues that are often so far away is powerful.
One of the local leaders of the Arabic community expressed her appreciation for “an enormously successful day . . . Your humanity and generosity of spirit in giving up your Sunday to make the lives of Palestinians that little bit brighter was a
According to Pastor Moe Stiles, who worked with members of the Crosswalk Melbourne Church she pastors to organise and volunteer at the Fun Day, the opportunity to spend time with the families from Gaza was mutually beneficial “To be able to humanise issues that are often so far away is powerful!” she said. “To engage in conversation, to hear stories of their journey, to sit and share a meal is a privilege. For Australians whether by birth or migration to show up like this is another way to say, ‘You are welcome here ’”
This condensed article written by Nathan Brown appeared in the July 19, 2024 Adventist Record
A Close Reading of MAGA Prayers
To understand the evolving psychology and beliefs of Trump’s religious supporters, I attempted to review every prayer offered at his campaign events since he announced in November 2022 that he would run again. Working with a researcher, I compiled 58 in total, the most recent from June 2024 The resulting document at just over 17,000 words makes for a strange, revealing religious text: benign in some places, blasphemous in others; contradictory and poignant and frightening and sad and, perhaps most of all, begging for exegesis. . . .
Early on in the Trump era, it was common to hear conservative Christians compare him to Cyrus the Great, the sixth-century-B C E Persian king who, though he did not worship the God of Israel himself, liberated the Israelites from Babylonian captivity and helped them build their temple in Jerusalem.
The subtext was not subtle Here was a handy biblical precedent for the “unlikely vessel” the man God uses to fulfill his
purposes even though he lacks the faith and character of a true believer
But this analogy seems to have outlived its usefulness to the religious right: A 2020 Pew Research Center survey found that 62 percent of Republicans viewed Trump as “morally upstanding,” and in a Deseret News poll commissioned last year, 64 percent said they believed he is a “person of faith ” The former president no longer needs to be described as a blunt, utilitarian tool in God’s hand. “Cyrus was a way of acknowledging, ‘I know this is an immoral person, but he could still do some good,’” Russell Moore, an evangelical theologian and the editor of Christianity Today, who has been critical of Trump, told me “I haven’t heard Cyrus language in at least five years ”
The prayers at Trump’s rallies reflect this shifting perception Cyrus isn’t mentioned, but Trump does get compared to righteous, prophetic heroes of the Bible, including Esther, Solomon, and David
ReView
Wadjda (2012) 98 minutes. Drama/comedy (99% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) Rent/buy on Prime Video or Fandango at Home. Written and directed by Haifaa al-Mansour
Sure, it’s the first feature-length film written or directed by a Saudi woman. Yes, it’s also the first shot entirely in Saudi Arabia because, as writer-director Haifaa al-Mansour pointed out, “in Saudi there are no movie theaters, there is no film industry to speak of ”
To stay authentic, al-Mansour insisted on filming in the capital city of Riyadh Because she could not publicly mix with the men in the crew, she directed while hidden in the back of a van, communicating via walkie-talkie as she watched the actors on a monitor.
No feature-length film had ever been made by a Saudi woman.
Yet those are not the only ways Wadjda is exceptional. It’s a coming-of-age story about freedom and identity. It carries traditional values of growth, love, and hope Al-Mansour notes that the original version of her screenplay was much darker than the final product: “I decided I didn’t want the film to carry a slogan
al-Mansour’s nieces and on her own experiences when growing up. Women’s subjugation and empowerment are boldly on display throughout the film
In addition, viewers experience “visual and textural details of modern life in Saudi Arabia, a place of dun-colored monotony, cruelty, and hypocrisy, as well as prosperity, deep devotion, and poetry” observes Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post.
Critics are universal in their praise
“Determinedly non-preachy, non-bitter and rapturously uplifting” (Larushka Ivan-Zadeh)
“With impressive agility, Wadjda finds room to maneuver between harsh realism and a more hopeful kind of storytelling” (A O Scott)
“Waad Mohammed as the protagonist gives a great performance She’s sarcastic, funny, mischievous, and sweet depending on what the situation calls for” (Mae Abdulbakl).
“For years, aspiring feminists had Jo March; now, we have Wadjda” (Alex Heeney).
Chris Blake
InSpire
The truth needs so little
rehearsal
—Barbara Kingsolver
Audre Lorde YAS QUEEN!
Without community, there is no liberation.
POWER FOR CHANGE
There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Margaret J Wheatley
In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell REVOLUTION
GAB SKILLZ
Rania Al-Abdullah STRENGTH TRAINING
We are stronger when we listen and smarter when we share.
The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought and paid attention to my answer.
Henry David Thoreau SNATCHED
You can never hope to become a skilled conversationalist until you learn how to put your foot tactfully through the television set.*
M Dale Baughman *(Update technology as needed )
Compiled by Chris Blake
INSPIRATION
Podcasts We Just Love
COLLECTIVE
A House on Fire: This Adventist Peace Fellowship podcast series is based on the excellent book on race and racism
Adventist Voices: Weekly podcast and companion to Spectrum designed to foster community through conversation
The Social Jesus Podcast talks about the intersection of Jesus, faith, and social justice today
INSPIRATION
COLLECTIVE
Red Letter Christian Podcast: Christian commentary on the way of Jesus in the world today
Adventist Pilgrimage: A lively monthly podcast focusing on the academic side of Adventist history
Just Liberty: A fresh, balanced take on religious liberty where justice and liberty meet
Go to Health
WALK FOR LIFE
The speed at which you walk can be eerily predictive of health status. In a study of nearly 35,000 people aged 65 years or older in the Journal of the American Medical Association, those who walked at about 2 6 feet per second over a short distance which would amount to a mile in about 33 minutes were likely to hit their average life expectancy. With every speed increase of around 4 inches per second, the chance of dying in the next decade fell by about 12 percent (Whenever I think about this study, I start walking faster.)
WARNING TIME
“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents.”
James Hamblin, M D
U S Surgeon General
Vivek H Murthy, in June 17 New York Times
RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER
No one can follow God and be comfortable for long.
An attractive young woman on the fast track toward a lucrative business career decided she wanted to delay her career plans to work with inner-city young people. God had been working on her heart, and she felt a real sense of calling She was hired by a church where the ethnic mix was changing, and within weeks she was working with gang members. She successfully convinced a few of them to attend a Bible study at the church.
were listening. She was doing such a good job that her students understood how costly faith is What a teacher! But all the church could think about were broken windows.
But it gets worse.
The church should have invited the gang members downstairs.
One night she was talking about Matthew 6:33 (“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”), explaining that if you want to be a disciple of Jesus, nothing can be more important than Him. Her words were, “If the gang is more important than Jesus, then the gang has to go If your girlfriend is more important than Jesus, then the girlfriend has to go ”
One of the gang members was so into what she was saying that, after hearing those words, he reacted violently by throwing his arms back, yelling, “Dude, it’s hard to be a disciple!” and his elbow crashed through a window. When the church found out, they were very upset at having to pay twenty-six dollars to fix the window, and they restricted the gang members from using the room.
Here was a young woman teaching gang members about Jesus, and they
A few weeks later, the pastor accidentally interrupted one of the Bible studies He sat down and spent a few minutes talking with the gang members. After he left, one of the guys said, “Hey, I like that guy Let’s go to church this Sunday ” The youth worker decided to seat them in the balcony rather than with the congregation downstairs. When the minister came out and announced the giving of the peace, one of the gang members spontaneously stood up and yelled, “Hey, dude, you are cool!” The congregation turned around in shock. After the service, the youth worker was told not to bring the gang members back to the church until they learned how to behave inside a church.
The church should have turned around and invited the gang members downstairs They should have applauded a woman who was doing an amazing job of evangelism. Instead, the youth worker was fired. Apparently this church was more concerned about comfort than it was about a group of gang members’ discomforting search for spirituality.
Seek the spiritual life, admit your messiness, follow Christ wherever He leads you, and discomfort is right around the corner
and that Fifty years ago, hardly anyone in the church would have gone along with same-sex marriage Now some of the same people who used to oppose it are saying we should have no time for those who still do
It’s important to let people change their minds without being humiliated.
I think it’s important to let people change their minds without being humiliated I often say our congregation shouldn’t call itself an inclusive church if it won’t include people who disagree on this and other such issues I myself hold a
strong view, but being a community means open arms to people of diverse views, not cocooning oneself with like-minded people
Don’t forget that many Africans say, “A century ago you came here and told us gay sex was wrong. Now you’re coming here telling us gay sex is right. The thing that hasn’t changed is you still think you know better than us ”
There are three ways to seek justice. One is to change the world through legislation and trust the rule of law and equality and equity and procedure and propriety. Another is to protest and denounce and march and upturn unjust prosecutions. But a third, which no one makes movies about, is to try to foster a community that models what good might look like.
Samuel Wells, excerpted from “What Does It Mean to Be an Inclusive Church?” in The Christian Century (July 2024), pp 35-36
“It is not your church to kick us out of–this is God’s church, and God has called us and engrafted us into it.”
Christian Matson, first openly transgender diocesan hermit in the Catholic Church
ReView
Kids and their water bottles, amiright? Visit any school lost and found and find a rich diversity of insulated, flexible, and spill proof varieties. You will also encounter every cartoon and anime character and sticker-worthy creed known to humankind The bottles seem to breed; opening a certain cupboard in the Nordmeyer family kitchen involves a hardhat advisory. Linus had his blanket. We have our water bottles
comparing collective attitudes about climate change to those of the recent COVID pandemic Global beliefs about climate change, across 56 countries in fact, found that political affiliation and ideologies were a stronger indicator of opinions on the matter than education, experiences, or values.
When my brother and I were young, I think we had a sip of water every other day and were pretty okay most of the time If we did use a water bottle, it usually meant we were spending all day at the beach or going on a hike Today, you won’t catch anyone in my family out and about without at least 24 ounces of potable water on hand in something stylish and refillable.
As I pick up the book I’m currently reading, I wonder if our chronic thirst and appreciation for the reusable is yet another side-effect of climate change
Katharine Hayhoe’s Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World opens with a discussion
The rest of us, on a spectrum of Alarmed to Doubtful, can be won over.
The author does not categorize people as climate “believers and deniers”–rather, she discourages such polarizing labels. She also reassures her readers that the loudest, angriest, and most dismissive voices (Internet trolls) make up a mere seven percent of the population No one will change their minds about the realities and facts of climate change. Not even her The rest of us, on a spectrum from Alarmed to Doubtful, can be won over.
Katharine Hayhoe’s expertise in all things climate intersects with her Christian faith. Having feet firmly planted in both worlds qualifies her to confidently confront climate theories from far-right Evangelicals who insist that “since God is in control, people cannot possibly cause something as big as global climate change” or the absurd idea that “international climate cooperation is a huge step towards One World Order, so any climate change talk is a conspiracy in disguise ” Because she understands the Bible so well, she is able to use Scripture to gently provide a clearer picture of our role in stewardship over the Earth.
Hayhoe shares tips and examples of how to meet people where they are, find common ground, and share facts about the realities of climate change without being a condescending, elitist prick. And shouldn’t that be our goal?
Grab a copy from the bookstore or your favorite library and give it a read, alongside your favorite water bottle
Marcia Nordmeyer
Marcia's water bottle
Gratitude
As we launch, we are particularly grateful for every contribution to JustLove Collective. Donations are tax-deductible. Though we are a global movement of volunteers, we do need to pay for expenses related to this magazine and to the Summit For more information, please see our website at justlovecollective org
$500
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Something Else Sabbath School
Anonymous
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Julie and Ty McSorley
Elizabeth Rodacker and Ed Borgens
SDA Kinship International
Adela and Arpad Soo
Harry Banks
Eileen and Dave Gemmel
Heart, Soul & Mind
Discipleship Class
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