Moving Beyond

“To the extent that we are not drawn into lament, we cannot be drawn into the future.”

Emmanuel Katongole, Interview with Plough Quarterly, Deep Solidarity

A few years ago Emmanuel Katongole served here at Duke Divinity School as Associate Professor of Theology and World Christianity, and as founding co-director of Duke Divinity’s Center for Reconciliation. Now he is Professor of Theology and Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. Katongole recently interviewed with the Plough Magazine.

In our world, and particularly in our nation it seems, we feel contained by the present. It’s like being in a bubble. There seems to be no escape. We certainly have freedom of speech, for the most part - we can demonstrate or post our opinions, for example. We even have the opportunity to vote one way or another, hoping to make a difference. However, either way a bright future seems elusive. Who will free us from the virus? Who will move us beyond racism? Who will find answers to the pressing needs that destroy the lives of those who cry out to God for release? Release from cages, walls, overwhelming financial burdens, unattainable health care, violence… How will we ever move beyond, to the love and peace promised in scripture? I extracted the quote above, from Emmanuel Katongole’s interview with Plough, because it struck me personally as the direction I need to be looking for answers. We can’t stride into the future without a deep sense of lament and, might I say, repentance over our current condition. As Katongole says, this is a kairos moment: a moment of decision and action.

Here’s a section from the interview that I found particularly significant:

“To the extent that we are not drawn into lament, we cannot be drawn into the future. I like especially Jeremiah, who warned the leaders and the prophets and the priests for not healing the wounds of the people – “my people” – rightly. They had said, “peace, peace,” when there was no peace. They moved too quickly to “let’s get back to normal.” That is taking healing lightly.

Think of the lament in Joel, after the locusts came. From the priests, to the kings, to mothers, to babies, everybody put on sackcloth. But after the mourning, “the Spirit of the Lord will be poured upon everyone … old men will dream dreams … young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28). This only happens in the context of lament. I think after Covid-19 we desperately need new visions of something more than just the old order improved a little. We need new visions of community, of society, and, in America, of a post-racial world. This can only emerge out of a deep practice of lament, of turning to God, of turning to one another in solidarity. Then, your young men and women will see visions and the old men and women will dream dreams of a new future.

We need this desperately. The old world has run its course. You cannot polish things up a little bit and pretend that everything will be okay. That’s why I take Covid-19 seriously as a kairos moment.

Here in Uganda the lockdown coincided with an extraordinarily powerful rainy season: rivers and lakes flooding, homes destroyed, businesses destroyed. This points to an area in need of urgent attention – it calls us to care for the creation in this new moment. Why haven’t we paid the same attention to ecological degradation that we are paying to Covid-19? Covid-19 and the rains are connected.

In America, it is coinciding with racial tensions, frustrations. Don’t be too quick to separate them! Both Covid-19 and racism call us to the discipline of lament. And it may, if we turn to God, issue into new visions of a world of justice and interconnectedness, of deep solidarity, a world we share together. This cannot happen when we are so full of ourselves and so full of confidence, when we think that we are an invincible people, a superpower, that we are the best of God’s creation. New dreams cannot happen then. I think this is something God is communicating to us in this time.

This is how these things flow into each other. We need solidarity, and not only solidarity with one another, black and white, rich and poor. We need to respond to this kairos moment as a crucial moment in the journey into a new future and a new society that is in the process of being born. God is always at work building his new creation. What we are experiencing right now is part of that. This is a very significant time. But this kind of business cannot happen without tears, without blood, without pain.

Building Community in a pandemic: Acts2

Acts2?

As a leader of our campus ministry, Acts2 at Duke, I’m sometimes asked if we’re a theatrical group: “What type of acting do you do?” It’s kinda funny…  though I realize that “Acts2” is kind of a funny name. It’s exciting too, because the question reflects the wide range of backgrounds our students hail from. And in fact, we are a funny group – different, a bit. But no, we’re not actors. Our goal is to find practical ways to care about each other, and to witness to the source of this desire to show love as coming from Jesus. We believe this will combat loneliness and give students a sense of belonging. A family.

So why “Acts2 at Duke”? As many will recognize, Acts 2 is a chapter in the New Testament of the Bible. Many folks, of course, will not have known this. Among them, a number of participants in our ministry. No worries, we delight in a wide array of cultural and religious, or non-religious, backgrounds. And we believe that one of the best ways to show and witness to the love of Jesus is in community and in fellowship with one another. For that, Acts 2 is a guide and an inspiration.

Acts, or “The Acts of the Apostles” is one of the most inspiring books of the New Testament for me. This is mainly because it describes the establishment and spread of the first church of believers in Jesus. There are many important aspects and themes in the book of Acts which I’m still learning about, and which I’ll leave aside for now in order to focus briefly on one thing: The Way, which is how early followers of Jesus referred to themselves (long before they were labeled “Christians”).[Web 1] The Way was a major departure from the status quo; a remarkably different lifestyle, requiring a complete realignment of priorities. It was an amazing new lifestyle. Exciting, fulfilling, freeing! Yet it required a complete turning upside down of social, economic, political, and religious norms. It was no longer possible to look out for #1 first, but it became a joyful renunciation of self for the good of others. How was this possible? Jesus said this would bring freedom and eternal life![Matthew 5:3-12] The result? A whole new society built on love, care, and mutual respect. Where, “there was not a needy person among them”.[Acts 4:34]

In Acts 2, we find the birth of this new Way, and we find several significant statements. One is from Peter, the Apostle: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”[Acts 2:40] And we find the effect:

“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.”[Acts2:44-47]

Perhaps we need the same awakening today. The same breaking from the status quo. The same challenge to examine our lives and turn away from ourselves. Whatever we need, we know we can’t just complain about the current state of affairs, as much as we want to. But what can anyone do? We’re certainly not the greatest examples, but in our Acts2 ministry we want to simply encourage one another to ponder these questions and to facilitate this by showing that we care.

We want our lifestyle to reflect as closely as we can The Way of the first Christians, inspired by the second chapter in the book of Acts. That’s why we personally live in intentional Christian community with others here in Durham. We know that students benefit from this sense of family and community. And, like those first Christians, we want to show all people that we love and care for them.

No, we are not a theatrical group. Sorry, no acting. Except maybe at game night, or after Saturday dinner (a now distant memory, sad to say). But we are excited about the future! Someday we’ll be able to gather again, share a meal, and sing around the fire.

Having said that, there’s always an opportunity to try something new to build community, even while staying apart. Coming up, my wife and I have decided to host a Live Zoom Cooking session! If we can’t eat together with students, perhaps we can at least cook together. Many of you have asked for instructions on creating certain dishes we’ve enjoyed – here’s your chance! We’ll hold the sessions every other Saturday. Anyone can join. We’ll post the recipe and ingredients. You can either cook along or watch. Questions are welcome, as are suggestions for the next session. The future is bright! Let’s share time together (if not space), learn from each other, and show how much we care.

Building Community in a pandemic: Trust

Why Trust?

I’ll try to keep this simple. We know we’re in a pandemic, we know we can’t see each other like we want to, and we know this could go on for quite a while still. It’s frustrating, and connecting takes more effort. However, as the old saying goes, “When one door closes another opens” (Alexander Graham Bell). Here’s another way of phrasing it: “When God closes a door, He opens a window”. Well, it’s not exactly a piece of rich theology, seeing as it’s a line from The Sound of Music. But, whether Oscar Hammerstein wanted it to or not, this does reflect God’s abundant love toward us.

So let’s think about this window. Some may say, “If God really wants to help us why give us only a window? Windows are for fresh air, for a glimpse of light, or for escape…” True, but I look at it differently, and see a window of opportunity. It all depends on your perspective. So if we trust that God wants to encourage us to continually seek him and have fellowship and encourage one another, we must believe that He will give us a way. Can we trust Him to do that?

In our case, as a campus ministry, we have been accustomed to meeting several times a week with students who want to spend time together, eat good food, sing, and play games. These were beautiful times of fellowship, sharing stories, and encouragement. I sure hope this will be possible again soon! More importantly, these experiences of community have become foundational to building strong relationships, and upholding one another in tough times. For many of us, this pandemic is an inconvenience. For others, it’s life or death.

How can we combat the months of isolation, sickness, and fear to support one another more? I don’t have answers, and would welcome your thoughts.

Here’s something we are doing. It’s small, but we believe that it’s one window God has given us. Every Wednesday evening at 7:00pm we hold a gathering called Soul Time. The point is simply to support one another. We look to the Bible to find hope and strength in the source of our faith. Faith is not an arbitrary idea that if you believe in something you’ll feel better. Faith is real, and we can build on it together. With faith comes trust. If you are particularly struggling; lonely, unwell, confused, anxious, God will give you strength to trust him, to look for others who will support you, and overcome.

Here are a couple verses from Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord;

          he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

          out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

          and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

          a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

          and put their trust in him.

If you find yourself stuck in a slimy pit sinking in “mud and mire”, or otherwise having a particularly difficult time right now, know that we understand. I believe that God will open a window of opportunity for you. God is Love, and if we trust in him, He will set us on a rock and give us a new song. A new hope. A new trust.

More on this next week. Let me know what your thoughts are!

Welcome to our new Acts2 Blog!

It’s nearing the end of September, and we’ve had a strange and sometimes difficult semester so far. For Acts2 at Duke, we have missed daily and weekly personal interactions. The challenge for us is one of discovery. In the absence of our normal, routine, gatherings, how can we still build a community of care and support for students and friends?

We will be discussing this question in the blog. Feel free to comment and give topic suggestions for posts. Please also let us know how we can improve our presence. Online and on campus.

Thank you so much! We are looking forward to further interaction!

Chuck & Ilace