Unpacking Ideas

Legislators in many states are now in session.  For my Virginia friends, the Virginia General Assembly enjoys a new sense of imbalance.  Recent elections gave Republicans a stronger grip on both houses.  This happens now and then in every state.  What matters more to me is this:  What if the Republicans grip too tightly?  So, we watch.

I love politics, but I love theo-politics even more – the intersection between religion, theology and politics.  This is one of those dangerous intersections where many collisions occur.  Despite the danger, I stand boldly in favor of mixing religion and politics, but in that order only.  See my article on this subject: Religion And Politics, In That Order at http://www.unpackingideas.org/2010/12/religion-and-politics-in-that-order/.

One Of The Dangerous Intersections

Lately I have been paying special attention to immigration and the Church’s participation in the political debate.  I have written plenty about this.  Several of my articles are sure to stir up lively conversation, or stir up your breakfast, depending on your frame of mind.  Go to: Immigration Reform.

I have few doubts that we need federal level, comprehensive immigration reform.  For some reason we have yet to see the political will (spine) from either party on this issue.  In the meantime, for many reasons, state lawmakers have filled the vaccuum with various versions of their own immigration legislation.  In some states, the proposed legislation is designed to be hostile toward immigrants, while in other states it is designed to welcome and integrate immigrants.

In some states, there is no legislation.  I suspect legislators there are waiting and watching to see what happens.  What happens when a state passes anti-immigrant legislation?  What are the effects?  Would similar legislation be good for my state?

A Few, Perhaps, Are Waiting And Watching 

Now we know a bit more.  Reports are trickling in.  In my own state I’d like to think legislators have been watching, which is one reason, perhaps, they recently tabled an anti-immigrant bill designed to restrict access to public education for children of undocumented immigrants by requiring local schools to collect data and report on the financial impact of every undocumented student. The goal is to get the federal government to pay the tab.  Where do they get these ideas?  The paperwork burden alone would have choked local school division budgets. [1] [2]

Another bill in Virginia, still pending, is designed to restrict access to public higher education by stripping tuition equity provisions for undocumented college students.  [3]  [4]  A separate bill, in contrast, provides tuition equity for undocumented students under certain conditions.  [5]  [6] 

What Is Tuition Equity?

Tuition equity legislation is popular in state assemblies across the nation this year.  Tuition equity generally means allowing students who attend high school in a state, graduate, and meet other criteria, to pay in-state tuition rates, regardless of their immigration status.   

Some proposed legislation will strengthen tuition equity laws by clarifying and/or enhancing access to tuition equity for undocumented students [7] .  Other bills would repeal or weaken tuition equity laws to restrict or deny access to in-state tuition and other supports for undocumented students [8] .

What’s Happening In Arizona And Alabama?

Considering the long list of states proposing anti-immigrant legislation, I wonder if the economic and employment news from Alabama and Arizona will make a difference.  A researcher at the University of Alabama, for example, conducted a cost-benefit analysis of Alabama’s recent anti-immigrant legislation.  Samuel Addy, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, said in the report that “an exodus of illegal immigrants could cost the state billions of dollars a year.” 

Addy’s analysis of the state’s new immigration law found that the departure of undocumented immigrants produces a reduced aggregate demand for goods and services that hurts growth and tax revenues.  It should be noted that other data do not clearly support Addy’s conclusions.  The report, while providing good information for the debate, is not yet conclusive.  [9]   We wait and watch.  

When Arizona’s anti-immigration law was passed, several studies predicted outcomes that would negatively affect Arizona’s economy. [10]  Again, it is too soon to jump to conclusions.  Real results have yet to be determined.  We wait and watch.

A recent American Enterprise Institute nationwide study suggests that states with a greater number of  immigrants (documented or otherwise) tend to have higher employment rates among native born residents — especially in fields for which immigrants are better educated.  This study concluded there is no evidence that immigration of any kind hurts employment for native born workers.  See my article about this study, Immigrants And Jobs, at http://www.unpackingideas.org/2012/01/immigrants-and-jobs/ .

It seems to me, then, if the conclusions indicated in these reports eventually bear true — and we must continue watching –  then we might be running out of reasons for our anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation…at least economic reasons.  States with more immigrants — even undocumented immigrants — seem to fare better economically.  States with anti-immigrant rhetoric and laws seem to suffer economically.

“It’s Not Fair!  They Are Getting Away With Something!”

There must be more, then.  There must be another reason we are unwilling to welcome undocumented immigrants into our communities. 

For example, often I hear this — “Its not fair.  If an immigrant is here illegally, they are breaking the law and must be sent home.”  Meaning, they must be sent back to their native country, not back to the community where they have lived, worked, paid taxes and raised children for the past ten years. 

What’s Wrong With Amnesty?

And so I wonder.  Why is amnesty so hard to swallow?  I like amnesty.  I count on it for myself on a daily basis.  The granting of amnesty is part of our American and religious traditions.  In 1865, for example, President Andrew Johnson granted amnesty to all persons who had engaged in rebellion during the Civil War (i.e., just about everyone in the Confederate Army).  Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee had been indicted for treason.  They benefited from the President’s amnesty.  

Amnesty Is Part Of Our American And Religious Traditions.

If we are willing to grant amnesty to those who commit rebellion or treason, surely amnesty is justified for otherwise law-abiding immigrants remaining in this country who work after their visas expire. 

Our governors grant amnesty in various forms to friends, or friends of friends, some of whom are convicted felons.  Last month the outgoing governor of Mississippi pardoned 210 state inmates.   Nearly all of them received  full  and unconditional pardons, which is like amnesty.  Interestingly, nearly a dozen of the pardons were for persons convicted of murder, with two for statutory rape.  Most of the pardons were for persons convicted on drug, DUI, burglary and armed robbery charges.

A year ago, legislators in Missippippi were among the first in the nation to mimic Arizona when they passed harsh legislation against undocumented immigrants living in their state.

If we are willing to grant amnesty to those who commit violent crimes, surely amnesty is justified for hard working, and otherwise law-abiding immigrants who entered this country without documentation.      

While we are repelled by the idea that an undocumented immigrant might “get away with something” if we grant amnesty, we are complacent if not comfortable when one of “our own” is blessed with forgiveness.  Is anyone in Mississippi confused about this?

Let Generosity Abound!

I told you I love the intersection between religion and politics.  So, I recall one of Jesus’ parables about workers (perhaps a few of them were undocumented).  Some of the workers showed up early in the day and worked all day.  The landowner paid them a day’s wage.  Other workers showed up later in the day but were also paid a day’s wage.  Those who worked all day grumbled and complained, “Hey, that’s not fair!  They are getting away with something!”  Jesus wondered aloud on behalf of the landowner, “Are you envious because I am generous?”  (Matthew 20:15)

I wonder.  Is that it?  If an undocumented immigrant is granted amnesty, would we be jealous?  Would we resent the generosity?  Would it irk us to know someone is getting away with something?  Frankly, I like generosity, even if some of it is for someone else.  I hope there is plenty for all of us.   

If it is not about the economy, and if it is not about unemployment rates and available jobs, what is it about?  We are running out of reasons.  So I say, let generosity abound.

 © Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, PhD (2012)

1. See Virginia HB 138, http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=121&typ=bil&val=hb138.
2. Update:  This bill was eventually tabled in a House subcommittee.
3. See Virginia HB1282.  http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=121&typ=bil&val=HB1282
4. Update: This bill eventually stalled in a House committee.
5. See Virginia HB779.  http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=121&typ=bil&val=HB779
6. Update:  This bill eventually stalled in a House committee.
7. See California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
8. See Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington
9. See the article found at TuscaloosaNews.com at http://ht.ly/8ReGD . 
10. See http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/legal-challenges-and-economic-realities-arizonas-sb-1070-resource-page#economics for a set of reports.

If we are approaching maturity, we know that it’s hard to be Christian but it’s dull to be anything else.                                 — William Sloane Coffin, 1982

When reading a William Sloane Coffin sermon I expect to be challenged by the radical social demands of the Gospel of Christ.  I expect prophetic social disturbance.  I expect to squirm uncomfortably as Coffin confronts me with the giant social issues of our day — such as poverty, racism, war, or hunger.

Not always.  Sometimes Coffin disrupts the quiet, private world of my personal piety.  He seems to do this when Lent is approaching.  Which makes sense.  Lent is the season of honest self-examination, the season when the fragility of our mortality whispers the reminder that we are from dust, and to dust we will return.

If you are not-so-churchy, here’s the background on Lent, short for Lenten, a term borrowed from the Old English “lencten” meaning “springtime.”  The Church uses the term to describe the period of 40 days — not counting Sundays –before the Thursday of Holy Week (i.e., 4 days before Easter).  By most accounts, the 40-day season is derived from the biblical story of Jesus’ 40-day experience in the wilderness before the launch of his public ministry.  

Lent And Honest Self-Examination

In the wilderness Jesus fasted, and having grown quite hungry, presumably he was acutely aware of  the limits of the part of him that was human.  While vulnerable Jesus is seduced by the devil to consider shedding the divine side of his nature in exchange for gaining the worldly benefits of human power.  Lent for us, then, is supposed to provide the opportunity to honestly self-examine the limits of our own human nature, including the fragility of our human power.

So, it makes sense that Coffin would turn inward at a time like this.  For example, on the first Sunday of Lent in 1982, Coffin climbed the steps into the pulpit at Riverside Church in New York City to deliver Insidious Realism. [1]   That morning, like most first Sundays in Lent, the lectionary selection is the story of Jesus’ 40-day wilderness test.  Instead of his usual fare, though, Coffin invites us to experience an adventure inward.  Still, Coffin wastes no time.  

Inward And Private, But Still Disruptive

Despite the personal, private nature of the topic, Coffin remains characteristically disruptive granting no one the grace to brace carefully for the truth.  He begins (…no kidding, the first sentence): ”You are young only once, but you can be immature indefinitely.”  So he’s gonna’ talk about maturity, mine I suppose.  Great.  The prophet’s words do not always point to social issues, but they always point.

Yet, also characteristic of Coffin is his insatiable yearning for hope — even during the dark days of Lent!  “None of us grows up,” he says, “but there are promising signs along the way.”  Phew. 

I am startled by Coffin’s first example, though.  ”We are approaching maturity when we no longer need to be lied to about anything.”  During Lent I expect to be chastised about my lying, but Coffin points differently by urging me to become someone to whom my friends and family sense no need to lie.  What kind of person is this, with whom others sense enough trust and safety that total honesty becomes comfortable and frequent?  I think I want to become such a person — safe, approachable, gracious, forgiving — so that no one, ever feels the need to lie to me.  There is hope.

Continuing inward, three years later on the Sunday before Lent (he must have sensed it’s imminence), Coffin preaches Vengeance and Violence.  Using the famous story of the prodigal son, Coffin highlights the older brother’s resistance to celebrating the prodigal’s return.  Recalling the “power of the ancient grudge,” Coffin suggests that the older brother’s grudge oozed from that dark place found within all of us where the fragile sense of feeling inferior is hidden.  Perhaps, the envy of the older brother had a long history, that in early years he had resented his little brother’s easy good looks and confident spirit.  After all, who has the chutzpah to grab his inheritance before dad dies and run off to the unfettered life of party and play?  (“…and why didn’t he take me with him..?”)    The older brother watched his father welcome his little brother, without a word about how hard he had been working and behaving.  Naturally, the older brother, “feeling himself to be inferior, decided that the father’s love for him must also be inferior.”  

Love In, Love Out

The results are crippling, for the older brother and for me.  Hampered by perceived inferiority, I consider myself  unworthy of God’s love or anyone’s love, choking off my willingness and ability to love others.  Funny how that works.  The less I accept and enjoy God’s abundant love for me, the less I am able — and willing — to love others.  The more I accept God’s love, the more I give away.

Welcome to Lent — a bit early, i suppose.  And welcome to the journey inward.  This year I think I need a few extra days to brace myself for the truth about me.          

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, PhD (2012)

1. All of Coffin’s quotes are taken from Coffin, William Sloane (2008).  The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin: The Riverside Years, Volumes I & II.  Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press.

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and The Partnership For A New American Economy released a new report last month about immigrants in the United States and their impact on employment levels for native-born workers.   You can download the entire article at http://www.aei.org/article/society-and-culture/immigration/immigration-and-american-jobs/.

Do Immigrants Take Our Jobs?

Principal Investigator, Madeline Zavodny of Agnes Scott College in Georgia led the effort.   The report helps me respond to the sometimes inflammatory claim:  ”Immigrants in the U.S. take our jobs!”  Their findings, presented with appropriate caution and caveat, provide fresh and thoughtful data for a constructive conversation about immigration policy in the U.S. — especially as it affects our economy.   

I share their results here with some shred of hope that the report might gain traction with the media and stimulate a renewed interest in immigration reform during the campaign and — perhaps — for real policy-making (call me crazy).

 Zavodny and her team conducted a state-level comparison to address this question, “In states with more immigrants, are U.S. natives more or less likely to have a job?

There Is No Evidence That Immigration Hurts U.S. Employment

Here is a summary of their results:

• For all types of foreign-born workers in the U.S., regardless of their legal status, “the data show no evidence that immigration hurts U.S. employment” (p10).  This finding holds true for educated and uneducated, skilled and less-skilled immigrants.
• “Immigrants with advanced degrees overall create jobs for U.S. natives” (p10).  This result is most dramatic for immigrants who received advanced degrees from U.S. universities and are working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations.  In short, U.S.-educated immigrants working in STEM fields actually boost U.S.-born employment.  The result is similar but not as dramatic for immigrants who received their education outside the U.S. [1]     
• There is a significant, positive association between the number of temporary immigrants (skilled and less-skilled) and employment levels for U.S. natives.  Two important caveats here:  1) This result applies to skilled and less-skilled immigrants in non-agricultural jobs.  However, a positive association was also found for temporary, less-skilled, agricultural immigrants but there were not enough data to establish statistical significance.  2) These results do not suggest a causal relationship, and therefore do not suggest that temporary immigrants cause an increase in employment for U.S.-born workers.  Instead, the report indicates only that a positive relationship exists (p11).  In other words, the study found only that in states where there are more temporary immigrants, there tends to be a higher level of employment for U.S.-born workers.  

De-Bunking The Freeloader Myth

Zavodny also found that “on average, immigrants pay more in taxes than their families receive in federal benefits from major programs such as welfare, unemployment benefits, food stamps, and Medicaid.”  Moreover, immigrants with more education tend to pay more taxes (because they earn more money), and they receive less in government benefits.

Bringing In More Highly Skilled Workers Will Create American Jobs

Three policy actions are recommended by the Zavodny report with the goal of increasing employment in the U.S. and strengthening our economy (p13-14).  

1. The U.S. should prioritize immigration by workers in STEM fields who hold advanced degrees from U.S. universities.  The study estimates that an additional 100,000 of these foreign born workers “could lead to an additional 262,000 American jobs.”  
2. The U.S. should increase the number of green cards for highly skilled workers.  The study estimates that an increase of 100,000 highly skilled immigrants (especially those with advanced degrees) ”could lead to an additional 44,000 jobs” for Americans. 
3. The U.S. should expand temporary worker programs for both skilled and less-skilled foreign workers.  According to the report, there is a strong case for streamlining and expanding immigrant guest worker programs to serve the American market more effectively” (p14).       

Tinkering Around The Edges Or Comprehensive Reform?

As much as I applaud the AEI study and its recommendations, I wonder if these recommendations (and others we have seen lately) are only tinkering around the edges of our immigration problems.

For example, the Obama Administration recently announced a new prioritization strategy to reduce the backlog of deportation cases for immigrants found in the U.S. without documentation.  The Administration will attempt to focus first on cases for which there is a criminal violation or a national security.  All other pending cases are to be placed on administrative hold.  This sounds good and will probably save a lot of money, and prevent a lot of heartache, but it is tinkering around the edges of a broken immigration system.

Here is another example.  Under an old policy, when a family-based green card becomes available, an undocumented immigrant is required to return to his/her country of origin to receive the visa.  To return to the United States, she must obtain a waiver from our government.  If our government denies the waiver for any reason, she could possibly be barred from returning to the United States for years.  Some families wait years or even decades to reunite with their loved ones.  A proposed change in policy would enable undocumented immigrants with a U.S.-citizen spouse or parent to interview for a provisional waiver while still in the United States. If they are eligible to receive the waiver, they would then return to their home country for final green card processing.  Sounds good because it keeps families together longer, but it is only tinkering around the edges of a broken immigration system.  

Versions of the well-known DREAM Act target young immigrants brought to this country by their parents as children, without documentation.  If the DREAM Act is ever passed, and if its very strict criteria are adhered to, some of these young people would have the opportunity to pursue a college education or military service in this country with temporary legal status.[2]  This sounds good, but it is tinkering around the edges of a broken immigration system.

If the policy changes recommended by the American Enterprise Institute’s Zavodny study are implemented, a greater number of foreign-born persons seeking work in this country would gain legal status for entry and employment.  Such workers would serve the American labor market effectively and boost our economy.  This sounds good, but it is tinkering around the edges of a broken immigration system.

I am a pragmatist.  I welcome all of these changes, even if they only tinker around the edges.  At least they appear to represent compassionate, effective tinkering, and appear to provide positive outcomes for families and for our economy.     

Lack Of Political (Or Pragmatic) Will

The Obama Administration and Congress have not mustered up the will to fix our broken immigration system in a more comprehensive manner.  And so we are bleeding – good workers, good families, good opportunities.  One by one, slowly.  According to this recent AEI report, we are wasting the opportunity to strengthen our economy by inviting workers into our labor force who — the data seem to show — would boost employment levels for many U.S.-born workers. 

Sadly, this is an election year, in which I expect a surplus of rhetoric and a deficit of political will.  Regardless, we need comprehensive immigration reform.  For now, though, even if its the best we can do, we must settle for a bit of good tinkering around the edges. 

 © Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, PhD (2012)

1. A causal relationship is suggested here by using a 2 stage least squares (2SLS)  regression instead of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression.  Using 2SLS regression, a variable that is well correlated with changes in immigrant employment but not related to changes in native employment rate is used as an instrumental variable to capture the relationship between the part of immigrant employment not related to economic conditions and the native employment rate.  See details about this on p16.
2. See my November 23, 2010 article, A Good First Step To Send The Right Message.

[Warning -- This article contains an above average amount of religious snarkiness.  Proceed with caution.]

I listened with frustration earlier this week as a news analyst commented on the influence of “born again” Christian voters. [1] [2]   

The “Born Again” Nod In Iowa

For example, he explained that Rick Santorum’s chances for success in the Republican primary increase if he receives the “born again” Christian vote.  Apparently Mr. Santorum was given the “born again” nod in Iowa pushing him to a near tie for first place.  Listening to the news that night, I broke into a cold sweat, which must have been a psychosomatic reaction to my experience in the 1980s with the Moral Majority during my seminary years. 

The next evening I heard the election returns for the New Hampshire primary and I recalled the previous night’s  newscast … and my cold sweat.  I wondered if I should brace for a resurging fascination with “born again” Christian voters.

New Hampshire Voters Are Not Easily Influenced

The final results of the New Hampshire primary suggested otherwise; as we have seen for decades, New Hampshire voters are not easily influenced by extreme views, religious or otherwise.  Stay tuned, though: South Carolina’s primary will provide a more robust measure of the “born again” influence.  For example, January polling data from South Carolina point to Santorum as one of two likely second place finishers in that primary even though he  finished in fifth place in New Hampshire.  

Seriously, I really don’t care about how a particular voting bloc is swayed by campaign rhetoric or piety.  Hm. 

I do care that I am still sweating, stuck in a flashback to my seminary years.  A perfect storm:  My seminary experience and the Moral Majority.  As I remember it, in those days we perfected the art and violence of dissecting Christendom into the living and the dead, the real and the nominal.  We learned that if one simply claims (a good conversion story helped) to be  ”born again” one enjoys the assurance of being “really” Christian. 

The Assurance Of Being “Really” Christian

Thus began my bifurcated worldview which lasted, fortunately, only a few more years.  As we saw it [3] , there were Christians, and there were “real” Christians.  I was “real.”  Aided by my  background in biology, I think I got an “B+” for dissecting Christendom.  Phew.

These reflections on and confessions for my past did not prevent my cold sweat.  So I asked myself:  Why the continued fascination with “born again” Christian voters?  As if, somehow, a “born again” Christian vote is expected to be cast differently from a plain ol’ Christian vote.  Actually, it is expected, because it has been cast differently.  Quite predictably, though not in New Hampshire and maybe not in South Carolina, ”real” Christians tend to vote the same way — for a candidate who expresses their social and political views [4] .  This is good!  Vote your conscience!  This reflects the strength of our democracy.  One person one vote.  Choose the candidate you prefer, regardless of results, regardless of consequences.  

Back to the point — my cold sweat and flashback to the bifurcation of Christendom.  What is the difference between a “born again” Christian and a Christian?  [5]  [6]  The distinction seems redundant to me.  Is there some other purpose, something more gained by claiming the additional tag?

A Tidy Formula To Sift The “Real” From All Others

By extension, why does it matter if a Christian voter is a “born again” Christian voter?  Are we smarter?  Do we know more?  Does it set us apart?  Yes.  The label grants distinction within the Christian community.  It also provides a tidy formula to sift the “real” from all others.  I know this sounds ugly, and I am not suggesting it as a motivation for self-describing as “born again”.  Rather, I am suggesting that the sorting effect is a result, even if unintended, and the effect then feeds a few of our other needs even if unconsciously.      

[Warning -- if religious snarkiness offends you, the rest of this article might be dangerous to your health.]

Here’s what I really think (from personal experience):  The label seems to matter most to the one who is “born again”.  Most psychologists and a few teenagers will tell you that the average humans enjoys feeling special.  Is it too much of a stretch, then, to suggest that some Christians (unconsciously) enjoys feeling and appearing better or more “real” compared to others?

I Feel Special

That a religious groups seeks distinction among its peers is not a new phenomenon.  We glance back only a few years to remember when some Christians felt special for being white, or male.  In the earliest days of our faith movement we felt special for being circumcised.  Today, we feel special for being “born again”.  Even better to be white, male, and ”born again” (count me in!).  I feel special.  Am I a better Christian?  Maybe I have more Christian in me, which helps me decide more properly how to vote.      

And so the label sets me apart, I suppose.  The problem, as we have seen from the beginning, is that being set apart — even for good reasons — slowly morphs into exclusion, meaning what began as a distinction later becomes a fence or wall.  Taken to an extreme, if I am set apart and different from you then you cannot be with me or even next to me.  You cannot eat with me, or worship with me.  We cannot share Communion together.  

Moreover, if I define the means (confessional formula) by which I am considered special and you are not special because you do not use the formula in your confession, I can feel justified for excluding you. [7]

No Longer Enamoured By The Label

Enough with the label.  Call me crazy, call me liberal, but at least call me dependent on God’s grace.  Which is enough for me.  Some of you will call me not-Christian because I am no longer enamoured by the special label, but at least the cold sweat is gone!  No more flashbacks to the 80s.  I realize I’m not so special, and that’s good!  For me – tired of the distinction — I’ve decided being a plain ol’ Christian is enough.

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, PhD (2012)

1. By most standards I consider myself born again, given my willingness to describe a conversion experience and given the nature of my theology.
2. Some news analysts use the term evangelical instead of born again.  There is a difference, as I see it.  There are evangelical Christians who accept certain theological views, and there are conservative evangelical Christians who accept the same theological views, generally, but support more conservative social and political issues.  As I have observed, this latter group might be more likely to self-describe as born again.  Forgive the simplistic dichotomy, but it fits this context.
3. I must confess that this sick perceptual problem might have been mine, and mine alone.  It comforts me, though, to remember this dark time in my life in terms of “we.”
4. … even if that candidate does not share their theology or piety
5. I am not inclined to quibble over the Greek anothen in John 3:3-5, sometimes translated as “again”, other times “from above.”  I think Jesus seems to mean “from above” based on the intent in verse 5.  Preferring the murky middle, I often say, “born differently”.  And so the intent, as I see it, of Jesus’ challenge to Nicodemus in this passage is not that there is a special way to seek the Kingdom of God, but that one is to seek it, period.
6. Yes, I noticed it, too.  Why am using so many footnotes in this article?
7. Did I mention that I need therapy?  Who thinks this way?

I have been restless since then. 

A few weeks ago I wrote a disturbing article, I Don’t Have Many Friends As It Is (December 8, 2011) which began with this question: Am I a prophet?[1]  

I wrestled with the question.  I confessed my discomfort.  What’s the problem?  Am I uncomfortable talking about spiritual gifts?  For any card-carrying evangelical, a discussion about spiritual gifts is familiar territory.  Prophesy is commonly  identified as a gift.  Of course, the confrontational nature of prophesy naturally associates it with some discomfort.  But I have discovered that my problem rests elsewhere.

I Asked The Wrong Question

• Am I a prophet? (wrong question)
• Are we prophetic? (right question)

I got snookered, I believe, by my myopic focus on private, individual piety instead of a broader focus on the corporate nature of God’s expression in today’s world.  I assumed that being prophetic was all about me, and not about us.  Perhaps the message is the same, but the messenger is us. 

The Message Is The Same, But The Messenger Is “Us”

So, I still believe that the radical demands of the Gospel message are extraordinarily clear and overwhelmingly simple.  I still believe that if we claim to be the presence of Christ in the world then we must love as Jesus loved, live as Jesus lived, and sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed.  And if we claim to follow Jesus we will make choices Jesus would make — about how we spend our money and time, and yes, about how we vote.  We will make the kinds of choices Jesus would make — about how we welcome strangers to our land, how we protect our vulnerable children and our natural environment, and how we respond to our enemies. 

But I missed the hard part because I was too “protestant”, trapped by an individualistic worldview that suggests myopically that I am saved alone therefore I must I live out my salvation alone.  And so, I asked the wrong question.

Are We Prophetic?  

This, of course, is the right question, but the much harder question, which is why I avoided it.        

This blurred, solitary vision is not unexpected among protestants, especially in our western culture where we tend to forget that God has always established a covenant relationship with a faith community and not with a lone faithful person.  We have forgotten what Bill Coffin claimed with regard to how we should live in community, that ”Jesus never retreated from the giant social issues of his time into the pygmy world of private piety.” [2]  In the American church I think we tend to be enamoured by private pursuits, individual victories, and personal piety — as if that’s all there is.  Our individualism is evident in the way we choose leaders and what we expect from our leaders — in church, and by extension, in our nation.  And so we ask: “Who will be our leader?  Who will tell us how to live and who to be?”  We seek a prophet instead of asking the right, harder question, “How can we be a prophetic people?”  

If We Ask The Right Question, Who Is “We”?

The question “Are we prophetic?” is about the Church.  And so we ask, “Is the Church prophetic?”  Which is a harder question because it requires of me a faithful commitment not only to God but to my church community.[3]  And it requires of me a willingness to live in community with persons who will hold me accountable and will trust me to hold them accountable.   Consider this:  Together, somehow, we will proclaim and live the message of the radical Jesus.  We are prophetic.  We.

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, PhD (2012)

1. That article was originally published in the December 2011 edition of The Advocate, a monthly publication of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, as part of a series on spiritual gifts.
2. Coffin, William Sloane (2008).  The Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin: The Riverside Years, Volume I.  Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, p189. 
3. I realize I shifted the focus from the Church to my local church  community — there is a difference.  Practically, though, my relationship with the Church begins with my relationship with my local faith community.

Worms do not enjoy living in their excrement.  (I’ve always wanted to write that sentence.)    

Let me back up a bit.  I have worms.  The good kind.  I am a small scale worm farmer.  I started with 250 red wigglers a couple of years ago.  Through the normal and not-so-normal life and death cycle of worms, I don’t have that many anymore.  Which brings me to the subject of my weekend project.  I moved my two worm bins  from the yard to  a  warmer  location in the garage.  Even in Richmond this time of year the nights are too chilly for my tender worms.  I do care about them.  Honest.

Poisoned To Death

A worm bin consists of the bedding (I use peat moss), the worms, plus regular deposits of kitchen trash for food.  As expected, the worms excrete their waste into the bedding.  Over time the waste builds up, so a good worm farmer changes the bedding every three months or so.  The last time I changed the bedding in my bins was over six months ago.  What does this mean?  My worms have been living in their excrement for a long time.

Worm excrement happens to be one of the richest sources of nutrients for potting and garden soil.  Worm excrement — this is usually called worm casting but I enjoy the shock effect of “excrement”  — is the waste excreted from a worm after it eats the bacteria and fungus on the rotting kitchen trash I toss onto the surface of the bedding.  Over time, their  bedding  becomes filled with exrement, which is good for me and bad for my worms.  The chemicals in their excrement, while good for a plant, are unhealthy — at higher levels — for the worms.  Same would be true, I suppose for a cow, or for me, except I cannot imagine that any level of excrement in my bedding would be tolerable.  I have higher standards than a worm.    

When I transferred my worms to their new bedding this weekend I saw the damage I had caused.  The worm population in the old bedding had been decimated.  They had been slowly poisoned to death.  A few survived, along with a handful of tough cocoons promising hope for a future generation of young worms. 

I Feel Guilty About My Worms

Having latent Buddhist tendencies, I feel guilty, partly because the worms died, but more because I benefited from their suffering.  With my delay providing fresh bedding for the worms, the old bedding became a nutrient-rich soil for me while becoming a death chamber for the worms.  The worms lost, I won.  The worms were sacrificed for my gain.

I once wrote about the delightful theology of redemption illustrated by the worm’s conversion of kitchen trash to nutrient-rich potting soil.  The present illustration, however, is not delightful.  What I did to the worms makes me uncomfortable.  I don’t like feeling guilty. 

I might learn something.  I wonder, for example, about the nature of the sacrifice.  For the record, I do not believe the worms chose to sacrifice their little lives for my potting soil.  Nor do I believe the rich potting soil sitting outside my garage will somehow transform my life.  It’s dirt for pete’s sake.  So, the worms suffered and died because I wanted rich dirt and I neglected them for over six months.  No big deal, really.

What are the worms teaching me?  Sometimes suffering and sacrifice happen for a good cause.  Most of the time, though not always, a person chooses whether or not to sacrifice or suffer for others, like a soldier, or a kidney donor, or Jesus.  But I wonder.   Has anyone suffered unwillingly while I, in ignorance, benefited in some trivial way?  I am thinking of my blue jeans, for example, assembled  in a far-away shop by underpaid workers for my self-indulgent comfort.  Now I feel very guilty. 

This article was supposed to be about worms.

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, Ph.D (2011)

I have been writing Unpacking Ideas for about two and a half years.  In the last year alone over 7,200 different readers visited the site.  Thanks for your interest! 

You may have noticed that I am exercising my right to self-indulgence.  I enjoy this.  Whether you have enjoyed or become irritated by my articles, I thank you for reading.   

For a review, the list at the end of this article provides a link to all categories.  You will see that I am a bit scattered with regard to my topics.  I write about what I think, what I have read, or in response to what others do or say.  Most of what I write is related somehow to the Church in society.

What Have I Noticed This Year?

• I find it interesting that my earliest articles about the murky middle have become even more relevant given the polarized nature of public discourse recently.  I continue to wonder why we avoid middle ground in our debating and policy formation.          
•  In the political arena, I continue to watch and react to the immigration debate.  I anticipate my interest in the upcoming presidential election will heat up a bit, especially if my mother and I talk more frequently. 
• I notice that my articles on transformational leadership and organizational effectiveness, especially those focusing on volunteerism, continue to attract readers.  But it is Jack Bogut who draws the most attention! 
• The Orphan Care Mission page (see the tab above) is filled with fresh reports from our mission partner Chris Wood, of Brosville United Methodist church in Danville, Virginia.  Chris continues to travel to Russia to visit and serve — and learn from — the orphans and orphan graduates there.

What’s New?

You may have noticed a new category this year:  The William Sloane Coffin Project.  I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about Bill Coffin’s ministry mind through the sermons he preached at Riverside Church.  Bill was a progressive Christian with a passion for justice, peace, and hope.  His work inspires me.     

I Still Learn From My Worms

The air in Richmond, Virginia, is cooling and my worms need attention.  Later today I will transfer them to the garage with fresh bedding for the winter.  Perhaps, while digging in the rich remains of their excrement, I will uncover a theological gem to share.     

What Do I Need?

I need technical help for my site.  If you or someone you know is able to write or repair HTML code for WordPress, let me know!  I broke some important functions, such as uploading documents, photos, or songs.  Also, I would love to offer a friendly search function for readers to find articles about certain topics.  I can’t seem to find one that works here.  Send me an e-mail if you have ideas.

What else do I need?  Time, time, more time … to write more!  Send ideas about how to write more, and more often.    

List Of Article Categories

I hope you continue to read — whether we agree or not.  Conversation is good.  Conversation laced with appropriate self-doubt is even better.  Somehow, someday we might re-discover the murky middle. 

Below is a list of the site’s categories.  Follow a link to a list of articles in that category presented in reverse order from the most recent to the earliest article.  Click and read!

Thanks! 

• Carpe Diem Guy — this is about seizing the day in the Church (and my life!)
• Church Leadership — this is about leadership in and for the Church — regardless of the consequences – with the more recent articles tackling a few difficult theopractical collisions we often encounter
• Conversation — this is about healthy conversation, which requires a dose of self-doubt 
• Creation Care — this is a newer category, focusing on the Church’s role in creation stewardship
• Doubt — closely related to the Conversation category, this is a short set of articles that address the need for humility (realistic self-doubt) in our conversations  
• Immigration Reform — this is plain and simple talk about doing the right thing for the “strangers” among us
• It’s A Dog’s Life – this is about my dogs and other simple pleasures found in my backyard
• Nobel Laureates — this is about them, those special leaders in our world who have been recognized as extraordinary 
• Organizational Effectiveness — here is my personal niche category about what works and how to measure it in organizations
• Orphan Care — this is about a passion of my life, based on my experiences in Russia
• Seventies Nostalgia — this is nostalgic reflection, flash-back to Jack Bogut and those good ol’ days
• Summer Jobs — a newer category, more nostalgic reflection back to the days of high school and college, and my first experience with the grace-gift of work
• The Murky Middle — another niche topic for me — the political, theological, and behavioral middle — even when murky… gray is good
• Transformational Leadership — loosely defined…this is a sub-part to organizational effectiveness dealing with leadership — from my perspective, and in an organizational context
• Vulnerable Children — this is related to orphan care, of course, but a lot more
• William Sloane Coffin Project — a series of articles based on Bill’s Riverside Church sermons from 1977 – 1987
• Worm Theology — yes, its true, I have worms, and they teach me good things

Enjoy.

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, Ph.D (2011)

[Editor's note:  This article first appeared in the December 2011 edition of The Advocate, a monthly publication of the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, and is published here with permission.  I reluctantly agreed to write about the gift of prophesy at the request of The Advocate for their series on spiritual gifts.  I confess feeling great discomfort about its personal, revealing nature.] 

Am I a prophet?  Dear God, I hope not.  I don’t have many friends as it is. 

Sober Self-Judgement?

In his Romans version, the Apostle Paul introduces his list of spiritual gifts with a humbling reminder “not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (12:3, NRSV).  Then Paul presents the list.  Which is fine until I bump into “prophesy.”  I realize that Paul’s purpose in this passage is to provide examples for the many and varied ways the Church expresses God’s grace in our lives.  But let’s be realistic.  Being prophetic and having sober self-judgment do not blend well.   

For good reason.  Prophets often sound arrogant and pushy.  Few of us want to claim this gift.  Who wants to be a prophet?  An effective prophet – by design – makes others uncomfortable, unless I am talking about telling the future, which I am not.  A foretelling prophet is the fun kind of prophet.  It’s the call to forthtelling that sends a chill up my spine.            

But I can’t stop myself.  Although my mother would tell you I never had much control over my mouth, I am talking about something different.  I respond to the prophetic urge because I cannot not say what I say. 

Am I Bold Or Stupid?

I wasn’t always this way.  Here’s a confession.  I think I was too quiet for years, decades even.  Perhaps I was weak, cowardly, even disobedient.  Or, perhaps God was preparing me for the right time, for the right context.  Or, could it be that I needed to simmer longer, like a good stew, to mature?  I am hardly claiming to be mature now, far from it, so I wonder if the time is right now if only because I am bold (stupid?) enough now.  Regardless of the risks, regardless of the vocational or professional consequences, I can no longer ignore the smoldering message within me. 

And so, I make people uncomfortable.  It’s my gift.  To be honest, I wonder why more of us do not pursue this ministry of discomfort.  After all, the message I hear from the Gospels is about a Christ who made many people uncomfortable, especially when he confronted the established religious leaders of the day.  It seems to me, as Jesus drew closer to Jerusalem at the end of his ministry, the crowds became smaller and the religious leaders more self-protected. 

What If We Actually Told The Truth About The Gospel?

I wonder then if our zealous pursuit of numeric growth is the exact opposite of what Jesus had in mind.  Maybe, if we told the truth about the Gospel our congregations would become smaller.  I won’t comment about our religious leaders, except to ask:  How might a bunch of self-protected white guys behave with such a challenge?   

For me, this could all be a charade to provide a legitimate cover for avoiding people.  If I make you uncomfortable by talking about the radical Gospel message, you might go away.  Good.  My wife will tell you I am most content when I am alone with a book or a keyboard.                         

I wish it was that simple.  Unfortunately for me, I happen to really believe this stuff.  I happen to really believe that the radical demands of the Gospel message are extraordinarily clear and overwhelmingly simple.  If we claim to follow Jesus, if we claim to be the living presence of Christ in today’s world then we must clearly and simply love as Jesus loved, live as Jesus lived, and sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed.  If we claim to follow Jesus then we will make the kinds of choices Jesus would make — about how we spend our money and time, and yes, about how we vote.  We will make the kinds of choices Jesus would make — about how we welcome strangers to our land, how we protect our vulnerable children and our natural environment, and how we respond to our enemies.

I suppose I should feel sorry if I make you uncomfortable … Actually, though, I’m not sorry, because I must say what I cannot not say.  And if it does make you uncomfortable, just remember, it’s my gift.  Get over it.  I have.         

© Copyright by Jeffrey Y. Harlow, Ph.D (2011)