In D.C., Vandals Topple Ten Commandments Monument

 © 2013 The Wired Word 

www.thewiredword.com

Sometime last weekend, vandals in Washington, D.C., pushed over an 850-pound granite monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments, but who did it and why remains unknown.
The monument sits in a garden out front of the headquarters of Faith and Action, a Christian outreach ministry. The group installed the stone in 2006 and angled the tablets so that they could be seen by justices arriving at the Supreme Court.
Because of the weight of the stone, plus the fact that it had been secured to its stone base with a steel rod, it seems likely that more than one person was involved in toppling the monument, but whether it was intended as a frat-boy prank, an attack on religion in general or Christianity in particular, a statement about church-state separation, a rant against rules in general or the Ten Commandments in particular, or something else is not known, as the perpetrators have not come forward.
Besides pushing over the monument itself, the only "statement" from the vandals -- if that's what it was -- was in the form of a stolen "For Rent" yard sign found installed near the tumbled monument.
"Whoever did this was determined to get it done, because it's not something you could easily do," said head of the Faith and Action organization Rev. Robert Schenck. Installing the stone had required an eight-man crew, a truck and a hydraulic lift.
Schenck denied being angry about the damage and said that, in a way, the perpetrator had helped the group convey the message that we all violate God's rules.
The group purchased the monument in 2001 from a charity auction after a federal court ordered it removed from in front of a public school in Adams County, Ohio.
The organization plans to ask a neighboring group and the U.S. Supreme Court for the security footage covering the time of the vandalism. However, at a press conference on Monday, the group's program chief, Peggy Nienaber, notarized an offer promising not to press charges if the culprits will come to dinner at the Faith and Action center.
The Faith and Action group plans to re-erect the monument. More on this story can be found at these links:
Vandals Topple 850-Pound Ten Commandments Monument ..., Offered Reprieve. US News & World Report
10 Commandments Monument Toppled by Vandals in Washington. Fox News
Faith & Action Ten Commandments Monument Toppled By Vandals. Faith & Action website
The Big Questions
1. In what ways have the Ten Commandments helped shape who you are today? Some of the Ten Commandments are couched as negatives -- "Thou shalt not ...." In what way are they positives? What situations in today's society do the Ten Commandments not address?
2. Are there any commandments you wish God had not included in the "Big Ten"? Why? Are there any rules not in the Ten Commandments that you wish were there? Why?
3. What does "Christian freedom" mean? What does it mean to be "not under law but under grace"? How should Christians regard the Ten Commandments in relation to their freedom in Christ?
4. In the present environment of church-state separation, in what ways can the Ten Commandments effectively offer guidance to the general population? to our legislators? to the courts? How have the Ten Commandments influenced the history of our laws?
5. Is it necessary for Christians to "protect" the Ten Commandments and the Bible in which they are contained? Why or why not?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Exodus 15:26
If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you. (For context, read 15:22-26.)
This verse comes from the time when Israel was in the wilderness. The people had come to Marah, where the only water they found was bitter and undrinkable. But at God's instruction, Moses tossed a piece of wood into the water, which made it sweet and potable. This "healing" of the waters was the opposite of the plagues God had brought upon the Egyptians. God then made the statement above, which linked obeying his commandments to avoiding the plagues the Egyptians had experienced.
Questions: What "plagues" might keeping the Ten Commandments help you avoid today? What actual illness might keeping the commandments keep you from? What societal ills would everyone obeying the Ten Commandments alleviate?
Psalm 119:19
I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me. (For context, read 119:17-24.)
The whole of Psalm 119 is in praise of God's Law and teaching, of which the Ten Commandments are the heart. When the psalmist says "I live as an alien in the land," he does not mean that he is literally an immigrant; rather, he may have been referring either to the fact that life is transient and he will only sojourn on earth for his lifetime -- a mere blip compared to eternity -- or to the fact that the unholy parts of the culture in which he lives make him feel like an outsider. In either case, he views God's commandments as essential to preserving his connection with God.
Questions: Is keeping the commandments alone enough to preserve your connection to God? Why or why not? Do you think of yourself as an "alien" in the land? Is this a helpful attitude? Does it help provide sympathy for the oppressed? When do you stop being an "alien" spiritually?
Romans 6:14
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (For context, read 6:12-14.)
Paul's discussion in Romans of law and grace is lengthy and complex, but the verse above is a good one for summarizing his teaching on this matter. Even it, however, needs explanation. Paul is saying that to be "under the law" (which includes the Ten Commandments but encompasses all the commandments included in the Pentateuch) means that our righteousness is obtained by obeying all of the law. Since none of us is fully able to do that, then being saved by the law becomes impossible.
On the other hand, being "under grace" means that we are granted righteousness by God as a gift (when we repent and turn to Christ, Paul would add).
The idea of "Christian freedom" grows from this. Some have taken it to mean that we are no longer bound by such rules as the Ten Commandments but instead make all decisions based on what is, in our subjective thinking, the most love-your-neighbor and love-God thing to do. A better understanding of it, however, is that as Christians, we internalize God's laws and are motivated to keep them not out of fear of consequences if we don't, but out of a desire to please God. And because of God's grace, our inability to perfectly keep the law doesn't negate God's gift of righteousness.
Bible scholar William Barclay comments on this verse, saying that it means "we are no longer trying to satisfy the demands of law but are trying to be worthy of the gifts of love."
Questions: When have you used the statement "I'm not under law but under grace"? What did you mean by it when you did? Did Paul consider himself above the demands of the law? What do you think his relationship to it was?
Galatians 3:23-24 (NIV)
Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. (For context, read 3:21-26.)
Born a Jew, the apostle Paul had high regard for the Law of Moses, but once he became a Christian, he realized that the law itself was not the final word. Rather, he saw it as an educator or "guardian" to teach us right and wrong. The Greek word translated here as "guardian" referred in Paul's day to a trusted household slave who was responsible to watch over his master's son. The guardian's duties included accompanying the boy to school, making sure he attended to his studies and keeping him out of trouble. The time would come, of course, when that son reached adulthood, and from that time forward, he no longer needed the protective and corrective care of the slave.
The NRSV uses the word "disciplinarian" instead of "guardian," which is also a valid translation of the Greek word. Paul's implication here is that the law "disciplined" Israel until faith came and "we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian" (v. 25, NRSV).
Some theologians believe this means that the Law of Moses teaches us to distinguish right from wrong and righteousness from sin until we internalize such boundaries. Paul said that living by faith in Christ Jesus, which is the "adult" stage that no longer needs the law as a guardian/disciplinarian, makes persons "children of God" (v. 26). Others believe that the Law of Moses has a purpose of bringing us to the realization that we are sinful -- we have broken the Law -- and that it is only through Jesus' righteousness that we are judged "not guilty" before God.
Questions: In what areas do you feel you have achieved some spiritual maturity? In what ways do you have some spiritual growing up to do? In what areas do you believe the law continues to show you your sinfulness? How and why?
Matthew 5:19
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (For context, read 5:17-48.)
This is from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He clearly says keeping the commandments is critical for his followers, but if you read the larger context, 5:17-48, it becomes plain that he doesn't mean keeping the commandments in a perfunctory way. In the context verses, he gives examples regarding the commandments prohibiting murder (vv. 21-26), adultery (vv. 27-30) and false witness (vv. 33-37). Those are all from the "Big Ten," but Jesus also gives example regarding other topics addressed in the larger statement of the law, including divorce (vv. 31-32), revenge (vv. 38-42) and love for neighbors (vv. 43-48). In each case, Jesus uses the formula "You have heard that it was said ... But I say to you ...." He first states the command, then he elaborates on how it could be applied in real-life situations, keeping not just the letter of the law but also the spirit of it.
Martin Luther expands on this in his use of the Ten Commandments, pedagogically finding both negative ("Thou shalt not") and positive ("Thou shalt") commands. For example, he states that the commandment against stealing can be paraphrased as "We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors' money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income."
Questions: Do you think the Sermon on the Mount makes being a follower of Jesus easier or harder? For some Christians, the Sermon on the Mount supplants the Ten Commandments and serves as the new revelation from a new "Mount Sinai." Why isn't the Sermon on the Mount displayed in public settings? Do people find commandments to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, etc. more difficult? How is Christian freedom active in the examples Jesus gives? Following on the example provided above of Luther's explanation of the commandment not to steal, what are some "positive" and "negative" requirements implicit in some of the other commandments?
For Further Discussion
1. Do you think the offer from Faith and Action not to press charges against the vandals if they will come to dinner is a form of turning the other cheek? Why or why not? What do you suppose the Faith and Action people would hope to accomplish at such a dinner?
2. Does God need us to defend the Ten Commandments? Is there a danger that they will be forgotten or lost? Can (or does) God use us or other people as his agents in their defense?
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "We don't need to protect God's integrity. I think God makes that clear in his long speech in Job, in which he describes the breadth and depth of creation, including his control of Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 38--41). It may be annoying and distressing when our church buildings, Scriptures or displays of the Ten Commandments are torn down, but the real holiness is God's presence. ... I can recite whole sections of the New Testament more or less from memory. Do what you want to the Bible, but it will persist." (Frank's comments reminded us of the recent movie, The Book of Eli. If any of your class members have seen it, invite them to tell what Eli's "book" actually is and how it is preserved.)
Responding to the News
This is a good time to examine whether your church is intentionally teaching the Ten Commandments to its children. After all, there's no way those commandments can be a "guardian" helping us mature in faith if we don't know what they are.
Closing Prayer

Thank you, O Lord, for the Ten Commandments, the larger statement of your law in Scripture, the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings that help us to understand what you expect from us. And thank your for your grace, which grants us righteousness when we turn to Christ. In his name. Amen

After 36 Years Aloft, Voyager 1 Exits Our Solar System, Still Sending Data

 © 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

On Thursday of last week, NASA scientists reported that its Voyager 1 space probe, launched in 1977, has exited our solar system but is still sending back data, expanding our knowledge of the region beyond our sun's realm, the expanse between the stars.
This is remarkable in part because the spacecraft was designed to carry out a four-year mission to Saturn; it accomplished that, pumping out never-seen-before images of Jupiter and Saturn, but it has kept going. Although Voyager 1 carries equipment long out of date by today's standards -- 8-track tape recorders, computers with one-240,000th the memory of a low-end iPhone and a 23-watt transmitter, roughly the equivalent of a refrigerator light bulb -- Voyager 1 is now carrying out what Edward C. Stone, NASA's top Voyager expert, calls "a whole new mission."
Voyager 1 is communicating to Earth with a radio signal that is minuscule: one TWW team member calculated the received signal strength at approximately -245 dBm, which is about  1/1,000,000,000,000th the signal that a handheld GPS unit is using.
The probe is now 11.7 billion miles from Earth and moving at 38,000 miles per hour, but Stone expects it to continue to send dispatches until about 2025.
In 1990, after the Jupiter and Saturn shots, Voyager 1 stopped transmitting pictures, both to conserve energy and because it was passing through a province of space with little to see, but now that it's gone beyond our sun's empire, it is awake to its environment, sending data that has convinced scientists that they are seeing the plasma of interstellar space.
This is not the first time Voyager 1 has been reported to have "left the solar system," but scientists are more certain this time. One difficulty in making that determination is that there is no precise definition of "the solar system" and, thus, no precise boundary. The boundary of the Oort cloud, an immense, roughly spherical cloud of icy small bodies that are inferred to revolve around the sun at great distances, and which is about three light years away, is sometimes used as the solar system boundary. The nearest stars are Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years away, and the α-Centauri system, just under 4.4 light years. All of this makes the solar system boundary (by this definition) stretch almost three-fourths of the way to the nearest star.
While it is not clear what science may yet glean from this "Little Spacecraft That Could," its discoveries expand our knowledge of the cosmos, and perhaps even increase the possibility of eventual interstellar space travel -- the stuff of science fiction today.
More on this story can be found at these links:
In a Breathtaking First, NASA's Voyager 1 Exits the Solar System. New York Times
Voyager 1 Is Officially Out There. Scientific American
Pale Blue Dot: Voyager 1 Signal From Interstellar Space Photographed. NBC News
The Big Questions
Although the following questions are mostly theoretical at this point, the continuing exploration of space means that we may need to consider matters like these eventually:
1. When we humans are in space, are we in a realm where God's rule over us is in any way different? Or, to ask it another way, how earthbound are God's laws?
2. How might the exploration of space expand our understanding of God? Does one discover God in contemplating the cosmos, or does one bring one's faith with one to such contemplation? Where should one expect to find or encounter God?
3. If we succeed in establishing colonies on other planets, do we have the right to assume we have dominion (in the Genesis 1:26 sense) over whatever species and resources we find there? Would "terraforming" (altering the environment of a planet to suit human habitation) be a matter of good stewardship of available resources, or would it be desecration? What are you using as the basis for your answer?
4. How might Christ's instruction to love our neighbors apply to intelligent alien beings from other realms in the universe?
5. If we find intelligent life forms in space, should we send Christian missionaries to them? In other words, should we assume that their races are also "fallen" and in need of a savior in the same way that humankind is? If other species also need redemption, might it be from something other than sin? What might that be?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth ... (For context, read 1:1--2:4a.)
When Genesis speaks of "the heavens," it is referring to much more than just the visible sky. It means the "universe," the "cosmos." The ordering of the heavens is essential to the Genesis creation account. In other cosmological stories, creation is accidental or beyond the control of the gods -- or the stars or fates trump the gods. But in the biblical view, God orders the universe.
Voyager 1 continues to help us make sense of the universe that is ordered and logical and obeys coherent laws. We are not governed by the stars, or fates.
We usually use the words "universe" and "cosmos" interchangeably, but by strict definition, cosmos implies something that universe does not. Cosmos means the universe but considered as an orderly, harmonious whole, as something quite distinct from chaos.
Questions: From the Christian perspective, which word -- universe or cosmos -- is more descriptive of the realm we explore when we launch space shuttles and other spacecraft? Why? What do the laws of the cosmos tell us about the Creator of the cosmos?
Job 38:31-33 (Common English Bible)
Can you bind Pleiades' chains    or loosen the reins of Orion? Can you guide the stars at their proper times,    lead the Bear with her cubs? Do you know heaven's laws,    or can you impose its rule on earth? (For context, 38:1-3, 31-33.)
This is part of God's response to Job's demand for a hearing regarding his righteousness. God tells Job to pull himself together and consider the larger picture. When Job does that, he sees that God has ordered the universe, and it isn't always about us, it isn't always about Job, it isn't always about me.
Although we are not sure what specific constellations or stars are translated here as "Pleiades," "Orion" and "the Bear" (different translations translate the underlying Hebrew words differently), Job knows, and God demands to know if Job can corral them or put them in order. Obviously he cannot, but the implication is that God can -- and does. Thus, the Bible views God as Lord of the whole cosmos.
Questions: How does viewing the night sky make you feel about your relationship with the Creator? Why? Did you feel the same way when the meteor exploded over Russia?
Psalm 89:6
For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? (For context, read 89:5-14.)
In talking about the skies here, the psalmist is reflecting the theology of his day, where the people of Israel still believed in the existence of many gods, but they believed that the Lord God was superior to any of them. Thus, the verse above is a statement of confidence that no matter what other powers exist, God is supreme. Verse 11 of this psalm reads, "The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it -- you have founded them."
Question: If we find alien races that believe in other gods, what should we say to them about our God? How much should we be prepared to listen? Do you listen to atheists, people of other faiths or even simply those of other denominations?
Psalm 139:8-10
If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. (For context, read 139:1-18.)
Questions: What does Psalm 139 suggest about space exploration? Explain your answer. What are some God-pleasing reasons for space exploration?
C.S. Lewis once said he thought of the distances of space (which Voyager has barely scratched) as part of God's quarantine zone, in order to protect the universe from our fallen nature. In Lewis' Space Trilogy, the philologist Ransom encounters unfallen races on Mars, and is present on Venus when that planet's Eve faces the same temptation as in Genesis 3. What would a planet be like where there was no need of redemption because that people (whatever they might look like) had never fallen? Is it possible to achieve maturity as an individual or a group without some sort of sin? Does one need God if one does not need redemption?
Acts 17:24-25
The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. (For context, read 17:16-31.)
This passage concerns the apostle Paul's visit to Athens, one of the most cosmopolitan centers of his day. The intellectuals of that city loved to debate, and often gathered at the city forum, called the Areopagus, to do so. Paul, never one to miss an opportunity to promote Christianity, seized the moment there to present his arguments in favor of Christ. The citizens of that city worshiped many gods, but didn't know much about the God of the Jews. They had constructed many altars to these various gods, but among them, Paul noticed one with an inscription reading "To an unknown god."
In this altar, Paul recognized their religious impulse and said, in effect, "You have the yearning to worship, to be religious, but you don't know toward whom to direct your worship." He proceeded to tell them about the God of heaven and earth, who made the world and everything -- and everyone -- in it. He even quoted one of their own poets: "In him we live and move and have our being" (v. 28). In other words, Paul asserted that not only his own life, but also the lives of his hearers, were in God's hands.
In asserting "In him we live and move and have our being," Paul reminds us of what the pagan poets knew in their hearts -- that our very life is based in God. We're part of that wonderful and orderly universe, made by God. We have a place.
Questions: What does it mean to you that "In him we live and move and have our being"? What does this say about those who disbelieve, or who have startlingly different beliefs than you? What does this say about the plant and animal species with whom we share this planet, and how does this affect the way we share the planet with them? In what sense do the bodies in the cosmos "live and move and have their being" in God?
For Further Discussion
1. C.S. Lewis, who penned both defenses of Christianity and science-fiction stories, once wrote, "Our loyalty is due not to our species but to God. Those who are, or can become, [God's] sons, are our real brothers even if they have shells or tusks. It is spiritual, not biological, kinship that counts." What is your reaction to Lewis' statement?
2. Comment on this: The journey of Voyager 1 has been a gold mine, serving far beyond its intended lifespan. In our throwaway culture, here was something worth saving."
3. Voyager 1 is now 11.7 billion miles from Earth and moving at 38,000 miles per hour. The distance corresponds to over two million round-trips between San Diego and Boston. Yet Voyager would have to travel over 2100 times as far to reach the nearest star -- and the distance to that star is 25 thousand times less than the diameter of our galaxy. How hard is it to wrap one's mind around such things? How might that relate to God's statement through Isaiah: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts, [says the LORD]" (Isaiah 55:9)?
4. Comment on this: After his spaceflight in 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov, the pilot of Vostok 2, famously said that he had looked for God and didn't see him. In post-Soviet Russia, all cosmonauts and international astronauts who fly on the Soyuz spacecraft are now required, regardless of faith, to stop for a blessing from a Russian Orthodox priest before blastoff.
5. Respond to the poem "Europa's Ice and Io," by TWW team member Frank Ramirez:
       Gaunt with age, his features drawn and haggard,
       At heaven's gate proud Zeus (who conquered time),
       Still languishing from lack of worship, staggered
       In his infirmity, admits no crime.
       Where once the hills were wont to rock with thunder
       When he would deign to step from his domain
       Zeus ponders. Who can penetrate the blunder
       While all about him falls a quiet rain?
       The king is dead. ... not dead? Not while, in passing,
       A Voyager should catch a glimpse of gold
       And send back from the stars his final blessing
       Preserved in fragile pictures in its hold.
       Europa's ice and Io's fiery breath
       With Jupiter fight entropy and death.
        --From his book Sonnetized for Your Protection
6. Where does the cosmos end? Consider this thought experiment from the first-century Latin poet Lucretius: He said that if there is a boundary to the universe, we should imagine what would happen if we tossed a spear at it. Lucretius said that there were two possibilities: 1) The spear would strike the edge of the universe as a spear would strike a wall and bounce back, or 2) the spear would go through the boundary of the universe and emerge into some kind of "other side." If the spear bounced back, then we could conclude that the universe is bounded by a wall, which implies that whatever is beyond the wall is beyond what we have been calling the universe. Therefore, the boundary of the universe is bounded by another "space." On the other hand, if the spear went through the boundary of the universe, then we could assume that this boundary is illusory and that as far as we can tell, the universe is infinite. Either way, it would prove that there was something beyond what we call the universe. Therefore, "space" could be thought of as infinite.
Note for the scientifically inclined: Lucretius' thought experiment assumes the familiar Euclidean geometry, and also holds for several other geometries, but it does fall apart under other assumptions. Current cosmology leans toward an infinite universe, but this is by no means a consensus opinion.
Responding to the News
You might consider having a conversation along these lines with the children in your life:
TWW team member Heidi Mann tells of talking with her children about the roles of science and faith, and how they fit together. "I led our 14- and 8-year-old in a discussion about this at dinner last night because the 8-yr-old was telling how they had talked at school about how the solar system was created: He described, in simplified terms, the Big Bang Theory. So I asked, "So how does that fit with what the Bible says?" Our 14-year-old stated firmly that the two don't fit together. To which I challenged them to think about whether the Bible tells how Creation happened (in scientific terms). 'No,' they said. 'What does it tell?' I asked. My 8-year-old piped up, 'That God did it!' So I led them to see (I hope!) that scientific learnings and faith can fit together, and not to let people tell them it has to be one or the other."
Closing Prayer

O God, although we have been thinking about things that are, at present, only possibilities, help us to carry our best understanding of Jesus and your will for us into whatever new worlds we explore. In Jesus' name. Amen.

US Ponders Role in Syria

© 2013 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

President Barack Obama addressed the American people Tuesday night regarding the administration's policy on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, said to have caused the death of approximately 1,400 Syrians, including 426 children. Others have alleged that it was rebel groups using poison gas, while still others believe that at least some of the video evidence was actually staged. Initiallyit was assumed that Obama would argue for a limited military action, but a late-breaking development on the diplomatic front seemed to pull him back from the brink of an intervention that a large majority of Americans oppose.

When Secretary of State John Kerry remarked Monday that a military strike might be averted if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would turn over his stockpile of chemical weapons to international control so that they could be destroyed, Russia, Syria's closest ally, took up the suggestion as a possible face-saving political solution. Syria's Foreign Minister, Walid al-Muallem, indicated that his government is open to the proposal. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon added pressure on Obama to consider alternatives to military action by his support of the peace initiative.

Syria began accumulating chemical weapons in the 1970s and '80s as a counterweight to Israel's military power. Some analysts estimate that Syria has in the neighborhood of 1,000 tons of such weapons, sometimes called "the poor man's nuclear weapon," hidden in 50 locations.

The policy of the U.S. government on the use of chemical weapons has not been consistent over the years. In the 1980s, for example, fearing that a strong Iran would be worse than a strong Iraq, the U.S. turned a blind eye toward Iraq's use of sarin gas that killed over 20,000 Iranian troops.

Many Christians in Syria are concerned that strikes against Assad will cause them to sufferloss and hardship similar to that experienced by Iraq's population of 1 million Christians, half of whom were forced to flee their country due to military action by Western forces and to internal strife. Father Raymond Moussalli of the Chaldean Church, a Syrian who serves Iraqi refugees in Amman, Jordan, says, "The Syrian Army is protecting the Christian community, but if [the Army] leaves, they will be massacred."

Religious leaders differ on how the world should respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch for the Syrian Catholic Church, stated: "We stress that we reject foreign interference in Syria." At a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis warned the crowd of 100,000 about those who are "captivated by the idols of dominion and power." Rick Warren, pastor of the eighth-largest church in America, who visited Syria seven years ago, said a military strike against Syria would be like "dropping a lit match on a powder keg." While deploring war and the suffering it inevitably causes, Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, acknowledged the dilemma that "inaction in the face of slaughter is not a moral option."

Finally, it should be noted that there is no guarantee nor indication that any of the rebel groups would necessarily be better than the Assad regime -- and some would arguably be much worse on the human rights front.  A discussion of the various factions is, however, well beyond the scope of a one-hour lesson.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Trying to Make Sense of Syria? Here's Our Essential Reader. BillMoyers.com

Where Religious Leaders Stand on a Military Strike on Syria. Huffington Post 

A Brief History of Chemical Warfare. Yahoo! News

10 Things We Can Do Right Now About Syria Besides Bombing. Chicago Theological Seminary.

Has Syria Got a Prayer? Attacks on Christian Churches Near Damascus. National Review Online

The Big Questions

1. What standards should our nation use when evaluating whether the actions of another country rise to a level so heinous as to justify a military response? If two nations commit similar acts equally egregious, but we elect to act against only one of the two, what possible reasons might our government have for treating them differently? How does the concept of "the national interest" bear upon military decisions and actions by the government, and how is this different -- or is it? -- from personal decisions and actions?

2. What roles are appropriate for the United States to take in the internal affairs of another nation-state?

3. What, in your opinion, constitutes a crime against humanity? What level of proof of crimes against humanity should be required before a nation or nations intervene in another nation's internal affairs? What legal and moral authority is needed for such an intervention?

4. If our government takes military action against Syria, what would we be trying to accomplish, and how would we know when we had achieved our objective? What are we as a nation willing to devote in time, people and resources to achieve our purpose regarding Syria?

5.  If it can be proven that the Syrian government was behind the chemical weapons attack, what is the best way to hold those responsible accountable? Whose task is it to bring leaders or nations to justice?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

2 Samuel 12:7, 9-10
Nathan said to David, "You are the man!" ... Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. (For context, read 11:1-27 and 12:1-19.)

God sends his prophet Nathan to call David to admit his sin and account for his crime. He tells the king a story about a rich man who had no compassion on a poor man, and David judges the rich man before realizing that he is the guilty party in Nathan's parable.
Questions: Name David's essential sin. What was his ulterior motive for sending his own officer into battle? Did the fact that Uriah was killed in battle "by the sword of the Ammonites" make David any less culpable in his death? What did David hope "the fog of war" might do for him? Who pays -- or who all pay -- the price for David's crime?
Esther 8:11-12; 9:5, 10
By these letters the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, with their children and women, and to plunder their goods on a single day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus ... So the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, slaughtering, and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. ... but they did not touch the plunder. (For context, read Esther 8-9.)

In the book of Esther, the Jews who were in captivity faced the threat of annihilation from Haman, one of the king's top officials, and his cronies. Queen Esther, herself a Jew, tearfully begged her husband to allow the Jews to defend themselves. Her childhood guardian Mordecai was given authority to write letters in the king's name effectively dismantling the genocide Haman had planned. The Jews killed 500 enemies the first day and 300 the second day in the capital city of Susa, including the 10 sons of Haman, whose names are mentioned. Throughout the realm, the Jews killed 75,000 enemies in two days of battle sanctioned by the king, "and gained relief from their enemies" (9:16), but the writer repeatedly emphasizes that they did not take the spoils of war.

Questions: Does the threat of annihilation give anyone the right to retaliate or to act preemptively in a violent manner? What were the Jews empowered to do when their lives were threatened? How was their power limited, by whom, and for what reason(s)? What is the significance of the naming of all 10 of Haman's sons? Why is it significant that the Jews took no plunder?

Jeremiah 42:11, 13-14, 16
Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, as you have been; do not be afraid of him, says the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and to rescue you from his hand. ... But if you continue to say, "We will not stay in this land," thus disobeying the voice of the LORD your God and saying, "No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war, or hear the sound of the trumpet, or be hungry for bread, and there we will stay," ... then the sword that you fear shall overtake you there, in the land of Egypt; and the famine that you dread shall follow close after you into Egypt; and there you shall die. (For context, read 42:1-22.)
Psalm 121:1-2
I lift up my eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (For context, read 121:1-8.)

The Jews exiled in Babylon (modern-day Iraq) asked the prophet Jeremiah to seek out the will of God so that they would not be completely destroyed. After 10 days, Jeremiah warned them not to seek security in another superpower, but to look to the Lord for restoration and security. Syrian Christian leaders wrestling with whether to seek help from other powers emphasize the need for dialogue rather than military intervention on their behalf. (It is worth noting that the current Ba'athist regime is mainly secular and allows Christians almost as much freedom as it does Muslims, whereas most of the rebel factions are ideological Muslims.)

Questions: If you were a Syrian Christian, with reason to fear enemies within your borders as well as external threats, how would you read these messages? What do these passages say to American Christians?

Matthew 6:9, 10
[Jesus said,] "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (For context, read 6:9-13.)

In this portion of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives instructions about the kind of attitude we should have when we pray, as well as on how to pray for the things that are close to God's heart.

Questions: Who ushers in God's rule on earth? Does God need military might in order to establish that rule? What is the Christian's role in the establishment or affirmation of God's kingdom on earth?

John 18:36
Jesus answered [Pilate], "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." (For context, read 18:33-37.)
Psalm 145:13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (For context, read 145:1-13.)

A TWW team member commented: "It is time for the Church to examine to which kingdom their loyalties belong."

Questions: What is the difference between worldly kingdoms and the kingdom of God? Is the Christian Church the same as the kingdom of God? Is it ever possible for the Church to become just another "kingdom of this world" and a betrayal of the kingdom of God? How could that happen? What happens when the Gospel is paired with military force or political coercion?

For Further Discussion

1. Respond to this from an anonymous source who has lived in a predominantly Muslim society for decades: "Jesus never called anyone to military conquest in his name. We are, first and foremost, citizens of a different kingdom -- a kingdom that is 'not of this world.' Jesus' message is that no political party will bring in the kingdom of God. The U.S. military will not bring in the kingdom of God. God's kingdom  in this age is not a physical place with geographic boundaries. Jesus said, 'My kingdom.' His kingdom is about transformed hearts, lives and relationships. His kingdom is a matter of offering reconciliation, not conquering human enemies. Jesus came to end enmity based on place of birth. He came to end ethnocentrism. Jesus came to end the attitude that 'my tribe is better than your tribe,' 'my group...,' 'my county....' He came to reconcile people from every nation who acknowledge our weakness and need of a savior. When we step out to proclaim God's kingdom, we don't go to conquer, or to prove that our tribe is better and stronger than their tribe. We go to say, 'I am so weak and sinful that I need a savior. And you're in the same boat as I am.'"

2. View the video "All War Is Sin" (4:51), based on a poem by Ora Huston. Then read this statement from a TWW editorial team member and respond: "There are occasions where all the choices are bad and we have to do what we have to do. Andy Rooney had a great book about his days during the war in which he talks about how he almost registered as a conscientious objector, but realized he objected towar, but not conscientiously. Arriving at a death camp on the day it was liberated, he believed that the war was justified, and it would be hard to argue with him. ... Right now, having seen what I've seen of the gas attacks in Syria, it seems to me that a police action of some sort is probably warranted, but I also think there are no good outcomes in Syria right now. Also, even if one is engaged in what one defines as a just war, the inevitability of civilian casualties almost ensures that sin will occur in every war. One can make the case that we are all guilty of sin. That doesn't mean we should dilute the teachings of Jesus regarding non-resistance. We don't get to talk our way out of our guilt."

Responding to the News

You may wish to gather together for prayer and fasting to "seek God's consolation for the victims of violence," to show "solidarity with the people of Syria, especially fellow Christians," to "seek peace within our hearts and in our way of living, ... to discern ways to provide a witness for peace to the powers and principalities, ... to lament the ways of violence in our world, ... to repent of war, [and] ... to seek after God" ("Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria").
You might want to explore what Scripture has to say about peacemaking by looking up terms such as "peace" and "war" in a Bible concordance. You can also do an internet search on the subject using terms such as "conflict transformation" and "peacemakers." Ask your church leaders how to find documents regarding your church's position and efforts in this area. Research the classical Christian writings by St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on a "just war." Find out whether your denomination or congregation has a statement about what constitutes a "just war." Think about which words of Jesus might speak to that question. You may also wish to communicate your concerns about Syria to elected officials.

Closing Prayer

Prince of Peace, comfort with all the innocents presently suffering in Syria. Teach us all your way of peace, that we may be blessed peacemakers and bring joy to the heart of God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Diana Nyad Completes Cuba-to-Florida Swim on Fifth Attempt

"When I saw those people on shore yesterday, and saw their faces, it wasn't the recognition of somebody who just accomplished something very large in the world. It was people who were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through it. It's just the human condition."
That's how Diana Nyad, 64, characterized the welcoming crowd in Key West, Florida, who gathered Monday to see her complete her historic Cuba-to-Florida swim after her nearly 53 hours in the ocean.
That day, Nyad, whose name by coincidence is pronounced the same as naiad, the term for the water-nymphs of Greek mythology, became the first person to complete the 110-mile swim without a protective shark cage and without swim fins. It was the fulfillment of a journey she first attempted 35 years ago, when she was 28. This time was her fifth attempt, and the fourth since turning 60.
Her previous attempts were thwarted by excruciating jellyfish stings, prolonged asthma attacks, fatigue and, in one case, a lightning storm. This time, despite vomiting frequently from the salt water she could not avoid swallowing, she managed to "find a way," which Nyad said was the mantra she used to keep herself going. She described her successful attempt as "battling hell on earth."
"For 49 hours, the wind just blew like heck, and it was rough," Nyad said.
The swimmer credits her team members as a major reason for her success. They kept her on course, monitored her condition, provided nutrition and gave other logistic support. At one point, divers swam ahead of her, clearing jellyfish out of her path.
"Never, ever give up!" Nyad said after completing her swim.
More on this story can be found at these links:
'Never, ever give up': Diana Nyad Completes Historic Cuba-to-Florida Swim. CNN
Diana Nyad Said She Battled 'Hell on Earth' Conditions to Achieve Swim Dream. ABC News
Diana Nyad's Success All in Her Head, Experts Say. NBC News
Diana Nyad completes epic 110-mile Cuba-to-Florida swim at age 64. Fox News
The Big Questions
1. "Never, ever give up!" Nyad said. For what kind of circumstances is this the right advice? When is it the wrong advice? How can we determine the difference?
2. How is perseverance related to God's will for us?
3. Nyad referred to the members of the welcoming crowd as "people who were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through it." She described this as "the human condition." In what ways does the Christian faith speak to the human condition? In what ways does Christ Jesus speak to this human condition?
4. How are Nyad's four failed attempts related to her eventual success? How should we view our failures when we have made sincere and determined attempts?
5. Why, in your opinion, doesn't faithfully following Jesus ensure that we will be successful in all the good things we honestly attempt?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Philippians 3:11-14
... if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (For context, read 3:4b-16.)
The apostle Paul said the above regarding his life of faith and his service to Christ. The goal of which he speaks is "attain[ing] the resurrection from the dead." In pursuing this goal, Paul clearly sees perseverance as a virtue.
We are not suggesting that Nyad's swimming goal is on par with Paul's eternal-life goal, but the determination and tenacity she showed in achieving her goal can be an illustration of the kind of determination and tenacity our faith calls for in following Jesus all the days of our life.
Questions: When is perseverance required and when is it foolish? In what ways does your faith help you to know when to persevere and when to relinquish certain goals? Are you the sort of person who will stubbornly persevere? Do you persevere despite your doubts? Do you require the support of others or do you plow ahead on your own?
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (For context, read 11:39--12:2.)
These verses come after Hebrews 11, in which the writer has given a kind of roll call of faithful people from the Old Testament. Then coming to chapter 12, he describes these faithful people as a "cloud of witnesses" -- in effect, people who've already completed their race of life and are now sitting in the bleachers cheering us on as we run our races. The writer advises that we discard every unnecessary "weight," as well as the sin that hinders our racing well, and continue in faith with perseverance.
Questions: What "weights" are you carrying that keep you from running well in the race of life? Where do you need to be especially persevering? Who is part of your cloud of witnesses? Who inspires you from the past? From the present? Are you part of a cloud of witnesses for others?
John 16:33 (NIV)
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (For context, read 16:25-33.)
We are connecting this verse not so much to Nyad's swimming achievement as to her words about the crowd that welcomed her in Key West -- "people who were recognizing what we go through in our lives, that we all have dreams and get disappointed, that we all have heartache and suffer and get through it. It's just the human condition."
Jesus was probably referring specifically to persecution to come for his disciples when he made the statement above to them during the final hours before his arrest (the word "trouble" in this verse is sometimes translated as "tribulation" or "persecution"). But he may have meant his statement more generally as well, for in the original Greek, the word translated here as "trouble" means "pressure." So Jesus said to his disciples, "In this world you will have pressure."
Notice that Jesus does not offer them even one suggestion for escaping that pressure. He simply states it as a fact of life: "In this world you will have pressure." Our own experience bears out the truth of Jesus' words. We know about pressure because we live with it much of the time. Often pressure or stress is caused as much by small, daily annoyances as by big calamities, but big or small, opting out of pressure is seldom a viable option.
Some of the pressure of life cannot be escaped. In those cases, we simply have to take it. If, for example, you are the parents of small children -- who create pressure no matter how good they are -- you have little choice but to stand up under it. Perspective, relaxation and prayer may all help, but in the end, you still have your children to raise.
Most of us, for that matter, have a certain amount of unalterable pressure that just comes with the territory of our lives. Life isn't easy, and the sooner we accept that, the sooner we can get on with living it to the fullest.
Questions: Since pressure is a fact of life, how can we use it to pursue our relationship with Christ? How can we make the living of our pressure-filled days also an exercise of joy? Is there peace in perseverance? Does pressure make it almost impossible for you to go forward or do you thrive on pressure? Can you think of a figure from the Bible who is a model for you when it comes to dealing with pressure?
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (For context, read 30:1-12.)
This statement from Psalm 30 can be heard as a statement about how life is a "mixed bag" of experiences, some of which bring us to tears of sorrow and pain, some of which bring us to shouts of joy, and many of which affect us in some place between those extremes. (We can imagine that Nyad's failed attempts brought her to the sorrow end of the spectrum and her successful completion brought her to the joyful end.)
In the last century, the Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung wrote that the surprises, annoyances, mysteries, stresses, conflicts, paradoxes and irrationalities of life, far from being things to be feared or subdued, are, in fact, meaningful and constructive parts of life that we should consciously welcome and befriend. He said that all these things are part of the richness of life, which one theologian suggests is Jung's equivalent of a doctrine of divine grace.
Questions: In what sense is your life richer because of the difficulties and failures you've faced alongside what you've accomplished? Where do you see God in the surprises, annoyances, mysteries, stresses, conflicts, paradoxes and irrationalities of life? In your experience, does joy come with the morning, either literally or eventually? Does the hope, assurance or experience of joy following perseverance allow you to face pressure again?
For Further Discussion
1. Comment on this prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr that is used in Alcoholics Anonymous but written for the larger circumstances of life:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
2. Respond to this, from a TWW team member: "What jumps out at me [regarding perseverance] is the notion that Jesus 'persevered' and 'endured the cross' 'for the sake of the joy that was set before him ...' So, whether we opt to persevere in something or not has to do with whether the outcome is worth it. Is there joy to be gained at the end? Is there abundant life to be gained -- for others as well as oneself? Or is it a self-serving goal only? -- in which case, perseverance might not be warranted."
3. Nyad said that one lesson for everybody from her accomplishment is that "you are never too old to chase your dreams." Do you agree with that? Is it biblically true? Is it a denial of reality? Explain your answer.
4. After Nyad's success this week, she said she was "done with the ocean." After decades of devotion to this goal, once achieved, she apparently is immediately ready to move on to the next thing, not resting on her laurels or basking in the glory of the moment. Reportedly, the next challenge on the horizon for Nyad is a planned 48-hour swim in a temperature-controlled pool in New York to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims. Are there goals for us as Christians that, once achieved, should be abandoned in order to embrace the next thing God has for us?
5. Clarence Jordan, translator of the Cotton Patch gospels and founder of the interracial Koinonia Farm in Georgia during the Civil Rights era, met a lot of resistance from his neighbors. One time his house was shot through and through by Klansmen in the dark. The next day a reporter, who Jordan knew was one of the shooters, found Jordan plowing a field and asked him what he was going to do next. Jordan replied, "Jesus doesn't require success, only faithfulness." Diana Nyad experienced constant failure. How does her faithfulness in adversity serve as an example for you?
Responding to the News
Nyad said that while long-distance swimming "looks like a solitary sport, ... it's a team [effort]." This is a good time to remind ourselves that the Christian life isn't meant to be a solitary endeavor either. Fellow church members and other Christians should be on your team as you journey long-distance in faith. Consider the ways you can tap into their wisdom. Consider how you can be a team member for other Christians on their faith journeys.
Closing Prayer

O Lord, thank you for the richness of life. Help us, through your grace, to receive from all things that which is best for us. In Jesus' name. Amen.