BLOG-AUG. 12, 2014

 I wrote more about last Sunday but, as often happens, it just disappeard into the ether never to be found again. I hope it is not the case for this one. 

Dikonia Council of Churches—1) Diakonia lecture award to Rochard Trevor Dobson, architect, working for the city of Durban.

2) Speaker for the evening—Jim Wallis president of Sojourners—HOPE TO A DIVIDED WORLD

Here are some notes that I took at that lecture which was excellent for being applicable to us here in South Africa which, I believe, was his focus.

*One of the main issues that must be on evryones’ agenda is definitely gender justice.

*We approach everything through our Christian Faith which means that we believe in the Incarnation, so that the incarnation becomes contextual—bringing God to the streets (not up in the sky somewhere)

*When he asked some 14 yr. olds in Soweto about the challenges of rape, abuse, corruption, etc., seemingly hopeless, their response was “ we will see to it!” (e.g. full of hope)

* He received a letter from a prisoner in Sing Sing prison asking him to come to talk to them about hope in a pretty hopeless situation. He came. They discovered that most of them came from the same 5 neighborhoods. It was as though they all got on that same train that led straight to Sing Sing. After their conversion, they were determined to “ stop that train.”

* Love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself. He said that he only realized the specialness of love when his two sons were born. He would do anything for them. To love your neighbor, then, was to love other kids as much as you love your own kids.

*Youth are not so interested in church these days but they are attracted (Pope Francis is living proof) by Christians doing what the youth think Christrians should be doing.

* The turning point for many is that text from Mt. 25 “ whatever you do to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do to me.” He said that the evangelicals are finally getting it together.

* Here in South Africa it is clear that after the elections in 1994, and Mandela as president, it is not “ mission accomplished”.

* The new generation asks lots of questions, and he says that is good, they should ask questions. Skepticism is not cynicism.

* Hope (hope for a divided world) in not a feeling, it is a decision that comes from our Faith. Believing in spite of the evidence to the contrary—and then watching the evidence slowly but surely change.