I was in a long discussion today in our philosophy/ethics after-hours group, I call it “philo-after hours.”
We meet every other Friday for an hour or so of discussion. Actually it all started the week before when we met to discuss the reaction of some segments of our church to Margaret Miles who gave three highly stimulating, well thought out lectures in the Union PSCE Sprunt Lecture series.
Just so you know, Dr. Miles grew up in a highly conservative and fundamentalist Baptist tradition and is now a member of the Anglican Church. She is retired but has been Dean of the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, CA, and a faculty member at Harvard. She is well read and the author of a number of historical books dealing with the role of women, religion and values in the early church and today.
Dr. Miles wrote a very insightful book that is completely historically founded, well worth reading regardless of where one stands on women and sexuality in the church. To reduce a book to a capsule, always an unfair thing to do, Dr. Miles discussed how up until the late middle ages, Christian art and image represented salvation in the female nursing breast, in particularly Mary’s. The breast (the only method of sustenance of children in that time) carried great import as a symbol of nurture and sustenance, not as a sexual object. For a number of ecclesiastical and societal reasons, the woman’s breast became secularized and turned into an object of erotic interest while the cross became a primary object of significance in Christian imagery.
While some highly opinionated writers in the Layman claim she proposes to substitute the female breast for the cross, this is a complete fabrication of her position. (She also was highly offended to be called a "radical feminist," something I assure you she is not.) She states because of the secularization of the breast and change of culture it is not possible to recover that original symbolic imagery (If you chose to comment I encourage you to be informed first and read her book, “A Complex Delight: The Secularization of the Breast, 1350-1750”). For this book she has been vilified to the extent some of her religious critics, if it were lawful, would be the first to light the bonfire at her burning as a heretic.
In the course of our philo discussion of Dr. Miles book and the negative reaction of the more conservative element of our church, evangelism came up. I had just finished two papers on the nature of the African Brazilian and Asian Christian churches, as well as the growth of Christianity in the slave culture and the mission movements in America in the 1800’s. One thing that stands out in a fair reading of the history of these situations of rapid church growth is the evangelical nature of those churches.
A couple of my colleagues were quite put-off by my mention of Evangelism. They were put-off because I used the “E-word” that carries so much baggage. When I used the word “evangelical” everyone stopped, and the reaction was as if I had farted in the church pew on Sunday morning during the Great Prayer, or as a Caucasian man, used the “N-word” at an NAACP meeting.
I was perplexed but really understood the reason. The word carries so much very negative baggage to some because it is associated, perhaps unfairly, with the mean-spirited part of our church that is usually conservative (not a crime) but so highly opinionated and intent on forcing their beliefs on others that they alienate all but the few who are swayed by their rhetoric. The reaction of my liberal friends to its symbolic meaning to them was ironic, wasn't it.
That discussion started up again this afternoon, leaving a couple of us a “little” inflamed because I maintained we need a more evangelical perspective. We never got past my use of the word "evangelical" to the substance of the discussion because it was so polarizing to some of us. This is my take on the issue.
It is a profoundly bad reading of the New Testament not to conclude our Church was charged from its first days with the task of evangelism of the Word. To deny, delimit or circumscribe its meaning, obligation and practice is ethically and morally flawed. The issue though really lies at the heart of the several problems with our mainline protestant denominations, particularly many in the Presbyterian Church, even the conservative branches.
For some reason, Presbyterians are not comfortable with the idea of evangelism, at least in current times. We go to church, worship, pray, give of our money and abilities but usually do it using the Presbyterian Hymnal (Blue or Red), the organ, a chancel choir and an orderly, emotionless worship service where we sit quietly in the pew listening to the minister’s sermon. You’ve all heard it, the “frozen chosen.” We serve vicariously by supporting some missionaries who tend to adopt our own frozen style in a foreign country, which is not very effective.
Well, we are frozen and most everyone who seeks warmth in the church is looking elsewhere and leaving if they are members. For practical purposes, evangelism is dead in the Presbyterian Church. We are too quick to say defensively, “Oh, we can’t evangelize to an empty stomach. We have to feed them first.”
Yes, we have an obligation to feed the hungry, help the helpless and the prisoner. Yes, they should “know we are Christians by our love.” But the bottom line is, we should be carrying the message of salvation to the world, including next door. We can do it as it is so successfully done in Africa, Asia and South America, an active mission movement that seeds new churches and educates new local pastors. It worked once in America, you know.
The so-called “Evangelical Church” and the Pentecostal Church worldwide is growing by leaps and bounds. In the South (Africa, South America, Asia) it is the primary theological force. Ask the question, “Why is this?”
I propose the reason is that these Southern churches have so greatly succeeded in evangelism is that they have connected the spiritual feeling and emotion of the worshipper to the theological message of transcendent, saving grace. It may be personal testimony of a pastor or layperson to God’s grace in action, it might be things we are very uncomfortable with: guitars and drums, popular melodies and new lyrics, video projectors. It might be vocalization by church members during the sermon, an “Amen!” or “Yes!” or even more, even new words for our traditional beliefs and creeds.
“Oh, but that is all just emotion," one might object, "there is not any rational change in belief, it is all just the emotional pressure of the crowd of witnesses. What about the Apostle’s Creed, or the Westminster Creed? Or the Bible, we have to read their translations very carefully to be sure they don't slip some weird word in into it. But they believe in ancestors... It isn't real Christianity.”
Put-off by the E-word or not, or by new words for our older tradition, I suggest we get used to it and co-opt the word ourselves in our practice of evangelism and stick to the essential tenets of Christian faith. We ought to learn the lessons in the Southern World Church. Particularly we need to understand the Southern Church has “invaded” America. If that invasion serves no other useful purpose than to renew our attention to the great ends of the church, it has done its job. I am in the minority as a Presbyterian, a very small minority.
I am a victim of my past. I butted heads with family members, associates, and many tears over the left and right wing politics and racism of the 60’s, we all ended up bloodied by it. I learned one thing in all that. People do change their minds, not everyone, but enough do. They don’t do it because we beat them with a club. That tends to force people into more dogmatic, refractory positions. Radicalizing does not work well. People change their minds because of personal experience and the freedom of choice to think and do so. But those are not our focus, our focus is the unchurched.
Evangelism is a big word, it means more than just preaching revivals and handing out tracts. It means living a good life and inviting other to follow.
It means taking uncomfortable (for liberals) stands on things like pornography, excessive and improperly used wealth, consumerism at the personal level.
But it also means actually being excited and joyful to be a Christian and having people see and know that fact. That means changing.
It may mean being uncomfortable personally (it will for me!) for the greater good, to change our worship service to bring back the youth and people who left or never stepped foot in our church because it puts them to sleep. It may mean experimenting with worship styles, not just doing it so we can say we did it, but so we are participating. We might even find out we enjoy it.
As I said, my problem is, I am a child of the 60’s and some old memories will not get out of my head. Eldridge Cleaver was a little too far over the top for most when he said if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem but Bob Dylan came close to what faces us today in the lyrics of Times they are a changin’:
“Your old road
is rapidly agin’,
please get out of the new one
if you can’t lend a hand.
I’ve given no recipes. I don’t have any yet, maybe you do. I hope I painted a picture of our evangelical obligation. Christ’s church lives it, so should we.
Peace and Grace
Friday, May 14, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Day 673 - Haiti II, Foreshadowed Danger
Most of you know the latest on the situation in Haiti itself, but a few ex pats, like Jessi Stit in Malawi, don't seem to get a lot of news so at the end on this entry you'll find an update.
The geologic situation in Hispaniola
[The following information is drawn from an article in Science, volume 327, 22 Jan 2010, p398, (go to www.sciencemag.org), and from USGS sources]
In 1979, a siesmologist named William McCann published a world-wide survey of the regions where there is a highest probablity of rupture of a fault in an earthquake. Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic) was identified as one of them.
The Caraibbean plate (South American side) and the North American plate slide past one another relentlessly at roughly 20 mm per year about a fault that passes through the southern edge of Cuba and along the southern edge of Hispaniola. This fault is much like the San Andreas fault in southen California. Unfortunately for Hispaniola, the two continental plates actually form two parallel faults here, one along the southern edge of the island, the other along the northern edge, pinning Hispaniola in a double grinding East-West twist.
A further misfortune of this double grinding is that it is causes relatively shallow earthquakes that create more physical damage than deep earthquakes. A third misfortune is that Port au Prince, much like Mexico City, is built on sandy sediments that fill a valley rather than on rock. When an earthquake hits, the sandy ground shakes like a bowl of jello. It actually behaves in a fluid-like manner grossly magnifying the shaking effect.
In the period of the 1700's there were major earthquakes along the southern edge of Hispaniola, in fact there was a 6.6 quake in Port au Prince in 1701. On October 18, 1751 a very large quake of 8.0 broke the fault in the southern ocean off shore to the East, the faulting then triggered a 7.5 quake in Haiti to the east of Port au Price, further breaking the fault on November 21. This quake destroyed Port au Prince. Then on June 3, 1770 another 7.5 quake occurred in the Port au Prince area, again destroying the city. In the early 1800's an 8.0 quake occurred on the northern fault in Haiti.
This is often the pattern, a part of the fault breaks and this transfers the stress in the fault to unbroken regions which may then eventually rupture in a domino effect.
In the aftermath of the 1751 quake 30,000 people died of hunger and disease.
As a result of the 1751 and 1770 quakes, at that time Haiti outlawed masonry house construction, allowing only wood construction. This obviously was not continued.
The 1770 earthquake of 7.5 magnitude formed the fault that partially broke this past January. The 1770 quake was five times more powerful than the 2010 quake.
In the past 240 years, the two plates have contined to march past each other at a steady 22 mm/year pace but locked together in Hispaniola and building up more and more unrelieved shearing stress in the Haiti-Cuba fault system. The plates have moved, more or less, 17 feet past each other with no major rupture to relieve the stress.
Dangerous times?
This earthquake on the scale of earthquakes was relatively moderate. Unfortunately, it may well be a precursor to an even larger one. The fault is a sleeping giant. After 250 years, is it turning in its sleep to get more comfortable for a while?
If you are interested in the seismology of the Caribbean, or your own backyard, I encourage you to go to the USGS site . You will see the Virgin Islands to the East are constantly active with small quakes, and appreciate why there is a volcano there.
Update for those expats living in caves:
Right now supplies and equipment appear to coming in at a fast rate. Monetary donations seem high.
The biggest issues look like the inability to move supplies inward from the airport and the absence of tents. Most people are still sleeping in the street, damaged housing or makeshift housing. Food supplies, medicine and water are getting in. There is an effort to move people into the countryside out of the city. Crime (looting) is beginning to increase in Port au Prince.
The seaport itself was heavily damaged but I think it has been repaired enough to take on some deepwater ships again. The roads are either full of debris, people or damaged and they have to use limited amounts of heavy equipment to move things. The injuries and inability to provide immediate health care, and destruction of most medical facilities is still a big issue. Over 100,000 people have been killed and buried in mass graves, or still are rotting in the streets and destroyed buildings. I imagine the toll will go higher.
There are bodies in the ruins and the potential for serious public health issues is great. Compounding this, as you may expect, there are many crushing injuries that require amputation, as well as head trauma. People remain untreated for long periods, leading to infection and gangrene; and the likelihood of poor/doubtful recovery. It was absolutely horrible to see seriously injured people all lined up on blankets lying on the sidewalk or in the courtyard of places where the few medical teams are. They may lay there for several days.
The US military has hospital ships off shore and are trying to meet some of the need.
Authorities are trying to move people out of Port au Prince into the country side to relieve the excessive crowding.
The infrastructure, as I can tell (water supplies, roads, etc) was already in very bad shape and now is basically worthless.
I have described it as if we are watching one of the twin towers collapse helpless to help - but in horribly painful slow motion. So much damage was done and the events have been launched in the area of health that can't be reversed, while we stand and watch holding all the medicine, equipment in our hands to help if we could.
I worry a lot about what will happen in Port au Prince - dysentery, cholera, etc, I may be the pessimist tho. I heard on PBS radio yesterday that the two major pre-existing medical problems in Haiti are tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The Tuberculosis sanitarium was destroyed; much of the HIV/AIDs vectors were in the prison in town and that was destroyed and all the inmates have fled. People is the countryside who have HIV/AIDs are still managing to get to treatment but I can't speak for Port au Prince, itself. Other than the escaped prisoners, it appears many HIV/AIDS positive people are able to connect with treatment.
I immediately thought about heading down, looking for the right connection, but as I followed what is happening, I came to the realization, with some help from friends, I'd be in the way until I can connect with the right organization and we can get enough physical presence to create space to help. I think very soon it will be time to go though, and am still struggling with whether to take off and help or stay in seminary. Sometimes action is a better form of praying than sitting and studying.
I worry the most about whether this quake is a precursor to an even larger one in the relatvely near future.
Henry
The geologic situation in Hispaniola
[The following information is drawn from an article in Science, volume 327, 22 Jan 2010, p398, (go to www.sciencemag.org), and from USGS sources]
In 1979, a siesmologist named William McCann published a world-wide survey of the regions where there is a highest probablity of rupture of a fault in an earthquake. Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic) was identified as one of them.
The Caraibbean plate (South American side) and the North American plate slide past one another relentlessly at roughly 20 mm per year about a fault that passes through the southern edge of Cuba and along the southern edge of Hispaniola. This fault is much like the San Andreas fault in southen California. Unfortunately for Hispaniola, the two continental plates actually form two parallel faults here, one along the southern edge of the island, the other along the northern edge, pinning Hispaniola in a double grinding East-West twist.
A further misfortune of this double grinding is that it is causes relatively shallow earthquakes that create more physical damage than deep earthquakes. A third misfortune is that Port au Prince, much like Mexico City, is built on sandy sediments that fill a valley rather than on rock. When an earthquake hits, the sandy ground shakes like a bowl of jello. It actually behaves in a fluid-like manner grossly magnifying the shaking effect.
In the period of the 1700's there were major earthquakes along the southern edge of Hispaniola, in fact there was a 6.6 quake in Port au Prince in 1701. On October 18, 1751 a very large quake of 8.0 broke the fault in the southern ocean off shore to the East, the faulting then triggered a 7.5 quake in Haiti to the east of Port au Price, further breaking the fault on November 21. This quake destroyed Port au Prince. Then on June 3, 1770 another 7.5 quake occurred in the Port au Prince area, again destroying the city. In the early 1800's an 8.0 quake occurred on the northern fault in Haiti.
This is often the pattern, a part of the fault breaks and this transfers the stress in the fault to unbroken regions which may then eventually rupture in a domino effect.
In the aftermath of the 1751 quake 30,000 people died of hunger and disease.
As a result of the 1751 and 1770 quakes, at that time Haiti outlawed masonry house construction, allowing only wood construction. This obviously was not continued.
The 1770 earthquake of 7.5 magnitude formed the fault that partially broke this past January. The 1770 quake was five times more powerful than the 2010 quake.
In the past 240 years, the two plates have contined to march past each other at a steady 22 mm/year pace but locked together in Hispaniola and building up more and more unrelieved shearing stress in the Haiti-Cuba fault system. The plates have moved, more or less, 17 feet past each other with no major rupture to relieve the stress.
Dangerous times?
This earthquake on the scale of earthquakes was relatively moderate. Unfortunately, it may well be a precursor to an even larger one. The fault is a sleeping giant. After 250 years, is it turning in its sleep to get more comfortable for a while?
If you are interested in the seismology of the Caribbean, or your own backyard, I encourage you to go to the USGS site . You will see the Virgin Islands to the East are constantly active with small quakes, and appreciate why there is a volcano there.
Update for those expats living in caves:
Right now supplies and equipment appear to coming in at a fast rate. Monetary donations seem high.
The biggest issues look like the inability to move supplies inward from the airport and the absence of tents. Most people are still sleeping in the street, damaged housing or makeshift housing. Food supplies, medicine and water are getting in. There is an effort to move people into the countryside out of the city. Crime (looting) is beginning to increase in Port au Prince.
The seaport itself was heavily damaged but I think it has been repaired enough to take on some deepwater ships again. The roads are either full of debris, people or damaged and they have to use limited amounts of heavy equipment to move things. The injuries and inability to provide immediate health care, and destruction of most medical facilities is still a big issue. Over 100,000 people have been killed and buried in mass graves, or still are rotting in the streets and destroyed buildings. I imagine the toll will go higher.
There are bodies in the ruins and the potential for serious public health issues is great. Compounding this, as you may expect, there are many crushing injuries that require amputation, as well as head trauma. People remain untreated for long periods, leading to infection and gangrene; and the likelihood of poor/doubtful recovery. It was absolutely horrible to see seriously injured people all lined up on blankets lying on the sidewalk or in the courtyard of places where the few medical teams are. They may lay there for several days.
The US military has hospital ships off shore and are trying to meet some of the need.
Authorities are trying to move people out of Port au Prince into the country side to relieve the excessive crowding.
The infrastructure, as I can tell (water supplies, roads, etc) was already in very bad shape and now is basically worthless.
I have described it as if we are watching one of the twin towers collapse helpless to help - but in horribly painful slow motion. So much damage was done and the events have been launched in the area of health that can't be reversed, while we stand and watch holding all the medicine, equipment in our hands to help if we could.
I worry a lot about what will happen in Port au Prince - dysentery, cholera, etc, I may be the pessimist tho. I heard on PBS radio yesterday that the two major pre-existing medical problems in Haiti are tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. The Tuberculosis sanitarium was destroyed; much of the HIV/AIDs vectors were in the prison in town and that was destroyed and all the inmates have fled. People is the countryside who have HIV/AIDs are still managing to get to treatment but I can't speak for Port au Prince, itself. Other than the escaped prisoners, it appears many HIV/AIDS positive people are able to connect with treatment.
I immediately thought about heading down, looking for the right connection, but as I followed what is happening, I came to the realization, with some help from friends, I'd be in the way until I can connect with the right organization and we can get enough physical presence to create space to help. I think very soon it will be time to go though, and am still struggling with whether to take off and help or stay in seminary. Sometimes action is a better form of praying than sitting and studying.
I worry the most about whether this quake is a precursor to an even larger one in the relatvely near future.
Henry
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 656 - The Text the Lectionary Avoids
I have resisted falling back onto “sermons” since I’ve been in seminary perhaps because I see the weaknesses in me that I so easily see in others. Nevertheless, the chaos in Haiti begs a connection to a biblical texts.
I think one is a very common text most of us might seize as justification to help Haiti. The other, to my knowledge, has never been part of the lectionary. I am going to be a little unconventional and ask that you review these texts in advance of my next blog entry.
What is unusual you will find when I’m done is how prescient these U.S. Senators were in 1974 when they introduced into the Senate a resolution to declare "a national day of humiliation, fasting and prayer;"
Mark O. Hatfield (R.-Ore.),
Pete V. Domenici (R.-N.M.),
Clifford P. Hansen (R.-Wyo.),
Paul L. Fannin (R.-Ariz.),
Dewey F. Bartlett (R.-Okla.),
Harold E. Hughes (D. -Iowa),
Jennings Randolph (D. -W. Va.),
Lawton Chiles (D.-Fla.),
John C. Stennis (D.-Miss.),
James B. Allen (D. -Ala.), J.
Bennett Johnston (D. - La.),
Sam Nunn (D. –Ga)
Readings:
The Pentateuch: The time of the Judges: Judges 21:25; and The Story of Jephthah’s Vow: Judges 11:1-40
(WARNING: Please be prepared for shock. The Jephthah reading is a loathsome text.)
The Gospel: Luke: 10:25-37 – Who is my neighbor?
If you have access to a good library, you may want to also look for an article by Phyllis Tribble: The Daughter of Jephthah, “Virgin in Gilead,” Chapter 4 in Text of Terror, Fortress Press, Philadephia (1984).
My next blog entry will be my exposition of the significance of these texts relative to not only Haiti, but also most of the interaction of our great country (and our denomination) in the world in the latter part of the 20th century and the early 21st century.
Peace and Grace,
Henry
I think one is a very common text most of us might seize as justification to help Haiti. The other, to my knowledge, has never been part of the lectionary. I am going to be a little unconventional and ask that you review these texts in advance of my next blog entry.
What is unusual you will find when I’m done is how prescient these U.S. Senators were in 1974 when they introduced into the Senate a resolution to declare "a national day of humiliation, fasting and prayer;"
Mark O. Hatfield (R.-Ore.),
Pete V. Domenici (R.-N.M.),
Clifford P. Hansen (R.-Wyo.),
Paul L. Fannin (R.-Ariz.),
Dewey F. Bartlett (R.-Okla.),
Harold E. Hughes (D. -Iowa),
Jennings Randolph (D. -W. Va.),
Lawton Chiles (D.-Fla.),
John C. Stennis (D.-Miss.),
James B. Allen (D. -Ala.), J.
Bennett Johnston (D. - La.),
Sam Nunn (D. –Ga)
Readings:
The Pentateuch: The time of the Judges: Judges 21:25; and The Story of Jephthah’s Vow: Judges 11:1-40
(WARNING: Please be prepared for shock. The Jephthah reading is a loathsome text.)
The Gospel: Luke: 10:25-37 – Who is my neighbor?
If you have access to a good library, you may want to also look for an article by Phyllis Tribble: The Daughter of Jephthah, “Virgin in Gilead,” Chapter 4 in Text of Terror, Fortress Press, Philadephia (1984).
My next blog entry will be my exposition of the significance of these texts relative to not only Haiti, but also most of the interaction of our great country (and our denomination) in the world in the latter part of the 20th century and the early 21st century.
Peace and Grace,
Henry
Day 655 - The Reality on the Ground
From what I've been able to piece together this appears to be possible or likely near term outcomes in Haiti.
From a social and medical perspective what has happened in Haiti must be considered something like the slow motion collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The triggering event has happened and we are helpless to avoid some bad consequences. Perhpas we can mediate them.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere according to some. It has always been food- and resource poor. 42% or more of the population is under 14 years old. The median age is 18.4 (CIA World Fact Book 2003). Right now these appear the facts:
1. There are thousands of dead - in the streets, inside collapsed building, walking.
2. There are thousands of injured - the majority recceiving little or no medical aid.
3. Many of the injured will die over the next few days.
4. There is a serious or absent clean water supply - epidemics are inevitable.
5. Medical supplies and personnel are virtually non-existent.
6. Apparently the remaining UN forces are the only ":law enforcement."
7. There is little or no food.
8. There appears to be an absence of significant amount of earthmoving equiupment.
This is a probably outcome over the next days and weeks:
1. Continual breakdown of order and increase in violence and civil unrest.
2. Epidemics of dysentery and other water-born diseases.
3. More deaths from disease and violence.
Therre are some mediating actions:
1. The US and other countries are marshalling aid.
2. Samaritans Purse has large capacity water treatment equipment and supplies rady to go upon authoroization to land at the airport. Samaritian's Purse appears in the most active response mode.
3. Search dogs and equipment apparently left from Los Angeles last night.
Observation
It looks to me like it is going to be a very dark time in Haiti, even if, by some miraculous step, our government takes charge and implements the water treatment equipment and medical support. We need to act, but if were travel to Haiti, assuming authorities would let us, we also need to think through logistics and medical strategies.
Remember, President Obama has just asked, or is about to ask, Congress for 700 Billion dollars ($700,000,000,000) for fighting and killing in Iraq and Afganistan, most of that could be used to save lives in Haiti. Likely our military forces are stretched so thin itwill be hard to repond to Haiti without reddeployment.
I have begun contacting aid agencies and personal contacts. I've gotten a couple volunteers already. Contact me here, on my Facebook page or by e-mail andhelp us work out a strategy.
If you think you may go at any time in the next year, immediately contact your physisican and begin hepatitis innoculations.
If and when we go, it is not going to be for the faint-hearted. It will be dangerous and fraught with risk. But what else would Christ have us do but help?
Peace,
Henry
From a social and medical perspective what has happened in Haiti must be considered something like the slow motion collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The triggering event has happened and we are helpless to avoid some bad consequences. Perhpas we can mediate them.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere according to some. It has always been food- and resource poor. 42% or more of the population is under 14 years old. The median age is 18.4 (CIA World Fact Book 2003). Right now these appear the facts:
1. There are thousands of dead - in the streets, inside collapsed building, walking.
2. There are thousands of injured - the majority recceiving little or no medical aid.
3. Many of the injured will die over the next few days.
4. There is a serious or absent clean water supply - epidemics are inevitable.
5. Medical supplies and personnel are virtually non-existent.
6. Apparently the remaining UN forces are the only ":law enforcement."
7. There is little or no food.
8. There appears to be an absence of significant amount of earthmoving equiupment.
This is a probably outcome over the next days and weeks:
1. Continual breakdown of order and increase in violence and civil unrest.
2. Epidemics of dysentery and other water-born diseases.
3. More deaths from disease and violence.
Therre are some mediating actions:
1. The US and other countries are marshalling aid.
2. Samaritans Purse has large capacity water treatment equipment and supplies rady to go upon authoroization to land at the airport. Samaritian's Purse appears in the most active response mode.
3. Search dogs and equipment apparently left from Los Angeles last night.
Observation
It looks to me like it is going to be a very dark time in Haiti, even if, by some miraculous step, our government takes charge and implements the water treatment equipment and medical support. We need to act, but if were travel to Haiti, assuming authorities would let us, we also need to think through logistics and medical strategies.
Remember, President Obama has just asked, or is about to ask, Congress for 700 Billion dollars ($700,000,000,000) for fighting and killing in Iraq and Afganistan, most of that could be used to save lives in Haiti. Likely our military forces are stretched so thin itwill be hard to repond to Haiti without reddeployment.
I have begun contacting aid agencies and personal contacts. I've gotten a couple volunteers already. Contact me here, on my Facebook page or by e-mail andhelp us work out a strategy.
If you think you may go at any time in the next year, immediately contact your physisican and begin hepatitis innoculations.
If and when we go, it is not going to be for the faint-hearted. It will be dangerous and fraught with risk. But what else would Christ have us do but help?
Peace,
Henry
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day 654 - Haiti
Friends,
I was going to post a blog on some theological issue of intellectual importance; but listening and observing on CNN the chaos in Haiti really reduced my motivation to do that to naught. This is a tragedy, one that may have long-lasting effect. What can we do to shape the outcome. To act now is a noble thing; to sit and watch while people die is a thing we hope to hide in darkness.
The problem there is appears overwhelming, far worse than Katrina. It is not clear what we can do immediately. There is a need for doctors, for medical supplies, for earthmoving equipment, for hands but there is need for compassion, for love, for perhaps nothing more than a hug and demostration of faith. Haiti was destitute, now it is going to be worse. Do not be deluded, it is a dangerous place.
Let's figure out what to do. Send me ideas and volunteers at: hgparis.com .
If PDA wants to let us help, great!, That is where we should start; but we have to rely on them. If it looks too bound up in administrative and procedural worries as we presbyterians are want to be, I'll find a way for those of us who can and are willing to help. There are several faith-based agencies already in motion.
I am ready to drop all I am doing here in Richmond and move to help, let's talk about what we can do. We need French-speaking people, we need selfless people. E-mail me, we will find the way to help.
Grace and peace,
Henry
I was going to post a blog on some theological issue of intellectual importance; but listening and observing on CNN the chaos in Haiti really reduced my motivation to do that to naught. This is a tragedy, one that may have long-lasting effect. What can we do to shape the outcome. To act now is a noble thing; to sit and watch while people die is a thing we hope to hide in darkness.
The problem there is appears overwhelming, far worse than Katrina. It is not clear what we can do immediately. There is a need for doctors, for medical supplies, for earthmoving equipment, for hands but there is need for compassion, for love, for perhaps nothing more than a hug and demostration of faith. Haiti was destitute, now it is going to be worse. Do not be deluded, it is a dangerous place.
Let's figure out what to do. Send me ideas and volunteers at: hgparis.com .
If PDA wants to let us help, great!, That is where we should start; but we have to rely on them. If it looks too bound up in administrative and procedural worries as we presbyterians are want to be, I'll find a way for those of us who can and are willing to help. There are several faith-based agencies already in motion.
I am ready to drop all I am doing here in Richmond and move to help, let's talk about what we can do. We need French-speaking people, we need selfless people. E-mail me, we will find the way to help.
Grace and peace,
Henry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)