This year has been an eye opener regarding the role of the Church in the world, and my own leanings toward a “universalist God” who often finds his only outlet for themes of peace and prophetic voice in the “unChurched”, even in those who tend to look at the Church with suspicion, feeling it not only irrelevant, but a force justifying and defending the evils of empire. They are increasingly right to think so. And it is entirely understandable that they would have this view of the Church.

They are largley right. But they take “offense” at this Church because they feel a calling to “do something to combat this”. It’s like the message of Paul to the Gentiles “God has said that he’s taking the message from the Chosen People and giving it to the Gentiles, since the chosen ones have not carried the message. If the Church were more in line with the Gospel message and the message of the Prophets, these diseenters would have a community to help mobilize them and join efforts. In fact, the Church should be helping organize and mobilize the dissent. Jeremiah was constantly having to remind the Kingdom that God would not be “on their side” just because they were saying “We’re the people of the Lord, the people of the Lord” (one can just hear the prophet saying this derisively), but those who actaually DO justice.

I feel that this is a movement in the larger movenment of the Spirit to take aim at a growing evil. It is based largely on greed and alliance with the forces at the very top of the economic strata, who , not surprsingly, will do ANYTHING to keep their lofty status and power. Greed is the root of all evil. Money corrupts. It distorts the American dream into an ideology that becomes a nightmare for the vast majority, and ultimately, for the idealogues themselves. Those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword. These words are not just for “America’s enemies”, but for all people. When “the chosen ones” do not respond, then God is not derailed. God “steps up the call and the volume, so that more people can hear the call. I am not saying that “The American Church” have a special “chosen status”, but as far as we’re concerned, we must take on the responsibility of “the chosen”, as should the jewish community, the Islamic community, and all who speak of a vision of the Almighty for this world.