Here's a Christmas reflection from Duane:

Open Table UMC Band

Check out this clip of the band playing "Change My Heart O God"

Solidarity Service this Sunday, 7 PM

Friends:

Three R.I. churches are calling people of
faith to "solidarity with all immigrants in
the USA"  this Sunday evening, March 18 at
7 pm in a special worship service at the Open
Table of Christ, 1520 Broad St. at the Providence-
Cranston city line.  Testimonies will be heard from
persons who were eyewitness to the raid and detention
of immigrants in New Bedford.  Persons are invited to
bring diapers, baby formula, and food to the service
which is sponsored by St.Michael's Catholic Parish,
Vida Abundante, and Open Table of Christ UMC.

We are hoping that this worship event will be a time of
solidarity and unity across the body of faith for all of
us who recognize our own immigrant roots, who are concerned
for those who are increasingly targeted by employers for
super-exploitation, and by the government as scapegoats, and
for all who fear the loss of civility and liberty in our land.

Sunday, March 18, 7 PM Open Table of Christ/La Vida Abundante United Methodist in Washington Park 1520 Broad St. (at the Prov./Cranston city line - Bus 11)

Information: 401-941-2212

Duane Clinker, Pastor
Open Table of Christ

Video Documentary of New Bedford Children

Click on the link to watch a video of the aftermath of the New Bedford raid:
Video Documentary

March To End Deportations

We are called to act with justice. Let's stand up as a church and demand no more deportations.
Contact Greg with any questions at 401-725-2700.
More information at http://nomoreraids.blogspot.com/

CALL TO ACTION -New Bedford Rally!!!

Where's My Mommy?
Where's My Daddy?

Call to Action!!!

Rally to Support New Bedford Families

Saturday, March 17 at 2:30 PM

53 N. Sixth St. (Corner of Sixth and Elm)
New Bedford, MA

For more information go to www.miracoalition.org or (508) 979-4684 or (508) 996-8113.

Human Rights Talk Wednesday

Communities Facing Globalization: Autonomy and Human Rights

There will be a powerful talk given by people who are part of indigenous Mexican organizations standing up against human rights abuses in Mexico.

Wednesday, March 7
7 PM
At the offices of English for Action, in the Atlantic Mills Building behind Price Rite on Manton Avenue in Providence. In the second tower (right hand side).

Call Monica at 617-519-5710 for more info.

Writing to a soldier in Iraq

QUOFLECTIONS^TM

ON SPIRITUALITY AND ETHICS

Writing to a Soldier in Iraq

Reverend Harry Rix

“War is hell.”
William Tecumseh Sherman

How do we decide when to go to war? Does might make right? Is the Powell Doctrine of overwhelming force appropriate—or do the short-term gains of violence ultimately backfire?

Invading Iraq was extremely popular. Do we continue to applaud future wars, opposing a war only when it fails? What is our philosophy of war? Does Christian faith address these issues

In April, 2004, I wrote a letter to a young soldier in Iraq. I release it now hoping it may advance reflection and dialogue on issues of war and peace.

Dear [John]: I wish you well. From the reports we get here, the violence has intensified and Iraq has become much more dangerous in recent days. I hope you and your friends remain safe. I am deeply troubled by the escalation of the conflict and the number of casualties.

Though I oppose the war, I certainly do not oppose you or the other soldiers who face the violence of war. I lived throughout the Vietnam era and know the ostracism faced by soldiers returning from that war—especially by those advocating peace! Peacemakers cannot be selective in their care for people without compromising their commitment to peace. Responding to soldiers with hatred cannot be justified. To my discredit, I was guilty of this hostility.

I now believe that Jesus’ admonition, “Love your enemy,” intends for us to treat no one as an enemy—whether combatants for another nation or our own nation’s combatants. Jesus demonstrates care toward the enemies of his nation. This includes Samaritans—despised for their race, religion and nationality—as well as Romans, detested for their occupation of Palestine. The popular hatred for Roman soldiers was so intense that zealots attempted to overthrown their occupiers, much as today’s zealots in Iraq. Amazingly, Jesus nevertheless exhibited love for the enemies of his nation.

Though crucified, Jesus’ forgiveness (even while impaled on the cross!) reveals that he regards no one as an enemy. Indeed, his counsel to peasants to walk the second mile with soldiers who impressed them into service for the first mile transforms a mile of resentful obligation into a mile of pursuing friendship. This extraordinary counsel shows it is not enough that we avoid hating our enemies—we must make enemies into friends. Ironically, Jesus’ deviation from the customary social practice of hatred toward Romans stirred much hatred toward him.

The war in Iraq appears to illustrate that Martin Luther King is right in his understanding of the principle that “violence begets violence.” Somehow, we must be willing to oppose injustice without escalating the injustices of tit-for-tat violence. These are arduous standards that, I confess, I cannot practice as I would like. Yet I find that when I have the willingness to pursue them—asking for God’s assistance—I feel more at peace and sense that I am closer to following God’s will.

What is God’s justice? Instead of punishing us, God accepts us despite our many transgressions. Likewise, we must be willing to forgive others and respond without violence to the afflictions they perpetrate. Perhaps this is one of the many messages of the cross: nonviolent opposition to evil promotes justice; violent opposition perpetuates injustice.

Please accept the food as a small token of friendship. I recognize that what I have written will offend some (and may offend you). Please know that I wish you and your friends well. To do anything less is to succumb to my previous hypocrisy of loving the enemies of my government while being dismissive of the soldiers who fight these enemies. Love must be intentional and inclusive of all lest we fail to follow Jesus’ example of divine love.

Because of our connection through [our employer], I sense the dangers of this war more acutely. I will be praying for you, for all our servicemen and for all who are touched by this conflict. I would be interested in hearing from you if you care to write. Blessings, Harry

©2007 Harry Rix. All rights reserved.

Does God Endorse Bush’s War?

Quoflections TM by Rev. Harry Rix, M.Div, M.A.T.

“Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do you remember when Lucy coaxes Charlie Brown to kick a football? At the last moment, she yanks it away. He flies through the air, wails as he flips head over heels, and lands painfully on his back.

Despite Lucy’s repeated deceptions, good ole Charlie Brown trusts Lucy, runs forward—and crashes again and again. We laugh, but one in four U.S. citizens are still running to kick whatever football President Bush presents.

Print a copy of Bush’s January 10 speech from www.whitehouse.gov. Read it carefully. You will be astonished how many times the football is yanked away.

I studied the speech and found 61 instances when Bush strayed from the truth. I discovered false impressions, false assumptions, false inferences, false promises, appeals to fear, contradictions, pipedreams, projections, flip-flops, deceptions, distortions, disinformation and delusions. Oh, don’t forget euphemisms—many, many euphemisms.

Our president cites the “thoughtful recommendations” of the Iraq Study Group, giving the false impression he agrees with them. To the contrary, he rejects their most critical advice: diplomacy with Iran and Syria. Bush seeks military confrontation with both, yet praises Condoleezza Rice’s “urgent diplomacy.” Yes, truth is tyranny.

Bush repeatedly claims he listens to the “generals on the ground.” Really? He dumps Abizaid and Casey, replaces them with puppets, and now—Bush says with a straight face—military commanders “report that this plan can work.” Manipulation and obfuscation reign. Yes, fire the truthful.

Bush hails democracy—but ignores election results. Bush persistently praises freedom—but annihilates our liberties. Bush repudiates our enemies’ violence—but seeks increased U.S. funding of violence. Yes, believe the banal.

Bush’s greatest fantasy, grandest delusion and most outlandish lie is this surge will “help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence.” Do you see the contradiction? Violence does not break violence; violence is cyclical because it perpetuates violence. Yes, deception is divine.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Half a trillion dollars kills half a million Iraqis, traumatizes half a million U.S. soldiers’ children, and terrorizes half a million Iraqi children. Bush wants $6 billion more to continue this destructive darkness devoid of decency. Yes, violence is holy.

The president is right: Extremists with hateful ideology seek “mass killings on an unbelievable scale.” Bush must recognize, however, it is his extremism, his ideology, his fundamentalist fanaticism, his hate, and his war that initiates and perpetuates these unbelievable mass killings. Yes, projection is potent.

Let’s be honest. Bush’s football is stained with ugly, blatant and damnable lies. Bush’s “faith” is a fraud perpetrated upon himself and everyone who equates claiming to be Christian with following Christ. Does Jesus lie? Does Jesus justify evil? Who would Jesus bomb?

Bush’s benediction is his gravest sacrilege: “We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours.” Divorced from his preceding statements, this is a wonderful blessing.

Look closer. Bush’s speech is “The New Way Forward in Iraq” and Bush repeatedly praises liberty. Then he tells us we “go forward” with the “Author of Liberty.” By clear implication as well as thematic links, God endorses the president’s war plans for Iraq.

If God endorses this heinous, obscene, immoral and satanic war, I would rather spend eternity in Dante’s inferno than worship such a capricious, petulant, ignorant and sadistic deity. God supports this war? Make no mistake: This is blasphemy.

Bush makes a feeble inference he is responsible because, using a passive voice without an apology, “mistakes have been made.” This president betrays his oath, spits on the Constitution, and defiles the nation’s soul. No, Bush’s urgent need is repentance commensurate with the magnitude of his misdeeds.

There are times when silence is both treason against the nation and an abomination against God. This is such a time. The President looks at you as he places the football on the ground yet again. What will you do?

©2007 Harry Rix. All rights reserved.

Dr. King's Leadership Inspires Courage

Quoflections TM by Rev. Harry Rix, M.Div, M.A.T.

“Always avoid violence."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“At the jail, an almost holiday atmosphere prevailed. People had rushed down to get arrested.”

The date is February 21, 1956. More than one hundred people, including Dr. King, are indicted for violating an archaic state law banning boycotts. How absurd! City leaders in a nation founded on a bloody protest insisting that “all men are created equal” deny its dark-skinned dwellers the right to peaceful protest.

“No one had been frightened. No one tried to evade arrest.” These courageous citizens, Dr. King writes, were “proud to be arrested for the cause of freedom.”

A bus boycott began in Montgomery, Alabama in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955. Three city commissioners, now members of the White Citizens Council, perpetrate a hoax: the local newspaper proclaims they settled the boycott with a “group of prominent Negro ministers.”

This deception seeks to divide the community. King’s organization, the Montgomery Improvement Association, spreads word that only three ministers—none of them protestors—were approached for this “settlement.” The buses are again empty the next day.

Next, a “get-tough” policy is announced. Many are arrested for minor traffic offenses. Two motorcycle policemen tail King for three blocks. Aware of the crackdown, he is careful to comply with all traffic laws. “Get out, King,” he is told when pulled over. “You are under arrest for speeding thirty miles an hour in a twenty-five mile zone.”

By mid-January, Dr. and Mrs. King receive at least thirty threats a day by telephone and mail. A friend tells King of a plot to kill him. In despair, he feels like giving up. Late one night, unable to sleep, he prays, “I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left.”

An inner voice reassures King of God’s presence. He experiences the Divine as never before. His fears fade as he hears the prodding of Jesus, “Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth.”

Three days later, King’s house is bombed. Coretta and their two-month-old baby, Yolanda, are home when the explosion on the porch assaults the house. Friends urge King to hire a bodyguard for himself and armed guards for his family. After much discussion, Martin and Coretta decide even self-protection does not justify violence.

“I came face-to-face with the question of death and I dealt with it. From that point on,” King states, “I never needed a gun nor have I been afraid.”

Harassment intensifies. Several churches are bombed. Insurance policies for autos in the car pool are canceled. King is convicted of leading an illegal boycott.

The city even takes legal action to stop car pooling! On November 13, 1956, Judge Eugene Carter grants an injunction. On that same day, however, the Supreme Court suddenly rules segregated busing is unconstitutional.

Threats increase yet again. One of many callers warns King if Negroes ride in the front of buses, they will burn down “more than fifty nigger houses.” About forty members of the Ku Klux Klan drive through the streets that night. Instead of fearful darkness and isolation, the community greets these aggressors with doors open and lights aglow. Many take walks and some wave as KKK carloads pass.

When buses are finally desegregated on December 21, 1956, the only report of physical violence is a white man slapping a Negro woman. Determined to honor King’s message of nonviolence, she refuses to retaliate.

Dr. King learns many lessons from the Montgomery bus boycott: Nonviolent resistance of evil is a moral duty; we must be willing to endure suffering rather than inflict suffering; and Jesus’ ethic of loving enemies applies to communities as well as individuals.

Fifty years ago, less than a week before the Supreme Court ruling, King preaches: "As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
©2007 Harry Rix. All rights reserved.

Quoflections TM by Rev. Harry Rix, M.Div, M.A.T.

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8:31b, 32, NIV).

Dear fellow traveler seeking truth:

I write a weekly column on a variety of social justice issues, including peacemaking, global spirituality, and personal and corporate ethics. The following are direct links to sample articles on the official Quoflections site:

Glimpsing our Next National Nightmare: War with Iran is Possible
Bono's Fervor for Aftrica: Global Hunger Campaign
Violating the Teachings of Christ: Immigration & Racism
The Religion of Cruelty: The Outrage of U.S. Torture
Transforming Our Churches: Members with Spiritual Power
Anger as a Spiritual Benefit: William Sloane Coffin's Wisdom
Hanging around with the Homeless: The Suffering of our Siblings
The Necessity of Divorce: When Commitments Must End
Counseling a Sex Offender: Pedophiles are People Too
Valuing the Parenting of Fathers: Prejudice against Divorced Dads
Hearing the Voices of the Powerless: Understand Muslim Outrage
Healing our Medical Immorality: Stem Cell Research
A Study of Gay Ethics: Interpreting the Bible
Considering the Benefits of WMD: Satire of Hiroshima & U.S. Policy
Scapegoats are Unnecessary: Forgiveness & Mental Health

Quoflections TM is a quotation followed by a reflection. Readers' posts to my articles are welcome. Disagreement is welcome and expected. Dialogue rather than debate mentality is appreciated.

You can reach my official site and collection at http://www.quoflections.com. New articles will be added weekly and remain for one month.

Experience:
- Ordained American Baptist Minister, 1984
- Member, Open Table of Christ UMC (formerly Hillsgrove UMC), 2000
- Social justice activist, 25 years.
- Business experience, 15 years.
- Mental health chaplain/counselor, 10 years.
- Pastor, 5 years.