A Lutheran In Senegal

If the war goes on...

A classmate of mine introduced me to this song (by John Bell of the Iona Community) as part of our opening devotions one day. I was, and continue to be moved by its imagery, and I hope that you are too.

If The War Goes On
The Road to Basrah
 
If the war goes on and the children die of hunger,
And the old men weep for the young men are no more,
And the women learn how to dance without a partner,
Who will keep the score?

If the war goes on and the truth is taken hostage,
And new terrors lead to the need to euphemize;
When the calls for peace are declared unpatriotic,
Who’ll expose the lies?

If the war goes on and the daily bread is terror,
And the voiceless poor take the road as refugees;
When a nation’s pride destines millions to be homeless,
Who will heed their pleas?

If the war goes on and the rich increase their fortunes,
And the arms sales soar as new weapons are displayed;
When a fertile field turns to no-man’s-land tomorrow,
Who’ll approve such trade?

If the war goes on will we close the doors to heaven?
If the war goes on will we breach the gates of hell?
If the war goes on will we ever be forgiven?
If the war goes on…

Peace, only Peace,
Peter

A Quote on "Salvation" to Share

From one of the books we're reading in my Third World Feminist Theology Class. Just to note, this is after making the distinction between Macro- and Micro-salvations...
enjoy. think. reflect. wrestle with it.

"Even if we sometimes feel an existential need in Christian culture for a grander and more universal salvation, a salvation in the beyond, it does not come over us when we are crushed by some enormous actual grief, for example, when hunger eats away at our innards or when misunderstanding ruins our relationships or when our child is dead in our arms. Actual experience has a way of changing us, and this is nothing new. It is necessary to add that there is no salvation once and for all, a salvation that would eliminate other problems. We may speak of salvation, but there are only successive salvations in history. Examples drawn from the lives of our witnesses testify to that. No longer is there any unique model of salvation, such as the social redemption proposed by various political parties, or “the way” of salvation proposed by various religions or theologies. Rather, salvation seems to be a movement toward redemption in the midst of the trials of existence, one moment of peace and tenderness in the midst of daily violence, beautiful music that calms our spirit, a novel that keeps us company, a glass of beer or a cup of coffee shared with another. These give us the desire to go on living. Salvation is a baby long awaited or a love letter that brings us back to life. Salvation is beauty, a garden on the earth where God walks." 

Ivone Gebara,
Out of the Depths (Minneapolis: Fortress press, 2002) p. 124.

Jamm Rekk,
Peter

The Coming Clash of Leadership

---place keeper--check back later---