We are Amanda Berry

I've been thinking about it ever since the story broke on Monday.  The story of three kidnapped women who were found after a decade in captivity when one of their number managed to escape and get help. And this is what I have been thinking: We are Amanda Berry.  All of us.  You and me.  The story leaped off the screen at me.  In it I heard the Christian story of redemption.  The story that we get deadened to...not because we want to, but because we have heard it so many times that we forget what Christ has done for us.

We were held captive for long years in the dungeon of the devil.  His chains of lies and sin and brokenness and death held us.  Whenever we sought freedom, he told us it was not for us.  And then one day, we pierced through the screen door of evil and captivity (although in our case, we were not merely captive and therefore able to bring about our own rescue, but we were actually dead in our sins).

The Holy Spirit pulled us through that screen door.  He kicked it down and then He pulled us through.  He yanked us out into the light of day, breathing breath into us, performing Holy Spirit CPR on our cold corpses.  The warm sun fell on our back.  We gasped for air and awoke.  But we couldn't stop for a moment to relish our new freedom.  "There are more captives!" we cried out.  Now that we had been freed, we could not rest until they too were freed.  We sent help.  We sent rescuers after them.  How could we rejoice in our freedom when others remained bound?

And so they were freed just as we were.  Hallelujah!  And now, we are living a new life...a life that we dared not dream of in those long years of captivity.

But the story isn't over.  This isn't "happily ever after, roll the credits, please!"  Much like the children of Israel, we are getting used to freedom these days.  There are many days we huddle up in a fetal position, hiding, afraid, believing we are still captive.  We spend a lot of time still believing the lies that held us captive.  We forget to live into our new life, our new identity.

We are getting used to redemption, getting used to new life, getting used to being free.  There will be a lot of ups and downs in our journey of new life.  But by the grace of God, we are freed to now live it.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."
--Ephesians 5:8, NIV

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
--Colossians 1:13-14, NIV

why i won't be boycotting starbucks

On January 25, Starbucks posted the following status to Facebook: “We are proud to support Marriage Equality legislation in the Washington State Legislature.”  Of course, some conservative Christians raised brouhaha over this statement and the comments in response to Starbucks are still coming in.  For example, one commenter said: “I will be taking my dollars elsewhere because of this support - and I do love my Starbucks. But I do have the right in this country to choose how I spend my money. And I choose to not spend it with a company supporting something I do not.”  A few months ago, it became apparent that Starbucks matched employee gifts to Planned Parenthood and at that time also many Christians declared that they would no longer buy coffee from Starbucks. 

But I do not count myself among the boycotters. 

Unlike my more liberal friends, I don’t agree with Starbucks’ expenditures.  It’s not how I would spend my money and I don’t appreciate these causes.  I don’t support Marriage Equality legislation (although I am certainly far more concerned about the redefinition of marriage within the church—which I expect to be set apart for God— than in the State—which I expect to act like the world).  I definitely don’t support the mission and work of Planned Parenthood.  Although there are caring people who work there, I do not trust the organization itself to truly do what is best for women. 

If I don’t like Starbucks’ money going to these causes, then why have I failed to jump on the boycott bandwagon?

Well, first of all, I believe boycotts should be more than a knee-jerk reaction.  Because our decisions directly impact someone’s business, we should stop and think hard before we boycott.  We should think about the message we send by our boycott.  (Are we contributing to the “intolerant bigots” view of Christians today?)  We should think also about what other companies are contributing to the causes of which we disapprove.  For example, there is a list of the other companies who are part of the Washington United for Marriage Business Coalition, a pro-gay marriage group.  The list is long and although many of the companies are local businesses in Washington, there are a number of prominent national businesses as well.  I believe each should be scrutinized equally when it comes to potential boycotts.  Are you prepared to drop your insurance company (American Family Insurance)?  Are you willing to start using another search engine (Google)?  Plan to change your computer’s operating system (Microsoft)?  Unless you are willing to consider these choices, you are simply succumbing to a herd mentality, doing the “trendy Christian thing.”  We live in a world where it’s cool to boycott Starbucks in some Christian circles, but if we are not consistent, we run the risk of simply coming across as hateful and making very little impact.  (Note: There is a similar list of companies that currently match employee's gifts to Planned Parenthood here.  Starbucks is not listed on that list but is listed here; I have been unable to substantiate whether or not they are still providing these matching funds.)  

Sooner or later though, we come to realize that all businesses and all money are tainted with sin.  If we dig deep enough in most companies, we will find something we don’t like, something of which we disapprove.  Yes, there may be times when we feel conscience-bound to boycott a business (and if God is calling you to do that, by all means do!).  There may be times when we feel so uncomfortable with a certain group’s business practices that we decide to shop elsewhere.  But we should think and pray carefully before we haul off with an angry boycott. 

Yes, sin is serious.  Yes, Christians are concerned with turning away from sin.  But we also have to think about how our tactics make our message come across.  Are we giving off a haughty attitude or are we portraying the Biblical understanding of sin?  Sin is something we are all complicit in.  Sin is something we all need a Savior to deliver us from.  And that Savior did come, because He loved us enough to give up His life for us.  So, the story begins with sin, but it ends with a Savior. 

Where is the Savior in the angry boycott language?  Is our communication style making it harder for people to see Jesus?  Rather than boycotting a business for having different values than our own, maybe it would make sense for each Christian to become friends with someone who believes vastly differently than they do.  Maybe in gently sharing God’s love and care for their friend, an open heart to Biblical truth may result.  Christian disciples are not made by placards, slogans, and boycotts.  Christian disciples are made through the Word, the Holy Spirit and the power of personal relationships with Christians.  And Christians who are plugged into the Scriptures and Christian community fundamentally begin to change from the inside out.

We shouldn’t expect Starbucks—or Google—to have Biblical values.  But maybe we can all befriend and care about Starbucks one barista at a time.  The way Jesus would.  And maybe those individuals can be changed to see the world the way God does. 

mourning the casey anthony verdict

My July 4 weekend was a joyful one.  My friend, Audrey (from over at Living Audaciously) was visiting and we all were having a grand time, which I will write more about soon.  But my weekend was also consumed (along with many Americans) with the Casey Anthony murder trial.  Now, I realize there has been a lot of hysteria surrounding this trial.  A particular low point was the time fist-fights broke out as people tried to get into the trial to observe it firsthand.  (Had they never heard of cable TV?)

For me, the obsession with the trial concerned the precious little girl, Caylee, who died.  She was the age of my daughter now when she died.  She even resembled my daughter a little bit.  And my mommy heart-strings were pulled when I saw how callously she had been discarded in a swamp and how she had not been protected and cared for as she needed and deserved.  I kept thinking, "If only someone could have been there to protect little Caylee." 

As the case entered into closing arguments this weekend, I was riveted.  The predictions early on were that closing arguments may take 4 hours to perhaps an entire day for each side.  But prosecuting attorneys Jeff Ashton and Linda Drane Burdick wove compelling, succinct, devastating closing arguments.  I watched, riveted, and if I had had any reasonable doubt of Casey's guilt before, hearing their solid arguments removed that doubt.  I found myself wishing that this trial was not in the days of CSI and Law and Order.  Because we now have DNA evidence at our disposal, we think every case should be proven by DNA.  We forget that juries used to have to decide cases without any DNA evidence.  In those days, I imagine most cases were in fact circumstantial, for most murders don't have witnesses.  Now, with crime TV in our pocket, we think all murders should have both DNA evidence and witnesses.  We think that there should be no conviction without these. 

The prosecution in this case knew differently.  They wove an airtight argument showing a pattern of lying behavior by Casey, narrowing the suspects down to those living in the Anthony home, and then excluding all but Casey as suspects.  They made the powerful argument disputing the defense's story that Caylee's death was an accidental drowning: "Why make an accidental death look like a murder?"  They pointed out that when a child accidentally dies, in 100 percent of cases, someone tries to save them.  Linda Drane Burdick made the powerful argument that if Caylee had accidentally drowned, she would have been found in a pool, not in a swamp.  They made powerful arguments that placed the duct tape on Caylee prior to her death.  And it was clear that even if Casey had tried to drug Caylee to get her to be quiet and she had died accidentally, that was still felony murder, a murder caused by aggravated child abuse.  Having watched these closing arguments, I felt the case was airtight.

And when the jurors came back after only 10 hours of deliberation, I thought surely Casey would be judged guilty.  I watched the TV intently, waiting for the verdict.

And then it was announced.  Not guilty.  Not guilty of any charge related to Caylee's death.  Guilty only of lying to the police, a charge that may even result in time served.

I was stunned.  Waves of cynicism about justice washed over me.  My heart was broken that this precious little child would never get justice now.  The case against Casey was strong, her character unreliable, and she stood to gain from her daughter's death.  The thought that she would now walk free was horrifying.

I turned to Twitter to share in solidarity with others who were similarly outraged.  I was troubled to see some people who suggested violence against the jurors could be imminent, or that Casey should be killed by fictional serial killer "Dexter."  Although I disagree profoundly with the jurors' conclusion, I believe they took it seriously and did their job.  They do not deserve any backlash for their decision.  But I would like to understand.  To understand how they could come to such a decision.  They must have had their reasons.  I hope we will get to hear their voices, but worry that we may not because their safety may become an issue if their identity is known. 

My consolation is that God knows what happened, and that Casey will probably face the stigma of all this for the rest of her life.  I do not begrudge her forgiveness if she would be repentant, but I have seen little sign of repentance even of the lying of which she was convicted. 

In reflecting on the Casey Anthony trial, I understood some of her feelings.  When you have a child, it is a little bit of a rude awakening.  There is no way anyone can adequately prepare you for the changes that come with a child.  You can't enjoy nights out like you used to.  When you nurse your child, trips must be planned carefully.  You suffer exhaustion, a tighter budget, loneliness.  You suffer isolation.  Your vision of what your life would be changes, forever.

I have had many times when I mourned the loss of all of these things.  This is a normal part of parenting.

But what keeps you going is that you have this precious child--who, yes, makes you want to tear your hair out on occasion, but who also has added to your life in ways that are impossible to quantify.  You are changed.  You are a different person now.  You are a parent and always will be.  You have a love that swells your heart in ways you never thought it could.  You would be willing to risk your own life to save your child.  For me, this latter feeling was one I had never really had for another human being.  But it was visceral with my child.  I felt her pain in my bones.  Literally.  Her cries rattled my very being. 

And that is what all of us cannot understand about Casey Anthony.  We understand that she was tired sometimes, that she felt alone, that she missed her old life.  We do not understand a mother who does nothing to find her missing child for a whole month.  We do not understand a mother who lies and hinders the police.  We do not understand a mother who cares so little about her child's pain.

If there is any consolation, it is that there are many who mourn for Caylee.  Her mother would not, but we will.  But it isn't enough.  It isn't enough.