Julie and I had the pleasure one morning to meet for breakfast with Karen Spears Zacharias. She was in Grand Rapids, MI, visiting Zondervan to create an audio edition of her book Where’s Your Jesus Now? Examining How Fear Erodes Faith.

Julie and I became “blog friends” with Karen, finding her humor and honesty, her skill (as a writer) and her interest in down-to-earth people attractive qualities. Plus, another mutual friend, Scot McKnight, often links to Karen’s posts and/or articles over at Jesus Creed.

I am a pastor and I was taken by Karen’s story in Hero Mama: A Daughter Remembers the Father She Lost in Vietnam–and the Mother Who Held Her Family Together.  Could it be because we both have southern roots and can enjoy a cold RC Cola and a Moon Pie? Or, pile the collard greens next to the pinto beans and cornbread and enjoy them all with a tall mason jar of iced-cold sweet tea?

As a pastor I am blown away by Where’s Your Jesus Now?  A lot of pastors are trained to do theology like scientists test theories…in a pristine, antiseptic, white lab-coat environment. We pastors want to be tidy, neat, clean and “biblically sound.” Don’t let messy people and chaotic life mess with our theology. Our theology must be unsullied by the vast unwashed (theologically-speaking) masses. Perhaps that is why the Church is hemmorhaging the younger generations by the thousands in USAmerica. They aren’t drinking the kool-aid of tidy, ivory-tower generated, pew-shaped, clean spirituality.

Enter Karen. Her latest book Where’s Your Jesus Now? starts where God starts and the prophets start and Jesus starts and the Apostle Paul starts: with messy, uncategorizable people and their more than messy lives. With incredibly observant eyes, sensitive listening, surprising wit, side-splitting humor, and artist’s skill to turn a phrase, Karen brings us to a theology in overalls; biblical truth for the mean streets; kingdom values hammered out of the terrors and triumphs of those who don’t live in the ghetto of our tidy churches.

Stories. Karen is a master of peoples’ stories. As I recall, there was a young carpenter from Nazareth that could spin out some zingers, too. Eric Shannon shows up early in her latest book, and Penny (and Karen), Pastor Phelps, Eddy, Charles Roberts IV, Brad Pitt (did you know he had Southern Baptist roots), Ann Coulter and many more. Because of her skill, I stayed with Karen as she told these stories because I knew each was headed to a place where my faith, our faith would be laid open like a catfish readied for the frying pan. Karen is one funny, courageous lady and she writes from who she is and what she believes in.

I know she is working on even as I type this another book that is sure to be profound. Like I said, Julie and I are glad to have Karen as a friend.

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My good friend, Jeremy Bouma, is launching his first book.

Check out the video about The (Un)offensive Gospel of Jesus (novus lumen books: 2008).

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The Last Election

by

John Haines

Suppose there are no returns,

and the candidates, one

by one, drop off in the polls,

as the voters turn away,

each to his inner persuasion.

The frontrunners, the dark horses,

begin to look elsewhere,

and even the President admits

he has nothing new to say;

it is best to be silent now.

No more conventions, no donors,

no more hats in the ring;

no ghost-written speeches,

no promises we always knew

were never meant to be kept.

And something like the truth,

or what we knew by that name–

that for which no corporate

sponsor was ever offered–

takes hold in the public mind.

Each subdued and thoughtful

citizen closes his door, turns

off the news. He opens a book,

speaks quietly to his children,

begins to live once more.

            –from Many Mountains Moving

* * * * * *

from The Best American Poetry: 1999 edited by Robert Bly and David Lehman (Scribner Paperback Poetry)

John Haines was born in 1924 and wrote this poem in response to the 1992 election.

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Men crucified for treason against Rome forfeited the honor of burial. While Pilate suspected Jewish treachery in the Sanhedrin’s charges against Jesus, Pilate nonetheless had Jesus crucified as “King of the Jews.” Roman law prohibited the burial of those crucified and the bodies were normally left on the crosses to rot and be eaten by birds. Exceptions to this were in the hands of the Roman magistrate. In Jesus’ case, in the hands of Pilate.

Normally, family members and friends asked for the body. Where were Mary and Jesus’ brothers? How historically accurate is Michelangelo’s Pieta? Where were Jesus’ disciples? When John the Baptist was murdered, his disciples came to claim and bury the body. Why did a distinguished member of the Sanhedrin step forward and ask Pilate for Jesus’ body? What prompted Joseph of Arimathea, in the face of Pilate, to risk the charge of sympathizing with the crucified renegade from Nazareth?

Pilate seemed obsessed with Jesus actually being dead. He summoned the centurion responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion to verify that Jesus was, in fact, deceased. Why? It usually took two to three days for victims of crucifixion to die. Pilate was startled that Jesus was so quickly dead.

Jesus was not murdered, nor did anyone take his life from him. Jesus took his last breath, exhaled with a loud cry, bowed his head and gave up his spirit. He laid down his life of his own volition. Then, he hung lifeless on the cross. Abandoned by family. Abandoned by friends. Abandoned, it seemed, by his God. Jesus is severely alone.

An unlikely friend from a pack of foes steps forward to request the body. Pilate, against all reason, grants the release while taking measures to protect the body from (friendly) thieves. Joseph of Arimathea wraps Jesus in linen cloth and buries Jesus in his own rock tomb. Two Marys watch in silent grief, no loud mourning allowed for the crucified, marking the place Jesus was buried. In the tomb of an influential, wealthy man.

Of the Suffering Servant it was written, “…and with the rich in his death…” Isaiah 53:9.

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IMPORTANT UPDATE!

My friend and very capable web master, Jeremy Bouma, found and fixed a computer glitch in the OUT OF PRINT: A NOVEL website.

You may have tried to purchase the book on-line and the system failed. I am sorry that happened. All is in good order now.  All is in, good…order now.

You can purchase this book for $10.00 online. In bookstores it is $12.99.

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WOULD JESUS USE LOTTERY MONEY?

YES___3___       NO___1___  MAYBE___1___

(see comments for tally)

Pastor David Tarkington votes “No.”

What’s your vote?

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