Former Mayor of Seattle Norm Rice says of the "tent cities": "It used to be all Seattle…and I’m not sure that’s bad. I think this this has caused debates and splits in families and churches and everything else, and what’re you gonna do to help people in need is a critical debate."
Do you suppose that I came here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, on the contrary: conflict. As a result, from now on in any given house there will be five in conflict, three against two and two against three. Father will be pitted against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.--Luke 12:51-53Self-reliance is the modern mantra of America: do it yourself, stand on your own two feet, don't look for a handout. Ironically, that's the position of SHARE, the group that organizes the camps in Seattle. Listen to the story: the critics object to the limits of that philosophy; but apparently, because the camps are now in the suburbs. The person quoted as opposing SHARE's philosophy, goes on to say the camps in the suburbs are simply a provocation. They are fine, in other words, but literally NIMBY: Not In My Backyard.
The Gospel that is abstract is easy. The Gospel that is concrete, is hard. So long as the kingdom of heaven is in the sweet bye and bye, or in hearts and minds only, it's a safe enough place. It's when we begin to envision it here on earth, that the trouble starts.
A brother asked him, 'How ought we to live?' Poeman replied, 'We have the example of Daniel. They accused him of nothing except that he served his God.'
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