As we sat in a Parliamentary conference room, talking with Jordan’s Senate president and his colleagues, we could see why Jordan’s Arab Spring has been more subdued than most.

For nearly a year, dramatic upheaval has swept the Middle East.  In Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, popular uprisings brought historic regime changes.  In Syria, Yemen, Iran and elsewhere, civilian protests have met forceful government resistance.  Syria’s response remained so bloody that the Arab League recently voted to suspend them.

The Middle East is a noisy neighborhood.  In its midst, Jordan’s relative quiet can escape Western notice.

During the Arab Spring, the masses have clamored for freedom, democracy and self-determination.  Rather than fighting their citizenry, Jordan’s leaders seem to respect and share their concerns.  King Abdullah stresses values like “freedom, unity and equality.”  He’s been responsive to public opinion, replacing two prime ministers this year after public outcries. 

Even before uprisings in neighboring countries, Jordan’s governmental leaders discussed transferring more power to the people.  Jordan’s Arab Spring helped hasten that reform.  Proposed changes include greater democratization, an independent judiciary and enhanced civil rights.

Learning from Mistakes

Though they have critics, the Jordanian senators we met seem serious about reform.  “Learning from our mistakes, learning from the mistakes of others, is a quality of Jordanian leadership,” noted Senate President Taher Masri.  “The monarchy is open-minded and we are supporting their openness and their moderation; we are amending the constitution.”

Masri says he and his close colleagues have promoted reform for many years.  Government accountability is a major concern: “There were no proper elections. … That was harmful. … People want to be represented, their voices to be heard. … Now [in the proposed reforms] we have enacted guarantees, steps, policies, where the voice of the people will be heard.”  He hoped Parliament would adopt the reforms before year’s end.

Respect for America’s founding principles is apparent.  Alluding to the region’s three major religions, Senator Akel Biltaji quipped, “Our fourth holiest book is the Constitution of the United States of America.  It is the essence of the three monotheistic divine books we have: the Torah, the Bible and the Koran, if you were to translate that into civil…moral…ethical, human [terms].” 

A Principled, Prudent Process

Masri wants to see his nation transformed, but not so quickly that chaos ensues.  “We have to digest,” he explains.  “We believe in evolution, not revolution.”

While Masri is Muslim, his Christian compatriot, Father Nabil Haddad, expresses similar sentiments.  Haddad—a champion for Middle East peace, justice and human rights—earlier had talked with us about regional change:  “This cannot happen overnight,” he said.  “It takes generations. … We don’t want to go from dictatorship to extremism [in the region].  We want to go from dictatorship to democracy and respect for human rights.  We want to exhibit a civil and civilized thinking.”

Arab Summer or Winter?

As Senator Biltaji indicated, faith traditions loom large in Jordanian culture. These leaders’ concern for principled governance reflects wisdom from the earliest of their “three divine books”:  “The king gives stability to the land by justice.” “Loyalty and truth preserve the king, And he upholds his throne by righteousness.” 

Support for prudent change abounds.  Mariam Al-Attar heads the department of Ethics, Philosophy and Religion at King’s Academy, a prep school modeled after King Abdullah’s alma mater, Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. Reflecting on the need for democratic rather than theocratic leadership, she illustrated, “If there’s a spring, then it should really be a spring, and all the flowers have to blossom.  If we have only one religion in charge … or that party’s in charge, then it would not be spring any more.  It might be hot summer or cold winter!”

May Jordan’s flowers continue to bloom.

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively.  www.RustyWright.com

Meg Korpi studies character development and ethical decision-making through the Character Research Institute in Northern California. She holds a PhD from, and formerly taught at, Stanford University.

Copyright © 2011 Rusty Wright and Meg Korpi

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Editors: Note pictures below. 

Senate President Taher Masri

Jordanian Senator Akel Biltaji

Father Nabil D. Haddad

My wife tolerates basketball.  Barely. 

At my alma mater, basketball is religion.  So sometimes she’s a hoops widow. 

But she enjoyed this fun movie.

Want a feel-good Cinderella story about underdogs prevailing and dreams coming true?  Try The Mighty Macs.  I cheered, laughed, and applauded at this inspiring story of US collegiate basketball’s first-ever women’s national championship. 

In 1971, women’s basketball was emerging from antiquated rules:  six-on-six, limited dribbling, mostly half court.  Twenty-something Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino) interviews for the head coaching job at tiny, Catholic, all-women’s Immaculata College in Pennsylvania.  The Mother Superior (Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn) asks if the women’s game now will be like the men’s.

“Similar to the men’s rules, but the game will be different,” replies Rush.

“How so?”

“We’ll actually play like a team.”

Team for the Ages

Against huge odds, Rush builds a team for the ages. 

Immaculata players wore tunics, blouses and bloomers.  The campus gym burned down; they played home games at a high school.  Sometimes discouragement looms.  Rush stimulates her team to succeed with lessons on trust, heart, and cooperation.  Staid nuns become sneaker-wearing, bucket-banging cheerleaders.  Excitement reigns.

After nearby West Chester State demolishes Immaculata, both play in the national tournament in Illinois.  Financial difficulty means players must raise travel money.  ESPN says the Macs were “hopeless underdogs” in the title game, a West Chester rematch.

The story of the “pint-sized papal institution” becoming an example “for every team that thought they never had a chance” could get you cheering, too.  Rocky meets Sister Act meets Hoosiers.

Sport as Metaphor for Life

Producer/director/writer Tim Chambers sees his sports film as a metaphor for life lessons.  “Miracle wasn’t just about hockey, it was about the Cold War.  Remember the Titans wasn’t just about football, it was about race relations.”

“Similarly,” he says, “The Mighty Macs isn’t just about basketball, it’s about the equality of dreams and how a young coach would not only unite people from different faiths [Rush was Baptist], but also change a generation of young women.”  He especially appreciates Rush’s lifetime impact on her players, who established careers in fields like medicine, business and coaching. 

Marianne Crawford Stanley coached Old Dominion to national championships in 1979, 1980, and 1985.  Theresa Shank Grentz coached Rutgers to the 1982 national championship and coached the 1992 US Olympic women’s basketball team.

Grentz grew up in a family of seven with one bathroom.  “If anything, that taught us teamwork,” she quips.  And her Immaculata team had no trainer:  “We weren’t allowed to get hurt.”  The women had no lockers or showers.  They couldn’t wash the woolen tunics but washed their blouses in the sink.  And they pulled together.  “We had faith in God and in one another,” she explains.

Family, Faith and Teamwork

Chambers decided to make the movie family-friendly and to respect the Sisters and the Catholic faith.  Early in the film, a priest reads in chapel some New Testament statements about teamwork in life:

“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other.  Love each other as brothers and sisters.  Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.  Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.  Instead, pay them back with a blessing.  That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.”

The statements foreshadow the Mighty Macs’ emphases.  “Break up with your ego,” coaches Rush.  “If you care, we can play as one.  Help the helper.  Play as a team.”  Rush led Immaculata to three consecutive national championships (1972-1974) and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2008.

Opens October 21.  Theaters/showtimes.

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively.  www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2011 Rusty Wright

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 Editors: Note pictures from film below.  More photos are here.

Cathy Rush (Carla Gugino) coaches the Macs

Mother Superior (Ellen Burstyn) roots for the Mighty Macs

Heat and perplexity on the Macs’ bench

The Mighty Macs huddle

Courageous begins as a fast-paced police drama with plenty of heart-pounding action, and a spine-tingling surprise within the first three minutes. Good-natured banter and comic mishaps had us laughing, but the movie quickly reveals an introspective side that portends more than levity and brave guys in uniforms chasing bad guys in do-rags.

Indeed, Courageous tells a grounded, human story that focuses on the crucial role of fathers. It intertwines action, humor, pathos, male bonding, a couple of insightful women, and five complex main characters to portray ordinary men evolving into modern-day heroes who find the call to valor in their everyday lives.

A Different Kind of Courage

As peace officers commissioned “to serve and protect,” the protagonists are accustomed to facing danger. But when personal tragedy strikes, officer Adam Mitchell responds with a different kind of courage.  Rather than bemoaning his fate, he exhibits the mettle to examine his adequacy as a father, confront his flaws, talk about them, and commit to change.

Most would probably say he’s a “good enough” father (he provides for his family and does all society expects), but Adam adopts a higher standard. He resolves to be involved in his son’s life and make an enduring positive impact. Determined to follow through, Adam formalizes his decision with a written Resolution.  Then he has the guts to ask other men to hold him accountable. This is not your typical Hollywood hero.

Adam’s experience prompts his friends to join in adopting the Resolution. When life inevitably confronts them with difficult moral choices, they weigh their options and tempting advice like, “maybe it’s not wrong; maybe it just looks that way.” In retrospect, it turns out their apparent moral dilemmas weren’t dilemmas at all, just decisions that required courage.

A Different Kind of Movie

Courageous is the third cinematic release from Sherwood Pictures, the successful moviemaking arm of Sherwood Church in Albany, Georgia. Previous releases (also marketed by Sony-Provident Films) include Facing the Giants (2006) and Fireproof, 2008’s top-grossing independent film. 

The movie and acting are surprisingly competent, with moments of brilliance. (We predict Robert Amaya’s Snake King scene will become a classic.)  This is impressive, considering the film used scores of volunteer cast, crew, caterers, etc., with minimal professional talent. Two brothers—Sherwood pastors and NYT best-selling authors Alex and Stephen Kendrick—wrote the screenplay. Alex also directed and starred; Stephen produced. “We [were] all in this together,” noted Alex, “trying to make a movie that matters.”

Actor Ken Bevel, whose character survived a fatherless childhood, connected personally with his role.  His own father was absent for 21 years:  “That gap really hurt in a lot of areas.…There’s nothing like your father actually being there and teaching you.”

Courageous is a movie with a message. It educates, makes us think, and challenges norms. It strives to present life-changing truths that touch viewers’ hearts and motivate them to action. Thus, it shares purpose with such unlikely films as An Inconvenient Truth and Bowling for Columbine, while drawing on different values. It reverberates with the biblical admonition: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Resources for Action

Courageous challenges viewers to examine their lives, and offers fodder for discussing values, parenting, self-improvement, responsibility to one another, etc. But the filmmakers go further by providing online resources to help motivated moviegoers pursue the film’s themes in their own lives.

While it provides humorous and engaging entertainment, ultimately Courageous should be judged for its greater purpose—as a vehicle for long-lasting positive impact on society. Time will tell.

Opens across the US and Canada September 30 in English and Spanish.  Rated PG-13 for some violence and drug content.  US Theaters – Canadian Theaters

DVD available January 17, 2012.

Meg Korpi studies character development and ethical decision-making through the Character Research Institute in Northern California. She holds a PhD from, and formerly taught at, Stanford University.

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2011 Meg Korpi and Rusty Wright

#     #     #

Editors: Note pictures from film below.  More photos are here.

Nathan Hayes (Ken Bevel) suffers scars from his missing father

Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick) tries to connect with son Dylan (Rusty Martin, Jr.)

God should have sued Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson for defamation, says New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. 

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the two Christian leaders ventured that America’s secularists, liberals, feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights supporters had angered God, and thus deserved some of the blame.

Kristof writes, “In these polarized times, few words conjure as much distaste in liberal circles as ‘evangelical Christian.’”  He notes that “the entire evangelical movement often has been pilloried among progressives as reactionary, myopic, anti-intellectual and, if anything, immoral.”

Billy Graham, call your press agent.

Christians Behaving Badly

Jesus, of course, taught people to “love your neighbor as yourself,” “love your enemies,” and “treat people the same way you want them to treat you.”  Sometimes, though, his followers can be downright weird.

During my university days, a friend brought an African-American student to a North Carolina church I attended.  The next Sunday, the pastor announced that “last week’s racial incident” (a black person attending) had prompted church leaders to reaffirm their longstanding racial segregation policy.  Thereafter, any blacks attending would be handed a note explaining the policy and asking they not return.  I was outraged and left the church.

Postscript: Thirty years later, I learned that the white church had folded and an African-American church later used the facility.  Maybe God has a sense of humor.

Shining Lights

However, genuine followers of Jesus can be shining lights.  British parliamentarian William Wilberforce led a twenty-year legislative battle that, in 1807, outlawed the slave trade.  Slave-trader-turned-pastor and “Amazing Grace” hymn writer John Newton mentored Wilberforce.

Contemporary examples of the faithful serving society abound.  Sam Adams, Portland, Oregon’s openly gay mayor, developed evangelical church partnerships involving over 26,000 volunteers tackling homelessness, sex trafficking and more.  Adams calls it “the largest, most successful… sustained… volunteer effort… the Portland region has ever seen.”  

Times of London writer and former British parliamentarian Matthew Parris, a confirmed atheist, wrote, “I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: … secular NGOs, government projects … international aid efforts … education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”

World Relief, a Christian organization, provides worldwide disaster relief plus self-help efforts like well-digging and agricultural training.  World Vision, the Salvation Army, and most major Christian denominations provide significant help for the poor.

The New York Times’ Kristof lauds evangelicals’ philanthropy and service:  “Go to the front lines, at home or abroad, in the battles against hunger, malaria, prison rape, obstetric fistula, human trafficking or genocide, and some of the bravest people you meet are evangelical Christians (or conservative Catholics, similar in many ways) who truly live their faith.”

“I’m not particularly religious myself,” he continues, “but I stand in awe of those I’ve seen risking their lives in this way — and it sickens me to see that faith mocked at New York cocktail parties.”

Bad Rap and Bridge Building

So, why such a bad rap for evangelicals?  No doubt that some Christians behave badly.  But maybe some bridge building is in order, by all sides. 

Veteran leftist journalist/author Mark Pinsky, who is Jewish, says his attitude toward evangelicals changed after getting to know some as neighbors and friends:  “I encountered evangelicals simply as people, rather than as subjects or sources of quotes for my stories.”  He found they were neither monolithic nor, as The Washington Post once claimed, “poor, uneducated and easy to command,” but surprisingly diverse.

Get to know your intellectual and philosophical adversaries.  Take a conservative to coffee or a liberal to lunch.  You might find it eye-opening.

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively.  www.RustyWright.com

#     #     #

“This is the largest, most successful … sustained … volunteer effort … the Portland region has ever seen.”     Mayor Sam Adams

What happens when an openly gay mayor meets thousands of evangelical Christians? 

Demonstrations?  Placards?  Anger?  Harsh words?

In Portland, Oregon, Mayor Sam Adams and colleagues have developed robust partnerships with area churches to tackle pressing community problems like homelessness, hunger, healthcare, sex trafficking, school dropout rates, and more. 

At a recent panel discussion, Adams says he had wondered if a “very liberal city” and evangelical churches could pull off a mutually satisfying partnership.  “It had never been done before.”  Now, several years later, he admits “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Snapshot:  Portland church members gave the city a $100,000 Christmas gift for school dropout prevention programs.

Paradigm Shifts; Successful Collaboration

Collaboration required mutual paradigm shifts.  Luis Palau Association president Kevin Palau says Christian leaders realized “we really had not built much of a relationship at all with our city leaders.”  Many followers of Jesus remained on the civic affairs sidelines, sometimes critiquing but rarely engaging.  So churches sought to discover and help meet social needs.

Mayor Adams admits, “We’re desperate.  Like a lot of cities, we’re suffering through the recession; we don’t have enough resources to provide the services that we need. … But I really didn’t know if [the churches] could deliver.” 

In 2008, 26,000 Portlanders from over 400 congregations teamed for a “Season of Service” – now in its fourth year.

Adams concluded, “This is the largest, most successful … sustained … volunteer effort … the Portland region has ever seen.  It has gone incredibly well.  We don’t agree on all the issues ….  But where we agree is far greater than the areas where we might disagree.  It was great!”

Quality Volunteers

Education and disadvantaged youth weigh heavily on Adams.  He says only about four in ten Portland eighth graders of color will graduate from high school on time.  “The students that need a positive, constructive connection with an adult are the ones that are least likely to get it.”

Season of Service facilitates school cleanup and tutoring assistance.  Adams says the faith community and school district partnerships “have filled a breach that otherwise would just go unaddressed.” 

“The quality of the volunteers that we received and the staying power is really unmatched ….  It’s hard to describe really how difficult it is to find that kind of quality volunteer elsewhere.”

That $100K Christmas gift gained attention.  Christian families reduced their personal holiday gift spending to give toward city needs.  Pastor Ken Weigel asked city leaders, “If the churches of Portland gave you a Christmas gift that would benefit the ‘least of these’ in the city, what would that be like?”

Weigel’s allusion is to Jesus’ commendation for serving the needy:  “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

An offer to give the city money was a new experience for the cash-strapped mayor, who is more familiar with requests for project funds.  “It was disorienting” he jokes.  

Groupthink?  Alien Abduction?

Adams confesses that he’s had to confront some of his own biases about Christians and realize “I’m part of groupthink.  I’ve bought into media stereotypes that [are] mostly not true.”  The experience, he says, has been “very enriching for me personally, for the city as a whole, humbling in how much we actually do share in terms of our common concerns.”

Adams says, “I get calls from mayors of liberal cities all across the United States asking me if I’ve been abducted by aliens.”  He tells them the churches and the city really do cooperate and that “we’re better for it.”

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively.  www.RustyWright.com 

Copyright © 2011 Rusty Wright

#     #     #

Note to editors: Photo of Sam Adams follows.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams

Source for above photo

By Meg Korpi and Rusty Wright

 

Kauai, 2003. A 14-foot tiger shark bursts through the waves and tears off 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton’s left arm. She loses 60 percent of her blood, and faces the end of her pro surfing dreams. Three months later, the unstoppable teen is surfing competitively again.

 

If you’re looking for inspiration to thrive in tough times or to appreciate life more fully, Soul Surfer—the movie based on Hamilton’s brush with death and remarkable comeback—will knock your socks off. The Sony Pictures release, starring AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, and Carrie Underwood opened across North America in April, and will be available on DVD August 2, 2011.

 

Fantastic Surfing, Tough Competition, Heart-stopping Tragedy, Strong Character

 

The film’s breathtaking surfing footage and heart-pounding athletic competition will appeal to sports enthusiasts. But Bethany’s true story of gut-wrenching tragedy, driven character, and hard-won victory is what makes Soul Surfer worth seeing.

 

Pre-attack, Bethany (Robb) is a lighthearted kid, as well as a skilled surfer. (At 13, she ranked #2 among females 18-and-under in the USA.) After the attack, Bethany emerges as poised and determined, with a well-grounded spirit. Where does a 13-year-old gain the inner strength to remain surprisingly positive while adapting to a missing limb and rebuilding athletic prowess?

 

Why This? Why Me?

 

After the attack, Bethany struggles with the mundane (ever try slicing a tomato with one hand?), the profound (how could this be God’s plan?), and the weighty (“will a boy ever like me with only one arm?”).  In addition, as a champion surfer driven by love of the sport, Bethany confronts the likely loss of her career: How could she possibly paddle a surfboard, one-armed, through breaking surf, much less re-conquer championship surfing maneuvers? 

 

“I don’t need easy; I just need possible” 

 

But a love of God also drives Bethany. In a story line that some may see as contrived, but which reflects actual events, her youth group leader, Sarah Hill (Underwood), encourages her with the biblical assurance: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘…plans for good and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.’”

 

As Bethany learns to rely on this truth, it compels here. With dogged determination, she decides to tackle surfing again. She seeks help from her father (Quaid).

 

“It’s not going to be easy,” he cautions.

 

“I don’t need easy,” replies Bethany. “I just need possible.”

 

Inspiring Role Model

 

At the film’s NYC premiere, director Sean McNamara offered insight into Bethany’s remarkable fortitude. “Her faith was amazing. I watched her overcome adversity and [attribute it to her] faith in Jesus Christ … I’d been through years of Catholic school, but it’s different when you actually see someone walk the walk and talk the talk.”

 

This film will not necessarily please moviegoers who expect dark drama and gore from a shark-attack movie. Skeptics will likely scoff at the portrayal of Bethany’s resilience and positive attitude. In fact, the filmmakers toned down the real Bethany’s indomitable spirit for fear audiences wouldn’t find her believable. “They kept wanting [her character] to act sad in the hospital,” Bethany’s brother Noah told us, “but she wasn’t like that. She was upbeat.”

 

Good teen role models are hard to come by. Thirteen-year–olds who inspire adults to greater courage are virtually unheard of. If one is open-minded enough to accept the fact that admirable and wise-beyond-their-years teens do exist, one could learn a lot from Bethany’s example.

 

Soul Surfer is thought-provoking PG entertainment. The Hamilton family’s faith is portrayed as integral to the characters, not preachy. The shark-attack scene is tame enough for the squeamish. We found the movie hard to leave in the theater, and carried it in our heads for days, reflecting on the individuals’ character, wisdom and choices.   

 

Some of the real Bethany’s insights are so profound and selfless that they’re indeed hard for the rest of us to comprehend. She once said,

 

“If I can help other people find hope in God, then that is worth losing my arm for.”

 

Amazing.  Grace.

 

Meg Korpi studies character development and ethical decision-making through the Character Research Institute in Northern California. She holds a PhD from, and formerly taught at, Stanford University.

 

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

 

Copyright © 2011 Meg Korpi & Rusty Wright

 

#    #     #

 

Note to Editors:  See movie photo below.  More photos are here and here.

 

Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb) gets support from her dad (Dennis Quaid) as she considers what the future holds

“The voice on the phone was one I hadn’t heard in decades,” recalled Gary.  “It was a girlfriend from college saying, ‘You have a 27-year-old daughter…She’d like to know if it’s okay to contact you.’”    

Gulp.    

Gary Fuller was happily married with three children.  For 26 steady years he’d worked with an internationally-known Christian organization.  He carried national responsibilities helping professionals integrate leadership, relationships and faith.    

Now, after an unexceptional telephone ring, his life was careening.     

Summer Romance    

In 1980, Gary had been a 20-year-old student exploring his young faith and young manhood.  A summer romance led to a pregnancy.  They briefly considered marriage, but the relationship collapsed.  She became engaged to another man.  Her parents proposed that Gary sign away his paternal rights.  At 20, he did so with quiet relief.    

Solana was raised by her mother and grandparents.  She sought her father for years, but couldn’t differentiate him among many Internet namesakes—until, inside a Bible Gary gave her mother while they were dating, she discovered a letter containing his middle initial.    

Now What?    

For 28 years Gary heard nothing about the child’s birth or gender.  Now, mixed emotions overwhelmed him: shock, fear, astounding paternal love.  Within seconds, he gained clarity: of course he wanted to know his daughter!    

And his wife?  Gary had told Debbie about his past while they dated.  Now, after 26 years of marriage, he knew this remarkable woman would encourage this father-daughter relationship.    

“Did you think about me?”      

For two days, Gary anticipated his new-found daughter’s initial phone call “like a kid on Christmas morning times 100.”  But her first simple query slammed him head-on.  “Did you think about me?”     

More mixed emotions: heartened that she wanted to know him; ashamed that he’d bowed out so willingly; remorseful that she’d grown up without a father to love and care for her.    

Those pangs intensified when Gary learned that Solana has cystic fibrosis (CF), a hereditary disease affecting the lungs and digestive tract.  There is no known cure.  The average lifespan for adults is about 35 years.    

Emotional Healing    

Poignant get-togethers followed.  As Gary learned more about Solana’s life and emotional hurts by previous “fathers,” his heart ached.  “I yearned to make it right.”  But focus on Solana’s experience helped Gary recognize the severe pain he’d contributed.  His stomach twisted.  Tears flowed.  He realized that he needed to “come clean” with God and with Solana.    

The next day, driving Solana home through a pelting rain, Gary pulled to the side of the road, looked into her eyes, and tearfully confessed, “I wish I’d done things differently.  I was selfish.”    

“You were young,” replied a gracious Solana.     

“You paid the price for my selfishness,” countered a repentant Gary.    

“That was healing to my heart,” Gary attests, affirming the biblical counsel: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”  While his presence in Solana’s life has renewed her, Gary was surprised by how much he needed her.  “I’ve become a different person,” he explains, “more emotionally connected… I understand brokenness better, understand family, and fathers and children.”    

Redemption and Beyond    

Now, two years after this “wild, emotional ride” began, Gary and Debbie report, “We marvel at how God has redeemed a profoundly broken situation, and feel tremendously blessed to be part of Solana’s life.”    

When I (Rusty) met Solana recently, she, her mother and Gary were in Palo Alto seeking a lung transplant at Stanford Medical Center.  They face many challenges: medical, financial, and otherwise.  This story is still being written, but so far it has shown that when life careens, it can be a wonderful opportunity to set things right.    

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively.  www.RustyWright.com     

Meg Korpi is a senior research scientist who studies character development and ethical decision-making through the Character Research Institute in Northern California.  She holds a PhD from, and formerly taught at, Stanford University.    

Copyright © 2011 Rusty Wright and Meg Korpi    

Note to Editors:  See photo of Gary and Solana below.    

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Need a higher resolution photo?   

Gary and Solana at their first meeting

We understand that Jesus is coming back this year.

On May 21, 2011, to be precise.  Our wedding anniversary!

We read it in the Washington Post. *

It seems that Harold Camping, a Christian radio broadcaster in Oakland, California, has determined the date through a complex analysis involving biblical prophecies, numerical codes, and his calculated date of Noah’s flood: Jesus will return May 21 to take believers to heaven and begin judging the world.  “Save the Date!” advise billboards and signs on supporters’ cars.

Forget all that Mayan-prophecy/movie stuff about 2012 being the apocalyptic year.  Camping says 2011 is when the real end-times action begins.  According to his website, “The Bible Guarantees It.” 

Guaranteed?  Whoa!  What’s that about?

Finale Forecast

Camping calculates that Noah’s flood occurred in 4990 BC/BCE. (The Bible doesn’t state the year, so we guess one needs faith in Camping’s calculations.)  The Bible does indicate that God gave Noah seven day’s warning to board the Ark; elsewhere it says that with God, one day is like a thousand years.  So, according to Camping, seven days warning for Noah means seven millennia for us.  (The connection’s complex; if you’re like us, you’ll need more faith.)

Now add 7,000 years to 4990 BC/BCE (including an extra digit because there’s no year zero) and you get 2011 AD/CE.  Whew!

There’s more.  Writes Camping: “Amazingly, May 21, 2011 is the 17^th day of the 2^nd month of the Biblical calendar of our day.  Remember, the flood waters also began on the 17^th day of the 2^nd month, in the year 4990 B.C.”

Puzzled?  We empathize.

But wait.  2011.  Twenty eleven.  “Eleven” rhymes with “heaven.”  And May 21, 2011, is our eleventh anniversary.  Whoa!  Spooky!

Maybe there is something to this May 21^st thing.

If Jesus is coming that day, maybe we should invite him to our anniversary.  It’s on a Saturday this year—wonder if he could make it?

Renewed Vows

On most anniversaries we return to the small mountain chapel where we wed, and renew our vows.  It’s a private celebration, just the two of us … and, of course, God as our witness.  Make’s a great refresher.  We highly recommend it.

Sometimes, the chapel door is locked.  A few years ago, we couldn’t get in, so we renewed our vows in our car across the street in front of the post office.  Not the memoried locale we’d hoped for, but it was romantic all the same.

Of course, Jesus wouldn’t have a problem with locked doors, if his past is any indication.  But he does have a history of attracting crowds, and that could be awkward in a small chapel.  Plus, would he even have the time if he’s busy judging the world that day?

More Concerns

There’s another concern.  The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Camping once promised Christ would return on September 6, 1994.  When that didn’t happen, he allowed he might have made a mathematical error.

Bigger problem: Jesus said there would be signs of his second coming, but “no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.  Only the Father knows.” 

Oops.  What about Camping’s “biblical guarantee”?  Guess you have to be careful in what – or whom – you believe.

Camping and his supporters may mean well, but somehow we think that Jesus knows more about this one.  His prophetic track record is better anyway.

Think we’ll plan on a quiet, private anniversary celebration on May 21.  Jesus can watch, of course, but we’re guessing it will be from heaven. 

Rhymes with eleven.

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Meg Korpi is a senior research scientist who studies character development and ethical decision-making through the Character Research Institute in Northern California. She holds a PhD from, and formerly taught at, Stanford University.

Copyright © 2011 Rusty Wright and Meg Korpi

* The Washington Post article was a widely-circulated Associated Press news story.  Because the Post website no longer displays the AP article, we have linked above to the same article on another news website.

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Would you pass this quiz?

America is full of religious people, but Americans know surprisingly little about religion.  In fact, many atheists and agnostics know more about world faiths than do believers.

So concluded a recent Pew Research Center survey on religious knowledge in America.  For instance, Pew’s quiz revealed that only about half of Americans know that Martin Luther inspired the Reformation, that the Koran is the Islamic holy book, or that the Jewish Sabbath starts on Friday.

Atheists and agnostics scored highest on Pew’s Religious Knowledge Survey, followed by Jews and Mormons. 

Bible reading makes atheists?

Atheists were quick to comment.  American Atheists president Dave Silverman – banner carrier for founder Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s legacy – believes religious knowledge helps advance atheism.  “I gave a Bible to my daughter,” he told the New York Times.  “That’s how you make atheists.”

However, Mormons and Evangelicals scored highest on Pew’s questions about Christianity and the Bible.

Pew says nearly 60 percent of Americans claim religion is “very important” to them and about 40 percent say they attend worship services weekly.  But the survey found “that large numbers of Americans are uninformed about the tenets, practices, history and leading figures of major faith traditions – including their own.”

Forty-five percent of Catholics were unaware their church teaches that the Communion bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ.  43 percent of Jews did not know that Maimonides, a revered rabbi, was Jewish. 

Only about a quarter of Americans know that most Indonesians are Muslim.  Less than half know the Dalai Lama is Buddhist.

Jaywalking?

Is this beginning to sound like Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” interviews?

On the positive side, 82 percent know Mother Teresa was Catholic.  85 percent realize an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in God.  71 percent know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Whew.  I guess lots of Americans still follow news, listen in class, or pay attention to Christmas carols. 

I flunked, too

I can identify with folks who flub questions about their own faith.  I joined a Christian church as a youth, drifted away in secondary school, but still thought I knew a lot. 

As a university student, I found I flunked a basic biblical question:  How does someone become a Christian?

Oops.

Like many of my compatriots, I thought it was by believing in God, attending church, living a good life, helping other people, trying my best.  God was like Santa Claus: rewarding the good, punishing the bad.  I hadn’t committed murder.  I was born in America.  I wasn’t Jewish.  I must be Christian. 

Some friends explained that going to church didn’t make me a Christian any more than sitting in a garage made me a car.  Establishing a personal relationship with God, through Jesus, was what would make me a Christian.  Somehow I’d missed that.

Free gift

They said if I recognized my flaws and accepted God’s offer of forgiveness through Jesus’ death, then he would totally accept me.  It wasn’t something to work for but a free gift to receive.

It almost sounded too easy, but there it was in the Bible: “God … [rescued] you by his grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God … not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

Guess I should have listened more closely as a kid.  Or maybe I just wasn’t ready.  Anyway, I can appreciate the religious confusion – or unwitting ignorance – that many Americans display.  And I’m glad I got that big question cleared up.

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2010 Rusty Wright

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My friend, Dan Hayes, reminds me of a guy on television who spins plates and bowls. 

The performer sets several tall sticks upright.  Atop each stick he spins a bowl, creating a small forest of spinning dinner ware.  On a table below he spins plates.  Then he scrambles furiously to keep everything spinning.

Dan spins plates in Atlanta for the common good.  Only his “plates” are volunteers and a bevy of service projects helping the distressed, needy, and vulnerable.  He spins not frantically but methodically.  The scope and effectiveness of the work make my head spin.  For instance …

Help in Crisis

A pregnant teen has to leave her surroundings in crisis.  She discovers the Kindred Spirit home.  This peaceful place provides her with care, love, hope and support: housing during pregnancy, rides to the doctor, good food, parenting training, assistance finding a place to raise her child, and more.

An immigrant feels isolated from his distant homeland, family and culture.  Facing relational, physical and spiritual struggles, he encounters a volunteer who befriends and assists him.  The immigrant finds faith plus a host of new friends who welcome him into his adopted society.

Feeling skeptical but needing help, an out-of-work businessman guardedly attends a men’s discussion group.  The participants are warm and friendly.  Many have endured similar employment disappointments.  His attitude soars as he discovers new resources for managing his dilemma.

The volunteer mobilization movement Hayes founded in 1996, Atlanta Community Ministries (ACM), inspires and equips volunteers to help meet real human needs.  This faith-based coalition challenges individuals and churches to get “out of our seats and into the streets” to link needy individuals with physical, emotional and spiritual assistance.

“Out of our seats and into the streets”

ACM helps men and women, young and old, rich and poor.  It assists efforts to prevent substance abuse in youth; to help women and teen girls heal from sexual trauma; to coach teens in developing faith, leadership and life skills.   

A Spanish-language program helps new Latin immigrants become employed as child care providers.  Programs connect volunteers with the homeless and poor; with seniors in assisted living; and with everyday folks who need support and encouragement.

ACM and partner churches have served over 300,000 people.  In the first half of this year alone, they donated over $284,000 worth of volunteer hours.

Is your head spinning yet?

Dan’s student days at Northwestern University in the late 1960s forged his concern for urban-dwellers.  He embraced faith during the heyday of the civil rights movement, and was burdened to communicate across racial boundaries.  An inner-city outreach in riot-torn Newark, New Jersey, enhanced his love for cities and their diverse populations.  “God must love diversity,” Dan observes.  “He created so much of it.”

ACM focuses on the biblical counsel to “Love … God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Hundreds of volunteers with personal visions of their own share divine love in the part of the world they know best.  Their faith motivates them to serve others in practical, tangible, positive ways.  Hayes’ role is to inspire, connect, equip and encourage.

Total person care

Once a skeptic myself, I’ve become convinced through repeated observation that people of true faith display practical care for the total person: physically, psychologically and spiritually.  Jesus fed the hungry and healed the sick.  He also helped people see how they could connect personally with God.

“I’m a cheerleader,” confesses Dan. He has no question that “ordinary people can do extraordinary things” through trust and faith.

This cheerleader’s plates are still spinning.  www.OutOfOurSeats.org

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com

Copyright © 2010 Rusty Wright

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