Saturday Night Theologian
30 May 2004

Genesis 11:1-9

The Project for the New American Century includes the following four goals in its statement of principles:

As I read this, I'm reminded of the Roman Emperors' attempts to extend the empire's influence, the Pax Romana as widely as possible as a means of security. I also think of Hitler's quest for Lebensraum (living space) for his Third Reich, which he envisioned as lasting for a thousand years. The current U.S. administration has adopted wholeheartedly the goals of the Project for the New American Century (indeed, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Jeb Bush are among those who developed the plan). The attempt to extend American hegemony over the rest of the world will inevitably fail, hopefully sooner rather than later, and America can take its rightful place alongside other world leaders rather than as self-appointed leader of the pack. The story of the Tower of Babel relates a similar attempt on the part of a group of people to establish themselves as lords of the world, but failing miserably in a somewhat humorous way after God confuses their language. I've always a scene something like this: several guys are working on building the tower, and one says to another, "Hey, hand me another brick." The second man looks confused and says to the first, "Mande? Que dijiste?" The first turns to another coworker, "What did he say?" The third answers, "Was sagst du? Ich kann dich nicht verstehen!" whereupon the whole project grinds to a sudden halt. On the surface, the Tower of Babel is an etiological story explaining the origin of different languages. On a deeper level, though, it's a story about humanity's lust for power and God's opposition to the concentration of power in the hands of a few. Of course, the builders were not nearly as powerful as they thought, and their tower was not really all that impressive, since God has to "come down" to see it. Nevertheless, God's opposition to project is clear. Throughout the Bible God consistently confronts the attempts of people to wield power indiscriminantly and to force those who are weaker into the mold of the powerful. The new century that we're now in should not be "the American Century" which will see the rise of increased American power and influence. It should be a century in which all the nations of the world benefit, especially the poorest and weakest.

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

Intense rains in Haiti and the Dominican Republic this week killed more than one thousand people, many in mudslides. Officials blame the mudslides on severe deforestation that has occurred throughout the island of Hispaniola. Locals cut down the trees in order to plant crops and for fuel, destroying the habitat in the process of meeting their basic needs. Both the large number of human deaths and the destruction of animal and plant species that results from clearcutting the forests are the result of structural injustice. "But isn't a natural disaster like flooding just that?" you might ask. "It's nobody's fault," you might argue. You might think that, but you'd be wrong. Ask yourself, when torrential rains hit more developed countries, like the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Japan, or Australia, do hundreds or thousands of people die? Some often die, to be sure, but the number is much smaller. Compare, for example, the Mississippi River flood of 1993, described by a Web site at the University of Akron as "the most devastating flood disaster in U.S. history." The river was above flood stage for 144 days, and "nearly fifty people died." Fifty people is too many, but it is hardly a thousand. Why do so many people die in flooding in Hispaniola or Honduras or Bangladesh? The psalmist gives us a hint in today's psalm: "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." The psalmist goes on to describe God's care for creation and God's provision for their needs. Humans, whom Genesis describes as caretakers of the earth, often act contrary to the purposes of God, with disastrous effects on both nature and other humans. For example, deforestation destroys animal and plant habitat, driving species to extinction. With the natural trees gone, the soil is not able to absorb the rain like it would otherwise, and great sheets of mud move during heavy rains, covering whole villages. The poor are forced to live on the sides of mountains, and thus they die in higher proportion than those who are wealthier when the rains come (the swath cut by a killer mudslide in Honduras in 1998 is still evident, because no houses are built on the site, but there are plenty of shacks built on adjacent mountains). We need to learn to appreciate what the psalmist means when he says, "In wisdom you have made them all." We need to interact with nature wisely in order to minimize the destruction caused by natural disasters. We also need to provide for the poor so that they won't be forced to violate nature in order to live.

For other discussions of this passage, click here, or here, or here.

Acts 2:1-21

The story of the Tower of Babel describes the dispersal of humans over the face of the earth as a result of the confusion of their speech. The story of Pentecost describes humans coming together and hearing the good news of God's love as a result of the gospel being preached in a variety of languages. Thus, in a real sense, Pentecost is the antithesis of the Tower of Babel. In the aftermath of the Tower of Babel, people were scattered, and community was broken, but a broken world community is not inevitable, nor is it God's will. It is important to remember that the ultimate reason for broken community in Babel was not God's desire to harm the people but the people's lust for power. Like Babel, Pentecost has God descending on the multitude, but this time God's purpose is to gather, not to scatter. Like Babel, Pentecost is about power, but it is divine power given to humans for the purpose of reuniting them to God, not human power that challenges God. The church on the Day of Pentecost added about 3,000 people to its number. Religious people sometimes treat success as a mandate to act capriciously, as though no matter what they did, God would be on their side. However, we must remember that Babel is the flip side of Pentecost. When Christians are tempted to force our religious beliefs on others, we need to remember that the God who blesses can also curse. When we want to use superior weaponry to advance a "Christian" worldview, we need to recall that the God who gathers can also scatter. When we envision a homogeneous world in which everyone speaks the same language, or embraces the same political goals, or glories in the idea of the free market, we need to understand that diversity can be a good thing. Pentecost is a day to celebrate God's gift of the Spirit, but it is also a time to remember the dangers of the lust for power that so easily grips powerful nations.

For other discussions of this passage, click here, or here, or here.

John 14:8-17, (25-27)

"Wanted: Growing organization looking for workers to replace those who wouldn't. Great rewards for great results. Successful applicants are expected not only to meet but to exceed the high standards set by the company's founder." Sound like a difficult job? It's the job description of a Christian, according to today's reading from John. "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these." Greater works than Jesus? How is that possible? In part, it's possible because of God's power working in the lives of many different people through the Holy Spirit. Whereas there was only one Jesus, there are many Christians capable of calling on the resources of the Holy Spirit to accomplish great things. Jesus went about teaching, healing, and telling others God's good news. As followers of Jesus, God calls us to carrying on these ministries. Don't worry if you can't lay your hands on people and heal them. Maybe you can encourage them during their illness or donate money to an organization that is working to find a cure for deadly illnesses. Maybe you don't consider yourself the most knowledgeable person in the world, but you can pass on to others your understanding of Jesus' teachings. Maybe you don't fancy yourself an evangelist, but by your good works you can cause others to glorify God. Today's reading from John is presents a challenging job description. Do you have the courage to apply?