this edition of vanity fair is wonderful and i hope that many folks are able to get it and hear a more holistic news about africa. charles actually thinks the articles give a fair portrait of the variety of the continent. which for those of you that know charles- that is saying a lot. i guess it doesn't smack of condensation. there's actually pictures of people going to work (gasp). i would guess it has something to do with bono as the first guest editor.
"it is good to learn early enough that suffering and God are not a contradiction but rather a unity, for the idea that God himself is suffering is one that has already been one of the most convincing teachings of Christianity. i think God is nearer to suffering than to happiness, and to find God in this way gives peace and rest and a strong courageous heart." :: dietrich bonhoffer
"shalom in a special way is the task and burden of the well- off and powerful. they are the ones held accountable for shalom. the prophets persistently criticized and polemicised against those well-off and powerful ones who legitimized their selfish prosperity and deceived themselves into thinking it was permanent. the prophetic vision of shalom stands against all private arrangements, all 'separate peaces,' all ghettos that pretend the others are not there."
: walter brueggemann
this is a link to an article that made me sad.
as if the norm for women in the sex industry is home ownership and higher education.
as if those 'accomplishments' are even the real issue.
pretty sure that america's consciousness has been so dulled by a spirit over sexedness that somehow the life style and seeming upwardly mobile direction of one stripper gives legitimacy to an industry that unapologetically exploits women who voluntarily (as this young woman in the article seems think of herself) and involuntarily participate. what a vicious cycle!
our world is so broken.
