Plug-in Hybrids

If you haven't read this book or seen the movie "Who killed the electric car?" then please make the time to do it. Electric cars could be mass produced right now for reasonable prices and our dependency on foreign oil could be over in less than a decade. If you don't believe me, do some research on your own. The technology is available and contrary to oil and car industry propaganda, the American public wants these cars NOW! Thank you Sherry Boschert for making this information available in a very approachable and effective book.

I hate the fact that I can't have one of these cars. I would pay dearly to get one but they are not available. Actually I would prefer a 100% electric car which COULD be produced and has been produced but will not be produced anytime soon.

There many reasons why can't we buy these cars right now?

1. The oil companies spent millions of dollars to kill the legislation that mandated the production of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV). This legislation was in place in the 90's and the Bush administration (code name for oil industry executives who now run America) championed the death of that legislation.

2. George Bush's hollow backing of alternate fuel sources like hydrogen fuel-cells and Ethanol are a slight of hand trick aimed to delay the discussion for 20 years and steer us away from the technology that would be devastating to the net worth of our president, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, and over half the elected and appointed officials in Washington because their oil industry dividends, kickbacks, and stock-options would dry up. We desperately need to enforce the principle of SEPARATION OF OIL AND STATE by demanding that no elected government official can have any financial ties to the oil industry. Our president said "we are addicted to oil". I agree, so the production of gasoline should be viewed in the same light as the production of cocaine. Actually, we might be better off with a president that has family ties to the cocaine industry. At least then we could grow our own cocaine and we wouldn't have to spend a trillion dollars fighting for it!

3. In 1994, GM purchased a controlling interest in Energy Conversion Devices, the company that invented and patented the most efficient NiMH batteries used in 2nd generation electric vehicles which allowed mid-sized electric sedans (like the GM EV1) to go 150 - 300 miles with a 2-4 hour at-home charge and could out run most sports cars 0-60. After ZEV mandates were killed, the cars were destroyed and GM sold its interest in the battery company to ChevronTexaco. Think for a minute about this. The one technology that could IMMEDIATELY end our dependence on oil is owned by one of the largest oil companies in the world. They even sued Toyota for trying to continue their production of the vehicles using this battery technology. Hmmmm.... I wonder why I can't buy an electric car and I wonder why the only talk of electric cars are "hybrids" that still need oil and gas and leave us addicted and at the mercy of foreign policy built around our Government officials ties to the oil industry. About the same time GM killed the EV1 and sold it's interests in battery technology, it purchased a new line of innovative vehicles called HUMMER. There is no question that General Motors places a higher priority on its own profits than the lives of American soldiers and our nation's best interests.

4. Vehicle Maintenance made up 12% of dealer revenues in 2004, and that accounted for nearly 57% of their profits. They just don't make much money selling cars, but they get rich fixing old outdated internal combustion engines which need heavy and costly transmissions, regular tune-ups, oil changes, mufflers, and are extremely inefficient at converting energy. Electric cars use 70% fewer moving parts. Yet, we somehow expect these same car companies to provide an alternative that can save us. What are we thinking? Would we have airbags and seat-belts without strictly enforced laws? Of course not. It is time to reintroduce the CAFE fuel efficiency standards like we had in the 70's AND a NATIONAL ZEV mandate similar to the one introduced in California in the 90's. Again, this is why the only alternatives on the table are combination electric/gas hybrids. They need us to always be slaved to internal combustion engines which also mean the cost of these vehicles will be HIGHER since they need two separate power sources and a vast array of computerized parts to combine them. It also pushes up the price and raises the barrier of entry for its competitors.

This isn't the first time that the automotive and oil industry have teamed up to take advantage of their power and influence at the expense of our nations best interests.

Between 1922 and 1955, GM colluded with Standard Oil and Firestone tire company to systematically buy up the nation's clean electric (and popular) streetcar systems, the dominate mode of public urban transportation. By 1946, using a front company called National City Lines, they owned streetcar lines in 80 cities and steadily closed them down, replacing them with exhaust-belching, unpopular buses. At the same time, they lobbied hard for creation of interstate highways and the paving of America's cities with freeways in order to promote car use. A federal antitrust investigation led to conviction of GM executives, but by then US public electric transportation was obliterated, and the company paid only $5,000 in fines. - Sherry Boschert

Electric cars are our future and I'll do my part by making this pledge. I will not buy another car that runs only on gasoline. I also won't buy one of the current hybrids that get better mileage but still depends on gas as their only source of energy. It looks like I'll have to wait another 2 to 4 years and I'll have to settle for a plug-in hybrid (sad compromise but my current vehicles are getting old). I demand the right to plug-in and I also pledge to buy the first 100% electric car that is available for under $30,0000 and I pledge to vote for any political candidate that supports this cause. I've not yet heard one 2008 presidential candidate mention electric cars. Supply and demand won't solve this problem because the forces in control of supply are artificially manipulated. Our government (that is you and me!) must step in.

Democratic Debate...

The democratic presidential debates tonight were the best of any so far. Tavis Smily moderated the debate at Howard University and he did a much better job than any of the previous moderators. The debate moved along much faster and the questions seemed to generate more passionate answers. Part of the reason may be that all the candidates are in mid season form by now and they were much better at communicating their views clearly without getting stuck in the muck.

Hillary did another good job and continues to surprise me with her preparation, but again there were no clear winners. I think that Dennis Kucinich surprised many people by making some very clear and bold arguments for ending "for profit" health care without creating a huge windfall for insurance companies. I was amazed to see how well his arguments went over in the setting of a black university. Obama was better than before but still doesn't have the passion in debates that he does in speeches. I still think the whole thing could be over with one passionate speech by Obama which focused on hope and change. Maybe he is holding that as his last trump card. I guess it is still early.

I continue to be impressed with the entire group and hope that people from all political viewpoints will listen. The issues are clear and these candidates have very solid and popular viewpoints if middle America will listen.

Would Jesus Go to War?

The Metro Spirit ran this article about one man's decision to leave the Army based on his belief that being a Christian means rejecting violence as an option for conflict resolution. Michael Thames wrote the article himself and did a great job. He is a hero in my book!

Theological confessions

There is a challenge going around the internet to make a list of theological confessions. Here are a couple of my favorite lists:

Michael Westmoreland-White
Bob Cornwall
Kim Fabricius

Here is my own list:

I confess that the first time I read one of Marcus Borg’s books I couldn’t finish reading it because I thought he was a heretic. I’ve since read everything he has written and now give him credit for helping me keep and expand my faith.

I confess that I believe in the reality of God that is the ground of all being.

I confess that I find peace and freedom in about 20% of what Paul Tillich said and I love to quote him, but I can’t really understand the other 80%.

I confess that I have a subconscious desire to be labeled a heretic. That is probably why I like John Shelby Spong so much.

I confess that I spent too long searching on my own outside of any faith community. I’m ready to get back into a community even if it means making some theological compromises.

I confess that I don’t believe in a theistic God that answers prayer, but I still pray. I’m not sure why, but I guess it is so ingrained in my thinking that I can’t get away from it.

I confess that I am still angry because I was never taught by the churches I’ve attended about the rich and diverse theological views in the history of Christianity.

I confess that I often watch dispensationalists on TV just to get a good laugh.

I confess that I love the Bible, but I believe its authors were wrong on many topics including the sinfulness of homosexuality, condoning of slavery, and the existence of a literal individual life after death. I don’t think those errors which were based on ancient worldviews in any way degrade the valuable lessens those stories teach about life.

I confess that I dislike church services, sermons, and worship music but I love talking about God and finding ways to incorporate the message of Jesus in my life and community.

I confess that I can’t find any description of the Trinity that doesn’t sound like a combination of a bad science fiction novel and a cheesy vampire movie. Can somebody remind me if holy water will kill a vampire or will it just leave a rash until his next Eucharist? Can a werewolf survive a silver bullet through the heart if he was actually born of a virgin? If Jesus traveled back in time in a De Lorean and viewed his own crucifixion, would the space-time continuum be disrupted and if so, is that why the curtin in the temple was torn when he died? I always get confused about these things.

I confess that I learned more about how to understand the message of Jesus from Gandhi, Tolstoy, and numerous Buddhists than I ever learned in a church.

Moving beyond fundamentalism...

I’ve recently enjoyed attending a couple of new informal home group discussions about theology, the future of the church, and what it means to be a Christian community. The discussions have involved people from a wide variety of theological backgrounds and the common thread of discussion has been the exploration of more progressive theological views found in many of the recent popular "emerging" and "emergent" books. There have been some surprises as I’ve found several allies in my own progressive faith journey and I’m learning more and more about how to make these conversations more constructive and less combative. I’m also realizing that there are many people in Christianity that are yearning for understanding at a deeper level than the fundamentalist churches that blanket the southeastern United States where I live. It is exciting to watch people “wake up” to the idea that there is more than one option for Christian faith. This process of waking up can be scary. I know this because I’ve been through it myself. At times, it felt like I was abandoning God even though what I was actually abandoning is an outdated image of God and an outdated understanding of scripture. The advice that I always give my awakening friends is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and at some point in the process, you will likely learn to take comfort in the journey more than destination. That level of comfort in uncertainty may even be the first turning point in the process.

One of the keys to beginning a fruitful journey into progressive Christianity is to understand the roots of the fundamentalist approach that we had been taught. My favorite blogging pastor, Bob Cornwall, makes several good points about the roots of fundamentalism that he draws from Krista Tippett's book "Speaking of Faith”. For Tippett, a fundamentalist is anyone who not only has the answers for himself, but also has them for all the rest of us. I agree, but I also think the issue is much deeper and possibly less selfish than that statement may appear. We need to deal with our theological roots without demonizing those people that still cling to those roots. I'm still learning how to do this and my recent conversations have been helpful. I stumbled out the gates on this issue and have a few horror stories and broken relationships as a result.

People of progressive faith value understanding as a process of continuous observation and discovery. Fundamentalists however feel that our understanding about God and the universe is obtained through divine revelation. They would say that we know what we know about God because God decided to tell us through sacred texts and prophetic voices. They feel that the items that are mysterious to us are meant by God to be left as a mystery. Any attempt to move them from the state of mystery to the state of understanding is circumventing the intentions of God. I’m learning to realize that it is unfair for progressives to state that these fundamentalists are intentionally being prideful. I believe that in most cases fundamentalists do not understand these views as “their views” but as the understanding that has been revealed by God. It is important to make that distinction if we are ever going to move past the divisive left vs. right debates about faith.

I'm very excited to have real live conversations about faith. My journey has in large part been filled with long distance electronic conversations with people I've rarely seen face to face. In many ways, I feel like my new conversations are taking me backwards in this process to retread some ground I'd rather forget, but I also feel a deep desire to no longer walk this journey alone.

Playing tag with Jesus...

RevRockStar tagged me. I don't think I will keep tagging people, but I do want to offer my response. The challenge is to name 5 things you like about Jesus.

Here is my list:

1. He was bold and brave - Jesus didn't live in a democracy and couldn't go to the polls to make the important changes he sought, but that didn't stop him. He used what little power he had to the best of his ability. He marched to Jerusalem to protest both the Roman Empire and the collaboration of the temple leaders. He knew from watching his family and friends persecuted that he would likely get killed for these types of protests, but he did it anyway.

2. He was compassionate - His compassion had no limits.

3. He was inclusive - He taught about including people that were traditionally excluded from community. He also applied this teaching to his own life by restoring community to many outcasts.

4. He was open minded - He was willing to imagine solutions to problems outside the normal way of thinking. For instance, he felt the best way to end oppression and bring peace was to love your enemy instead of trying to kill them. That is thinking outside the box!

5. His solutions were flexible and relative to the particular situations he faced. When people asked him about salvation or for advice he always tailored the answer to the specifics of the individual. He didn't offer a one-size-fits-all solution because not everyone needs to be saved from the same thing.

10th district do-over...

In order to fill Charlie Norwood's vacant seat, the 10th district of Georgia will get a second chance to put another progressive in congress. After a bit of research, it appears that James Marlow will represent the progressive Christian agenda well. Please get out and vote tomorrow (June 19th) and add one more voice to congress that will work to end the war.

http://www.marlowforgeorgia.com/

“Christian” – Is that term still applicable?

The opening Chapter of John Shelby Spong’s book “A New Christianity for a New World” he begins with some assertions which many people may think are incompatible with Christianity but he has no problem claiming the label “Christian” for himself. I find myself in agreement with many of these assertions and some people I’ve talked to lately have questioned my use of the label. I’d like to hear some opinions on the possibility of a person dissmissing so much of the traditionally defined content of the Christian faith and still claiming the label “Christian”. If I agree with Bishop Spong on these points, am I still a Christian?

Here is a brief summary of Spong’s assertions:

• I do not define God as a supernatural being.
• Since I do not see God as a being, I cannot interpret Jesus as the earthly incarnation of this supernatural deity.
• I do not believe that this Jesus could or did in any literal way raise the dead, overcome a medically diagnosed paralysis, or restore sight to a person born blind, hearing to a deaf person, etc.
• I do not believe that Jesus entered this world by a miracle of a virgin birth or that virgin births occur anywhere except in mythology.
• I do not believe that the experience Christians celebrate at Easter was a physical resuscitation.
• I do not believe that Jesus returned to God by ascending in any literal sense into a heaven located somewhere above the sky.
• I do not believe Jesus founded a church or established an ecclesiastical hierarchy.
• I do not believe that human beings are born in sin and unless somehow saved will forever be banished from God’s presence.
• I do not believe that the Bible is the “word of God” in any literal sense.

Spong also makes these positive affirmations of faith, which until a few years ago I would have thought were incompatible with the above statements.

• I believe that God is real and that I live deeply and significantly as one related to that divine reality.
• I call Jesus my Lord.
• I believe that Jesus mediated God in a powerful and unique way to human history and to me.
• I believe that my particular life has been dramatically and decisively impacted not only by the life of Jesus, but also by his death and indeed the Easter experience that Christians know as the resurrection.
• I believe that in this Christ I discover a basis for meaning, for ethics, for prayer, for worship, and even for the hope of life beyond the boundaries of my mortality.

What do you think?

Religion vs. Gospel

Recently, my friend ReverendRockStar posted a link to Mark Driscoll’s comparison between Religion and Gospel here. I like the comparison, but I thought it would be interesting to think about that same comparision without the baggage of a fundamentalist theological framework that deifies and worships Jesus so much that his actual message is lost.

Here is my more progressive comparison which is a bit different:

• Religion defines rules that must be obeyed but can never be obtained. Gospel defines hope for a life that is in reach.


• Religion draws lines to separate “us” from “them”. Gospel is the good news that community is available for everyone.


• Religion values tradition. Gospel values transformation.


• Religion claims justice through santification and belief in our own set of doctrines. Gospel creates justice for all regardless of beliefs.


• Religion has the goal of gaining God’s favor. Gospel has the goal of favoring people who have rarely been favored.


• Religion sees hardships as divine punishment and prosperity as divine reward. Gospel seeks to eliminate hardships and grant prosperity.


• Religion is about a greater sense of self. Gospel is about a greater sense of community.


• Religion seeks to formulate behavior. Gospel seeks to transform character.


• Religion imagines a God that judges us. Gospel imagines a process that changes us.


• Religion looks for God in deified messengers. Gospel observes the kingdom of God which is within us.


• Religion worships sacred texts. Gospel worships the sacred in life.


• Religion competes to declare its own ideas as divine truth. Gospel celebrates truth wherever it exists.


• Religion spreads guilt and failure. Gospel spreads hope and promise.

Back from vacation...

My wife and I had a great vacation last week. We visited several beautiful beach towns in the Florida panhandle including a brief stop at Seaside, FL which was the location for the movie "The Truman Show".

During our drive we listened to Al Gore's new book "The Assault on Reason". The book was long winded but very good. It did much more than criticize the current administration. The information was a well written prophetic critique of government corruption and the media spin and influence over the entire process. This important book is less politically biased than you might imagine. Liberal and moderate Americans should enjoy this book and find many important points for consideration. The most important point is that American citizens are poorly informed about our government and this trend is getting worse. Democracy cannot work without well informed citizens and we are reaching a point where the volume of information is increasing but the accuracy and reliability of that information has vanished. Most citizens have lost trust in the information they are given in the media and the political process is so heavily influenced by lobbyists that it is not longer worthy of our trust.

Our Founders' faith in the viability of representative democracy rested on their trust in the wisdom of a well-informed citizenry, their ingenious design for checks and balances, and their belief that the rule of reason is the natural sovereign of a free people. The Founders took great care to protect the openness of the marketplace of ideas so that knowledge could flow freely. Thus they not only protected freedom of assembly, they made a special point—in the First Amendment—of protecting the freedom of the printing press. And yet today, almost 45 years have passed since the majority of Americans received their news and information from the printed word. Newspapers are hemorrhaging readers. Reading itself is in decline. The Republic of Letters has been invaded and occupied by the empire of television. - Al Gore