UN Population report

By next year, more than half the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, will for the first time live in towns and cities, and the number is expected to swell to almost five billion by 2030, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released yesterday. Will it be you?

Nathan

Time for Contemplation

Jean Vanier suggested that

“The more we become people of action and responsibility in our community, the more we must become people of contemplation. If we do not nurture our deep emotional life in prayer hidden in God, if we do not spend time in silence and if we do not know how to take time from the presence of our brothers and sisters, we risk becoming embittered. It is only to the extent that we nurture our own hearts that we can keep interior freedom. People who are hyperactive, fleeing from their deep selves and their wound, become tyrannical and their exercise of responsibility only creates conflict.”

Let's Insure All Children

With many others, I lobbied Congress in 1996/97 to pass legislation enabling the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for children of poor working families. With the enabling federal legislation in place, my colleagues and I turned our attention to state legislatures. I was director of the WV Council of Churches at the time, and so worked with, and sometimes against, the WV Legislature to fully fund and implement the program. SCHIP’s renewal is before Congress now.

I'm pleased to say that my own denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is encouraging its members to support SCHIP’s renewal. In a recent letter, Rev Dr Sharon Watkins, our head of communion, wrote that nine million children in the United States are without health insurance coverage.

“How we treat our children says something about the kind of people we are – and about the kind of God we serve,” she wrote. “I have decided that I need to speak out on this issue and I am writing to urge you to enter into prayerful discernment about whether or not it is time for you or your congregation to also take a stand.” For her letter in full, go to: http://www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07094.pdf

To view a website with resources that address this issue, go to: www.discipleshomemissions.org/familyandchildren/HealthCareForChildren/index.htm

This is a good program that has helped many children, families and communities. It's worth getting involved, so I hope you will.

Lots of hope,

Nathan

Incoming senior minister of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Shelbyville, IN, Nathan enjoys writing on a range of issues and working with others to resolve conflict, develop consensus and build communities of hope and action.

Support Children's Health Insurance

With many colleagues, I lobbied the federal government in 1996/97 to pass legislation enabling the creation of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for children of poor working families. After its passage, my colleagues and I turned our attention to state legislatures. I was director of the WV Council of Churches at the time, and so worked with, and sometimes against, the WV Legislature to fully fund the program.

Renewal of CHIP, which now goes by SCHIP with the S standing for state, is before Congress.

I'm pleased to say that my own denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is this time encouraging its members to support renewal of the program. In a recent letter, Rev Dr Sharon Watkins, our head of communion, wrote that nine million children in the United States are without health insurance coverage.

“How we treat our children says something about the kind of people we are – and about the kind of God we serve,” she wrote. “I have decided that I need to speak out on this issue and I am writing to urge you to enter into prayerful discernment about whether or not it is time for you or your congregation to also take a stand.” For her letter in full, go to: http://www.disciples.org/dns/releases2007/07094.pdf.

To view a website with resources that address this issue, go to: www.discipleshomemissions.org/familyandchildren/HealthCareForChildren/index.htm.

This is a goo program that has helped many children, families and communities. It's worth getting involved, so I hope you will.

Lots of hope,

Nathan

Make a difference for Sudan

Sudan’s oil revenue continues to fuel the genocide in Darfur by providing funds that support the perpetrators of atrocities.

Through its mutual funds, Fidelity has been a major investor in oil companies that operate in Sudan, and it continues to increase its holdings. Fidelity could stop investing funds in companies that are fueling the genocide in Darfur.

Want to know more? Go to fidelityoutofsudan.net.

Lots of hope,

Nathan

Questions for God

Early last fall, our then 6 year-old daughter was given a journal that had a page inviting her to write a prayer to God.

She wrote, "Dear God, how do you get self-control when you are trying to be funny?"

Not a bad question.

Nathan

Failed States Index

Foreign Policy and The Fund for Peace just released their joint 2007 failed states index. Now, first of all, I include myself in the camp that has trouble with the term "failed state" for both empirical and value-based reasons. However, when the term is defined -- as it is using specific measures in the FP index -- then I can go with the usefulness of the battery. In other words, this is a list worth noting.

Want the real shocker? Six of the top seven most unstable countries on this list are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Having spent a fair amount of time and energy with some of the named issues and countries especially over the last year, it's disappointing but not too surprising.

Nathan

Seeking Understanding

Tolerance is a good and necessary virtue for a peaceful society; for us religious types, however, tolerance is never enough. Tolerance does not remove our ignorance of one another, lessen our stereotypes or do anything to chip away at our walls of division.

To get at that, we need to actively seek understanding.

Lots of hope,

Nathan

China Nuclear Weapons

There's an informative, though a bit alarming, commentary in the latest "Security Watch" published by the International Relations and Security Network about China's growing nuclear weaponry and philosophy toward using it.

Titled China's changing nuclear posture, Harsh Pant from King's College writes, "the Chinese political and military leadership is gradually revising its nuclear posture and even preparing for the possibility of using nuclear weapons in a pre-emptive counter attack should the need arise."

The full article is available at http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=17742

Nathan

Predicting conflict

As I've written and said before, even though I spend more time (right now) with religious and ethnic identity as predictors of conflict, resource scarcity is a bigger concern for me. Yesterday,
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said as much by emphasizing in particular how a future scarcity of oil and gas could lead to conflicts in Africa.

"Although most states would regard actual armed conflict as an extreme measure, intra-state conflicts with an energy resource dimension are likely to occur, particularly in Africa," the institute warned in its yearbook published on Monday. "The strategic importance of geographical areas with rich oil and gas reserves will certainly rise: not only the Middle East but also Africa, Central Asia, South America and Southeast Asia will be areas of potential conflict in the coming decades."

Energy security concerns were based on the rising global demand for energy, a tight oil market, high oil prices, rising import dependencies and the prospect of a future shortage of oil and gas. In the Middle East, "perhaps the most disturbing factor that may shape the future security dynamics of the region is the continuing expansion of Iran's influence." Iran could "at any moment" try to block the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil chokepoint where 17 million barrels of oil pass through each day, or about 20 percent of the global supply.

How can "we" (defined as whoever reads this) help forestall or even prevent wars based on resources scarcity?


Nathan

Flight delays -- indeed!

From a news article:

"The Department of Transportation reported Monday that only 72% of domestic flights by the USA's 20 largest airlines arrived on time in January, February, March and April, the worst showing for those four months since DOT began reporting on-time performance this way in 1995."

I could personally testify to it! How about the lost bags (oh, excuse me Delta, I meant to say "delayed" -- my last one being "delayed" for over 5 days)?

Nathan

Do You Believe in Hospitality?

Not only do I believe in hospitality; heck, I’ve even seen it!

Okay, you probably recognize this rather bland “borrowing” of Mark Twain’s reply when he was asked if he believes in baptism. (Twain was a bit spicier.)

The most recent time I saw hospitality was this past weekend (Pentecost Sunday weekend) when my family and I worshiped in a wonderful EKD Lutheran parish in Einollen, Germany, where Iris Schmitt is the pastor. Iris and I met as students at the Ecumenical Institute de Bossey in Celigny, Switzerland, eleven years ago; Janice and I have remained good friends with her.

So here we were, English-speakers in the midst of roughly 45 German-speaking worshippers in a quaint sanctuary. As we were deciding on where to sit, a worshipper noticed the small camera in my hand; right away, he and his children made room for us to be in a good position to take pictures.

The service began. Not only had Iris woven English into the readings, the women’s choir sand two songs with English verses.

After the service, worshippers thanked us for coming and wished us a good remaining visit. There were other examples, but you get the idea.

Hospitality – I’ve seen it. Have you?

Lots of hope,

Nathan

Religion: Cause or Cure of Conflict

What do you think?

Violent conflicts in which religion is a factor have proliferated in various parts of the world: Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Sri Lanka, India, Nigeria, Somalia and others. These crises involve one or more of the Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – demonstrating that it’s not only Islamic terrorism begging the question of whether monotheistic religions tend to encourage violence rather than help overcome it.

Could it be that aspects of violence are inherent in every religion as such, and that monotheistic religions, because they are bound to a single god, are particularly intolerant, non-peaceful and ready to use force?

That is the theme I was asked to address in a couple months. What do you think about it?


Nathan Wilson

I know as well as you how terribly tardy I am with this update about my studies, research and life in Geneva. I could explain why I'm so tardy but that would be just painfully boring -- for us both. I hope to be more regular since being irregular is no fun in lots of ways.

The personal first: I am now fully in our house and awaiting Janice, Clare and Patricia. They arrive this Friday and, to understate it, I can't wait! Our house, yard and neighborhood are beautiful. I live on less food than a rabbit, so I need to get some before the fam arrives.

I met the new US Ambassador to Switzerland last week, Peter Coneway, and enjoyed a brief talk he gave to a local civic group. We share a mutual colleague at Lexington Seminary, Bill Turner, who thoughtfully put us in touch. Ambassador Coneway indicated a commitment to reach out to the growing Islamic community in Switzerland and his hope that I would be involved in that work. I hope his staff will contact me because of course I would be glad to help.

My work is going well. The last two weeks have been among the busiest and most intense that I can remember and included three days with a leading international negotiator, who I think does not sleep or eat. I very much enjoyed working with him, but it did make a long week longer. This week looks better, evidenced by the fact that I am writing this!

Between all the categories of participants, we have 24 countries represented. Only one participant is from Africa (Ethiopia) and none is from South America. I wish those two continents were better represented. There are Europeans galore, from what I call both West and East, some of them call Old and New, and others of them consider all outdated and prejudicial labels. The latter group prefers a European is a European. It reminds me that the beauty of international dialogue is firstly about terminology and interpretation.

The understanding of identity-based conflict is a relatively new and as yet understudied phenomenon, and so the ideas that I put forth about religion's roles as motivator of conflict and motivator of peace are greeted with great interest -- and with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Last week, for instance, I had a long discussion with a well-known Middle Eastern peace and conflict studies scholar about whether religion was actually the source of conflict (as is often claimed) or whether religion was instrumentalized by conflict that was actually caused by other factors. This is not an insignificant question. Do divergent religious views give rise to the conflict or would the conflict have materialized anyhow, and the divergent religious views are just blamed for it?

An interesting related question with which I am spending some time now is how religious views and religious people help or hinder the power-sharing arrangements in post-conflict reconstruction efforts. After a given conflict, one essential key to avoiding the recurrence of conflict is to figure out how to share power among key groups of people. So, do religious groupings demand yet another category of groupings by which we must determine who should have what percentage of power in order to maintain the fragile peace in an area? More about that later.

Let's conclude with the obvious: we are more and more interdependent. That is, my security depends on yours and the fullness of your rights depend on my respect for them. It's not just that my country depends on your country, but I depend on you. Will our interdependence divide or unite us?

With much hope,

Nathan

Update from Switzerland, 25 October 2006

I know as well as you how terribly tardy I am with this update about my studies, research and life in Geneva. I could explain why I'm so tardy but that would be just painfully boring -- for us both. I hope to be more regular since being irregular is no fun in lots of ways.

The personal first: I am now fully in our house and awaiting Janice, Clare and Patricia. They arrive this Friday and, to understate it, I can't wait! Our house, yard and neighborhood are beautiful. I live on less food than a rabbit, so I need to get some before the fam arrives.

I met the new US Ambassador to Switzerland last week, Peter Coneway, and enjoyed a brief talk he gave to a local civic group. We share a mutual colleague at Lexington Seminary, Bill Turner, who thoughtfully put us in touch. Ambassador Coneway indicated a commitment to reach out to the growing Islamic community in Switzerland and his hope that I would be involved in that work. I hope his staff will contact me because of course I would be glad to help.

My work is going well. The last two weeks have been among the busiest and most intense that I can remember and included three days with a leading international negotiator, who I think does not sleep or eat. I very much enjoyed working with him, but it did make a long week longer. This week looks better, evidenced by the fact that I am writing this!

Between all the categories of participants, we have 24 countries represented. Only one participant is from Africa (Ethiopia) and none is from South America. I wish those two continents were better represented. There are Europeans galore, from what I call both West and East, some of them call Old and New, and others of them consider all outdated and prejudicial labels. The latter group prefers a European is a European. It reminds me that the beauty of international dialogue is firstly about terminology and interpretation.

The understanding of identity-based conflict is a relatively new and as yet understudied phenomenon, and so the ideas that I put forth about religion's roles as motivator of conflict and motivator of peace are greeted with great interest -- and with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Last week, for instance, I had a long discussion with a well-known Middle Eastern peace and conflict studies scholar about whether religion was actually the source of conflict (as is often claimed) or whether religion was instrumentalized by conflict that was actually caused by other factors. This is not an insignificant question. Do divergent religious views give rise to the conflict or would the conflict have materialized anyhow, and the divergent religious views are just blamed for it?

An interesting related question with which I am spending some time now is how religious views and religious people help or hinder the power-sharing arrangements in post-conflict reconstruction efforts. After a given conflict, one essential key to avoiding the recurrence of conflict is to figure out how to share power among key groups of people. So, do religious groupings demand yet another category of groupings by which we must determine who should have what percentage of power in order to maintain the fragile peace in an area? More about that later.

Let's conclude with the obvious: we are more and more interdependent. That is, my security depends on yours and the fullness of your rights depend on my respect for them. It's not just that my country depends on your country, but I depend on you. Will our interdependence divide or unite us?

With much hope,

Nathan

William Sloane Coffin
Most of my role models in the Christian faith are people I know well and have for a long time. My grandparents are examples, as are other family members, former ministers and teachers. Their impact on me was gradual, resulting from numerous conversations and experiences and encounters.I have a few role models in the faith, however, whose impact on me resulted from their witness and only a few personal exposures. One of them was William Sloane Coffin. Coffin was long-time university chaplain at Yale and then senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City for ten years. He was witty, personable, articulate. Coffin is half the inspiration for the “Rev. Sloan” character in Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury comic – a result of Coffin’s ministry and witness when Trudeau was a Yale student. By no means was Coffin perfect. Early in his life, he was a self-avowed womanizer, and even after entering ministry, his ability to value the leadership of women in the church was a growing edge. Coffin asked forgiveness for both sins. Detractors and those who immaturely attempt to group people as either good or bad, without recognizing the shades of both that exist in us all, like to point to these flaws to discredit Coffin.Flaws and all, Coffin was a courageous, charismatic and consistent defender of justice and peace who preached an expansive, attractive, compassionate Christianity. His strong message of God’s love reflected the message and priorities of Jesus in the New Testament. My first conversation with Bill Coffin occurred when I was a student at Lexington Seminary. One of my jobs during seminary was student assistant to the dean and one of my major responsibilities in that job was to coordinate the weekly convocation schedule, which included confirming details with all our speakers, most of whom were out of town.It was the fall of 1995, not long before Janice and I were to go to Switzerland to study and work. I was rushing to confirm details with speakers for the whole next year in just a few days. One of those speakers was Coffin. I called the number on the contact sheet and the person on the other end answered with a simple “hello.” This surprised me for two reasons: first, the usual response is something such as, “This is William Coffin’s office;” second, the answerer sounded older than most assistants. I hesitantly asked to speak to Rev. Coffin’s assistant. The person said, “Well, she left a long time ago, but you are speaking to Rev. Coffin right now. Should I find someone else?” Then he laughed.We covered the usual details and then, without pausing, Coffin said, “So tell me about you.” I told him we were on our way to The Ecumenical Institute. He said, “Good. That’s an important place. And since I won’t see you at Lexington, tell me now: once you graduate, what are going to do to make a difference in the world?”My second conversation with Coffin was not until May of 2004 when I helped organize a national conference of religious leaders in Cleveland, Ohio. We wanted Coffin to speak to the group, but his health was such that his doctors (and wife) would not let him attend. So, in Coffin’s typical spirit of pushing the boundaries, he agreed to join us live by telephone, which we then broadcast over the speaker system for everyone to hear. In the conversation before we went on the air, I thanked Bill for joining us and asked how he was feeling. He said, “Clearly the trick is to die young as late as possible.”Wednesday of Holy Week, April 12, Bill Coffin died from congestive heart failure. His heart may have failed physically, but his heart did not fail to speak his faith. It did not fail to put his faith into action. It did not fail to tell the truth. For that, we are blessed.Nathan Day Wilson

The (Sexual) Revolution Will Be Televised

The FCC crackdown in the aftermath of Janet Jackson's nipple slip may not have been entirely misguided. A new study finds that exposure to sexuality in the media can, in fact, make teenagers more likely to have sex at an early age. Researchers surveyed 1,017 teens in fourteen North Carolina middle schools, interviewing students between the ages of twelve and fourteen about their media-consumption habits and their sexual activities (or lack thereof). The researchers then performed what must have been a fairly stimulating “content analysis” of the 264 television shows, magazines, songs, and movies that were mentioned by more than 10 percent of the students, quantifying the portrayals and discussions of “pubertal development, romantic relationships, body exposure or nudity, sexual innuendo, touching and kissing and sexual intercourse.” Using these data, and controlling for a variety of factors, the study found that the students between the ages of twelve and fourteen who enjoyed the largest “Sexual Media Diet” (SMD) were the most likely to engage in sexual activity within the next two years—but only if they were white. Among black teens, there was no correlation between SMD and sexual activity, even though black teens tended to be more sexually experienced, and to spend more time consuming media, than their white peers. The authors note that teens tend to base their sexual behavior on perceptions of their peers' activity, and suggest that a hypersexualized media may function as “a kind of sexual superpeer that encourages them to be sexually active.” For black teenagers, however, they speculate that the power of “real peer groups that promote early and frequent sexual activity”—particularly the cultural pressure on “urban black males who are encouraged to achieve status by having as many sexual partners as possible”—may be stronger than it is for white teens.

—“Sexy Media Matter: Exposure to Sexual Content in Music, Movies, Television, and Magazines Predicts Black and White Adolescents' Sexual Behavior,” Jane D. Brown et al., Pediatrics

Hospitality

Welcoming and Giving
The Reverend Nathan Day Wilson

Hayya’s home in Tel Aviv, Israel, was open to all. There was hardly a day when she and her husband did not have guests. All sorts of people ate at their table, and everyone was treated like a king or queen. Some guests lived in the house for months at a time; sometimes there were ten such guests, at other times as many as thirty! All of them were made to feel as if they were in their own home.

Her son told the story of a time when his mother sent him to borrow some money from a neighbor. When he returned with the money in hand, she took the envelope with the money in it from him, placed it somewhere, and never even opened it.

Her son asked, "Mother, why did you borrow the money if you didn't want to use it?"

"I did it," she explained, "so that our neighbor won't be ashamed to borrow from us when he's in need."

Hayya gave, and even her taking was giving.

These stories, shortened by me, are from Jewish Tales of Holy Women. I share them for a couple reasons. In this time of intensified crisis in the Middle East, it is good to remind ourselves of the beautiful stories and values coming from that region. There are many!

I also share the story because of its reminder to welcome all people and to give generously. Not only are these important qualities for us in our homes, they are key for us as a church!

See you soon at the place where we welcome and give to all people –

Nathan

Hope

I recently came across a piece I wrote in 2003 about my vision for the USA in 2020. Enjoy!
-- Nathan Day Wilson


The future can be better than the present and each of us has a responsibility to make it so. This is a guiding principle for my life and the premise to my vision for the United States in 2020.

Security is the single word that best describes this vision. Security includes concerns about terrorism and national defense and it also includes concerns about the economy and education because security is both about how the United States relates internationally as it is about opportunities for and expectations of its citizens here at home. In fact, we will not have a secure world until we take care of our own citizens. Doing so requires visionary leadership that strives to include all people.

Terrorism and National Defense
My vision is influenced by biblical writers such as the prophet Micah. Micah 4:1-7 reads, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall there be war anymore." Then Micah says, "They shall all sit under their own vines and their own fig trees; and no one shall make them afraid."

Micah suggests that there will be no security for us until there is security for others. When more than half the world lives on less than two dollars a day, there is true no security for any of us. When poor people in the United States are denied tax cuts and even basic services while the rich are given thousands of dollars, there is no true security for any of us. When thousands are dying from AIDS without relief, there is no true security for any of us.

According to Micah, weapons of war become tools of production when everyone has their own vines and fig tree, which is their own share in the economy. Sharing in the economy, then, produces a sense of security.

In terms of national defense policy, recognizing this necessary interdependence means that the United States can have both strong and tough practices to keep Americans safe as well as procedures smart enough to build alliances to make the world safer. It is simply deceptive to suggest that we must choose between the two.

My vision for 2020 is one in which the United States incorporates, rather than rebuffs, the interdependence required for us to live securely.

Economy
Since I already named taxes, I'll start with them for my economy vision. I do not think taxes should be used to soak the rich. I do think the rich should pay their fair share. Often, especially with the changes enacted and proposed by the Bush Administration, the wealthiest of our nation do not pay their fair share.

The issue is not about raising or lowering taxes as much as it is about reforming the tax code and changing the system to better assist hard-working, middle class families. These are the families that make our nation run. They are the ones who provide labor and purchase the goods. They are the ones who raise children, participate in community events, and attend houses of worship. These are the families who need and deserve tax reform to educate their kids, afford quality child care and take care of aging or disabled relatives who need long term care.

Beyond the tax system, it must become an ethical imperative in this country to truly lift all working families out of poverty and completely eradicate child poverty. The Earned Income Tax Credit helped significantly. Expanding it and educating the public about the credit would boost its usefulness. Increasing the minimum wage as well as support for child care, housing and transportation programs would also benefit working families. And all of these initiatives must be accompanied by more direct and accessible responsible parenthood training programs and a demand for greater accountability from poverty stricken adults to help themselves.

Like my vision for national defense, the dominating question here is what type of society we want in 2020. Essentially, is it each one for him or herself? More specifically, is it one where capital incomes should be exempted from taxation while labor incomes are taxed excessively? Should we abolish a graduated income tax structure altogether? Should we ignore the poor and pretend their plight has no bearing on our own?

My vision for 2020 is one in which the United States rejects this false individual autonomy at all costs and instead exemplifies that even, perhaps especially, in our economy we express our connection to, appreciation of, and responsibility for each other.

Education
My education vision for 2020 begins with preschool and full-day kindergarten for every child. I have seen firsthand, and studies validate, the overwhelming benefits of preschool and full-day kindergarten for young children. In a local school on whose governing board I serve, our scaled literacy rate for full-day kindergartners is over 97%, whereas for half-day students the rate is 84% (which is still considerably higher than the average). Full-day programs allow for greater quantity, variety, and perhaps quality of instruction. Available preschool and full-day kindergarten is critically important and is the foundation to my vision.

My vision also includes an apprenticeship program for high school students who do not want or are unable to go to college but do want good jobs. It includes a loan program where money borrowed for college could be paid back either as a small percentage of income or through some form of national service. It includes making college tuition tax-deductible. Finally, my vision for education includes raising the pay of public school teachers and developing a continuing education program that further equips teachers with the skills, information and encouragement they need to perform one of the most important jobs in our society.

President Bush used to talk about leaving no child behind, a catchy phrase he permanently borrowed without giving credit to the Children's Defense Fund. (Soon, it became apparent that the theme more consistent with his actions was to leave no defense contractor behind, a phrase I'll borrow from a friend without giving him credit.)

My vision for 2020 is one in which the rhetoric of valuing education is matched with corresponding actions of investing more money, energy and effort into education and demanding more of all the participants.

Leadership and Participation
Obviously there are other areas of concern. Access to health care with reasonable fees, extending the life of Social Security, modernizing Medicare, and developing new technologies and sources of alternative energy are key ones. Each is a part of my vision for 2020, but to address them here would double the length of this essay.

Instead I will conclude this vision paper describing what I think is most needed in 2020: visionary leadership that strives to include all people.

I envision a leader who will not give away money the United States does not have. I envision a leader who will not just tell his friends what they want to hear, but instead will ask more of all Americans. I envision a leader who has the fortitude and advisors to tackle the big problems and take on entrenched interest groups. I envision a leader who believes and practices equal opportunity for all people.

I envision a leader who works to bring all people to the decision-making table. The image of a table is especially appropriate. It is the table where (at least some) families gather for a meal. It is the table of loved ones that sometimes marks a reunion or a holiday celebration. It is the table where we have conversations light and lively and sometimes difficult and uncomfortable.

At the table we are reminded of the ties that bind us regardless of race, religion, economic or social status. At the table we rededicate ourselves to who and what we are meant to be. At the table new political visions can be born.

If there are not enough chairs for everyone at the table, we get some more. If there is not enough room, we will make the table larger. Even the shape of this table will change as we discover who we are and who we are becoming.

A visionary leader brings diverse people to the table to share the history and lessons unique to each of us. These are lessons that will teach us that a better 2020 depends on all of us and on each of us. Each of us is like an individual trickle of water, which, when they come together, turn into streams and then merge and become rivers. And with enough energy and force these rivers can become mighty rivers, so mighty that they could have the power to shape or reshape the very landscape around them.

Today, in 2003, our public landscape could use some new shaping. Let all of us, a whole bunch of little trickles, form together into streams that become a mighty river to shape 2020 into a time when we all can enjoy true and lasting security at home and abroad.

Youth Seeking God

By The Reverend Nathan Day Wilson

Exciting research is asking important questions about the religious and spiritual lives of youth: What do they believe? In what religious practices do they engage? Do they expect to remain loyal to the faith of their parents, or are they abandoning traditional religious institutions in search of new form of spirituality?

One research effort, the National Study of Youth and Religion, conducted a nationwide telephone survey of 3,300 teens and their parents, as well as in-depth face-to-face interviews with 267 of the survey respondents. The overarching finding is the most important: religion is a significant factor in the lives of many American teenagers.

Make no mistake: teenagers’ lives are complex, and that includes their religious lives. For instance, while most teens spoke positively about religion when asked, they hardly ever talk about it at all with each other. And while nearly all of them – some ninety-seven percent – believe in God, few are confident that God is active in today’s events.

Even with the complexity and confusion, though, this research clearly suggests that teenagers are far more influenced by the religious beliefs and practices of their parents and other adults than is commonly thought. We parents and other adults are all potential and indispensable models of the faith – like it or not.

Another clear point is that greater teenage religious involvement is significantly associated with more positive adolescent life outcomes. Religion has a positive and constructive influence in teens’ lives, despite the fact that teens claim not to know details about their religion. It shows people are formed by forces they might not even be aware of or understand.

While it is by no means infallible, non-religious teens are more likely to engage in risky behavior and experience negative life outcomes. Teenagers involved in religious activities have many positive social influences, which results in positive outcomes in their lives.

I plan to say more about the meaning and usefulness of this research in future newsletters. For today, though, the bottom line is that now is the perfect time to thank God for the children and youth here now and for the children and youth yet to come. Now is the perfect time to give thanks for the committed volunteer coordinators and sponsors we have and look at what we as a congregation can do to support their ministry. In short, now is a perfect time to work with children and youth.

I hope to see you soon at the place where youth are encouraged to seek God –

Nathan