Review of Rethinking Life: Embracing the Sacredness of Every Person by Shane Claiborne
What does it mean to be truly pro-life?
Being anti-abortion does not go far enough.
Claiborne, a Christian activist, provides an in-depth examination of all the elements of a “consistent ethic of life.” Throughout the book, he asks the question, “What does love require of us?”
Every person is sacred, Claiborne says, because God created humanity in His image. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27 NIV).” That means everyone. Brown and black and yellow and white. Mother Teresa and Adolf Hitler. Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Brain surgeons and sanitation workers and female impersonators. All are stamped with God’s likeness. Even people we don’t particularly like.
Claiborne includes chapters on the early Christian movement and how it changed when Constantine granted it legitimacy; how Christians have contributed to violence worldwide throughout history; anti-Semitism and genocide; eugenics, racism, slavery, and the death penalty; American exceptionalism; and a chapter on abortion that is one of the clearest analyses I’ve ever read.
For Claiborne, the ultimate authority on life and love is Jesus Christ. He quotes a pastor friend: “We believe in the authoritative, inerrant, infallible Word of God. His name is Jesus.” Claiborne says, “Ultimately, the word Christian means ‘Christlike.’ If something doesn’t smell like Jesus, sound like Jesus, and love like Jesus, it is not Christianity.” A lot of what I hear from people who profess to be Christians does not pass this test.
Pro-life goes beyond opposing abortion. Claiborne quotes a sermon given by the Reverend Doctor Otis Moss III: “I’m pro-life. I’m pro-education. I’m pro-healthcare. Pro-accountability. . . Pro-love. Pro-faith. Pro-equality. Pro-grace. Pro-redemption. Pro-peace. Pro-family, whatever combination that family may be.”
Being pro-life means making sure all people have access to what is necessary for life. Pro-life means insisting on a living wage, free public education, affordable housing, affordable childcare, affordable medical care and prescriptions, food, water and clothing for all. And the list goes on. There is much work to be done. What does love require of us?
Claiborne asks other questions too, and calls us to action. We all can help to bring justice and life to the world:
Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God, and that means asking ourselves some prophetic questions. What would it look like for God’s dream to come on earth as it is in heaven? What would it look like for God’s dream to come to my block, my neighborhood, my city? . . . God’s dream is for us to welcome immigrants as if they are our own flesh and blood (Lev. 19:34). God’s dream is for mercy to triumph over judgment. God’s dream is for us to transform our swords into plows and our guns into garden tools. God’s dream is not for more than one hundred lives to be lost to guns every day in America. . . How can we participate in announcing and ushering in God’s dream? . . . Let us pray that our hearts would be broken by the things that break the heart of God.
Rethinking Life is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I can’t stop thinking about it.
Wordless Wednesday/Flower of the Day: Water Lily
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Scripture Break #48
In my Father’s House are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself so that where I am you may be also (John 14:2-3 HCSB).
Scripture Break #47
And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for (1 John 5:15 HCSB).
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My Biggest Regret
Sometime in 1978, my mother-in-law (whom I called Mom), a pack-a-day smoker for more than 40 years, discovered she had lung cancer. Whenever we asked her about her prognosis, she said, “I have to see the doctor again in two weeks.”
When Carly was born in April, 1979, my mother- and father-in-law came to the hospital to see her. We got together a few weeks later, and they both were able to hold her.
Then, in June, Greg’s dad had a heart attack.
Greg’s mom called to tell us. Greg immediately wanted to drive over to visit him in the hospital (a one-hour trip each way), but Mom said, “The doctor said don’t come; there’s nothing you can do for him.” Greg told her we’d come to see them on Sunday, Father’s Day.
A few days later, Mom called again to say, “You might want to come to see your dad.” Greg said, “We’ll be over Sunday.” He assumed that would be soon enough.
Greg’s dad died the next day.
Greg’s biggest regret is that he didn’t follow his first impulse and go to the hospital when he first learned about the heart attack, despite what the doctor said.
Over the next months, we visited Greg’s mom every weekend. Sometimes I’d hear her say to herself, “Wil (Greg’s father), how could you do this to me?” Greg mowed the lawn, we had dinner together, I washed the dishes, and we did whatever we could to help. Mom was still driving to the supermarket on her own, although she limited her purchases to one bagful, which was as much as she had the strength to carry.
Whenever we asked about her health, she said, “I have to see the doctor again next week.”
Because she was seeing the doctor on a regular basis, I assumed she was getting treatment. I also assumed she’d get better.
Meanwhile, Carly grew. She took her first steps on Grandma’s screened-in front porch, where we often sat while we visited.
It turned out Mom refused treatment. The cancer was going to kill her. But I didn’t really understand or believe it. I knew she was weaker, but she didn’t seem like she was dying.
Then, one day, Greg came to me with a proposition. Mom had asked if we’d move in with her. She wanted me to be her caretaker.
I was a stay-at-home mom. I wanted to give my full attention to taking care of Carly. I didn’t want to spend her childhood pulled in two directions. Greg said it was totally my decision. I said no.
So my mother-in-law went to a care center next to the hospital. I went to visit her once a week. Mom said, “Don’t bring the baby. I don’t want her to see me with all these tubes stuck in me.”
I brought Carly anyway. Carly didn’t notice the tubes; all she saw was her Grandma. In fact, it was in the care center that Carly called her “Grandma” for the first time.
Greg spent time with his mom whenever he could. He was there with her four weeks later when she passed away.
Four weeks. That’s all.
I didn’t really process this experience until more than twenty years later, when my brother was caring for our ailing parents. He put his life on hold for them–for fourteen years.
I was 27 when I made my decision not to care for my mother-in-law. I really didn’t have a model for elder caretaking. I didn’t observe my parents doing it for their own parents. I was young and stupid.
I was also somewhat in denial about what Mom was going through. I wish someone had sat down with me and told me that the end was near. I still thought she could get better. I thought she had years before she would die. I was so blind. If someone had told me my services would be needed for a few weeks, I could easily have done that, even with a toddler.
It is my life’s biggest regret, and it haunts me every day.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian, 1873–1943) lived well into the 20th century, but his compositions are unabashedly Romantic. He started learning the piano at age 4 and graduated from Moscow Conservatory in 1892. Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp minor that he wrote at age 19 became a worldwide hit (and remains a staple of piano repertoire even today). Sadly, that prelude overshadowed much of his early music, and a lack of copyright agreements between Russia and the West meant that Rachmaninoff earned little from its popularity across Europe and the U.S.
Rachmaninoff’s Choral Symphony, The Bells, Opus 35, which premiered in 1913, inspired by the poem by Edgar Allen Poe:
Rachmaninoff premiered his first symphony in 1897, but it was not well-received. Its failure launched him into a three-year depression and writer’s block. However, in 1901, his Piano Concerto No. 2 — which was dedicated to the hypnotherapist who helped him recover — brought him much success and made him a composing and performing phenomenon.
Rachmaninoff’s early body of work included a successful Symphony No. 2 and two piano trios, the beautiful Trios élégiaque, some deeply Russian choral works, many songs and three operas, as well as major sets of variations on themes by Chopin and Corelli for solo piano, plus two books of Etudes-Tableaux.
Political turmoil in Russia spurred Rachmaninoff to travel to the West in the early 1900s. He first toured the U.S. in 1909-10, performing his Third Piano Concerto in New York under Gustav Mahler. (Famous for its complexity and difficulty, this still-popular concert piece was central to the plot of Shine, the 1997 movie about the emotionally-devastated pianist David Helfgott.)
Rachmaninoff emigrated after the Russian Revolution of 1917, eventually settling in the U.S., where he was in demand as both a conductor and a pianist. His virtuosity, impressive stature, large hands and a near-photographic memory gave him a commanding stage presence.
Because Rachmaninoff lived and performed until 1943, we have many recordings of his playing — piano rolls, acoustic discs, electrical recordings. He recorded hit versions of his four piano concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra (under Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy), along with conducting the orchestra himself in his Third Symphony, great tone poem Isle of the Dead and popular Vocalise. He also recorded performances of Beethoven, Schubert, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Scriabin.
He holds a well-deserved reputation for being one of the greatest pianists and composers who ever lived.
My Top 10 Favorite Blogs
What makes for a good blog?
The author’s voice, for one thing. If a post engages me, it’s often because I feel like I’m connecting with a friend, someone who shares my interests and is willing to discuss them with me. It also helps if he/she has a sense of humor and a mostly positive attitude.
The quality of the writing. I’m disappointed with sloppy spelling and grammar. I like to learn something new, so I’m always on the lookout for great content.
Consistency. Stuff happens, and it’s really hard to post something every day or even every week. But I love it when my favorite blogs come through as expected. When a blogger goes off the grid for months at a time, it’s like being ignored by a former BFF. Medical emergencies and family obligations are acceptable reasons to be inactive, but if intend to take a blogging vacation, please let your readers know (so I don’t worry about you or wonder if it’s something I said or did that made you ghost me).
That said, the following blogs meet or exceed my high standards.
My Top 10 Favorite Blogs (in no particular order):
- My OBT stands for My One Beautiful Thing, something Donna Kramer is determined to find anew every day. That doesn’t mean she can’t get a little snarky, like when oddities surface in her weekly Thursday Etsomnia™ post.
- Life Lessons. Judy Dykstra Brown is an artist, photographer, and extraordinary poet. I think I discovered her when I began participating in photography and poetry challenges. When I interviewed her for ARHtistic License, she was so generous with her time and her stories that I had to split her profile into two sections, Part I and Part II.
- Travel with me. I hardly get to travel, so I do it vicariously through this blog. Toonsarah is an excellent photographer.
- Allison Marie. Allison grew up on a farm. She loves animals and art and music. She is also a fantastic photographer, as you can see in this post featuring an ocean sunrise. Just browse. It’s a feast for your eyes.
- Sketch Away. I love Suhita Shirodkar’s style of urban sketching.
- Time for Tangling. Linda posts an incredible Zentangle tile several days a week and tells where she found her inspiration.
- Cee’s Photo Challenges. Cee Neuner has almost 11,750 followers. It is not unusual for one of her posts to have over 100 likes. She’s an awesome photographer, and she’s generous with hints to make you a better photographer too. She runs four photo challenges, including the beloved Flower of the Day. Her blog is also a clearinghouse for other photo and writing challenges, so if you’re looking for inspiration, check her out.
- A Writer’s Path. Ryan Lanz shares his writing expertise and also that of other writers. (I’m also a contributor.) Every writing topic imaginable gets covered from a variety of angles. Excellent writing blog. Followed by over 29,000 readers.
- Folk Dance Musings. Andrew Carnie is very active in the Tucson area folk dance scene. His blog contains directions for hundreds, maybe thousands of dances from all over the world. He often knows who the original choreographer was and can give historic and stylistic background on the dances. The directions are often accompanied by videos. When I write an “I’d Rather Be Dancing” article, his blog is the first place I go for research. I also rely on his directions when I’m asked to lead or teach a dance.
- Your Classical is actually not a blog but a radio station website devoted to classical music. I signed up for their daily download feature, but it’s so much more. There are streaming playlists and stories and musical podcasts. If you like classical music, you’ve got to bookmark it. Have it playing in the background whenever you’re working on your computer.
Now it’s your turn. In your opinion, what does it take for a blog to achieve excellence? What are some of your favorite blogs? If you’ve blogged about this topic, feel free to add a link in the comments below.
Allison Boley
Carol Boley
dgood648
Joy
Andrea R Huelsenbeck
Betty Mason Arthurs
Linda Carlblom
Peggy Levesque
tuesdayschildren100
Judy Robertson
Doing Life Together 