On the high road beyond

the small German village,

I catch sight

of his hands and see mine –

Spindly fingers, nails nervously

nibbled and the all-too-familiar

stains

from late nights and dreams

on page.

 

The fingers slide through

black bootstraps, and the

stains

are indistinct as he

ties the knot.

 

I catch up to him, unseen

and with him,

I stare away south,

at the baby teeth of the Alps,

nibbling tentatively at the sky.

 

“Why go,” I ask,

Thinking of the girl whose

father

made those fine boots,

the woman who

carries

my family name.

 

Glancing back,

He faces me with tired

eyes, all-too-familiar,

and whispers,

“The mountains

have better poems.”

Crazy—I really don’t care how many times you repeat the word.

My particular brand of insanity is lusted for the world over

            By lovers of Shakespeare and Spektor

            By followers of Thoreau, Siddhartha, Christ.

 

So call me a crazy lunatic

Shake your head in disapproval

                        Go on about your business, your science,

            But leave me this peculiar notion of mine.

 

It’s my voice.

            It’s not the type of voice to land a big label deal

            Or shout prophecies from the curbs,

                        but it’s mine all the same.

 

I like it,

            Weak as it is, and untraditional

                        it can bring a room to silence

                        echo across the acres of an untamed land

                        capture thoughts behind bars of iron

            Create life, woo hearts, cry the tears of three generations.

 

So call me crazy, but leave my voice alone.

            I am no Shakespeare

                           Spektor

                           Savior

But I’ve got a song to sing.

After reading crevis_05's post about the Manhattan Declaration (which I have artfully linked so you can read the entire document), I've been thinking about what the document implies. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way opposed to the unity of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant siblings. I am not even opposed to signing religious statements. I am, however, concerned about the message of the document.

The Manhattan Declaration proclaims of the drafters and signers, "We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths." Great. Christians joined together to speak truth! They further state: "It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season." Even better! These people are dedicated to spreading the Gospel in all its fullness.

Or are they?

The three foundational principles that they call the body of Christ to affirm are these:

1) The profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life.

2) Marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and;

3) Religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.

Granted, their concern for these issues is grounded in scripture and seeks to honor God, but I hardly feel that these three issues sum up the most important ideas the Church as a whole needs to hear. When Christians cross "historic lines of ecclesial differences," I expect to hear more than a great big: "We hold these truths to be self-evident - that above all other Kingdom priorities are the sanctity of life, marriage, and the pursuit of happiness." (A mash-up with another declaration. Who could resist the opportunity?)

Further, I don't believe that these principles, biblical though they may be, sum up "the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness," as the document would appear to imply. The Declaration reads more like a political manifesto than an ecumenical statement of faith.

Here's a few ideas that I think better express the Gospel:

3 Principles that sum up what God requires (Micah 6:8 NIV) :

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

2 Commandments that sum up the whole teaching of God (Matthew 22:37-40 MSG):

Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."

1 Savior with a message of reconciliation and new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 CJB):

Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation - the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new! And it is all from God, who through the Messiah has reconciled us to himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation, which is that God in the Messiah was reconciling mankind to himself, not counting their sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors of the Messiah; in effect, God is making his appeal through us. What we do is appeal on behalf of the Messiah, "Be reconciled to God! God made this sinless man be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with him we might fully share in God's righteousness."


In my opinion, these are the beliefs we should unify around. These are the "issues" that should drive our actions.

What do you think?
Does the Manhattan Declaration express your highest values?
Given the opportunity the Manhattan drafters had, what would you have said?