On the Square Today

In today’s On the Square feature, Seth Chalmer warns about the dangers of looking for someone to blame for our current economic crisis :

Yes, it is true: there are Jews Occupying Wall Street—not only in the banks, but at the barricades. The High Holidays brought hundreds of such Jews together for an Occupy Yom Kippur service, where the righteous radicals preached atonement—not so much speaking about themselves, of course, but rather about those sinful titans of industry across the street. (It’s very easy to get into the spirit of Yom Kippur when you’re talking about someone else’s need for repentance.) Plans are underway for Occupying Sukkot. Surely, it might be claimed, this is proof that my Jewishly motivated wariness is entirely inappropriate. How could the Occupiers be echoing antisemites of old, with so many Jews in their midst?

Those who know Christ know differently. Those who know themselves to be on pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God know that sex, as important as it is, can no more define us than can power or money, ethnicity, or politics. Those whose eyes are open to the truth of God can see what the culture dare not imagine.

Wesley Hill believes that it’s all true, and in his little book, Washed and Waiting , he has offered a look at what it is like to be a young homosexual man who believes that the most important thing is to follow Jesus. He is utterly forthright, his book poignant, thoughtful, and engaging.