NOVEMBER Week 4.

Social Justice Material and Tradition Elements for this Block:

GOVERNANCE

Street Fight. This movie can be watched instantly on Netflix, or ordered from http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/street.html. NPR interviews: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5446231 Ephesians 6:10-12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Some 1st century Jews and Christians perceived in the Roman Empire a demonic spirituality which they called Satan (the Dragon of Revelation 12). But they encountered this spirit in the actual institutional forms of Roman life: legions, governors, crucifixions, payment of tribute, Roman sacred emblems and standards, and so forth (the beast of Revelation 13) Powers are the impersonal spiritual realities at the center of institutional life. Walter Wink, The Powers That Be Objectives.
Through an in depth look at one political battle, participants will begin to think critically about issues of race, age, poverty democracy, economics, etc. in the political arena. Participants will also think more intentionally about their own knowledge of politics at the local level and reflect on how they might participate during their year of service. Participants will think about how political issues in their communities connect to issues they confront at their service sites. Participants will reflect on how their faith informs the way they understand political bodies and governments and what it means to be in relationship faithfully with the powers and principalities of our day.

Background for Facilitator.

This lesson plan is designed for use in conjunction with Street Fight, a 90-minute long documentary about the 2002 mayoral race in Newark, New Jersey. The film follows the campaign of Cory Booker, a 32-year old Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law graduate running against Sharpe James, the four-term incumbent twice his age. The film chronicles the young man's struggle against the city's entrenched political machine, which routinely uses strong-arm tactics to hold onto power. The battle sheds light on important questions about democracy, power,

poverty and race. The film can be watched instantly on Netflix or ordered at http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/street.html. Following the making of this movie, Booker did win the Newark Mayoral election in 2006. There is an NPR interview with him here, as well as interviews with both candidates before the 2002 election which could be used if there is not time to watch the whole film. NPR interviews: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5446231 Using the scripture passages above and resources like Walter Wink, we can also use this film to reflect on the nature of government as one of the Powers and Principalities. As people of faith, what is our role and relationship with the Powers? The Powers are not necessarily evil. This ethos or soul of an institution, system, nation or epoch can influence us positively or negatively. It can motivate us to extraordinary unselfishness and service for good or it can be manipulated in the service of evil.

For this session, please plan to spend 80 150 minutes together. Materials You Will Need.
Screen/monitor to show video and a way to play audio recording Journals and pens Large paper and markers Access to Netflix or the film Street Fight and access to the internet

Presentation of The Material. 20 /90 min.

Have participants watch the movie Street Fight. This movie can be watched instantly on Netflix, or ordered from http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/street.html. (If you do not have time to watch the entire film, you can watch clips from it on Netflix and listen to NPR interviews with the two candidates at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5446231)

Gut Response. 10 min.

Give participants five minutes to get initial responses to this material down on paper in their journals. Encourage them include intellectual and emotional reactions, what their favorite bit/quote is, and anything in between. Ask them to think about which people they identified with and why, what questions they might have for the people in the film, what role did race play in the political battle, how do they see these issues continuing to be contentious or not in current political debates and elections?

Group Reflection. 20 min.

Begin with a group discussion based on their journaling. If they need questions to jump start the conversation, consider these:

What struck you about this movie? What surprised you? If you could ask any person in the movie a question, who would it be and what would you ask? Did you identify with any particular person and why? What does this move provoke in your thinking about local political issues and elections? What about the role of race in this political fight? Poverty? Who makes decisions your community?

When there has been ample time for discussion, listen to the NPR interview with Booker after winning the mayoral election in 2006. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5446231) Discuss any reflections that the group has based on this updated information. What changed? How did Booker himself change? Do you reflect on the movie any differently knowing this outcome?

Engagement of the Material: Group Activity. 20 min.

If there is time, consider the following activity: Thinking Locally Ask how many participants are registered to vote. Ask those who are not registered why they are not registered. Write responses on newsprint. Ask how many students, who are registered to vote, voted in the last election. Ask those that did not vote why they did not vote. Write responses on newsprint. Brainstorm what issues are most important to members of the group and jot those down on big pieces of paper. Are any of those issues the result of laws that have been passed? Are there any issues that they have seen in their service work that are the result of laws that have been passed? Discuss ways that volunteers can be more involved in their local community during the rest of the year. Can they become educated on the political issues going on around them? Do they know who their local and state representatives are and where they stand on issues that they care about? Have they ever considered attending a local city council meeting?

Synthesis. 10 min.
Discuss these scriptures in light of the political material we have just been discussing. How do we as people of faith interact with the powers? How do we influence the powers to be ethical and for the service of all? What does it mean that even the powers and principalities were created by God?

Pillar Signature: Ideas for Next Steps.

Spend an hour or more at a city council or school board meeting and come back and discuss it with the group.

While there, think about: o What is the process for discussion and decision making? o Who is listening and who is not listening? o How much time does each person get to talk about their issues? o What issues are underlying what is brought to the surface (such as race, class, gender, age, access to resources, poverty, etc.)?

Prayer.
Oh God, let us faithfully engage in the world around us, discerning carefully what our role should be in the structures of power that govern our communities, both close to home and in the world. Help us to name the demonic elements such as racism and poverty when they are present in the Powers and Principalities. Help us to be empowered to act responsibly in these confrontations and call our politicians to account for the values we hold dear. Above all, help us to walk humbly and to love deeply our communities and our neighbors.

** additional resource materials/web links**

Walter Wink, The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium, Three Rivers Press, 1999. Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw, Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, Zondevan, 2008.