Zeitgeist 27.0: All Saints and scholars edition

Submitted by Alex Carpenter on November 1, 2007 - 5:30am.

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(World)

Hunting through Haiti, Blog the Debt's saintly scholar, Jeb, researches some economic violence:

In mid-August 2007 Nazaire St. Fort and myself took a tap-tap transport heading out on Delmas toward downtown Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. We soon passed in front of the National Palace, the seat of so many past Haitian presidents and governments.

Crossing a street near the palace, we reached the Ministry of Planification and right next to it the Ministry of Finance. We visited two other government ministries soon after, spending the next few days traveling between them all, entering into rarely touched archives and in the process probably bugging quite a number of ministerial employees (although making friendly acquaintances along the way).

In one archive a young page told us that he believed some of the documents had disappeared under the previous unelected interim government, but he could tell us little more. His boss did not seem friendly to the question when we pressed the issue.

But overall, what we found was astonishing.

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(America)

Seattle-based social justice hip-hop artists Blue Scholars

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(Community)

The Nation's Max Blumenthal, a scholar often among the right, hits up the Values Voters Conference and let's the saints speak for themselves, for the most part.

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(Scripture)

For all the saints
Who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith
Before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus,
be forever blessed!
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion,
Fellowship divine:
We feebly struggle,
They in glory shine.
Yet all are one
within Thy great design!
Alleluia, Alleluia!

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(You)

Revolution in Jesusland analysizes a growing trend among saints:

I can no longer keep track of how many white, middle class or affluent Christians I’ve met who have moved to poverty-stricken, crime-ridden city blocks as part of locally organized attempts to redeem neighborhoods. If you are doing that, or know some folks who are, can you please email me and tell me about it? I would love to start visiting some of these communities and getting permission to write about them.

Email me at: info@RevolutionInJesusland.com

Whatever your suspicions are toward these folks, you have to admit that this is a fascinating phenomenon. They are going against every single instinct that is bred into us white yuppies from day one. I’m happy to say that my parents were people who resisted those instincts—but I still got it from everywhere else: media, friends & school, neighbors, etc… In other words, this stuff couldn’t be piled higher on top us us. If you’re one of us, you know what I’m talking about. Lock that door. Take the highway instead of Broadway. Don’t stop at THAT gas station, go a little further on. Yet these people are not only getting out of their cars in the roughest of neighborhoods, but are moving into former crack houses for Christ.

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