So have you heard about the "Walmart Bribery Scandal"?  I certainly have.  And living here in Ixtapaluca, where I once heard we had the world’s highest grossing Walmart, I thought I would stop by briefly and comment.

Now I’m no fan of Walmart – but this is not about the pros and cons of the retail store that so many either love or hate.

But it is an interesting case in point when it comes to business in Mexico, and international relations.

Walmart isn’t the only business that has recently rapidly expanded in Mexico (another would be Canada’s Scotiabank, whose growth has been phenomenal).  But I can’t imagine what other business has matched its growth.  Suddenly, Walmart owns retail stores all over the country, and that’s not all – restaurants, wholesale stores, even a bank – if Walmart didn’t bring it to Mexico, it bought it when it got here.

And what is going to be the reaction if you tell people in Mexico that people in Walmart were taking or giving bribes?

Yeah?  So?

Is this supposed to shock us?

That’s how business is done in Mexico, they might say.  Does that make it right?  Of course not.

And I’m not suggesting that everyone in Mexico takes bribes, or that there are more bribes here than in any other country.

But there is a certain expectation that bribery is out there.  And the opportunity arises frequently.

What if it’s so completely a part of a culture that it has simply become a way people get paid?  There are workers here who live on tips – that’s all the wages they receive.  But there are also workers who are paid very little, because the expectation is that they will be able to care for their family with the extra money they get from bribes.

What if that has become the only way to do business?  What if you can’t build a home, or build an orphanage – without bribes passing hands somewhere?

I’m not suggesting that’s the case here, just trying to help you look at it a different way.  The fact of the matter is, sometimes the line between bribery and honest business is not as clear as we would like it to be.

So if the expectation here is that all businesses are involved in bribes, how should we feel about Walmart getting singled out?  (And I’m not saying whether the claims of bribes are true or not.)

In one of the news articles I read, the first reaction of the Mexican authorities was that they had nothing to investigate.

What if the authorities have to use bribery as a means to investigate the bribery case of one business on a street of other businesses that have done the same?  Just how well is that investigation going to go?

Ah, but Walmart is a US company, and so a lot of fuss can now be made on both sides of the border.  The Mexican government can pledge to help its friend the USA in the investigation (as the saying goes – Poor Mexico, so far from Heaven and so close to the United States).  Presidential hopeful Enrique Peña Nieto can say forceful things like "This is an endemic vice, a vice that leads us nowhere".  And everyone can have something to talk about and complain about for a while.

Pray for peace and justice, and try to take the time to think through the issues.  Sure, we should pray for peace and justice in this case, and in Mexico – but not just here.

And we really shouldn’t be so surprised by injustice when we see it.

100 years ago today, the RMS Titanic sank, after hitting an iceberg the night before.  As the ship sank, the band played on – but what did they play?

Some of the survivors claimed that the last song the band played was "Nearer My God to Thee".  But today, there may not be enough evidence to know for sure.

If this hymn was the last song played, it would certainly be appropriate.  And the very fact that the band played on, calming the passengers, and giving their own lives to do it, is heroic enough, hymn or no hymn.

But as my Dad recently pointed out in his blog, the tune played may not be the tune you’re familiar with.  The scene from A Night to Remember (1958) got it right.  Here’s the clip:

Nearer My God to Thee is a beautiful hymn alluding to the dream of Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-22).

100 years ago today, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg, just south of Newfoundland and west of Nova Scotia.  Early in the morning of the 15th of April, 1912, the ship sank, leading to about 1500 deaths.

Built in Belfast, Ireland, as a part of the White Star Line, it was delivered to Southampton, England before beginning the voyage that was supposed to take it to New York.  As we all know now, the ship never made it.

In the years leading up to 1912, modern technology had promised solutions to human struggles.  Modern philosophy theorized that humanity was developing and evolving and that nothing could stop its eventual triumph.

The sinking of the Titanic shook the confidence of the world in humanity’s achievements.  Two world wars were about to shock the world again, as technology was used to fight and kill and conquer.

Today we’re at it again.  Technology – the great new species that humans will become – the triumph of democracy.  Technology will grant our heart’s desire, humanity will save us, and evolution will finally triumph.  How soon we forget the lessons of the past!

There is only one place where we should put our trust.  Long before the Titanic sailed, King David looked beyond armies and technology to our real hope…

A few months ago we got together with some of the folks who were working on the second season of the documentary series Trashopolis, which had been airing on History Television in Canada.  The series was all about, as you might guess, the garbage in famous cities around the world, such as Rome, London, and New York.

In season two, guess which very important city is featured?  You guessed it!  Our home sweet home, Mexico City.

Now apparently you can watch the episode online in Canada – Trashopolis: Mexico City, but we’re not in Canada, of course, so we haven’t seen it yet.  According to this Trashopolis II page, it will be airing on April 17 and 18.  Maybe some nice person would like to record it and send us a copy!

Meanwhile, you can see the first three minutes or so of the episode below.  And guess what?  You can even see a bit of the footage we took during the Chalco Flood if you watch closely.

Trashopolis has also been aired on the Smithsonian Channel and the National Geographic Channel, though I think they’re still on season 1.

Anyway, here you are – lots of places we’re very familiar with – and, of course, lots of trash…

The earthquake you heard about and some others that you didn’t – a glimpse into this week and the coming week.

This spring CAM International of Canada will be changing its name, and logo.  We mentioned the name change before, but left out one clarification.  Not only will CAM International of Canada become Camino Global, the name will be the same for our sister organization, CAM International, in the USA.  So don’t get confused.

The organizations will also share a logo.  Do you want to know what it is?  Really?  All right, go ahead and click the link…

*sigh*

Just remember, CottrillCompass.com is now 12 years old, so it was here long before the name and logo of Camino Global was thought of.

The good news is, the logo doesn’t look anything like the logo for Camino – the makers of the yummy Camino Chocolate bars.  (Do you think anyone would get confused if we started fundraising using Camino Chocolate?)

One thing I don’t get about the new logo – it’s supposed to represent a path (camino).  Well, if you start along the path in the logo, you end up just about right where you started.  If you enter it like a maze, no matter which way you go in you hit a dead end.  Should I be worried?

Well, as I’ve said before, the change in name and logo is not about a change in purpose.  As CAM completes 122 years of service this November, we’re reminded that the purpose remains the same – to make disciples.  God give us grace to be a part of that vision – which is not only 122 years old, but almost 2000 years old.

And Jesus came and said to them,"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
(Matthew 28:18-20)

Usually I don’t post about things like this, but this is something that has caught my attention for a number of reasons – which I will explain in a moment.  But first a little background.

The Elephant Room?

The Elephant Room is a conference brought about in the USA by Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel.  Two of these conferences have taken place so far.  This is how the Elephant Room (hereafter ER) is described on the official website:

The Elephant Room features blunt conversations between seven influential pastors who take differing approaches to ministry.  No keynotes.  No canned messages.  These are "the conversations you never thought you’d hear."  All conversations are moderated by James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church

The page goes on to explain that both "fidelity and fruitfulness" are important – fidelity to "the biblical Gospel, right doctrine and practice" but also relationships.  Fruitfulness I believe refers to fruitful ministry – results.

Both conferences generated a lot of discussion, but ER2 was in a class of its own.

Most of the discussion has been about a conversation between Mark Driscoll and T.D. Jakes.

About T.D. Jakes

Jakes is a very well known pastor in the USA.  He was on the cover of TIME Magazine in 2001, with the caption Is this man the next Billy Graham?

But Jakes has been generating a lot of controversy long before 2001, as people have expressed concern about his "prosperity gospel" teaching and his modalist views.

This post isn’t actually about that specifically, but you need the background to understand the rest.  Modalism is a view of God that is not the orthodox historic view of the Trinity.  The idea usually is that God is not eternally co-existant as three persons, but that he manifests himself as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This is a very important distinction – but that’s a discussion for another post!

Driscoll and Jakes had their conversation at ER2, and just what Jakes said and what he meant are the eye of the storm.

What did he really say?

Some evangelical leaders basically said,"Great!  Jakes is becoming orthodox!  He has finally accepted the biblical view of the Trinity!  Let’s encourage the man for every small step he takes!"

Others said,"Wait a minute – he did nothing of the sort.  He just said what he has said for years.  And by the way – why didn’t anyone mention the fact that he’s a prosperity gospel preacher?  Shouldn’t that be part of our ‘blunt’ conversation?"

Why I started listening…

So why has this caught my attention so far?  Well, I’ve known a little about T.D. Jakes for many years.  Of course, he’s a very public figure.  So I’m interested in his views.

I’m also interested in James MacDonald.  MacDonald is a Canadian in the USA – interesting to me, since I work with some Americans and have a lot of American friends.  I also have friends that have recommended MacDonald’s ministry to me (and this is not intended as a criticism of MacDonald’s ministry).

So when the two came together, it doubly got my attention.  But then came the conversation I actually want to talk about.

Right after ER2, when there was already quite a bit of controversy, MacDonald filmed a conversation with three pastors who had been at the conference.  These happened to be African American pastors – or [insert politically correct term here] pastors.  I wouldn’t even mention that, but as you’ll see it’s important.

So MacDonald got these pastors together to comment on the conference.  On the purpose of ER2, he said "We don’t know people until we talk to them".

What followed was basically a defence of ER2 – often a defence against the criticisms.

You can watch these post-ER2 interviews online – the first one here, and the second part here.  The first part is what I’ll be mainly talking about.

Post ER2 Defence

A couple of exchanges very much concern me.  Let me first say that this is not a criticism in general of the ministry of any of these men – who were James MacDonald, Bryan Loritts, Charles Jenkins, and Eric Mason.  However, in this particular interview, I wonder if they realize how they’re coming across…

Here’s what Bryan Loritts had to say about the concerns that had been expressed about the interview with Jakes:

Some of the strongest reactions of people were African Americans in the blogosphere.  Um – and I’ll just go ahead and say it – who strike me as wanting so bad to be in the white theological world … to take a little bit of a tangent here … and I’ll get back … the loudest voices in the conservative evangelical world in my estimation right now are your older white Reformed voices.  And so that implicitly sends the message that mature Christianity in the conservative evangelical world is older white.  And you’ve got some African Americans who so idolize that – what some people would call white idolization – that they then feel as if they’ve got to be the voice for black culture to speak against people like T.D.Jakes.  So what happens is – you kind of prop them up.  When the truth of the matter is the term black is very complex.

Now we have some interesting observations here.  But here’s the problem.  I didn’t hear these men addressing the actual issues that had been brought up (issues I’m not getting into in this post – it’s long enough as it is!  But they are important issues.).

Instead, Loritts is talking about the motivations of those who are expressing concerns.

He starts with some statements.  Some of the strongest reactions were from African American bloggers.  Then he says that some of the loudest voices in one area of evangelical Christianity today are older white and reformed.  So that sends a bad message, apparently.

First, I suppose it depends on who you listen to.  Christianity is, and has been for a long time – a very global thing.  Today it’s more global than ever.

But to continue… apparently these African Americans who speak out against Jakes are doing it because they want to fit in with those older white reformed folk.

So what’s the message so far?  Please, don’t express concerns about Jakes if you are:

• older
• white
• reformed
• an African American who agrees with Mr. older-white-reformed

Is this sounding a bit strange to you?

Now another reason this conversation interested me is because I’m dealing with different cultures every day.  I work with Americans, and I live in Mexico.

Admittedly, I’m not an expert in the whole US culture (to put it mildly).  And in other parts of these videos, the men do bring up valid points.  There are cultural issues at stake here.  We can’t quickly judge someone of another culture (ie Jakes).  It takes time to really listen and understand.

But when we start silencing people because of their age – their race – their doctrinal views – and perhaps most dangerous of all, their motivations …. that’s starting down a whole new road.  And it takes us a long way from MacDonald’s stated purpose of ER2 – We don’t know people until we talk to them.

They also talked about the importance of relationship.  Naturally, I haven’t read everything – in fact I’ve read very little – that people have said and written on either side of this issue.  But what I’ve heard from the let’s not be so quick to call Jakes orthodox camp has been very respectful.  It’s been seeking to understand the man.  And in many cases it has been concern for Jakes as much as anything else.

Now on to our second exchange, between MacDonald and Eric Mason.

Mason:  This whole thing is real complex and I’ve been trying to wade through it.  Um …Especially after you and I talked and I kind of just read some of the things – I hate blogs but -
MacDonald:  Yeah
Mason:  But I read ‘em…
MacDonald:  Amen
Mason:  …only when they’re necessary
MacDonald:  Right.

So now we can add someone to the list of people not to listen to – and this was kind of insinuated by Loritts – bloggers.

Those evil tinkers bloggers

That’s right – the guy sitting in his mom’s basement, sipping Coke (or maybe something bad – like a Pepsi) and taking pot-shots at people from behind the safety of a keyboard.  You gotta hate those bloggers.

I understand that blogs have their place – since anyone can blog, blog posts go from the sublime to the ridiculous.  I have a certain respect – I think healthy respect – for pastors and others in the thick of ministry, or with a great deal of experience, or those who have taken the time to carefully study an issue.

I would have thought that MacDonald was kind of joking here – but he looked like he was seriously "Amening" Mason’s statement about hating blogs  Really?  Hating blogs is now a virtue?

I just finished reminding the believers here in Ixtapaluca that we are all a part of the royal priesthood.  We are all responsible to study and share God’s Word.  We are all responsible to share Christ’s love, and stand up for the truth.

It concerns me when, instead of addressing the issues, we start talking about who can and can’t be a part of the wider conversation.

You may remember that I recently read a biography of John Bunyan (author of The Pilgrim’s Progress).  You may know that he was a pastor and a preacher, and that he spent most of the prime years of his life in prison.

You may not know that he was a tinker, someone who mended old pots and similar objects.

One of the main reasons (perhaps excuses) that he was thrown into prison was because he was preaching without a license.  In other words, he was just a tinker – and a tinker had no right to speak on spiritual matters.

I’ll bet he would have blogged if he was alive today – he wrote a lot.  They might have said, he was just a blogger – and a blogger had no right to speak on spiritual matters.

I’m all for treating people with respect – listening to what they have to say – not making snap judgements.  But when we start excluding people from speaking because of race, age, denomination, and the way they communicate – are we really practising what we preach?

Incidentally, I follow James MacDonald’s blog – that’s where I found these interviews.

Sure, there are times when people who we don’t know are spouting things off online (or off line) that it’s just better to ignore.  But it might be because of their lack of respectful language (and they don’t seem open to talking), or because we have no relationship with them (and obviously can’t answer every error online) – but surely we shouldn’t ignore them because of race or the type of software they prefer.

I hope these men did not intend to come across the way they did.  But sadly the attitude that certain people should not be allowed to speak at all is common – and won’t be going away any time soon.  I just hope that attitude isn’t becoming common in the Church.

Some of you have kids who are just starting to use Facebook (ours aren’t there yet).  As in every area of life, it’s important to train them to use this for God’s glory – right?

Here are some thoughts on just that, taken from a longer video entitled God’s Technology:

Incidentally, I just heard a sermon by David Murray that also focused on technology, and the "noise" that we so easily let into our lives.  If you’re interested, you can listen to that right here:  Be Still

So you’re with CAM International – is that a new mission?  (Well, newish – long after the apostles…. only about 121 years old….)  And does "CAM" stand for something?  (Well… it used to stand for Central America Mission.  These days it’s just "CAM".)

CAM CAM CAM… for the last 8 years or so, we’ve been "CAMers".  My family has been involved with CAM.  My parents were married by CAM missionaries.  Uncle Cam, founder of Wycliff Bible Translators (Cameron Townsend) started out as a CAM missionary.

We own a CAMera.  CAM missionaries enjoy a lot of CAMaraderie.  In Mexico, CAM is involved in a CAMp.

In the essentials, CAM has never changed all that much – CAMers have always focused on the Spanish speaking parts of the world, and have always been passionate about discipleship.

But … every once in a while … there’s a bit of confusion about the name.  CAM.

So – we’re going to try to make things a little clearer.  Give it a Spanish feel.  Yes, CAM International is going to change its name.

Not yet – not until Spring 2012.

But the announcement has been made… the new name has been chosen… it will be…

Camino Global.

Camino (that’s CAM with an ino) is a Spanish word meaning "way" or "road".  It’s pronounced caw-ME-no.  Sort of.

CAM International and CAM International of Canada have an official announcement up where you can read all the details.  Read about Camino Global here.

To clarify, the name hasn’t changed yet.  But stay tuned for more.

And remember, it’s still all about reaching and sending Spanish speakers – discipleship – and serving the Lord Jesus.  It’s a name change, not a direction change.

There’s another countdown going on… the countdown to Hannah and Nathanael’s birthday party tomorrow!

Why a party?  Well, you know the obvious reason – it’s for Hannah and Nathanael!  Believe it or not, they have to put up with a lot in the life we live.  And we’re happy to make the time to thank God for their lives (as we say here in Mexico) and honour them.

But we like it when things are multipurpose.  Part of the reason we put on parties (as opposed to just having a little family party, for example), is to bring people together.  Believers, non-believers, they can talk and play together.  We can get to know people that we don’t usually see outside of a certain context (for example, parents of Hannah’s classmates).

We also like to find ways to stimulate conversation.  Maybe giving out a colouring page with a verse on it.  Or playing a game based on a Bible story.  Who knows?  (No, I really don’t know … not quite ready for this party yet!)

So we do pray that each party is an opportunity to give to people and to glorify God.  Only a few hours until the party begins!

You’ve probably heard about another countdown – the one from Harold Camping of Family Radio in the USA.  Camping is claiming that the world will come to an end – well, specifically, the rapture will occur and earthquakes will begin at 6pm on the 21st of May… tomorrow.

That’s 6pm whatever time zone you’re in, which means the earthquakes are supposed to occur in sequence around the world as it changes to 6pm in each time zone.

No one really knows how many people are taking Camping seriously.  He has told his followers that churches are ruled by Satan, so they have left the churches (that’s right, if you belong to a local church, you’re under Satan’s rule and are in big trouble tomorrow, according to Camping).  However, he is heard all over the world – a Mexican friend even mentioned him to me the other day.

I’ve seen a few major false date-setting prophecies in my lifetime, but I don’t think anyone has been watched as closely as this one.  Videos on YouTube have featured Camping each day for the last two weeks.  Major news outlets mock him.  And he’s been live on the radio each day, being both mocked and admired.

Some are ready to report on the failure of his prophecy – for example, you can report in your area when it’s 6pm and the rapture has failed to occur.  Or, if you believe in the 21st of May date, you can hire an atheist to look after your pet when you go.

When it is beyond any reasonable doubt tomorrow that Camping is a false prophet, what will happen to his followers?  Some have left their families, sold everything, or have just enough to make it until tomorrow.  Chances are, most won’t find their way to a Bible believing church, but instead will be convinced that all this Bible stuff is nonsense (if they don’t give up on life altogether).

Meanwhile, as usual the world will lump in true believers with people like Camping, who uses very biblical language and mixes in truth with error.  "You don’t believe in the end of the world like that NUT, do you?"  And how will you answer?

It’s sad to see people pushed away from the kingdom by false prophets, but not unexpected.  Remember what Paul said to Timothy (1Tim 4:1-4):

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

So remember to pray for those who are deceived, remember to go back to what the Bible says, and be ready to give an answer – whether it be on the street or at a party.