{"id":155,"date":"2009-08-10T12:56:17","date_gmt":"2009-08-10T12:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/flirtingwithfaith\/2009\/08\/civil-disobedience-and-the-mortgage-crisis-an-idea-whose-time-has-come-or-old-tactics-in-a-new-world.html"},"modified":"2009-08-10T12:56:17","modified_gmt":"2009-08-10T12:56:17","slug":"civil-disobedience-and-the-mortgage-crisis-an-idea-whose-time-has-come-or-old-tactics-in-a-new-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/flirtingwithfaith\/2009\/08\/civil-disobedience-and-the-mortgage-crisis-an-idea-whose-time-has-come-or-old-tactics-in-a-new-world.html","title":{"rendered":"Civil Disobedience and the Mortgage Crisis: An Idea Whose Time Has Come or Old Tactics in a New World?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

I received this
\nnote on Facebook a few moments ago from Mark Van Steenwyk, member of and urban
\nintentional community called Missio Dei <\/a>and
\nblogger\/editor at Jesus Manifesto.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Made
\nme wonder what, if any, place traditional civil disobedience has in a world so
\nloud with information that wars, typhoons and pandemics sometimes seem like a
\nblip on the screen between HGTV and the Discovery Channel. A world where, rightly or wrongly, people who are
\ndown on their luck are frequently dismissed as the cause of their own difficulties.
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Would love to know what you think about Rosemary Williams and Mark’s call to action…<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Friends,<\/span>
Please read
\nthrough this–at least scan it–and make note of the appeal I make at the
\nbottom. I’m not sending this to everyone I know, just a handful of church
\nleaders that I believe may be sympathetic to the cause.<\/span>

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For the past
\nseveral months, my community (Missio Dei) has been following the case of
\nRosemary Williams. After living in her neighborhood for 55 years, she is facing
\nforeclosure. For many like Rosemary, banks have been unwilling to really sit
\ndown and help people keep their homes. It makes financial sense for banks to
\nstonewall…there is nothing in it for them to show compassion.\u00a0<\/span>

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And so, after
\ncourt cases and unsuccessful attempts at getting GMAC to negotiate, Rosemary
\nand those standing with her are facing tresspassing charges as they remain at
\nher home–a home that she’s lived in for years. As arrests loom, Rosemary is
\nasking the Church to come bear witness to the arrests. Religious leaders still
\nhave pull in the public eye. When they bear witness to (or participate in)
\nCivil Disobedience, it helps religious folk see injustice.<\/span>

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Rosemary is a
\n55-year resident of the Central Neighborhood in south Minneapolis. She has been
\nfighting to save her home for almost a year now. After months of
\nnon-communication from the mortgage holders, an eviction was ordered this
\nspring. Ms. Williams, along with dozens of community supporters, tried to use
\nthe courts to stop the eviction, only to find out that pursuing “justice”
\nwould cost us $49,000. Meanwhile Rosemary has also been desperately trying to
\nget financing to save her home, a process that takes time, especially in this
\neconomic and bank climate. Through it all, Ms. Williams makes it clear that she
\nis standing up to inspire everyone to fight against these unjust foreclosures
\nand evictions.\u00a0<\/span>

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you are at
\nall sympathetic–whether you agree or not–would you be willing to come to
\nRosemary’s house today to simply bear witness? To see and hear what is
\nhappening so that others may know? A couple members of Missio Dei are standing
\nwith Rosemary to face arrest as a stand against injustice. Rosemary is asking
\nfor pastors and church leaders to come bear witness to the arrests, so that her
\nstory can be told…in these days, a name and a face needs to be attached to
\nthe masses facing homelessness. The Church needs to tell stories that reveal
\ninjustice so that, we hope, financial institutions will be shamed into
\npracticing hospitality.\u00a0<\/span>

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At current
\nrates, 9 million homes will be foreclosed by 2012. This means that, in coming
\nmonths and years, homeless will continue to be on the rise. What caused this
\nsituation? Certainly it was a lack of wisdom by some homeowners. But it was
\nalso caused by unexpected job loss and predatory lending.<\/span>
If you are
\nwilling to come and simply bear witness, please contact me (mark at
\nmissio-dei.com) or come to 3138 Clinton Ave S, Minneapolis sometime today
\n(Monday) or, if arrests haven’t been made, tomorrow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Please past this on to
\npastors, church leaders, religious brothers and sisters, etc…<\/span>

<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

peace of Christ
\nupon you,<\/span>
Mark Van Steenwyk<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I received this note on Facebook a few moments ago from Mark Van Steenwyk, member of and urban intentional community called Missio Dei and blogger\/editor at Jesus Manifesto.\u00a0\u00a0Made me wonder what, if any, place traditional civil disobedience has in a world so loud with information that wars, typhoons and pandemics sometimes seem like a blip…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-growth"],"yoast_head":"\nCivil Disobedience and the Mortgage Crisis: An Idea Whose Time Has Come or Old Tactics in a New World? - Flirting with Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/flirtingwithfaith\/2009\/08\/civil-disobedience-and-the-mortgage-crisis-an-idea-whose-time-has-come-or-old-tactics-in-a-new-world.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Civil Disobedience and the Mortgage Crisis: An Idea Whose Time Has Come or Old Tactics in a New World? 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