“In this paper, I begin the discussion of my Doctor of Ministry project and dissertation for the Berkeley School of Theology. In the first section, I present the problem of creating a theological study program for use in jail and my vision for its solution. The second section considers my theological basis, including three inspiring scriptures that have influenced my thinking. These are followed by a summary and conclusion. My theological basis and the proposed project and dissertation are informed by my experience as a Santa Clara County, California, jail chaplain since 2015.” The three Bible scriptures are Matthew 25:31-46, Genesis 39-41, and Acts 16:22-40. Read the whole paper here.
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ProQuest has just published my Master’s thesis, “Range of Chaplain Engagement with Prisoners” – Hooray! I am still waiting for the 158 page document to appear in the Graduate Theological Union Library catalogue, which will be more easily referenced. I have been waiting since my thesis was signed off in February 2021 for the GTU and ProQuest to make my thesis available so I am very happy that this process is (mostly) complete.
Abstract
Most congregations interested in jail or prison ministry start slowly, with a desire to act righteously, with moral correctness and integrity but without a strategic plan, goals, or structure. The range of chaplain engagement with prisoners reflects aspects of both sociology and theology. This thesis presents data and a novel tool to extend ministry participation and best practices to benefit prisoners and those reentering society after incarceration.
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The Curse of Ham by Goldenberg, Stand Your Ground by Douglas
The Reverend Doctor LeAnn Snow Flesher was our professor for a Berkeley School of Theology class this summer called “White Supremacy and the Bible.” My final paper was “Ethnocentrism and Racism.” The paper starts:
“Are ethnocentrism and racism different or the same, and what difference does this make? I engage these terms regarding American social structures, biology, and power / domination, as well as considering to what extent ethnocentrism and racism are mutually exclusive or overlapping. I will focus on two of our class books that examine these and related concepts, the Rev. Canon Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas’s Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God, and Dr. David M. Goldenberg’s The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This paper starts by reviewing definitions of ethnocentrism and racism from a variety of sources, followed by a section on what Douglas and Goldenberg write and seem to mean by those concepts, concluding with a section that considers how these meanings make a difference.”
You can read the whole paper here. Below is the “Social /Cultural Group Evaluation – Ethnocentrism <-> Racism Scale” graphic, discussed on pages 19-20 of the paper.
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Jaguar and hummingbird rain forest carvings, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
In August 2021, John Plocher,Paul D. Goodman and I enjoyed a lovely vacation at Cielo Lodge in Golfito, Costa Rica during which we were delighted to visit the indigenous artisans of Boruca in their mountain village. We brought home two carvings to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary of our daughter and son-in-law, Jessica Dickinson Goodman and Matthew Holmes. In a prior blog, I wrote about the Boruca carvings in balsa wood of nature, particularly jaguars (symbolizing male power and protection of the tribe) and butterflies (symbolizing female power and beauty). The symbolism of a butterfly and a jaguar to celebrate a wedding anniversary seemed right.
This is to consider another aspect of these carvings, the faces in the rainforest. In both the butterfly carving by Gabriel Leira (above) and the one by Markos Boruca (below), you can see a brown face with yellow, green, blue, white, and other colored lines highlighting the features. Our indigenous guide told us that these faces represent the Boruca people who are also part of the forest.
Janguar and hummingbird rain forest carvings – reverse, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
Hummingbird and butterfly rain forest carving by Markos Boruca, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
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Jaguar and butterfly carving by Boruca Lourdes, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
Hummingbird and butterfly rain forest carving by Markos Boruca, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
Our family just returned from a lovely vacation at Cielo Lodge in Golfito, Costa Rica where, among other discoveries, I learned about the indigenous artisans of Boruca. The Boruca folk art wood carvings remind me strongly of Mexican Alebrijes. Many years ago, I started a collection of Alebrijes when I was a member of the Board of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco. Alebrijes are fantastical folk sculptures often originating from Oaxaca. They are carved from copal wood and other materials, then painted. Many times it is the carver who signs the piece but the painting is often done by the whole family. Many people were introduced to Alebrijes as spirit guardians in the 2017 Disney movie Coco.
In the Boruca village, our indigenous guide told us that the carving wood is from the fast-growing balsa and designs are often inspired by traditional masks from the Danza de los Diablos ceremony. The annual ceremony celebrates the Costa Rican tribe fighting off the Spanish Conquistadores. Devils are a common theme in Boruca carvings but there are also images from nature, particularly jaguars (symbolizing male power and protection of the tribe) and butterflies (symbolizing female power and beauty). The bright blue Morpho butterfly is a favorite.
Jaguar masks, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
Sea creature carvings by Elias Moia, Boruca, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Alebrije crocodile by Margarito Melchor Fuentes, Oaxaca, Mexico
Alebrije Jaguar by Cornelio Ortega, Oaxaca, Mexico
Alebrije Rabbit by Antonio Carrillo, Arrazola, Oaxaca, Mexico
Alebrijes – Insect by Alpina, and Giraffe by Jesus Melchor, Oaxaca, Mexico
Insect Alebrijes by Tribus Mixes, Oaxaca, Mexico
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Rainbow from Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
John and Paul and I just returned from a lovely, restful vacation at Cielo Lodge in Golfito, Costa Rica. We had planned to be there for ten days but American Airlanes stranded us for two days in Dallas, Texas, on our way out (and then refused to communicate online or by phone, or reimburse for hotels or rides) so we had a shorter vacation. We got to see a remarkable number of Costa Rican plants and animals (here is my partial list), as well as visiting the indigenous artisans village of Boruca. John even got to explore what is left of two old trains from the Ferrocarril del Sur line in Golfito. The food at Cielo Lodge by Chef Cesar Chinchilla was excellent and we were very well cared for by owners Nicole and Keith Goldstein. Daniel Fonck, the staff naturalist, and manager and gardener Catalina Torres answered endless questions patiently.
This trip was to belatedly celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic. Even though Costa Rica is at the top level of Covid-19 danger (CDC Level 4 – Very High), we felt safe. The eco-lodge is isolated and when we were in public, most people wore masks indoors and washed hands before entering any building. Before going to the airport to return to the USA, we took BinaxNow Covid-19 home tests to be sure none of us had caught the disease during our travels.
On the way home, we were able to see something of San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, escorted by local guide Guiselle Sibaja. Of special interest was the Mercado Municipal De Artesanias, where we found the shop of Edgar Deo Alvarez of Guanacaste – Chorotega who makes traditional indigenous pit-fired pre-columbian-style ceramics and stone carvings.
Click for Video: Spotted grey dolphins, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Welcome to Costa Rica, August 2021
Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Paul, Daniel, Nicole, John at Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Catalina, Daniel, Paul, Nicole, Katy, John at Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Cielo Lodge suite 1, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Outside shower, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Red eyed frogs, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Paul D Goodman and John Plocher, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Casados Dinner by Chef Cesar Chinchilla, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Paul D Goodman and Katy Dickinson, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Anoli lizard eating a beetle, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Poison dart frog by Daniel Fonck, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Squirrel Monkey, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
John Plocher, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Green tree opossum by John Plocher, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Three toed sloth by Paul D Goodman, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Paul D Goodman and Daniel Fonck, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Crocodile and Butterfly by Paul D Goodman, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Spotted Grey Dolphins leaping, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
John Plocher, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village entry sign, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village, Costa Rica, August 2021
Boruca village masks, Costa Rica, August 2021
Katy Dickinson, Puerto Jiménez, Costa Rica, August 2021
John Plocher, Katy Dickinson, Paul D Goodman, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Ferrocarril del Sur railway Baldwin engine 81, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
John with Ferrocarril del Sur railway Baldwin engine 81, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Edgar Deo Alvarez of Guanacaste – Chorotega, San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2021
Edgar Deo Alvarez of Guanacaste – Chorotega, San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2021
Click for Video: Red eyed green frog, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Click for Video: Coati – eating at Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
Click for Video: Blunt headed tree snake, Cielo Lodge, Golfito, Costa Rica, August 2021
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At the end of March 2021, we adopted Bailey from the San Jose Animal Shelter. She is a mostly Malinois (a type of Belgian Shepherd) who is just over a year old. That is, Bailey is a teenager in dog-years. She is smart and active and curious, so John is spending quite a bit of time socializing and training her. In the afternoons our two 10 year-old dogs (Redda and Gilroy) are happy to sleep in their kennel, away from her energetic puppy demands to play.
We have dogs not only as pets but also to warn us when there are trespassers on the Guadalupe River bank that is our back property line. Several times a week there are homeless or random people who think (despite the signs and fences) that our yard is some kind of public park. Some of these transient neighbors decide that our ladders, bikes, tools, or other stuff are just what they need. Our dogs earn their keep by making our yard less accessible to petty thieves and unwelcome sightseers.
Bailey is sweet and cuddly, loves to run fast, jump in her water trough, and try to drink from the hose. Gilroy is teaching her to play fetch but while she will take his ball, she does not want to give it back. On the advice of a dog trainer, we are nose training Bailey – that is, giving her the task of hunting for treats using only scent – to engage her mind. We have to enforce daily naps so Bailey does not get over-tired.
At the same time as managing the dogs, our 15 year-old cockatiel birds (Guapo and Sparky) have developed health issues. Guapo in particular has been falling off his perch. Our vet suggested that we raise the floor of their cage. We also added cotton pillowcases for padding to make his splats softer. Guapo’s tail feathers are already starting to grow back.
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