Tomorrow (12.1.2004) is World Aids Day. NPR has an informative AIDs report. More than 15 million children around the world have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. Each one of these children has a name. Each one needs hope.
Think about it – 15,000,000 children. I don’t want your child or mine to be 15,000,001.
The Apostle Luke tells this story; “In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of… When the man saw Jesus, he fell to the ground, face down in the dust, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you want to, you can make me well again.’ Jesus reached out and touched the man. ‘I want to,’ he said. ‘Be healed!'”
God help us, dwight
world aids day
Dwight, as a student of networks, including scale-free networks, have you explored the role of the network in the spread of AIDS?
Heres what Im thinking. Four decades ago, most (90%+?) sex was either in a charter marriage or with a prostitute. And, back then, many prostitutes had a steady clientile, they werent with a different client every night. They were "nodes", but the links were static, changing slowly. The "network" kept sexually transmitted diseases within a few links.
Today, with frequent divorce, that already doubles the links in the vast network. Plus, everyones a node. And everyones a node in a bunch of networks. Thus, STDs travel much faster, and deeper, into the vast network.
Is part of the solution of "beating" AIDS a changing of the network? In other words, should our churches (or Christ Commons, etc.) model an entry to a deeper, non-sexual relationship paradigm? In some parts of the world, or the culture, should relationship building be more important than sermons and songs?
These are just thoughts, they are here for discussion and distillation. Any ideas?
Here is an article by Zoltán Dezso and Albert-László Barabási titled "Can we stop the AIDS epidemic?" it appeared in Physcial Review E 65,(2002).
Its all about Scale Free Network theory and AIDs.
http://www.nd.edu/~networks/PDF/CanWeStop%202002.pdf
I believe that the gospel is Relaitonship. The primary function of the church is to create evnionments where connection is more likely to happen than not. Its all about reconcilation one to the other, or at-one-ment (atonement).
Peace, dwight
Interesting stuff! Certainly, the challenge is ti find the hubs, and relationally eliminate link behavior that causes infection. In other words "Hang with us,, as friends, so you dont hang with others in an infecting mode."
This whole science presents a lot of opportunities, in the non-AIDS arena, of strengthing our churches, and recognizing where the evangelism and discipleship takes place.
On a lighter side, to go along with tomes like "The Life Application Bible", or the "Purpose Driven Bible", I propose "The Scale Free Network Bible.":
John 8:10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and make sure you have a large delta and a small nu."
🙂