You need to watch what happened today. And how you can help!

The woman operating the camera really did an amazing job keeping her cool in a terrible situation.

Protesting is not a crime. Putting tarps over computer equipment and handmade signs to keep the rain off is not a crime.

Everyone we met this weekend, everyone we talked to, was so smart, generous, and committed to peace. The occupiers have been working so hard in General Assembly meetings to stay organized, comply with police requests, and bring life and spirit to the occupation that we absolutely fell in love with our new brothers and sisters. This is what hope looks like. This is what Christianity looks like.

And, good news! Despite the police raids this morning, those not arrested have been joined by many more - tonight's meeting in Zuccotti Park/Liberty Plaza seems to at least one Twitter observer to be possibly the largest yet.

Here's what you can do:
Send supplies! Contact: support@usdayofrage.org 347 640 0925 http://bit.ly/oo538N
Send money for sleeping bags, generators and other supplies: https://www.wepay.com/donate/194073?utm_campaign=donations&utm_medium=link&utm_source=facebook&ref_uid=3285041
Send food! Do what Wisconsin did for their Capitol occupiers last spring and buy the occupiers an OccuPie pizza, made especially for the occupation by Liberato's Pizza in Lower Manhattan: 212-344-3464 ($15 for an OccuPie, they'll know what to do) or donate to the other food budget (so far soooo good!): wepay.com/donate/99275

Best of all, though? GO TO WALL STREET! And TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
There has been much frustration over the "media blackout" resulting in so little coverage of this joyful, earnest, determined protest made of so many different people who all believe in justice. As Christians, we're especially bothered that this beautiful expression and work of hope is getting so little coverage  in comparison to coverage of the Tea Party and their religious rhetoric of hate.

BREAKING: SOLIDARITY OCCUPATION GROWING IN SAN FRANCISCO (555 California). Can't make it to the East Coast? Go to San Francisco!
Can't make it to New York? Occupy DC beginning October 6! http://october2011.org

THE STRATEGY: We're especially calling churches and clergy to go in your denomination's religious drag-o-choice (collars, albs, stoles, choir robes, whatever!) down to Zuccotti Park. Your presence will make it impossible to dismiss protesters as just a bunch of malcontent whiny kids, which is the narrative used by both the Left and the Right to ignore this incredible demonstration. All over the rest of the world, Occupy Wall Street is a huge news story! You can make it so in the US by going there as something unexpected -- Christians.

All you gotta do is show up and sing. Bring food & water! You want to see what Christ looks like? Look into the eyes and hearts of the people there. There he is.

Come and see. We promise.

We went, we saw, and we are transformed for it. Our whole team is still buzzing with excitement. Harvard Divinity School is hearing all about it. Priests and pastors from around the country are contacting us. It's time, sisters and brothers in Christ, friends of God: Out of the churches, and into the streets! Let's practice what we preach!

Love, blessings, and the light and peace of Christ,
The Protest Chaplains

Ten Reasons Why Christians Should #OCCUPYWALLSTREET

10. Because "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying the cross." - Sinclair Lewis

9. Because the symbol of Wall Street is a golden effing calf! (Worse actually: a fully grown, angry bull.) How much more obvious could the symbolism be? The creepy market worship is bad enough, but once you start totemizing invisible forces into bears and bulls, let's face it: it's a religion, Wall Street is its Holy Land, and the bankers are its high priests. Corporate Capitalism, as a religion, teaches us to envy our neighbors, exploit the less fortunate, wage war, and hoard as much as we can for ourselves.

8. Because Jesus' most furious moment was at those who used the Temple in Jerusalem for cheap religious consumerism. (Come to think of it, if he had flipped the tables of the money changers today, likely we would criticize him for harming small local business owners.) What provoked righteous outrage was this desecration of the holiest center of his religion, Judaism. Using Christianity as cover for idolizing money, worshiping wealth, and making war for profit is nothing less than blasphemy, and this spiritual desecration hurts our souls as well as our bodies.

7. Because of the Sermon on the Mount, duh. Blessed are the peacemakers! And this makes us all - ALL - children of God. How revolutionary is that?

6. Because, if you're Protestant, PROTEST is in the name. (Lutherans: Let me see your 95 Theses!)

5. Because, if you're Catholic, Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, Oscar Romero, Mother Teresa and so many others all understood that corporate war-making was no way to follow Christ.

4. Because religion (if not necessarily Christianity) invented chant, and we can be way more creative than screaming "NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE" for hours until we're hoarse. Because we have beautiful, heart-opening treasures to share from our traditions in meditation, contemplation, prayer and song.

3. Because "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Let's bind our fear and judgment, and let loose our joy and hope!

2. Because Jesus loves everyone AND that didn't keep him from calling out the Pharisees for being legalistic oppressors.

1. Because the life within us that we call God calls us to be Christ's voice, hands, and feet. We can't do that by sitting fearfully at our computers, allowing the powers of this world to destroy the earth and all its inhabitants.

What's your favorite scripture about wealth? Let's make a list!

One of our projects is to draw together all the good stuff in the Bible about wealth, serving the poor, etc.

But because proof texting is for chumps, we don't want to just make a list of passages.

Send us your favorite teaching about wealth and tell us about what it means to you. Why this passage? How do you understand it? How do you live your life differently because of it? How would the world be different if we lived with this understanding?

We'll post these, and include them as needed in The Protester's Prayerbook, which we'll be handing out in NYC. Let us know if you do/don't want us to use your name, and you can send a photo & blog link too if you want. protestchaplains@gmail.com. Or leave a comment.