Tilikum Crossing "The People's Bridge", a controversial new bridge in Portland, Oregon |
·
Dead loads
that don’t move or change, the weight of the bridge itself.
·
Environmental
loads that include hydraulic friction, seismic stability, and wind.
·
Live loads
referring to temporary or moving forces (e.g., traffic), etc.
I frankly don’t want someone building a bridge that doesn’t
know anything about engineering, geology, local weather, and the needs of
the people it is designed to serve. Do you remember the famous debate over the very
expensive “bridge to nowhere” in Ketchikan, Alaska? Right here in the Portland metro area, we have the failed Columbia River Crossing (CRC) an effort to build a very
expensive bridge without solving a problem, and without the support of the
population as an exercise in a government’s agenda being forced on the people.
Thankfully it has been stopped, but approximately $240M of the people’s money was wasted on
this project.
Obviously, my question isn’t really about building physical
bridges but about building relational bridges, bridges of understanding, forgiveness,
and reconciliation between individuals, groups, races, and nations. So why talk
about the engineering of physical bridges? Because many of the same issues come
into play when trying to metaphorically "build bridges" between people(s).
As we build relational bridges, we first must ask if a
bridge is needed. Bridges should not be built any further than they are wanted.
Having a bridge spanning our defensive separation is scary if we don’t fully
trust those people on the other side. If we seek to bring people together then
we had better make sure we are not placing one group at a greater risk for oppression (2
Timothy 3:2-5). The bridge must be for the benefit of both parties.
Building a bridge also takes time. A physical bridge not only has to be planned, and built, but it has
to be maintained against structural degradation due to the normal stresses of use
and environmental stresses from corrosion, freezing, temperature fluctuation,
insects, etc. Sometimes bridges cannot safely be crossed quickly. Are relational bridges so different? We all know that
relationships take constant work to maintain. So how do we pass on the passion
for maintaining relational bridges to the next generation? (2 Timothy 2:1-2).
Bridge-builders also need to be concerned about the safety
of those working on the bridge as well as those who will use the bridge
in the future. Do we care that some of those working with us might “fall off”
during construction? When the Golden Gate Bridge was built in the 1930s they
pioneered the use of hard hats and safety nets. Do we have a safety net in place for our relational bridge-builders that is at least as effective as when the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed? Or, are co-builders
merely commodities to be used up, expendable resources before the overarching goal of completing the
task?
Tragic bridge collapses in recent years cause me to warn against bridges being built too quickly on the unstable soil of assumption and misunderstandings. Recently, newly constructed highway bridge columns had to be blown up after it was discovered that they were built on unstable ground. Without
measuring the cultural distance that needs to be spanned, doing the seismic mapping of
past offenses, and completing the site preparation of building trust, the bridge is doomed to
fall beneath the weight of the forces arrayed against it. When building relational
bridges we need to count the cost as well. Is this bridge worth the cost it
takes to build, or does it lead nowhere? (2 Timothy 2:23) Do we evaluate the
process and participants on a worldly level or according to the metrics of
Christ? (1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Cor. 5:16-17) Jesus, the ultimate bridge-builder, became
one of us and completed the task not by force of power or decree of authority,
but by the humble giving of himself to save others. Our calling is to follow his uncomfortable
example in showing reconciling love for others.
I will explore some of these questions in future posts. I
welcome your comments along the way. In the meantime, Ephesians 4:31-32 gives
us a great place to start building, preparing to be safe, bridge-worthy people
that others would welcome into their neighborhood. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put
away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Golden Gate Bridge in Fog |
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