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If you have not read it yet, I would highly recommend David Kirkpatrick's article, The Evangelical Crackup, from yesterday's NY Times Magazine.
Some of the themes in this article are similar to a post I wrote in May on the passing of Jerry Falwell.
(Thanks to my friend Sherry Maddock for pointing me to the article)
Below is a picture of the last of my garden. All good things come to an end. We are now entering the time of canned sauce and frozen vegetable.
The Cobalt Season
Appearing at The High Street House / Communality
112 W High St, Lexington, KY 40507
Sunday, October 21, 7:00 PM
Cost: Free
For more information, call Will Samson: 859.361.2977
If you are live in Lexington, KY, and you know me, chances are you have heard about The Cobalt Season's appearance this coming Sunday. We are expecting a good mix of people from Communality, the University, the Emergent Cohort and Georgetown College. The house holds about 50 comfortably, so plan to arrive early.
If you already a fan of The Cobalt Season, or you fall in love with their music that night, they will have CDs available for sale.
If you would like to learn more about The Cobalt Season or to learn more about them, check out their website: The Cobalt Season
This is not a private party, so feel free to come along. If you can drop me an email or a phone call, that would be great, but come out either way.
Here is a YouTube video from a recent concert:
The Church is infected with a pervasive dualism that is eroding her social fabric and contributing to the degradation of our democratic structures.
Now, if you're still with me, let me unpack that statement a bit. In this morning's NY Times' political blog The Caucus, there is coverage of a letter sent out by Mark Demoss to Evangelical leaders that lays out three reasons Evangelicals should support Mitt Romney. They are, in summary form:
Splitting the conservative vote will help elect Mayor Rudy Giuliani, “who clearly does not share our values on so many issues.”
Supporting a third party candidate would contribute to the election efforts of Sen. Hillary Clinton
If, at this point, some of you are asking, "Who is Mark DeMoss and why should I care?" DeMoss is the voice behind many of the voices of American Conservative Evangelicalism. I first met Mark when he was working for Jerry Falwell and Liberty University. (He tried to recruit me to sell life insurance for his father-in-law's company, A.L. Williams, but that's a story for another day) Since then Mark has gone on to found The DeMoss Group which represents the Who's Who of the politically dominant segment of the American Church.
So it is of some importance when Mark DeMoss speaks, and speaks with his own voice.
His three points in support of Romney are barely worth analyzing. They are, at best, a warmed-over serving of Reagan era logic employed in the GOP takeover of Congress in 1994. But frankly, one of the reasons many of us left the Republican Party is because, after having elected people who ostensibly shared our values, far too many of these politicians proved themselves to be crooks, sexual deviants and power-mad tyrants willing to trample on a whole range of conservative values such as states rights, limited government, and foreign policy driven by American self-interest. Republicans have consistently proven powerless to legislate independently from their bonds of political fealty, even when the anti-party vote would allow them to vote consistently with their values. Consequently, the activities of the Republican Party in the last thirteen years, and particularly the last seven, have significantly devalued the currency of the phrase, "our values."
But of greatest concern to me in the DeMoss letter was the following statement:
“I fully recognize some evangelicals take issue with me for supporting a Mormon for the office of president, and I respect their concerns,” he said in the letter. “Indeed, I had to deal with the same concerns in my own heart before offering to help Gov. Romney. But I concluded that I am more concerned that a candidate share my values than he shares my theology.” (emphasis mine)
This raises two questions. First, do Mormons share our theology? I am not going to tackle that here, although I would recommend a quick read of Jana Reiss' recent thoughts on this subject: Mormons Are Christians, Too . . . Or Are They? But I want to key in here on whether theology and values can ever exist as separate questions.
I would contend that there are no theology-free values. Even my dear friends who are atheist and politically engaged own up to their theology. They believe there is no God and, therefore, they are the arbiter of their own moral rules. Although I often work closely with atheists on a range of issues, from stopping mountaintop removal to growing healthy food, and we choose to disagree on the "God question," no analysis is necessary to understand their ethics.
But what of someone from a theistic tradition, particularly one that has an incarnational and engaged God at the center, who sees a distinction between theology and values. How did they come to that belief, and what kind of people might we become if we choose to live and govern with this distinction?
They likely came to that belief because this is the dominant strain of thought in our Western Protestant seminaries. In our ministry preparation we train people to embrace this distinction, and to teach others to do the same. This seems to me to be further proof of the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the Western Protestant Church.
But, ironically, the propagation of this distinction is also furthering the secularization of the state. In other words, the distinction between belief and action is precisely what is driving American culture toward an increasingly more secular worldview. Thus, to paraphrase Pogo, the propagators of the culture wars have met the enemy, and it is them.
The effects of this distinction on our democratic institutions are obvious. I've already written longer than I planned to, but let me just bullet-point a few beliefs we seem to hold and suggest how these effect our democratic institutions:
The God of the unborn is not the God of the born, and this distinction is leading to a degrading of standards among our military who deal with issues of life and death in combat all the time. I believe the Abu Ghraib and Haditha, to name just a few, stem from a culture that does not have a theologically-grounded love for all of life.
Our God is concerned with the creation of new capital markets but not at all interested in the preservation of creation. This has led to a virtually wholesale removal of strong environmentalists from government departments like Energy, Interior, Agriculture and Commerce. Thus, in forty to fifty years when we are facing a significant global water crisis that could have been mitigated by present US government action, it will small consolation to tell our grandchildren we didn't think God would be gone that long.
I received the following from Chris Smith of Doulos Christou Press and resonated so deeply with it that I wanted to share it.
Ten Ways to be the People of God in Suburbia
by Chris Smith
In response, to Brian McLaren’s call for urban churches at the Mayhem gathering last weekend [in Cincinnati], my friend Mike Bishop has been stirring up some conversation on "suburban ministry." Here's my response to that conversation, ten ways for those called to suburban ministry to be in the people of God in radical ways in suburbia. This list is meant for people to chew on and not all of its points may be applicable for all suburban missional church communities.
1) Live with others from your church community
Whether you share your home with another person or family, or whether you have several families that have homes in close proximity or both, sharing life together is perhaps the most powerful (i.e., going against the grain of suburban culture) way to be the body of Christ in suburbia. If you can't live together, at least find a way to share resources (power tools, lawn mowers, children's clothes/toys, etc).
2) Work Less!
One of the major powers that enslaves suburbia is the idolization of the career. There are many ways to pay the bills that do not involve a 9-5 job, and even within a 9-5 job, there are ways to work less (turning down promotions, taking unpaid leave, etc.) Working less will free you to serve your church community, your family, your neighbors, etc. It will also spur creativity: finding a solution for working less, finding a way to "make ends meet" financially, etc.
3) Throw out the television
Another (and perhaps larger power) that enslaves suburbia is consumerism. You'll be amazed at how your desire for things ebbs as you take the TV out of the picture. If you can't bring yourself to kill the television, at least take steps to lessen its influence (get rid of cable, only use it for movies, put it on a cart that can be wheeled in and out of a closet, etc.) Throwing out the television will also stimulate your creativity.
4) Drive less
Suburban culture is also enslaved to the automobile. Find ways to loosen those bonds (much more difficult in suburbia than in urban areas). Share a vehicle with others in your church community (much easier if you are doing #1 above). Invest in a good bicycle. Walk. There was a segment on "60 minutes" a few weeks ago about how much we miss when we zip around in automobiles. Walking and/or biking will help you be more attentive to your surroundings
5) Have a garden / grow food
Suburban life is often very shut off from the food cycle (Food comes from the grocery store, of course!). Homegrown food is more healthy, it gives you a good excuse to be outside (see #7 below), and it provides you with a resource to share generously with your church community and your neighbors. Phil Kenneson outlines a number of horticultural lessons for the people of God in his intro to LIFE ON THE VINE that are additional benefits of this practice.
6) Get to know your neighbors / listen for their needs
To be human is to be poor. Or in other words, everyone has needs. The challenge of suburbia is that there are many more ways to conceal that poverty, and similarly that it will take more effort to get into a position where a neighbor can reveal their needs. Be intentional about building relationships. Share meals, play poker, have block parties, whatever it takes.
7) Be outside as much as possible.
Another temptation of suburbia - fueled by individualism - is that of the house as an impenetrable fortress. Dissolve this temptation by eating, playing, relaxing outside. This practice is also one avenue to interact with your neighbors.
8) Do not fence in your yard
All apologies to Robert Frost, but fences do not make good neighbors, and in fact they often keep us from making good human neighbors. This is a corollary to #7, the fence is a major component of the impenetrable fortress syndrome; it protects our privacy and keeps out our "evil" neighbors. It often is a statement of distrust. If you must have a fence (to corral a dog for instance) make it as low and as permeable (i.e., not blocking off the view) as you can get away with.
9) Take a stand against the greed of mega-corporations
Whenever possible, resist buying from domineering mega-corporations (e.g., Wal-mart, McDonalds, Starbucks, and others). These corporations destroy local economies and have little or no concern for the environment. Buy as much as you can from businesses that are as local as possible (family-owned businesses are preferable to local chains, local chains are preferable to regional chains, and regional chains are preferable to global corporations.)
10) Utilize and support non-commercial public spaces (parks, libraries, colleges, etc.)
This point is another corollary of #7 above. We must utilize and show our support for these public spaces, lest they be conquered by the powers of individualism (by becoming private property) or by consumerism (by becoming commercial or industrial property). This is also a wonderful way to foster relationships with our neighbors.
Lisa and I just returned from our whirlwind tour of Indiana, and first let us say thank you to all our gracious hosts on the trip. Here is an overview of where we went:
1. We started our trip visiting the Harvest Show. Video is available by clicking here, and Lisa and I are on about ten minutes into the show to which I linked. We so enjoyed our time with the Harvest folks and were encouraged to hear all the work they are doing around the world with ministries like Feed the Hungry.
2. We got to visit with our dear friends Scott and Lisa Hutcheson. Scott was my college roommate and we have kept in contact over the years. If you don't have the good fortune to live in Indiana and read Scott's food column (The Hungry Hoosier) in your local paper, you can check out his blog. Also, look for Scott's 2008 book from Indiana University Press, Home Grown Indiana: A Food Lover's Guide to Good Eating in the Hoosier State.
3. Next, we visited with the folks from Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis. If you want to see radical ministry happening inside the Church, that is the place to do so. Lisa and I were so excited to hear about the community development corporation, bookstore, prison ministry, homeless shelter work, and so many other community interactions where Englewood folks are being "the hands and feet of Jesus" right where God has placed them.
4. Finally, Saturday evening and Sunday morning we were with Lockerbie United Methodist Church and Chad Abbott. Chad is such a fresh voice in God's emergent work in the world, and the author of Breaking Silence: Pastoral Approaches For Creating An Ethos Of Peace. We were honored to sit with about 60 folks at their coffee house Saturday evening and talk about Justice in the Burbs, and to participate in their Sunday worship service this morning.
This coming Friday I will be leading a session on the Relational Tithe at the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) Conference in St. Louis. If you will be there, I would love to connect. Email me or leave a comment below and we will try to get together.
I have not read David Kinnaman's book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why It Matters. And, with all the school reading I have to do and book reviews I have already promised to write, it is unLikely that I will get to it. But, I was tagged by the inimitable Brother Maynard with this meme: List four things about Christians: three negative perceptions and one thing that Christians should be known for, and this is a topic I think about a lot (thanks for including me Brother). So, here goes:
Three Negative Perceptions of Christianity
1. Christianity is a political statement. Working in the academy, most people I meet think of Christianity, and particularly, conservative Evangelical Christianity, as a statement of who I will vote for, not a statement about a life given in sacrifice to others. The result of this is that individuals think converting to being a follower of Jesus means they also have to approve of the policies of George Bush or the political statements of James Dobson.
2. Christian faith does not teach one how to live. Christianity is seen as having nothing to contribute to questions about where I should live, what I should drive, where I should shop and how much (and what kinds) of energy I should use. In a globalized economy with such a multitude of choices, individuals may wonder why they should convert to such a powerless faith.
3. Christianity is an individual experience. It seems to me that one of the reasons there is such systemic injustice is because the Church does not think systemically. Instead, Christianity is seen as something that happens to me, and the public expression of my faith has nothing to do with other followers of Jesus. The result of this is that individuals do not see Churches as communities of moral formation, and eventually wonder why they should congregate with other Christians at all. (Although I am not a huge fan of George Barna's work, this is one area I think he got right)
One Perception I Wish The Church Was Known For:
1. Radical love. Silly love. Love that defies rational explanation. Love that can only be explained by people following in the footsteps of one who was willing to lose his life that all may gain theirs. This love should permeate every decision we make, from the way we treat our neighbor to way we enact foreign policy.
If you would like to be part of this meme, please consider yourself tagged, and please leave a link to your URL in the comments section.
Lisa and I will be interviewed on The Harvest Show tomorrow, October 5th, during the 9:00 AM show, and will re-air at 5:00 PM. The Harvest Show is on DirectTV and many cable channels, plus I believe you can watch it live. Check out the website for show times in your area.
