What in your life, or in you, is alive this year that wasn't a year ago?
Really, I'd like to know ~ click on COMMENTS below.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ideology vs. grace and hope
I've scanned the status messages of my Facebook friends this morning (see below). If we were in a room together, we'd probably get along fine. (I have thoughtful and fascinating friends, of course.) But this ideological divide is distressing. Because it's ideological.
Marx understood ideology as a system of thoughts and beliefs constructed by one class seeking to project it onto society as a whole in order to gain control. In other words, ideology is about wielding thoughts and beliefs to get or keep power.
When the conversation turns ideological, the real economic question -- unlimited wants vs. limited resources -- is obscured. As a journalist, I grew weary of ideologues. How can I now be a pastor, Christian and citizen who doesn't live by ideology but by grace and hope?
* * *
The status of my friends:
"Finally! HCR is really beginning. The haters lose."
"Will the government cover the sickness I feel over the passage of this health "reform" bill? Did I wake up in a different country?"
"Those phone calls, letters, and contributions feel like they mattered. Thrilled to hear the news about Health Care Reform Bill passing in Congress!"
"Expected a nasty morning rush hour, what with all the Army tanks and black helicopters after last night's health care vote."
"Victory"
"Really?"
"Why did the health care legislation take a whole year of "epic struggle"? What can we do to improve our legislative process and political system?"
"Both John Lewis and Bart Stupak deserved more respect. Shame."
"Sign the Repeal ObamaCare Pledge and help elect true conservatives this November who will repeal President Obama's health care takeover."
"I feel like my team just won the Super Bowl!!!"
Marx understood ideology as a system of thoughts and beliefs constructed by one class seeking to project it onto society as a whole in order to gain control. In other words, ideology is about wielding thoughts and beliefs to get or keep power.
When the conversation turns ideological, the real economic question -- unlimited wants vs. limited resources -- is obscured. As a journalist, I grew weary of ideologues. How can I now be a pastor, Christian and citizen who doesn't live by ideology but by grace and hope?
* * *
The status of my friends:
"Finally! HCR is really beginning. The haters lose."
"Will the government cover the sickness I feel over the passage of this health "reform" bill? Did I wake up in a different country?"
"Those phone calls, letters, and contributions feel like they mattered. Thrilled to hear the news about Health Care Reform Bill passing in Congress!"
"Expected a nasty morning rush hour, what with all the Army tanks and black helicopters after last night's health care vote."
"Victory"
"Really?"
"Why did the health care legislation take a whole year of "epic struggle"? What can we do to improve our legislative process and political system?"
"Both John Lewis and Bart Stupak deserved more respect. Shame."
"Sign the Repeal ObamaCare Pledge and help elect true conservatives this November who will repeal President Obama's health care takeover."
"I feel like my team just won the Super Bowl!!!"
Monday, January 18, 2010
No statute of limitations on compassion
I have never been to Haiti. Dan Dick has. Ann made Dan’s acquaintance just a few months ago, when he came through Eau Claire for his work. This is what Dan remembers of his visit to Haiti:
One friend of mine said she couldn’t sleep Thursday night after watching the images of this earthquake ravaged country for an hour before she went to bed. If we’re not there, we can’t grasp the enormity of such a disaster, so we grasp at images, clips, snippets of the devastation.
Maybe this one hurts the way it does because it’s so close, only a couple of hundred miles off the shore of Florida. It’s devastation that – if it doesn’t hit close to home, then it hits close to America’s vacation home (the Caribbean.)
Or is it really about proximity? Is it that this week’s Scripture (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) becomes real in a new way even in the midst of this tragedy?
If we are the body of Christ, then we remember that the body of Christ represented a great paradox: It was a crucified body. We, as the body of Christ, aren’t perfect. We are subject to death and suffering. When the Haitians hurt, we hurt, too. They are us, and we are them.
In this body of Christ, we do have different gifts. That’s not just an observation. It’s how we are made, for the good of the entire body. In the response to tragedy,
To say that we are the body of Christ means we feel it when other parts suffer. It means because we have different gifts, God can work through us in different ways to respond. It means that God works through us for healing and redemption.
How we respond to another in need is a good measure of how we respond to God. When we participate as the body of Christ in the life of Christ, we are participating in the work of Christ, which is resurrection and hope.
Finally, because we are the body of Christ, God hurts with us. God is with us amidst our grief. A former seminary colleague, Eric Conklin, said this as well as anyone last week:
“God is with us and is more faithful than even the strongest bond between parent and child. And this is good news. One day, we too may be trapped in the rubble with only our thoughts: no food, no water, no sign of life around, the very breath being crushed out of us. And God will be there with us. One day, we too may be mourning at the tremendous loss of life that surrounds our house. God will be there with us. One day, we too may be piling up our friends and neighbors into mass graves, and God will be there with us.
The images are grim, but they are the reality for a million of our brothers and sisters in Haiti at this very second. There is hope amid the calamity. There is friendship amid death. And all the while there is a God who has been a partner through the very worst of it all. As a people to whom Christ has turned, we respond with faith to our brothers and sisters who have God comforting them now in their moment of grief.”
- We had three teenage women with us on my first trip. They played rhythm games with the Haitian girls in the lantern light, laughing and hugging, though they could not communicate with words.
- We brought a bag of used tennis balls and the children acted as though we gave them gold when we passed them out. They played with them non-stop for hours on end.
One day we made balloon animals for the children, and they stood wide-eyed, mouths agape at the magic we performed. Even when the balloons deflated, the children collected the colorful rubber scraps and proudly treasured them — making bracelets and belts from them. - Administering very simple first aid — people lining up as far as the eye could see, then bursting into tears over the simple acts of removing splinters, applying salves, or confirming that a child wasn’t seriously ill.
- The willowy young woman who sang and danced throughout worship and led a procession to the offering baskets where coins were deposited before she herself stepped into the basket, making an offering of her life to God.
- The voodoo priestess who told me she was also Catholic, Jewish, Presbyterian, and a Rotarian (she proudly wore a Rotary pin…) who had pictures of the Pope, Jesus, and Tom Selleck in her small shed.
- The little boy who belonged to the village but had no parents. He would take every possible opportunity to sit on the lap of any person who stopped to sit down for five minutes. He would climb up and almost instantly fall asleep.
- Landing at the airport and walking through platoons of unsmiling armed military guards — and the five-hour customs process where a third of our possessions were confiscated.
One friend of mine said she couldn’t sleep Thursday night after watching the images of this earthquake ravaged country for an hour before she went to bed. If we’re not there, we can’t grasp the enormity of such a disaster, so we grasp at images, clips, snippets of the devastation.
- The man wandering into a pile of rubble of what used to be his house, opening the refrigerator to see if he could find any food there.
- Hospitals collapsed upon themselves.
People fighting with one another over food rations that are only beginning to trickle into the country. - Maybe it’s that Cuba has allowed U.S. planes to fly over its normally closed airspace to relief supplies can reach Haiti’s people faster.
- Or the impromptu parade of Haitians in Port-au-Prince who took to the streets singing on Friday, because when you can’t do anything, what can you do but appeal to God with every bit of your voice?
Maybe this one hurts the way it does because it’s so close, only a couple of hundred miles off the shore of Florida. It’s devastation that – if it doesn’t hit close to home, then it hits close to America’s vacation home (the Caribbean.)
Or is it really about proximity? Is it that this week’s Scripture (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) becomes real in a new way even in the midst of this tragedy?
If we are the body of Christ, then we remember that the body of Christ represented a great paradox: It was a crucified body. We, as the body of Christ, aren’t perfect. We are subject to death and suffering. When the Haitians hurt, we hurt, too. They are us, and we are them.
In this body of Christ, we do have different gifts. That’s not just an observation. It’s how we are made, for the good of the entire body. In the response to tragedy,
- Some are gifted, and therefore called, to go to Haiti – maybe now, maybe months from now – to join in the struggle, to bring relief, to help rebuild.
- Some are gifted, and therefore called, to give – maybe this morning, maybe in a systematic way over the coming weeks – in order that this enormous humanitarian effort might be helped in every way possible.
- Some are gifted, and therefore called, to make clothes, so that those possessing only what’s on their backs might regain some dignity.
- Some are gifted, and therefore called, to pray – with fervor, with focus, with sustained intent, with sincerity, for all members of the body of Christ … for us, that we remain compassionate, and for those who don’t know where to find food, where to sleep, where to go to the bathroom, where to drink, where to bathe.
To say that we are the body of Christ means we feel it when other parts suffer. It means because we have different gifts, God can work through us in different ways to respond. It means that God works through us for healing and redemption.
How we respond to another in need is a good measure of how we respond to God. When we participate as the body of Christ in the life of Christ, we are participating in the work of Christ, which is resurrection and hope.
Finally, because we are the body of Christ, God hurts with us. God is with us amidst our grief. A former seminary colleague, Eric Conklin, said this as well as anyone last week:
“God is with us and is more faithful than even the strongest bond between parent and child. And this is good news. One day, we too may be trapped in the rubble with only our thoughts: no food, no water, no sign of life around, the very breath being crushed out of us. And God will be there with us. One day, we too may be mourning at the tremendous loss of life that surrounds our house. God will be there with us. One day, we too may be piling up our friends and neighbors into mass graves, and God will be there with us.
The images are grim, but they are the reality for a million of our brothers and sisters in Haiti at this very second. There is hope amid the calamity. There is friendship amid death. And all the while there is a God who has been a partner through the very worst of it all. As a people to whom Christ has turned, we respond with faith to our brothers and sisters who have God comforting them now in their moment of grief.”
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Joyous Christmas Eve
Do you give someone a gift that's practical, or impractical? On this Christmas Eve, I hope you might receive both.
As for the practical:
Put yourself in the position of Joseph on the night Jesus was born. Every once in a while we hear about someone giving birth in a shopping mall, or a taxicab. This was the first-century equivalent of a taxicab delivery.
After the long journey, the labor pains, the anxiety of finding a delivery room and settling instead for a back room, we might imagine Mary – after giving birth – to be exhausted and resting. Maybe even gone to sleep.
Joseph is sitting there – dazed and confused, as are most new fathers – too tired to make sense of what has just happened. Mary has been telling him all sorts of unbelievable things about this baby for months now. Including that he will be a king.
Joseph, a laborer, a commoner, not of noble or royal blood, asks himself, “How do you raise a king?”
Well, I’ll raise him to be a carpenter, he says. That’s what I know how to do. He’ll be a hard worker, he’ll learn a trade, he’ll get calluses on his hands. By his hard work, the boy will grow up to serve his neighbor.
That’s the first gift, the practical one. Jesus, born this night, won’t grow up to be a professionally religious person, a bishop, or a minister with an advanced degree. He won’t look for people to fill the church or to be churchy people. He’ll look for carpenters, and farmers, and teachers, and accountants, and nurses …
Better yet, he’ll look for people whose identity isn’t defined by their job or their career, but for those who are willing to follow his call to be compassionate, kind, gentle, patient – people who will forgive each other and value the really valuable things in life.
That’s the most practical gift of all because that means the one born this night came for you, whoever you are, whatever you do (or whatever you’ve done). He won’t necessarily ask you to change your occupation or your avocation in order to follow him. He might ask you to change your heart, but you don’t have to stop being you. You don’t have to fit a cookie-cutter mold. You’re human. Jesus was human.
It’s not about how much you know that matters. It’s about how much you trust – how much you trust this Jesus.
As for the second gift, the impractical one, the one you can't hold or put your arms around …
Why is this night different from all others? The Scriptures tell us that it was a star that cast a different light in the sky. You know what we would do today with that star? We'd use our scientific minds to figure it out. There's a theory the Star of Bethlehem was actually Jupiter appearing in the constellation of Aries about the time of a lunar eclipse.
This isn’t a knock against science. I loved my college astronomy course. But there’s a time for facts, and there’s a time when facts can’t explain mystery. That's the second gift I hope you receive tonight: the sense of mystery.
Tonight isn’t just December 24, 2009. It is a night that is connected to all the Christmas Eves we’ve ever known. Christ’s birth was the night the world changed.
Our Christmas memories go back to our childhood, maybe our parents or grandparents. But we serve a Mystery that neither you nor your father’s father or mother’s mother began. The laughter and the tears that accompany this night are not born of our own traditions, as precious and wonderful as they may be. They are reflections of the Mystery of God, written across the stars in a sky of luminous brilliance. A million million times we can stare into that sky, and it will still remain a mystery.
Christmas Eve is the night we are invited to stand together, elbow to elbow, parka to parka, shivering knees to shivering knees, and gaze into that infinite sky, beyond all the things we know and understand, to contemplate what we don't know or understand. And God says it is good. It is mystery, and it is holy.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks to Jerry Camery-Hoggatt and William C. Martin
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
As for the practical:
Put yourself in the position of Joseph on the night Jesus was born. Every once in a while we hear about someone giving birth in a shopping mall, or a taxicab. This was the first-century equivalent of a taxicab delivery.
After the long journey, the labor pains, the anxiety of finding a delivery room and settling instead for a back room, we might imagine Mary – after giving birth – to be exhausted and resting. Maybe even gone to sleep.
Joseph is sitting there – dazed and confused, as are most new fathers – too tired to make sense of what has just happened. Mary has been telling him all sorts of unbelievable things about this baby for months now. Including that he will be a king.
Joseph, a laborer, a commoner, not of noble or royal blood, asks himself, “How do you raise a king?”
Well, I’ll raise him to be a carpenter, he says. That’s what I know how to do. He’ll be a hard worker, he’ll learn a trade, he’ll get calluses on his hands. By his hard work, the boy will grow up to serve his neighbor.
That’s the first gift, the practical one. Jesus, born this night, won’t grow up to be a professionally religious person, a bishop, or a minister with an advanced degree. He won’t look for people to fill the church or to be churchy people. He’ll look for carpenters, and farmers, and teachers, and accountants, and nurses …
Better yet, he’ll look for people whose identity isn’t defined by their job or their career, but for those who are willing to follow his call to be compassionate, kind, gentle, patient – people who will forgive each other and value the really valuable things in life.
That’s the most practical gift of all because that means the one born this night came for you, whoever you are, whatever you do (or whatever you’ve done). He won’t necessarily ask you to change your occupation or your avocation in order to follow him. He might ask you to change your heart, but you don’t have to stop being you. You don’t have to fit a cookie-cutter mold. You’re human. Jesus was human.
It’s not about how much you know that matters. It’s about how much you trust – how much you trust this Jesus.
As for the second gift, the impractical one, the one you can't hold or put your arms around …
Why is this night different from all others? The Scriptures tell us that it was a star that cast a different light in the sky. You know what we would do today with that star? We'd use our scientific minds to figure it out. There's a theory the Star of Bethlehem was actually Jupiter appearing in the constellation of Aries about the time of a lunar eclipse.
This isn’t a knock against science. I loved my college astronomy course. But there’s a time for facts, and there’s a time when facts can’t explain mystery. That's the second gift I hope you receive tonight: the sense of mystery.
Tonight isn’t just December 24, 2009. It is a night that is connected to all the Christmas Eves we’ve ever known. Christ’s birth was the night the world changed.
Our Christmas memories go back to our childhood, maybe our parents or grandparents. But we serve a Mystery that neither you nor your father’s father or mother’s mother began. The laughter and the tears that accompany this night are not born of our own traditions, as precious and wonderful as they may be. They are reflections of the Mystery of God, written across the stars in a sky of luminous brilliance. A million million times we can stare into that sky, and it will still remain a mystery.
Christmas Eve is the night we are invited to stand together, elbow to elbow, parka to parka, shivering knees to shivering knees, and gaze into that infinite sky, beyond all the things we know and understand, to contemplate what we don't know or understand. And God says it is good. It is mystery, and it is holy.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks to Jerry Camery-Hoggatt and William C. Martin
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 12, 2009
John Wesley was a blogger
Well, of sorts.
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, kept a journal -- the contents of which are in the public domain. Cedric Poole of Cape Town, South Africa, blogs a daily journal entry of Wesley's, keyed to today's date. (For example, today's entry would be from Wesley's journal dated Dec. 12, although the year will vary.)
Poole and I agree on this, in his words: "I am a firm believer in the relevance of John Wesley's teachings and theology for the postmodern era that we live in. My goal with this project is to bring the man described as a 'Plain man for plain people' to as many plain people as possible."
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
John Wesley, founder of Methodism, kept a journal -- the contents of which are in the public domain. Cedric Poole of Cape Town, South Africa, blogs a daily journal entry of Wesley's, keyed to today's date. (For example, today's entry would be from Wesley's journal dated Dec. 12, although the year will vary.)
Poole and I agree on this, in his words: "I am a firm believer in the relevance of John Wesley's teachings and theology for the postmodern era that we live in. My goal with this project is to bring the man described as a 'Plain man for plain people' to as many plain people as possible."
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Bedside table
I just crossed another one off my reading list: The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Love. The author (Augustine) hasn't written much lately, but his books have staying power.So I asked the question you probably would. What's an "enchiridion?" Turns out it's Greek for "handbook" or "manual." So it's essentially a handbook on Christianity, written in the fifth century.
If you wanted a contemporary "Handbook on (fill in your faith tradition)," what would you want it to include? That is, if you kept a book about your faith on the bedside table, what questions would you want it to answer? Which topics covered? Which terms defined? Which mysteries uncovered?
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
Saturday, October 3, 2009
A preacher, reporter and teacher walk into a bar ...
I couldn't remember who said it: a preacher should carry a Bible under one arm and a newspaper under the other. Turns out the quote is probably apocryphal but most often attributed to 20th century German theologian Karl Barth.
I'm willing to invoke Barth's support of the two arenas in which I've spent most of my life, the newspaper business and the church. It appears there's another advocate,* none other than Ben Franklin. In a letter to the Ministry of France in March 1778, Franklin reportedly wrote:
"A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district -all studied and appreciated as they merit -are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty."
Old Ben apparently saw that a thriving society looked something like the three-cornered hat resting upon his head, with faith, a free press and education making up the three. May your Bible be tattered with use, your newspaper subscription never lapse, and your local school a source of pride.
* In addition to the First Amendment, which had something fairly important to say about religion and the press.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
I'm willing to invoke Barth's support of the two arenas in which I've spent most of my life, the newspaper business and the church. It appears there's another advocate,* none other than Ben Franklin. In a letter to the Ministry of France in March 1778, Franklin reportedly wrote:
"A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district -all studied and appreciated as they merit -are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty."
Old Ben apparently saw that a thriving society looked something like the three-cornered hat resting upon his head, with faith, a free press and education making up the three. May your Bible be tattered with use, your newspaper subscription never lapse, and your local school a source of pride.
* In addition to the First Amendment, which had something fairly important to say about religion and the press.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
Saturday, September 5, 2009
If Jesus had a Twitter account ...
None of what follows is mine, nor is the provocative title above -- "If Jesus had a Twitter account, what would his 160-character bio say?"
The question was posed by Susan Hogan, with whom I once was honored to share the title of "colleague" in the fraternity/sorority of daily newspaper religion writers. Her latest venture is Pretty Good Lutherans, in which she tells stories of faith so that their messages may become "tools of spiritual transformation."
Last week, she asked the above question.
Among the responses were several by Randy Schatz, whom I do not know and know nothing about (except that his Facebook bio identifies him as an "ELCA Lutheran in an ecumenical sort of way.")
His responses to "what Jesus' Twitter account would say" are the best summation of the Gospel I've read in a long time. Here they are:
"No time to tweet 2nite! Got a dinner date with some prostitutes, then to a movie with a gay freind. Peace! JC"
Wed at 8:43pm
"Meeting some dancers @ Ihop after they get off work. Like 3AM. Join us?"
Wed at 9:39pm
"Can you take the 3AM Ihop? I gotta stay up with a teen cutter in the psyc ward...step dad was messing with her. I sit with him in court 2morrow. JC."
Wed at 10:16pm
"On my way to Starbucks 2 meet college freshman started class yesterday...and found out she is pregnant...deciding what to choose."
Thu at 7:19am
Just passed churchy protesters with signs that say "God Hates Fags!". WTF?!?
Thu at 7:19am
@LarryKing & @Pope want to interview me. Maybee tomorrow, kinda busy 2day.
Thu at 7:20am
"Cutter made it through the night OK. Hanging w mom after step-dad's court thing...mom has tons of guilt. Gonna b a long day."
Thu at 7:22am
"Court is done. Heading 2 homeless shelter 2 start dinner. MEATLOAF =) Swing in if U R free. JC"
Thu at 1:26pm
"Volunteers had dinner started-thanx. Gotta go visit college gal's BF, he's got a ton of shame going. Maybe I'll give the M.N. Twins a little miracle 2night, just for fun =). JC"
Thu at 2:07pm
"Change of plans. Going 2 JV football game of a freind. Dad drinks the grocery money, mom has a black eye. Twins will have 2 win on their own. JC"
Thu at 2:38pm
"OK, so that field-goal was a miracle, what are you trying to say? Sat by that goofy dad. Nice guy, but seems lonely. His kid was the kicker.JC"
Thu at 3:03pm
"I find great humor in my followers who have GoodWill pick up the rubish sale left-overs. What part of 'first-fruits' is hard to understand? I'm just saying. JC"
Thu at 3:16pm
"Rejoycing with an industrial strength sinner who finally gave me a call. I had been hoping to hear from him soon. JC"
Thu at 4:32pm
Thank you Randy, Susan and Jesus.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
The question was posed by Susan Hogan, with whom I once was honored to share the title of "colleague" in the fraternity/sorority of daily newspaper religion writers. Her latest venture is Pretty Good Lutherans, in which she tells stories of faith so that their messages may become "tools of spiritual transformation."
Last week, she asked the above question.
Among the responses were several by Randy Schatz, whom I do not know and know nothing about (except that his Facebook bio identifies him as an "ELCA Lutheran in an ecumenical sort of way.")
His responses to "what Jesus' Twitter account would say" are the best summation of the Gospel I've read in a long time. Here they are:
"No time to tweet 2nite! Got a dinner date with some prostitutes, then to a movie with a gay freind. Peace! JC"
Wed at 8:43pm
"Meeting some dancers @ Ihop after they get off work. Like 3AM. Join us?"
Wed at 9:39pm
"Can you take the 3AM Ihop? I gotta stay up with a teen cutter in the psyc ward...step dad was messing with her. I sit with him in court 2morrow. JC."
Wed at 10:16pm
"On my way to Starbucks 2 meet college freshman started class yesterday...and found out she is pregnant...deciding what to choose."
Thu at 7:19am
Just passed churchy protesters with signs that say "God Hates Fags!". WTF?!?
Thu at 7:19am
@LarryKing & @Pope want to interview me. Maybee tomorrow, kinda busy 2day.
Thu at 7:20am
"Cutter made it through the night OK. Hanging w mom after step-dad's court thing...mom has tons of guilt. Gonna b a long day."
Thu at 7:22am
"Court is done. Heading 2 homeless shelter 2 start dinner. MEATLOAF =) Swing in if U R free. JC"
Thu at 1:26pm
"Volunteers had dinner started-thanx. Gotta go visit college gal's BF, he's got a ton of shame going. Maybe I'll give the M.N. Twins a little miracle 2night, just for fun =). JC"
Thu at 2:07pm
"Change of plans. Going 2 JV football game of a freind. Dad drinks the grocery money, mom has a black eye. Twins will have 2 win on their own. JC"
Thu at 2:38pm
"OK, so that field-goal was a miracle, what are you trying to say? Sat by that goofy dad. Nice guy, but seems lonely. His kid was the kicker.JC"
Thu at 3:03pm
"I find great humor in my followers who have GoodWill pick up the rubish sale left-overs. What part of 'first-fruits' is hard to understand? I'm just saying. JC"
Thu at 3:16pm
"Rejoycing with an industrial strength sinner who finally gave me a call. I had been hoping to hear from him soon. JC"
Thu at 4:32pm
Thank you Randy, Susan and Jesus.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Haiku
I'm attending a spirituality conference in Plymouth, Mich. (where I am supposed to be in quiet contemplation so as to not be aware of things such as the Cubs losing on a bottom-of-the-ninth-inning home run last night out on the West Coast).
Anyway, one of our exercises was to respond to our learning utilizing some art or literary form "outside our comfort zone." Hence, my attempts at Haiku:
~
Breathing stale cave air.
Trapt in Plato's dark shadows.
Freed to turn and see.
~
Canopies of pine.
Green haven, sanctuary.
Risk the desert's call.
~
Do no harm. Do good.
Gather at the table long.
Stay in love with God.
~
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com/
Anyway, one of our exercises was to respond to our learning utilizing some art or literary form "outside our comfort zone." Hence, my attempts at Haiku:
~
Breathing stale cave air.
Trapt in Plato's dark shadows.
Freed to turn and see.
~
Canopies of pine.
Green haven, sanctuary.
Risk the desert's call.
~
Do no harm. Do good.
Gather at the table long.
Stay in love with God.
~
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com/
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Born again
Former NBC news anchor John Chancellor brought two phenomena to the fore during the 1976 presidential campaign. He was the first to coin "red state" and "blue state" as descriptors for how states voted in a presidential election. He also introduced the American public to what it meant to be "born again." As in "born-again Christian."
Actually, it was born-again candidate Jimmy Carter who brought evangelicals out of the political underbrush and "born agains" into the light of day. But it was Chancellor, in a nationally televised interview with Carter, who elevated the term into public discourse by asking what much of Middle America wanted to know: What exactly is this business of being "born again?"
(Ever the intrepid journalist, Chancellor prefaced his questioning with the reportorial assurance: "We've looked up born again, and it is nothing new." Columnist Cal Thomas wrote years later, "The term wasn't invented by Jimmy Carter, though the one who coined it had the same initials.")
It seems a silly question now. For nearly 30 years, abetted by the success of Carter's successor Ronald Reagan and his political operatives, evangelicals became major players in U.S. politics. Born again was no longer a foreign-sounding phrase.
But like so many religious concepts made into sound bytes, "born again" has been caricatured and delimited until it seems only to define a demographic with a penchant toward conservative politics.
Deep religious truths don't fare well when they become slogans, especially when appropriated for political reasons. It was refreshing, then, to come across these lines this week from Diary of an Old Soul, by George MacDonald:
"But we who would be born again indeed,
Must wake our souls unnumbered times a day."
Being born again is nothing less than committing one's self, day by day, moment by moment even, to being in conscious awareness of God. That is a deeply spiritual exercise. Once engaged, we may or may not say we are born again. But we can always say we hope to be.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
Actually, it was born-again candidate Jimmy Carter who brought evangelicals out of the political underbrush and "born agains" into the light of day. But it was Chancellor, in a nationally televised interview with Carter, who elevated the term into public discourse by asking what much of Middle America wanted to know: What exactly is this business of being "born again?"
(Ever the intrepid journalist, Chancellor prefaced his questioning with the reportorial assurance: "We've looked up born again, and it is nothing new." Columnist Cal Thomas wrote years later, "The term wasn't invented by Jimmy Carter, though the one who coined it had the same initials.")
It seems a silly question now. For nearly 30 years, abetted by the success of Carter's successor Ronald Reagan and his political operatives, evangelicals became major players in U.S. politics. Born again was no longer a foreign-sounding phrase.
But like so many religious concepts made into sound bytes, "born again" has been caricatured and delimited until it seems only to define a demographic with a penchant toward conservative politics.
Deep religious truths don't fare well when they become slogans, especially when appropriated for political reasons. It was refreshing, then, to come across these lines this week from Diary of an Old Soul, by George MacDonald:
"But we who would be born again indeed,
Must wake our souls unnumbered times a day."
Being born again is nothing less than committing one's self, day by day, moment by moment even, to being in conscious awareness of God. That is a deeply spiritual exercise. Once engaged, we may or may not say we are born again. But we can always say we hope to be.
Original posts at http://wrigleypreacher.blogspot.com
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