Traveling in Place

Diversion vs. Compulsion

Lent…MARCH MADNESS!

The way of the cross…THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR!

Not everyone experiences this dissonance – we’re not all basketball fans.  But the contradiction between the solemnity of Lent and the mania surrounding the college basketball tournament is certainly a parable of the difficulty of living the Christian faith in a secular culture.  During Lent, I’ve got a bracket in one hand and a Bible in the other. 

Maybe in some other year I’d be able to contemplate the possibility of giving up basketball for Lent.  But when the local college team is poised to make a legitimate run at the championship, well, I plead my human frailty.  I could also – somewhat disingenuously – plead some scripture, such as the story of the Pharisees criticizing Jesus for not requiring his disciples to fast at the appropriate time.  But the healthiest thing for me to do is simply admit that, as a disciple of Christ, I live in the world even as I am not of the world, and I am always maintaining a delicate balance between my heavenly and earthly citizenships.

Learning to Listen in a PowerPoint World

For nearly 18 years, I have taught in the religious studies department of a local college.  The classroom experience has changed dramatically since I began.  For the first few years, I walked into class with nothing more than my lecture notes and a box of chalk.  I taught by speaking, asking questions to generate discussion, and occasionally writing terms or drawing visual representations of ideas on a blackboard.  Some days, I left with chalk marks all over my clothes.

Chalk dust went away with the advent of whiteboards.  I was glad for that.  Not only did I not miss the chalk, but the blackboards sometimes got so dirty that they were impossible to erase.  When I tried, I was just moving dust around, some on the board, some in the air.  I’m glad to be rid of that mess.

Within the last decade, all the classrooms have been upgraded with the latest in digital technology.  Now, the “teaching station” in the front of each classroom contains a control panel for at least one computer, a DVD player, a document camera, one or two projectors mounted into the ceiling, and drop-down screens.  There are also ports for flash drives and laptops.  I bring my own laptop, from which I project PowerPoint presentations that include the main bullet points of my lectures, images relating to the material, and questions for class discussion.

I can’t just walk into a classroom and start talking anymore.  Now, I have to boot up the system and make sure the projector is on, the screen is down, and my laptop is properly installed.  This usually takes only a few minutes. 

More on the Plight of Arab Christians

This week’s cover of Newsweek magazine marks a turning point: the first time a mainstream national newsmagazine has so prominently featured the plight of Christians in the Arab world.  The picture of a blood-stained image of Christ found in a bombed-out church building is shocking to American believers who take their freedom of worship for granted.  The plight of Christians in the Middle East and Northern Africa has grown increasingly horrific over the past twenty years.  Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, it has become genocidal.  The Arab Spring has simultaneously produced the hope of popular sovereignty and the specter of religious violence, particularly against Christians.  Yet, Western news outlets have largely ignored this story.

Two of my previous posts were devoted to this subject.  In December of 2010, I wrote this post about how Christians celebrating Christ’s birth were literally risking their lives.  And six weeks ago, I wrote this post about the rash of violence against Christians in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Here, I’d like to focus in on the central thesis offered by Newsweek reporter Ayaan Hirsi Ali. He writes,

Public Policy and the Poor

It was a stupid gaffe, but it just might inject some seriousness into our national political discourse.

I’m speaking of Mitt Romney’s careless remarks about the poor that have drawn the ire of people as different as conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh and liberal Senator Chuck Schumer.  First, here’s what Romney said (in an interview with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien):

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich. They’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling, and I’ll continue to take that message across the nation.”

Here’s how he clarified his statement in the same interview:

“I said I’m not concerned about the very poor that have the safety net, but if it has holes in it, I will repair them…The – the challenge right now – we will hear from the Democrat Party the plight of the poor, and – and there’s no question; it’s not good being poor, and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle-income America. My campaign – you can choose where to focus. You can focus on the rich. That’s not my focus. You can focus on the very poor. That’s not my focus. My focus is on middle income Americans, retirees living on social security, people who cannot find work, folks who have kids that are getting ready to go to college. That – these are the people who’ve been most badly hurt during the Obama years.”

And here’s how Romney sought to minimize the damage of his earlier remarks when he spoke with Nevada political reporter John Ralston:

Grieving with Hope

This week, our church remembered and celebrated the life of one of our members who passed away over the weekend.  Following our usual practice, the deacons served a meal in the fellowship hall after the service.  Two lines of people with plate and flatware in hand patiently made their way down either side of a long row of tables crowded with dishes of food that people had brought to the kitchen before the service.  Whipped jello salad with marshmallows, tossed salads, macaroni and cheese, cold cuts, cheese, rolls, meatballs and sauce in a crockpot, creamed vegetable casseroles, scalloped potatoes, several varieties of beans, oven-roasted chicken, lasagna, and more (including dessert!) provided an overwhelming abundance.  The sanctuary just about filled up for the memorial service, and nearly everyone in attendance stayed for the meal.  There was plenty for everyone.

Nothing speaks of Christian fellowship quite like a church potluck dinner, especially when it follows a funeral.  There is never a shortage of food.  There is never a shortage of hands in the kitchen to make sure the near-empty dishes are replaced by more food, the tables are set, and the drinks are easily accessible.   Nor is there a shortage of spirit.  I do not recall ever being at a post-funeral church meal where people were quiet and reserved.  They’ve all just been to a worship service honoring a loved one who has passed from this life to the next.  They’ve cried, they’ve laughed, they’ve sung of their faith, they’ve drawn strength from scripture, and they’ve been reminded of our belief that God has conquered death through Christ.  We come to these long tables full of lovingly prepared food after we have celebrated the gift of life and the promise of resurrection.  The sadness has not receded, nor the grief diminished.  But we have drawn strength from one another, knowing that death is never the last word, however it comes.  We have affirmed that our bond with one another is stronger than death’s power. We are a people gathered by God’s loving arms.  God has committed to be with us for better and for worse.  And now, in this time of need, God feeds us in abundance.  The meal we share is communion in the deepest sense of the word.  This is why grieving family members come away from the table with broad smiles.  They have received more than comfort.  They have been nourished by the strength of God’s love expressed in the body of Christ.

What About Mormonism?

For the past couple of months, I’ve been asked two questions with increasing regularity: 1) Is Mormonism a cult?  2) Is Mormonism a form of Christianity?

Of course, there’s no secret about why I’m getting these questions.  There is at least an even chance that a major political party will, for the first time in American history, nominate a Mormon for President.  This would be another one of those “firsts” in the recent American history (following JFK as the first Catholic President, Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Supreme Court Justice, Barack Obama as the first black President, etc.) that cause some to applaud the still unfolding American dream, and others to bite their lips in anxiety.

I can answer the first question very simply.  No, Mormonism is not a cult.  It is too big and diverse to be a cult.  It’s been around nearly 200 years and has matured into a religious denomination of over 14 million people worldwide.  Mormons do not all believe exactly the same thing.  There are liberal Mormons, conservative Mormons, and fundamentalist Mormons.  If Mormonism were a cult, there would be no spectrum of beliefs.

Jesus vs. Religion?

The video inserted below has been viewed nearly 16 million times on YouTube.  It features Jefferson Bethke, a 22-year-old evangelical Christian, reciting his own rap poem that maintains Jesus came to “abolish religion.”  Bethke reflects the antipathy toward organized religion that is shared by many (most?) young adults in America – including those raised in Christian homes.  

 

It’s easy to criticize Bethke for this video.  He’s an active member of the Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, one of the nation’s premier megachurches.  He says he “loves the church,” but hates religion.  How is that possible?  Once you’ve organized a group of people who share the same basic belief system, you have religion – even if it’s “non-denominational.”  It’s also fair to ask, “If Jesus came to abolish religion, why was he an observant Jew?”  He attended synagogue services and participated in all the major festivals on the Jewish calendar.  In other words, he was religious. 

But I don’t want to dismiss Bethke’s provocative verse out of hand.  He’s got a point.  In fact, if you substitute the word “law” every time he uses the word

Why Dr. King Stirs My Soul

I was only a toddler when Martin Luther King gave his “I Have Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  I wasn’t even born when the Montgomery Bus Boycott catapulted him to the forefront of the Civil Rights movement.  But when I see the grainy black-and-white newsreels of King, especially when he’s speaking from the pulpit of a black Baptist church, I am instantly transported to a place that seems far away yet, judging from how deeply his words and cadence move me, is still very close to my heart.

On the occasion of the Martin Luther King holiday, as our nation pauses to consider the indelible mark Dr. King made on our history, I’ve been remembering the First Baptist Church on Cordell Street.

You see, I grew up in a typical Southern town.  The year I entered first grade was our school district’s first year of busing and integrated classrooms.  But every other aspect of life was strictly segregated, none more so than churches.  My family attended the First Baptist Church on Main Street, right at the major crossroads downtown.  But, as in many other Southern towns, there was another First Baptist Church – the one for the black folks.  Their church was located on Cordell Street, far off any path my family or any other white residents ever traveled.

The Return of Winter

Snow is falling heavily today.  This morning, some locations reported two inches per hour.   This wouldn’t normally be news in a Central New York January, but we haven’t seen any significant snowfall this season before today.  Tree limbs are thickly flocked.  Traffic lights are hanging at a 45-degree angle in a stiff wind that sometimes gusts to 40 miles per hour.  Since the snow is falling too quickly for the plows to keep up, the roads are sloshy and slippery, and visibility is down to a few hundred feet.  Snow is forecast to fall steadily for the next 24 hours.

In many other parts of the country, this would be time to close school, shut up shop, and hunker down at home.  We’d be doing the same thing if this were a monstrous nor’easter dumping a couple of feet of snow.  But it’s not that at all.  This storm is just the return of winter to the Snow Belt – finally.  School is open, traffic is flowing (albeit slower than usual), consumers and cashiers are moving with a sense of urgency, but not frantically.  The plow drivers are feeling their oats for the first time in nine months.  We seem to have been rustled out of our post-holiday slumber.  Normal life has returned.

In a post last month, I intimated that many residents here reflexively complain about snow, as if the less snow the better.  The ideal winter, to hear some people talk, would be no winter at all.  Florida, in other words.  Some of us have a different view.  We appreciate having four real seasons.  We believe that heavy snow is preferable to hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes.  We also recognize that a snow-blanketed ground lightens up otherwise dark days.  On sunny days, the snow sparkle under a cobalt winter sky is breathtaking.

Beyond Ideologies

On the eve of the nation’s first primary for the 2012 presidential election, six Republicans are vying for the opportunity to challenge President Barack Obama.  The outcome of the New Hampshire vote tomorrow is hardly in doubt.  Frontrunner Mitt Romney has been consistently outpolling the rest of the field there since the race began last summer.  But a lot of attention will be paid to who comes in second, third, and fourth, because at this point, there are three primary races within the Republican Party. 

First, there is the race for the “conventional” or “establishment” wing of the party.  That contest is between Mitt Romney and John Huntsman, and represents about a third of the national party vote.  Second, there’s the race for the “libertarian” wing of the party.  One could argue that this is not a race at all.  Ron Paul is the only real libertarian running, though in New Hampshire, some of that vote is split with Huntsman.  It accounts for 10-15% of the party nationwide.  Finally, there’s the race for the “social conservative” wing of the party.  This vote has been splintered between four candidates – Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and Michelle Bachmann (who dropped out after her poor showing in the Iowa caucuses).  The national polls suggest that this is the largest wing of the current Republican Party, accounting for upwards of 40% of the party vote.