Can Democracy Survive the Freedom of the Press?

It’s been amazing to follow these historic Presidential Primaries in the United States as they prepare to elect the first woman, the first black, or the oldest person ever elected to a first term. We live in historic times. But it’s also amazing to watch the relentless media coverage, and wonder if democracy can possibly survive the freedom of the press. All of the candidates, abused in the battle, cling to the hope that, through a barrage of petulance and ignorance, thoughtful, fair-minded journalism will eventually prevail.

For weeks the world has been treated to a blizzard of sound bites from old sermons by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. No, he is not running for office, but he’s the pastor of someone who is. And if, in these enlightened times, you can’t quite get away with calling Barack Obama too black to be President, perhaps you can associate him with someone who is, or who at least can be blackened to order.

This tactic is fearmongering, of course, and it’s ignorant, intemperate and sad. And perhaps the saddest thing of all is that the journalists in question are not even the old, barefaced racists from the 1960s. They’re just sensationalists, looking for a shock bite to grab some attention. So, a preacher’s entire ministry of more than 40 years is summed up in 30 seconds worth of carefully selected images and sound. Most of these journalists have not even taken the time to listen to the sermons, let alone investigate the ministry of Wright’s church. In fact, I heard one of them proudly declare that a patriotic American needs no more information than the sound bites in question.

And the sound bites, of course, are startling and upsetting. But if you take the time to learn the context they are nothing short of amazing. Once you’ve heard a preacher say, “God damn America”, what more do you need to hear? Once you’ve heard him declare that the murderous attacks of 9/11 were “America’s chickens coming home to roost”, what more do you need to know? Well, you need to hear where this man is coming from and what he is about. You need know a little bit about the black church and its wonderful tradition of prophetic preaching. In short, you need to take the time to listen to Bill Moyers' interview with Jeremiah Wright, part 1 and part 2. Just click on the links, sit back and be astounded.

We seldom hear sermons like these in white, middle class churches, mainly because we don’t identify with the poor and the oppressed. But it’s encouraging to think that the most powerful nation in the world might one day be led by someone who, for 20 years, has sat under preaching like this. I just hope Mr. Obama has been paying attention.

Fear-mongering frightens me.

The first thing I want to say about this Tolle/Oprah phenomenon is that I'm always amazed to see how much interest there still is in spiritual things. My generation was told that religion, and spirituality in general, were passing away. Science was taking over and, by now, we were all supposed to be thoroughly secular, happy in the knowledge that empirically testable truth is the only truth, getting all our nourishment from variously coloured pills, and driving flying cars. O well, I tried to tell them that this predicting business was tricky, but they just wouldn’t listen. I’m not surprised that I was right, but I’m astonished to find that I was this right.

Whenever we approach any teaching we should do so in a spirit of kindness and confidence. It’s fine to have points of disagreement, but we should not be disagreeable. And we should remember two particular scripture texts. The first is John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. So many people know John 3:16 but they use it in such a judgmental way that it seems they have no understanding of the very next verse. Jesus didn't come to condemn everything, and he didn't tell us to go around condemning things either. We need to listen politely and try to understand before we make any comment. Then we should focus on the things we agree with and appreciate. In other words, we should treat people the way we want to be treated. And only then should we express the reservations we have.

The second scripture is John 1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. So often preachers, and Christians in general, talk as though we are the only ones who have any truth from God, or in whom God is working. But the Apostle John is very clear that the Word of God is working in every human being to enlighten him or her, and that this is the very same Word of God who became flesh in Jesus. It should, therefore, hardly surprise us when we find profound truth in the teachings of non Christians. Buddha, Confucius, Moses, Mohamed, Gandhi, as well as Mother Teresa and Billy Graham, all have lots to teach us. And, as Jesus says, "...a tree is recognized by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33), not by its label.

I've been very disappointed, though unfortunately not surprised, to see how many Christians, particularly preachers who should know better, are quick to criticize. And, as noted in my last posting, some have indulged in extreme and uncharitable attacks, particularly on Oprah. Of course Oprah can get it wrong, just like the rest of us, but to say she's the most dangerous woman in the world is not only intemperate and unkind, it’s fearmongering. And fearmongering can get people hurt. Gandhi got shot because people were told he was dangerous. Come to think of it, Jesus got crucified for the same reason. This is a spirit of fear; not the Spirit of Jesus.

Anyway, millions are reading Tolle, and I'm very interested in what you're thinking. I'm fascinated by the spiritual landscape of the post modern world. How are you growing? Who’s influencing your spiritual life? Are you being discipled? Are you part of a spiritual community? All of which is to say: How ya doin’, really?

Wondering What You Think

A few weeks ago a young man asked me what I thought Eckhart Tolle. Well, the name was familiar and I knew he was a writer, but I had to admit I didn’t really know much about him. He went on to say that he was pretty impressed with Tolle, and I went on to say that I’d check him out. Google, a few mouse-clicks, and about 20 minutes revealed oodles.

Tolle lives in Vancouver, at least some of the time, calls himself a “spiritual teacher”, wrote a best seller, The Power of Now, and his latest book is titled A New Earth. All very cool, but as most writers know, you can’t make a living writing spiritual books. O yes, he also knows Oprah, she thinks he’s wonderful, and they’re doing an internet video class together. Somehow I think he’ll do very well.

Now, I’m not promoting Eckhart Tolle particularly, but I am fascinated by the shifts we are seeing in the spiritual landscape of the early 21^st century. Of course it’s too soon to tell if this man will be a significant player, but over two million people have joined the internet class. And when I look at what we’ve done to the old earth, a new earth does sound pretty attractive.

Of course, you can’t please all the people all the time. For example, some organization called “Our Eyes Are Open Ministries”, has a video on YouTube entitled “The Church of Oprah Exposed” in which they vilify Oprah for becoming a new age guru. And an internet evangelist named Bill Keller has actually taken to calling Oprah “the most dangerous woman in the world”. Personally I think that’s a little over the top – he never saw my mother coming at him with a woman spoon in her hand – but, hyperbole aside, he certainly expresses some serious concerns.

I’ve watched a bit now, and I’ve read A New Earth, and I’m beginning to get some idea what Tolle’s about, but what do you think of all this? Have you read any of Tolle’s books? Are you following Oprah’s New Earth Class? Is Tolle teaching good things? Is this something Christians should be particularly worried about? Does any of it matter at all? Pleas share a comment, or if a comment on the web is a bit too public for you just drop me an email.

dan.colborne@gmail.com

Hooduthunkit?

I have a number of friends who regularly send me stuff they have discovered on the internet. Some is silly and sappy, much is funny, and a surprising proportion is cleaver, witty and well worth reading, hearing, watching. But a lot of it is hoax material intended to make the sender look like an idiot. This is actually why I so seldom send this sort of thing around. I don’t need more ways to look like an idiot, I have a blog.

Last night I received a fascinating piece about Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers. Who would have thought these three men had this much in common?

I checked this out and there’s a kernel of truth in some of the stuff about Lee Marvin. He did serve in the South Pacific, though not on Iwo Jima. And he was wounded in the butt, and got a medal, though not the Navy Cross. He was awarded a Purple Heart, which is what an American gets when he or she is wounded in action, regardless where (geographically or anatomically). And he is buried in Arlington Cemetery. The stuff about Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers, however, is just made up.

Now, if this debunking exercise has left you a little depressed about the human condition I do have a true story about a real Canadian hero to cheer you up. It’s not a war story – Canadian after all – but it is a tale of human endurance and ingenuity in the face of terrible odds. I have checked this out as thoroughly as possible, which is to say I googled it, and I’m confident that it is all true. At least I found nothing to suggest otherwise.

WARNING!!

Some of the details of the following story may be upsetting to sensitive readers.

Not Just Another Giant (The truth you never knew.)

Bob Homme, a duel citizen of Canada and the United States, and better known as The Friendly Giant, was arguably the greatest midget wrestler of the late 1940s and early 50s. He held the Canadian, American, and World Championship belts from June 3, 1949 till December 18, 1953 when, in a wrestling match in Madison Square Gardens, in defense of his world title, he suffered a devastating trauma to his pituitary gland. He recovered in a matter of a few weeks but the injury resulted in a very rare form of giantism that, understandably, ended his wrestling career. This, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise when he discovered that one of the side effects of the anti-depressant medication he was on gave him the ability to talk to animals, particularly roosters and giraffes. He teamed up with Rusty and Jerome, bought a castle with his wrestling fortune, and the rest is history.

"Friendly" passed away May 9, 2000, and was buried in the counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry in Southern Ontario. Rusty and Jerome declined the honour of being interred with their long time friend and master saying simply, "We're not dead".

It's amazing the things you can discover on the net.

Some Further Thoughts

As you may have noticed, my most recent blog entry gave rise to a comment that raised a number of questions. I’d like to take time to address them here.

1. I'd like to know more about how you view the relationship between Christ and the Church. I don't think even the worst examples of the Church without Jesus thought of themselves as being without Jesus. So how does one tell?

Frankly, it’s not easy. I’m sure that the Church without Jesus, at least initially, never thinks of itself as being without Jesus, any more than the crew of a ship that’s off course initially thinks that the ship is off course. But, as the ship drifts, subtle things begin to emerge that are noticed by those attending to the ships navigation. And if, for whatever reason, they don’t make the necessary corrections, not so subtle things will begin to become apparent to others. Eventually everyone who’s paying attention will begin to notice disturbing signs that things are not as they should be. Whole islands might appear in unexpected places, and icebergs where palm trees are anticipated.

This is a process we have seen throughout history. A cabin boy named Francis, from Assisi, heads off to the Crusades, gets wounded, and during his convalescence begins to ask embarrassing questions about where the Church is headed. Perhaps he didn’t question the Crusades quite the way we might, but he did begin to notice that the church was off course. Or a young deckhand named Martin Luther begins to take an interest in the charts and sextant and, in the course of practicing his new craft, begins to wonder how the maps and stars got quite so misaligned.

Please forgive the analogy, but I really think it’s all about navigation, a mysterious and sometimes quite debatable art which, in the end, produces results that are neither mysterious nor debatable. The cabin boy might not know the north star from Jupiter, but when he steps off the ship in Greenland he will know immediately that he’s not in Jamaica.

If we could go back and examine the church that, in hindsight, we see was far off course, I expect we would find a leadership that was both failing and refusing to listen to it’s prophets. The pilot can’t get utterly off course without silencing a few voices.

2. Is the Church the Body of Christ? And what does this mean exactly?

I would not pretend to be able to say what it means exactly but surely it must have something to do with being the most tangible and historical, ongoing presence of Christ in the world; the continuation of the incarnation. But, perhaps, the “visible” church would be better thought of as more or less the Church depending on the extent to which it is about the business of being the Body of Christ. Jesus told his disciples to make disciples, i.e., reasonable facsimiles of Jesus, and Paul talks of us being “conformed to the image of Christ”. If the Church stops doing this, however, and begins to seek to make good citizens, or Christians, or church members, or people who’ve prayed the “sinners prayer” and gained a free pass to heaven when they die, surely it will drift from it’s focus upon Jesus and become less and less the Body of Christ.

3. Is access to this Christ through the Bible only? Through historical reconstruction of the life of Jesus? Through the Holy Spirit? The sacraments? Or through an intuition of "What Jesus would do?"

It seems to me that all these have a place in keeping the Church Christ centred. The Bible is foundational because it is the text that the entire church has agreed upon, what we call the canon. When we work the soil of the scriptures we work our common ground. The Holy Spirit and the sacraments are also our common inheritance; one table, one baptism, one Spirit, one Body.

Historical reconstructions of the life of Jesus and intuitions of what Jesus would do are both necessary and inevitable in the project of being Christ centred. Surely every disciple who takes the Bible, the Spirit and the sacraments seriously, either formally of informally develops historical reconstructions of the life of Jesus and intuitions of what he would do in particular situations. But our reconstructions and intuitions are derived from the operation of Bible, Spirit and sacraments in the life of the church, so they can never have the authority of these first three. They are the necessary contextual responses of the Church, and of disciples, but the very thing that makes them useful (their contextual nature) also makes them suspect.

4. I think you could say more about how Jesus can act as a brake on human tendencies towards violence.

I must confess that I have not really been a fan of the recent WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?) movement. It seems to me that it’s predicated upon the naïve assumption that if you simply ask the question the answer will be obvious. In my reading of scripture, however, Jesus almost never does what I would expect him to do in any given situation. And yet, in the context of the events of 9/11, this movement has served as a catalyst in the process of formulating another question, WWJB? (Who Would Jesus Bomb?). This, I believe, is an instance of the Church’s healthy struggle to keep Jesus in focus.

As the Church immerses each new generation of disciples the story, particularly the life, ministry, teachings, actions, sufferings and exaltations of Jesus, the parables, the Sermon of the Mount, and his example as he went to the cross without resistance, we see people, and a community being transformed into the image of Christ. We find people and a Church who are not driven by fear or the need to hold onto what is theirs. Such a Church becomes a great influence for peace, even in this world, by virtue of its continuing witness against those things that make for war. But when we leave off seeking the extension of the kingdom of heaven in this way, and take up the task of protecting ourselves and trying to make the world work, we leave off being the Body of Christ. The Church, then, not only loses its witness for peace, but may well become an instrument of violence. The corruption of the best becomes the worst.

This was a long blog entry. I hope at least something in it has been helpful.

A day without sunshine is like night, as is a church without Jesus.

In my last posting I suggested that we need to read books like The Golden Compass, and teach our children to read them, because we need to learn how to listen to those with whom we disagree. This skill suffered greatly during the age of Christendom, and we must recover it in this post Christian age. We must rediscover the biblical truth that everyone has something to contribute. If God can speak through a donkey, as in the story of Balaam (Numbers 22:21ff), or Persian King Cyrus (Daniel 10:23), or a Baptist preacher on a Sunday morning for that matter, he can certainly speak to us through an author like Philip Pullman.

For example, Pullman sets before us a world in which the Church is a heartless juggernaut, crushing all in it’s path, with only its own ends in sight. This is a disturbing image precisely because it reminds us of some Church history we vaguely recall; misty images of crusading knights, courts of inquisition, witch trials and the defense of slavery. But, if we consider Pullman’s version of the Church carefully we will notice something very instructive. There is never a mention of the gospel story: no Christmas, no Good Friday, no Easter. This is a Church without Jesus.

And this, I believe, is a word from the Lord, spoken through this militant atheist. Jesus is the divine corrective the Church needs to be the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ after all, and without him it becomes, not only a dead thing, but a killing thing. Jesus is what was missing from the Crusades, Inquisition, witch trials and defense of slavery. If we want to put distance between ourselves and the Church of The Golden Compass, we need to keep Jesus at the centre of things.

An atheist farmer of some local notoriety was working in his field one day when the local Baptist preacher dropped by. They chatted for a while about this and that, but we all know what Baptists are like, especially preachers, and the conversation soon took its inevitable course.

“Jacob”, said the preacher, “this is a beautiful piece of land. It’s green and lush and productive. I hope you understand that this land, and all this beauty, belongs to God, and God alone.”

“Well Reverend, I know you believe that”, the farmer replied, “and I respect your belief. But you should have seen this land when he was working it.”

The preacher is asking, What would this land be without God?, and the farmer is answering, What would it be without me? From a biblical perspective this farmer is providing a necessary corrective to the preacher’s God-alone theology.

I’ve always liked that little story, partly because the atheist gets the punch line. It’s important for believers – for me that is — to remember that, in most jokes, you get the punch line for being right. So, pretty much everyone gets the punch line eventually.

The Golden Compass

One of the books I received for Christmas was The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. It has garnered a fair amount of criticism in Christian circles, but it was in my stocking. I figure if St Nicolas, one of the great saints of the Church, is distributing it, it can’t be all bad. And, if I can extend that logic to cover the other things in my stocking, it’s really shocking to see how broad minded the old saint has become.

The Golden Compass was originally released as Northern Lights, but for some reason the American publisher decided the title should be changed. There’s a device in the book that might be thought of as a golden compass, but it’s not a compass, and is never called that. The northern lights, on the other hand, are very central to the story, so it all seems very odd to me. – American publishers have a bad habit of making gratuitous changes in children’s classics. They rearranged the books of the Narnia series, and renamed the first book in Harry Potter, to no particular advantage except to assure that a generation of American children would be out of step with the rest of the world. Come to think of it, the Yanks are not yet metric. Perhaps there’s a pattern here. – It’s the controversy in the book, however, that most interests me.

The Golden Compass is the first in a three part series called His Dark Materials. It begins in a universe, parallel and very similar to our own, and deals with a battle for the truth that there are, indeed, parallel universes. An organization called The Magisterium (Catholic Church), centered in a place called the Vatican (the Vatican), is desperate to hide the truth of these parallel universes because it does not accord with it’s theology (Copernicus, Galileo, etc.). This organization is evil incarnate, even torturing children in the course of this massive cover-up. But Lyra, the preadolescent heroine of the book, together with her uncle and a collection of marginalized and persecuted peoples such as Gyptians (Gypsies) and witches (witches), are engaged in a war with The Magisterium to discover and reveal the truth.

This is actually a pretty good book. The characters are interesting, the plot is engaging and the philosophical notions are amusing. But it’s not hard to see what Pullman’s getting at. In fact he is very open about it in his writings and interviews. This is an attack upon the Catholic Church and religion in general. He is an Evangelical Atheist, who seeks to spread atheism. Though I’ve not yet read the entire series I’ve heard Pullman himself say the god (God) who created our universe will be killed in the course of the story.

Now, I don’t think Christian people should boycott these books or the movie series based upon them. I think they afford us a great opportunity to engage ideas with which we disagree, and to teach our children how to do the same. We cannot keep ourselves, or our children, from being exposed to Atheism, Buddhism, Humanism, or any of the other isms. and we shouldn’t try.

Though Pullman has a very naïve approach to God and religion, he also has some true and worthwhile things to say. And one of the things he is saying is that religion is a great problem when it tries to control the world. Well, I am more than willing to grant him that. So let’s just humble up, take our seat, and become another voice at the table.