Faith

Krister recently mused about a speech by Jim Wallis (author of God's Politics).  I can relate.  A few excerpts:

His main premise had to do with the fact that in our country we have created a great divide in politics over religion. The right uses religion to polarize a nation while the left leaves religion behind despite the fact that they are historically associated with many movements started by faith communities. I'm not going to lie here; it felt unbelievable to be in a building with people who are passionate about the same things I am passionate about. Wallis talked about how the religious right act like they own God and have narrowed faith down to a couple key issues: abortion and gay marriage. The problem, however, comes when you look at the entire witness of scripture and see that there are over 3,000 verses that speak to poverty. And what are we doing about it? Not a heck of a lot from a religious standpoint. Sure we give and are charitable, but poverty will not be overcome through charity. That's like blowing out a trick candle. Eventually the flame sparks up again and poverty is back in full effect because we've not gotten at the heart of poverty and the systemic influences that allow it to flourish... Wallis believes that the time of the religious right is up and that a new movement is beginning that is listening to the center of the country that does not feel represented by televangelists or family values promulgators or by wishy washy liberals who don't stand for much of anything. Instead, he believes that religion will be the tool that serves as a bridge to bring both "conservatives" and "liberals" together over the big issues that affect not only our country but our world as well... One of the most insightful comments he made was that the big choice to be made is not between belief and secularism. The real choice is between cynicism and hope. It is entirely easy to fall into the trap of believing that things are terrible and should get better but will never really change. The cynic thinks thus, but those who hope are compelled by a vision of the realized future that can only be fueled by faith. This hope is what makes things like eliminating poverty possible...

When we do right, things go well.  When we don't, they don't.  Right?  So says Earl.  Pat Robertson, in addition to calling for the assassination of another country's president, made the news recently when he warned "...citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck."

"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city," Robertson said on his daily television show broadcast from Virginia, The 700 Club." And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there," he said.

Maybe you've heard someone speculate that some of the recent disasters were some form of punishment for places like New Orleans.  Most theologians think not.  Everything happens for a reason, people say.  What about the minister (Kyle Lake) in Texas who died recently after being electrocuted while standing in the church baptismal during a morning service?  Did that happen for a reason?  Christianity Today reprinted a portion of one of Kyle's books to address that question.

Check out Dan Smith's "Baby Got Book" video, a humorous Bible-themed parody of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back."

From USA Today:

Coffee drinkers could get a spiritual jolt with their java in the spring when Starbucks begins putting a God-filled quote from the Rev. Rick Warren, author of the mega-selling The Purpose-Driven Life, on its cups. It will be the first mention of God in the company's provocative quote campaign, The Way I See It. In 2005, Starbucks is printing 63 quotes from writers, scientists, musicians, athletes, politicians and cultural critics on cups for company-run and licensed locations to carry on the coffeehouse tradition of conversation and debate.

What bewilders me about Republicans is the coalition of the corporate Bourbon wing of the party and the Bible wing, two groups with little in common, but the Bible wing supplies the votes and the Bourbons take most of the booty. The Bourbons get tax cuts and deregulation and the Bibleists get a few vague gestures on symbolic issues such as gay marriage and school prayer. Like the Pharisees, the Bibleists enjoy public displays of religion. A roomful of movers and shakers gathered for a prayer breakfast that is all about bonding, backslapping, hobnobbing, and the prayers are read off 3X5 index cards, and there is a complete lack of heartfelt witnessing as you'd find among people of faith. At the prayer break fast, if the Holy Spirit speaks, it is always in favor of tax cuts and less government regulation and preemptive military action. The Holy Spirit never comes out in favor of anything without clearing it with the Republican Party. The Bibleists vow to put God back in the public schools, as if He were a small plaster icon and not the Creator of the universe. Evidently, when they hear public prayer, they sense the Spirit's presence. I don't. The public invocation (0 Thou Who didst turn water into wine, bless, we beseech Thee, this conference of the Water Sanitation Engineers of the North Central District. . .) is a piece of sanctimonious boilerplate with the spiritual weight of a postage stamp. It has no connection to true prayer, the throwing of myself down in the presence of the Creator: Lord have mercy, Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world have mercy upon us. Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Saying the names of loved ones, putting myself wordlessly under God's wing. That is true prayer. Pharisee prayer is simply a political speech that is addressed to God, as if He needed instruction, Why are the Pharisees so willing to exploit the Christian faith for political mileage? They will have to answer that; I can't. But God is not mocked and does not find political cynicism appealing in any way. Faith is private. It demonstrates itself in good works and love of neighbors but it doesn't need to puff up and blow a horn and bang on kitchen pans. Everyone must look in his own heart and ask, Do I really believe or do I not? Jews do this in the fall and Christians in early spring, during Lent. Most people do not believe. They have tried to believe and they wish they did believe and are sorry they don't, because they like to be around people who do, so they come to church, and enjoy the music and decor and the hallowedness of it all, but the faith is not in them. They don't need to tell me about it - they only need to answer to God on this matter. He will understand if the answer is no. He already knew that. The tragedy is when people who don't believe are so tortured by their unbelief that they set out to scourge their fellow unbelievers. When you try to find the love of Christ at work in the Republican Party, it may take you awhile. The Christian Coalition was a Republican front with about as much to do with the Christian faith as the Elks Club has to do with large hoofed animals."

That's a quote from p. 207-209 of Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts From the Heart of America by Garrison Keillor.  I read it during our get-away trip to the UP.  Get yourself a copy or ask to borrow mine.