The Church and the Newspaper

Way back on page 7A there is a section called "Fact Checker." It takes the statements made by politicians and checks them against the "facts." That is part of the duty of the newspapers in our society. They are the secretaries to our daily activities. We now have the possibility of playing back videos of politicians making remarks that help keep the record straight. When the first George Bush called Reagan's tax plans "voodoo economics" and then changed his tune when he became Vice-President, there was the tape as a record.

In this polarized society, I am convinced that one of the great moral responsibilities of religious communities is to speak the truth. To be a "fact checker" as well. It is not necessary to take political sides so much as to describe the reality that is there. No one can read the Bible without hearing that God tells his people to care for the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the strangers. There is no place for the church to tell politicians how to solve the problem but the word has to be spoken that there is a growing dangerous gap between rich and poor, and it is the obligation of society to care for the poor. Fact check: The gap is growing.

The religious congregations need to hear regularly that there are millions of strangers in our midst and that they need to be recognized, greeted, and treated with dignity. There has to be some solution to the coming and going of strangers. The illegal immigrant situation needs to be spoken about and a solution needs to be found. Fact Check: we cannot send them all home and we cannot wall them all out.

In my understanding of faith it is appropriate to talk about the hubris of nations and to raise the danger flag that the United States of America seems to be greatly disliked in many parts of the world because of our arrogance and imperialism. Pride goes before a fall, so it is written, and that is not just an individual reality. Fact check: our world wide military is not keeping us safe.

When was the last time you heard a sermon that was concerned about our consuming passion with consuming? When was the last time you were told not to store up treasurers on earth? When did a television preacher tell you that you needed to buy fewer things and live smaller? It is our religious responsibility to be stewards of creation, and that goes to more than just using new light bulbs. We have to pressure government to deal with the environment issues. Fact check: those who claim there is no problem are ideologues.

It does not put us into league with any particular party. I do not think the faith community in its worship has to have solutions, but religious communities need to be part of the pressure to move those in power to solve and not ignore the major problems of the day.

A Small Consolation

It has always amused me that the major character in many of the mystery books I have read never ever get trusted. James Lee Burke's Dave is never believed. Rebus in Ian Rankin's works is always mistrusted. Cornwell's Doctor is always being attacked and "on probation." You would think that after so many cases and so many times that they have been proved correct, that they would be accepted and listened to more eagerly.

The same thought crossed my mind when a business man who has run his company for more than 20 years told me that he cannot get his board of directors to make the kind of decisions that he thinks will help his company. The Board gives no reasons for not wanting to make the changes that are suggested. There are personal aspects to the issues, but He has run the company, made them money, and proposes small steps that would help them legally. They still do not want to go along.

I guess there was no surprise in the report that I read that, I think the figures were, about 20% of the prescriptions that were written by doctors never get filled. These were not neglected because of shortage of money. The complaints of the Doctors were that their patients do not follow their advice. The curious question was why do you come to the doctor for treatment and then not do what he/she suggests?

Certainly in all of that there is a small consolation for clergy. Why should we be surprised when people do not respond to what we say? The authors of novels know human nature to be what it is that supervisors will never change their opinion of the "trouble maker." That Boards of Directors may not follow the advice of a proven leader after 20 years or more. That patients will not listen to their doctors. What is it that allows ministers to think that people will hear them any better?

Let Jesus Show

Early in the 60's a professor at Yale Divinity School told a story about all the damn angels. He reported that at a typical Christmas program they had some excitement. He said this was like many congregations, you adapt the story to fit the needs of the congregation. He reported that this year they had two Mary's because they had two little girls who both wanted very much to be Mary. But Marys and Joseph and the baby were in place and then all the shepherds came in, then the Angels appeared, all the children in their white robes, and then the wise men came in and tried to find their place, and one of the wise men said out loud, "All the Damn Angels are covering up the spots." The little wise man could not find the mark where he was supposed to stand. But Dr. Muehl said that is what happens so much in Church the angels, the traditions, and the children get in the way of the story of Jesus.

Well, it was amazing to read in a Frederick Buechner story this year about another Christmas pageant that had almost the same results. This time when the crowd gather in the front of the church, and all of the people gathered around the manger, one of the little angels at the far end of the line of angels could not see the baby, and so she started pushing others out of the way and yell "Let Jesus Show." The Rector of that church pronounced the benediction after that powerful sermon. Let Jesus Show. Too much of what we do gets in the way.

Just this week a friend said that he did not believe that there was very much of Jesus in what is called in this country Christianity. He just could not believe that those who are publicly identified with the Christian faith in this country have even read the New Testament or they could not say most of what they say. There is a great need for all of us to Let Jesus Show. Let Jesus Show

Where are we? Where is the fear?

What in the world is happening to us? What in the world is happening with faith based communities? What is it that we think we ought to be getting from our religion? What do we think we owe to the Holy?

I suspect that religion has always had a very large dimension of what is in it for us. All kinds of various religious practices have been developed to obtain from God what we want. Fertility, Rain, Prosperity, Peace, Victory, Success, have been but a few of the things we have wanted God to give us. We have made the sacrifices and we have fulfilled the vows in the hopes that our behavior would gain God's blessings.

The religious practices which have been performed to obtain what humans wanted have most often, had a large dimension of fear or apprehension as a part of them. We wanted to get on the good side of the gods because we had a very deep and pervasive fear of the Holy ones. We wanted to do it correctly because the gods had a temper and did not take kindly to shoddy work or carelessness.

From what I read in lots of articles and commentaries by others is that some how the fear has gone out of American Religious practices. We act like the Holy is a buddy. We want God to make us happy, we want happy music and successful programs, and lots of smiling faces, and we do not seem to have much fear that God has any anger or power that might be used destructively. We are chummy with God. We are informal and causal and familiar with the divine. From what I read there has gone missing that dimension of fearful thing to be in the hands of the Almighty.

Frederick Buechner, a well respected religious novelist, wrote in a message called Home, about is conversion experience under the preaching of George Buttrick in New York City. Buechner talks about Buttrick, "These were the days before ministers were supposed to be everybody's great pal and to be called by their first names from the word go, the trouble with which, at least for me, is that it's not another great pal that I go to church looking for,but a prophet and a priest and a pastor. I have never met a warmer, kinder man, we never became pals, for which I was grateful, and if there was anybody in his congregation who called him George, I never happened to hear it."

But the word is that few people want to have a prophet who has words of judgment about a self-indulgent society. Nobody wants to hear a prophet who condemns a nation which spends more on military than it does on health, education, and peace. The word is out that we go to church to be made happy and to have the life we are living blessed.

From what I see and what I read, it does not look like those who go receive any blessings.

A Child is Given

"For unto us a child is given..." is at the heart of what I understand Christmas and the Christian faith to be about. It is about a blessing that is given that we could not demand or make on our own. It is a gift. A gift that we may not be prepared or adequately trained to receive, or we may not even really want when we get it.

The "child" is given by someone or something else. It is not something that we could demand or require or earn. My son and daughter-in-law have given us a grandchild and another one on its way. But we knew early you did not talk to them about "When are you going to have children?" It was their decision and it is a gift to us. Even people seeking adoptions have to have someone who is prepared to "give" them a child.

The "child" is given to us is a reminder that life is a gift to us. Even those who are angry at life and claim they never asked to be born, acknowledge that life is a gift. That what we have is a remarkable gift of amazing variety of blessings and joys. That the best things in life really are gifts to us that are free. As the poet says, "Getting and spending we lay waste the powers that are ours." Christmas focuses on the gift that is given to us, and the gift is all creation, given to all of us, given to us free to enjoy and to share and to give to others.

The "child" is given to us as a free gift. It is to be shared. It is to be celebrated. It is to be valued. It is a gift given to all creation. It is a gift given to all people. It is a gift, and we have to confess that we all have real trouble with receiving and accepting gifts. Somehow so often we think gifts come with strings or obligations or duties. "You have to give a gift to get a gift. You got to give a gift if you got a gift." What kind of gift is that.

Unto us a child is given... and the world is still not really comfortable is just accepting a gift and sharing it with others.

Terrible Two's

We had a wonderful time during Thanksgiving of visiting with our children and sharing some time with our grandson. Our grandson is at that delightful age of two years old. Most of the time he was a pleasant and adorable grandson, but there were a number of occasions when he demonstrated all of the negativity and stubbornness of a two year old. There are good reasons why two year old are called Terrible. During those times when our grandson was terrible, all he could say was “No. No. No. No.”

Upon reflection as I drove home, it seemed to me that we have a lot of terrible two personalities in public life at the moment. Leaders and decision makers who can only say NO. A lot of people in public office who are acting like two year old. They are all negative.

There was a major crisis in our financial markets a few years ago. The possibilities of a second great depression was supposed to be on the horizon if these financial institutions collapsed. The proposals were put forward to try to protect them and to bail them out. There were a lot of people who said No. No. Let them fail. No.

The reports out of Detroit this year are that the major automobile companies are enjoying an increase in sales and are headed towards a record month. The auto industry seems to have found its footing again. But there were a number of public officials who said often and loud NO to the proposal to bail them out.

We have a major, major issue in this country about immigration. We have a lot of people in this country who are illegally here. It is estimated that that number is more than eleven million. When it is suggested that a solution has to be found for that problem. The Farming industries are having a horrible time finding workers to harvest crops. There has to be found a way to deal with this issue, but there are leaders who just say NO. NO. Arrest them. Send them home. NO.

Everybody in the country agrees that the number one issue facing us right now is getting our people back to work. To find jobs for those who are unemployed. When proposals and legislation is presented that would put people to work on bridges, roads, harbors, rail tracks, grids, and lots of infrastructure, the response of lots of our public officials is NO. NO.

Our dependence on foreign oil continues to be a concern, but suggestions and alternative solutions to that dependency are put forward, lots of NO’s come out. When public health talks about the need for a cleaner and healthier environment, the response is NO and many even want to do away with Richard Nixon’s department of Environment. Concern about weather changes and global warming? NO. No. No such thing is happening. When there is recognition that the playing field is tilted in favor of the 1% wealthy in this country and proposals are made to balance that by increasing the taxes on the wealthy and the Fortune 500 companies, the two year old personalities cry NO.No.

The good news for my son and his wife is that my grandson will grow out of his terrible two condition. The only hope for the rest of us is that we can find some more mature people to elect the next time there is an election. The good news for 2012 is that there is an election.

The Playing Field

The Playing Field

Rick Brand

In the lively debate concerning the economic direction of the our country, there has been an awful lot of talking about the value of the “free market” system. I have heard over and over about the wonderful contributions that have been made by our capitalist system. I recently heard President Obama talking about the virtues of the Free Market to the leaders in the Far East.

One of the supposed virtues of capitalism is that it has a level playing field. Newt Gingrich can feel justified in telling the protesters in the Occupy Wall Street Movement to go home and get a job. He seems to believe that they could go home get a job and become part of the 1% of the wealthy. After all it is supposed to be a free market, level playing field on which all people can compete equally for the prize.

But honesty compels us to confess that the market is not a “free market.” Talk to most small business people and the stories I hear are that they are bound and restricted by all kinds of regulations and red tape. There is a beautiful restaurant in downtown Henderson that has never opened because it has not met all the codes. Set backs, required green spaces, sign restrictions, safety requirements and the list goes on. Most of the restrictions and requirements have some value for the good of all of us, but their very presence puts a lie to the “free market” idea.

The notion and concept of “level playing field” is equally betrayed by a looking around. The tax break people get for the interest on home mortgages put an advantage to the home builders. The government wants to encourage home ownership so they give a break to the buyer, but the home builders are benefited. To promote IRA and Retirement funds by giving tax breaks gives a boost to the financial institutions. The building of roads by the government gives a great help to the trucking industry. The Internet was developed by the government and its benefit to IT companies is amazing.

Every decision by government tilts the playing field in one direction or another. Why else would every major industry spend millions of dollars in lobbying Congress? They want Congress to tilt the field in their direction or at least to keep the tilt they already have in their favor. The level playing field, free market, concepts are myths. They do not exist. The playing field is always being tilted and the free market is clogged with restrictions and limitations.

It seems to me that is what the Occupy Movement is all about. They look at the economy facts of life for our society and it is obvious to all who look at the facts that the playing field has been tilted in the favor of the rich for the last twenty years or more. That the free market has not been free, but the marketplace has been much more receptive to big business than to small business. That government and large oil, government and defense contractors, government and financial institutions, government and the auto industry have become so interwoven that government is working for those industries and limiting the small work place.

The market is not free. The playing field is not level. The middle class and the poor are getting oppressed by a system in which the top 10% of the population holds more than 70% of the wealth and the bottom 50% of the population holds only 2% of that wealth. It has not always been this way. The tilt has obvious in the last few years. At one time it was government’s job to try to keep that playing field level. It has quit and has joined with the rich to tilt the field in their favor.