Emergent Since November 2007
I think it has come time for me to take an extended break from this blog. I’m not sure yet what that will consist of but I do realize I need to step back for a while.
I may post periodically if something really pulls at me put otherwise I will be gone for a while. I don’t know if that will be days, weeks or months.
Blogging was, at one time, a joy for me. It is not any longer.
Maybe a break will do me good.
Less than five months away from the general election we are now beginning to see the ramp-up to the issues that will be trumpeted ad nauseam in the near future.
Without going into detail on the substance of these issues here are the ones that I think will be hammered into us the most:
10. Abortion/Reproductive Rights–I thought about just retiring this from the list and placing it as the Hall of Fame issue but I left it in because this will be, once again, a major player.
9. Age Vs. Experience–There is no denying that Obama is a new face on the scene and there is no doubt that McCain is old.
8. Immigration–How to treat the “alien” in our midst is a crucial issue.
7. Poverty–With the absence of John Edwards this issue does not get the play that it otherwise will have. However, it must be forever before us that so many have so little.
6. Faith–One of the more interesting wrinkles in this particular campaign is the sheer reversal of 4 years ago. Obama, the Democrat, is much more comfortable speaking about faith than McCain, the Republican. Regardless of what you think of either of their religious views or associations, it is a different game than just 4 years ago.
5. Gay Marriage–I’m actually surprised that this hasn’t been more resonant in light of California. But I suspect that it is simmering below the surface.
4. The Environment–Both acknowledge the reality of climate change. However, they differ greatly on what that means and how to best respond.
3. Health Care–Making sure that all Americans have access to quality and affordable health care is one of the most important issues in this campaign.
2. The Economy/Gas Prices/Housing/Etc–This will, as always, be a major player.
1. War on Terror/Iraq–The War Hero vs. the Neophyte. Who will protect us? Who will get us out of Iraq the quickest?
Regardless of where you stand on each of these issues the overriding question that emerges to me is whether we can have legitimate discussion on any/all of these topics in order to really move forward as a people. We shall see.
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Now playing: Michael McDermott - The Silent Will Soon Be Singing
via FoxyTunes
So, we took our girls to see Kung Fu Panda (yawn) this evening. Kung Fu Panda is a PG rated movie geared toward children and families. Therefore, we went in with a certain expectation of family oriented affair.
Now, I’m not one that is overly uptight about things but there were two trailers preceding the movie that left us cringing and hoping that our girls wouldn’t pick up one.
The first trailer was for “Hancock” and was completely inappropriate for a children’s movie:
The other was for “The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants 2.” We knew we were in for it when the green bar said the film was rated PG-13 for “mature material and sensuality.”
Is it just me or are both of these trailers completely out of place before an animated feature film? I don’t have a problem with either movie or its subject matter, but not before a movie about a Panda. It really left a bad taste in our mouths.
Let me start out by saying that Envision was not a perfect conference. At times it seemed to be in a state of disorganization. The evening sessions never began on time and, at times, we had to squelch panel discussions due to time constraints.
My learning track was disappointing because Miroslav Volf was only there for one session, more as a guest than as the main lecturer. It would have been nice to have known that.
The pre-registration was horrendous. I emailed the coordinator prior to the conference three times with a question and never got a response.
And it was hot. Once a century hot. That, of course, was not the fault of the people behind the conference but it did tend to exacerbate the negatives.
With that said, when Envision was hitting on all cylinders it was, without a doubt, the most rewarding conference I have ever been to. It was encouraging to know that there were a host of evangelical/mainline Christians with whom I share a great amount of common ground. I am frequently given to frustration at where the contemporary church has been and where a large segment of our populous wants to stay. Therefore, I felt at home with those who are willing to wrestle with the greater implications of the gospel in our post-religious society.
In a later post I will try to engage specifically with some of the insights brought forth in the many presentations, lectures and sermons that were given.
Some Highlights:
–Getting picked up at the Philly airport by the one and only Citizen Mom. She was kind enough to pick me up and take me to Princeton. Thanks to the luck of timing we were able to spend that ride listening to Hillary’s concession speech. Citizen Mom was an ardent Clinton supporter. Great discussion and commentary ensued as we listened.
–Hanging out with Brent, Jennifer and Clare Bates. Hospitality reigned supreme as I was able to crash with them on Saturday night. Brent was ordained in the Episcopal church on Saturday morning so he was in full collar when I rendezvoused with them in Princeton. I then spent the remainder of Saturday and part of Sunday with them in NYC. They helped me navigate traveling with great aplomb. The best part was great conversation and getting to bond with Clare.
–Getting to attend CCfB on Sunday. I had become friends with Joe Hays over the internet over the last year or so but this past weekend was the first time I had the honor of meeting him face to face. Joe and his wife Laura are doing great work in Brooklyn and I was blessed to be a part of their community for just a short time.
–Getting to attend the kick-off of the Matthew 25 network. Although not affiliated with the Envision conference I was able to attend the first public event of this newly organized PAC as they announced their endorsement of Barack Obama for president. Brian McLaren was the keynote at a restaurant near the Princeton campus.
–True Diversity. This was, by far, the most multi-ethnic and diverse rostrum of speakers and practitioners I have ever been a part of of. 5 people spoke during the Monday night preach-off and none of them were Caucasian. It was encouraging to me that there was such a natural acknowledgment of the blending together of all people into humanity than the persistent segregation that is still so much a hallmark of our churches and conferences. Tuesday night they gave the first visionary award that each Envision conference will bestow. They named the award after the first recipient: John Perkins. Perfect.
–Shane Claiborne, Randall Balmer, Obery Hendricks, Rita Brock, Bart Campolo, Andrea Smith, Richard Twiss, Miroslav Volf, and Jim Wallis. Such a stellar line-up of thinkers, practitioners, theologians and activists. I was truly blessed.
It is obvious, to me, at the conclusion of a conference like this that there is a groundswell of realization in the church that we are at a major juncture in our history. A realization that the locus is not on doctrine as starting point but in the manifestation of our love for God through our love for people. This is no one prevailing theology at work but the realization that there is much to glean from many streams of thought (liberation, feminist, etc) as we strive to be the church. There was critique of the current marriage between conservative politics and the religious right, for sure. However, there was no call to vacillate to the other extreme and embrace a purely “religious left” approach. Instead there was a call to live in greater tension as we seek out to be the presence of God, the inbreaking of the Kingdom through love, compassion and awareness of our common humanity.
I can’t wait for Envision ‘09
I’m not going to do my postmortem on Envision until Thursday but I had to at least mention one highlight: I absolutely fell in love with Tracy Howe.
She led much of the worship during our week and she was phenomenal. Much of what we are missing in contemporary hymnody/worship music are songs of conscience and justice, songs of lament and present hope. That is Tracy’s forte. She is the Derek Webb of worship music.
I didn’t buy any of her CD’s while at the conference (I was too seduced by the appeal of half price books at the Brazos and Intervarsity tables) but I will as soon as I get home. Now, if I can figure out how to get her to come do a house concert for us.
If you are looking for worship music that hits t the heart of the Christian mission in this world then check her out:
I am in Princeton right now for the Envision conference. I hope to share some of what I have gained from this conference soon but there is way too much going on right now for me to do justice to what has been said.
Hopefully I will be able to write a detailed reflection when I am done.
I will be participating in the learn track on Religious Pluralism and Christian Faith led by Miroslav Volf. I think that this part of the conference is what I am most excited about.
He has done stellar work in the field of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Here he is last year giving a lecture entitled “How do you ‘un-do’ the Culture of War?” It is a great lecture on the role of memory in reconciliation. Very applicable post 9/11
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Now playing: Moving Pictures - What About Me?
via FoxyTunes
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The next thing we were asked to participate in was a brainstorming of ideas of issues that serve as roadblocks in our current society to achieving and maintaining those core values.
I don’t have access to what I put down but it was along the lines of these:
War/Violence/Abuse
Poverty
Environmental Excess
Literalism
Exclusionism
There were more but that will suffice for now.
What are your thoughts on issues that pose a threat?
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Now playing: Aimee Mann - Going Through The Motions
via FoxyTunes
Last night I participated in an online dialogue in anticipation of the upcoming Envision conference beginning on Sunday.
The first question was one of identifying the core values that undergird my faith system. We were encouraged to just focus on keywords or phrases for that leg. After each of us in the dialogue contributed our ideas we spent time selecting the best offerings and editing them into a purpose statement.
The core values I listed were these:
Love of God
Love of People
Compassion
Justice
Reconciliation
Hope
What would be yours?
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Now playing: Gin Blossoms - Heart Shaped Locket
via FoxyTunes
Infected: A Novel by Scott Sigler
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