Sunday School
I spoke Sunday morning to the Cokesbury Sunday School class at Greensboro's Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro. What a fun way to start the week. (It reminds me of a similar class at First Presbyterian Church.)
In a stimulating dialogue, we tackled the topic of faith's place in the editorial pages.
My thesis on theology and public policy: It's nearly impossible these days to separate the two. From Sen. John McCain speaking at Liberty University (after reviling Jerry Falwell during the 2000 presidential campaign); to the renewed debate on a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage; to the Muhammad cartoon controversy, the two are thrust onto the news pages almost every day and have become nearly inextricably tied.
Among my conclusions: "I ... wonder through it all whether man tends to forget who created whom and conveniently remakes God time and again in whatever image suits the current political or social agenda."
The wide-ranging Q&A that followed covered such diverse subjects as Ann Coulter, Molly Ivins, the future of print journalism and "The Da Vinci Code" (the Dixie Chicks may grace the current cover of Time, but Mary Magdalene's front and center on the latest Newsweek.)
My significant other, Eula Aiken, and I appreciated the warm reception and the engaged audience.
Now back to the rough-and-tumble frontier of the blogosphere.
Comments (6)
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Allen,
I agree with you that editors, polticians and public policy-makers should behave as if they could remember "who created whom and (not) conveniently remake() God time and again in whatever image suits the current political or social agenda".
Dealing with religion as it affects the daily news does seem unavoidable in such a publicly-espoused, faith-saturated locale as Guilford, NC and its surrounding counties.
I lived in Holland for some time, and they didn't pay nearly the same kind of attention to it. Nor in New England, where my family was composed of very strict Catholics. There simply was no need to discuss and see these personal, deeply-held beliefs bandied about (even "respectfully") in newspapers or on TV. That would feel far too uncomfortable. Chalk it up to Yankee reserve.
Finally, what of the (admittedly, here in NC, few) atheist/agnostics among the press and public figures? Most every one is "in the closet", I am sure. What does the coverage and nodding expectation of faith (or outright demand for it) in public officials say to the quietly ethical, principled, conscientious and hard-working individual? Does the press have an obligation to avoid ostracizing them?
Posted on May 25, 2006 9:32 AM
Allen, can you name or recall a time when God has not been defined or remade in whatever fashion the ruling heirarchies, whether they be The Catholic Church, Imams sitting on mountaintops in Yemen, or even your Sunday School teachers when you were a kid, wanted them to be?
Posted on May 25, 2006 11:46 AM
No, John, I sure can't. Seems we'll never learn.
Posted on May 25, 2006 11:49 AM
In what fashion should we understand the word/person? Is it possible those who are not part of the ruling hierarchies may be as prone to "defining and remaking" the concept to suit their purposes, conscious or subliminal? In this world with this brain we have with its limits and abilities, isn't that about all we can expect?
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