People often ask me why I don't blog more often in the crucible of the news cycle when an issue is "hot." My friends and editors are always trying to get me to speed up--as I tend to be slow with my words. Last week, for example, I was quiet as the war of words escalated between partisans in the Professor Gates/Cambridge police affair. President Obama did, of course, jump in the fray with his poorly chosen assessment that the Cambridge police behaved "stupidly," only to apologize a couple of days later and invite the wronged parties to the White House for beer
President Obama's actions underscore my reticence to enter the blog-fray in heated battle. By inclination and academic training, I'm a historian. Historians believe that the more time we have to understand a situation, the better. When seeing the picture of Professor Gates hauled away in handcuffs from his own house, I was shocked. But I also suspected that something had happened of which I was unaware. As a commentator, I had a sense of my own limitations. Better, I thought, to let the picture speak for itself. And better to hold back before starting to call someone names like "racist" or "bigot" or "idiot" or "rogue cop" or whatever. The escalation is even more shocking than the original event--culminating yesterday with Glenn Beck calling President Obama a racist!
If nothing else, the events leading up to today's Beer Summit at the White House have underscored the importance of slow words. Although progressive Christians are known for activism, liberal and progressive Protestantism also is marked by a commitment to intellectual analysis. As a group, we are often painfully slow at decision-making--sometimes to the point of institutional paralysis. But we are so slow because we believe that the world is a complex place that defies black-and-white (no pun intended) characterizations. In particular, morality and ethics are often shades of grey, a shadowy realm of mixed human motives and less-than-perfect choices. In my religious tradition, moving slowly is a spiritual practice--one that accounts for careful and thoughtful engagement with important ideas and events.
The progressive emphasis on thoughtful analysis is more than a matter of taste or the privilege of educated elites. It is drawn from--what is arguably the most important of all liberal Christian sacred texts--the New Testament Letter of James. This week's shouting match is well-described in this ancient paragraph:
For all of us make many mistakes . . . The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell . . . No one can tame the tongue--a restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3: 2-8).
The letter's author goes on to say that the tongue is corrected only by "works done with gentleness born of wisdom," by those who "make peace." Quick and uninformed judgment must be restrained by a quest for wisdom.
Here, at Progressive Revival, Paul Raushenbush and I are trying to create a blog space that reflects the deepest virtues and values of mainline Protestant traditions--a way of being in the world that believes to hold back the tongue--even for a moment--creates the space for understanding, opens new possibilities, and allows us to glimpse God's reign. Consideration, discernment, and thoughtfulness should never be an excuse to avoid action; rather, they should frame the way we act. We're not in a contest for speed; we're on a journey toward wisdom.
In the midst of the fray, I humbly invite spiritual progressives into a "slow word" movement. Like the "slow food" movement that argues food must be savored to be healthy, so care-filled words also need to be digested in order to be wise, to act justly, and to make peace. Slow words are a spiritual practice, one much needed in a world of junk politics and faux news events. Slowing down, guarding our words, might reintroduce a measure of reality into our lives. In order to change the world, we must first learn to bridle the tongue.
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William Brown,
I certainly can not speak for the moderators, my understanding, however, is that all are welcome here.
Now, some blogs at beliefnet.com are quite exclusive. Crunchycon welcomes racists but kicks all supporters of gay marriage and those whose arguments pose serious challenges to conservative journalism off their blog.
Most of the Jewish and Pagan blogs here as well as The New Christians encourage people who don't share the moderator's views to interact.
Personally, I am a very progressive Christian on social issues. I firmly believe in human rights for gays, transgender and all people, regardless of skin color or ethnic origin. I also firmly believe in a woman's right to chose, universal health care and education.
I strongly oppose torture but am a firm advocate of the death penalty for drug dealers and those who prey on children or torture animals - Michael Vick is lucky I wasn't responsible for his sentencing, he'd be rotting in the seventh ring of Hades right now, had I been.
Being both a public employee (I teach) as well as a private business owner, I am a firm advocate of the European style of capitalism and not so convinced that the laissez-faire capitalism the Republicans advocate works.
Tho' I believe in global warming, I have my doubts that recycling in separate containers which are then all thrown together is really the solution to our problems.
In other words, by European standards, I am a moderate. By American conservative Christian standards, I am the Anti-Christ.
Worse, I am married to another man. Happily.
I suspect you will find that most people who post on this blog routinely share some of my views, radically disagree on others - we had quite a nasty discussion here last year when some very politically correct demanded I refer to Negroes born in the Carribean as African Americans...and an even nastier one when I wrote that people who abuse children are monsters.
All in all, tho', there are good exchanges here. Most are not as inflammable as I am and you have just happened to walk in on some discussions which I have very strong feelings about.
Christ's teachings are much harder to follow than Paul's. Paul's work is easily perverted by fundamentalists to justify their hatred. Christ's love doesn't excuse us from trying even when it seems futile. My greatest failing, by the way.
Panthera
I am pretty conservative; military brat, military retiree, work for the military as a civilian...you have probably guessed that I have pretty light skin tone. I have my views and most run contrary to yours, but quite honestly, they are at most secondary to my call to love, feed my sheep and judge not lest I be judged. As I said I dropped the rocks a long time ago. I have many dialogues with my co-workers, and some just will not agree with me...that's ok, we don't shout, they don't call me a racist and I don't call them one either. I just don't see the point in venting and not being constructive. If the dialogue focuses on hate, then the dialogue is simply an argument. Seldom do they solve anything, often they just drive the wedge further. If trying when it seems futile is failing, then what were the disciples doing it all for? I reckon we all get some of it wrong as we interpret the teachings of the Bible, mostly I think it is our heart attitude that will be looked at when we face judgement. Make sure you say hi when we get there!
“I strongly oppose torture but am a firm advocate of the death penalty for drug dealers and those who prey on children or torture animals - Michael Vick is lucky I wasn't responsible for his sentencing, he'd be rotting in the seventh ring of Hades right now, had I been.”
What is sad about your progressive attitude towards the Word is your views towards life in general. You would convict and put to death Vick for animal abuse……but you are pro-abortion, even partial birth abortion and condone the millions of murders that have taken place since Roe. You think a woman has a right to kill. How warped is that?
“In other words, by European standards, I am a moderate. By American conservative Christian standards, I am the Anti-Christ.”
By Biblical standards and the way you interpreter the Word you are a liberal. You condone certain sins above others.
“Christ's teachings are much harder to follow than Paul's.”
No they aren’t. Not if you love and give him the reins. And it doesn't matter how hard one thinks the rules are, they are to be followed. Rules about sin aren’t for a select few they are for all mankind. Jesus made it clear what sin was. You struggle with accepting certain rules.
If you only looked at what CHRIST said that’s all YOU would need to live by. But I believe that the entire Bible was God breathed like it says, therefore those that penned the Word were handpicked by God.
Standing on the Word does not mean one hates another. Christ gave us the Bible for a specific reason. It is our guide on how to live. Because I believe sex outside marriage, same sex relationships are sinful if they involve sex does not mean I hate the people. No more than I would hate someone else in sin. The fact is I sin, I repent and I try never to do it again. That is the key, knowing when you do something against God, repenting and making it right. Those that love me help me, they keep me in check because they love me. My mother often would ask me kindly and with love if I thought my actions were aligned with Gods Word.
Unfortunately you think if someone disagrees with you about something, they hate you and are out to get you. I believe in my heart that you are a kind person and I am sure you love your partner. But I also believe you are sinning based on what the Word says. I love the Word and will follow it.
amen churchmouse! I am not against the people who practice homosexuality, I am against the practice of homosexuality. God said it is an abomination against him. In Romans the first two chapters it talks about God giving the people over to their vile affections.(ch.1v26-32), then in chapter2 it talks about God's Righteous judgement especially verses 6 and 11 are very important, if they'll only be read with the whole chapter. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because men went after men, and women after women. You would think that people would take notice of the past, but I guess they're to wrapped up in the everyday he said she said stuff. SIN IS SIN!!!!
"Progressive" and mainline churches are about as diverse as Vermont or North Dakota and whiter than sour cream.
I get a massive kick out of watching groups with the demographic profile of New Hampshire and an average age of 54+ talk about "celebrating their diversity" and "renewal".
Still wondering why people don't take mainline churches seriously?
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