STICKS AND STONES . . .

Prov 2:12 - Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse . . . . NIV

FUNDAMENTALISM:
Everyone is a fundamentalist
No one is a fundamentalist

The way the term "fundamentalist" is used today is so unhelpful and prejudicial in nature that it makes me wonder what kind of purpose it has, other than to divide people and create barriers of communication. I think it generates murkiness rather than clarity, and unfriendly attitudes rather than openness. Anytime we label others, or even label ourselves, we create false unnecessary barriers between ourselves and others, and define limits for our perceptions about who we are, who others are, and about possibilities of communication between people. At present, there is no universal interpretation for the term "fundamentalism." It is merely used as sharp stick to jab and harm people. It has no beneficial purpose that I can tell, and it is certainly not descriptive in any useful way.

Once, in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, I suggested to a person with whom I was having a discussion about fundamentalism, that the term had a very precise definition, and he needed to be careful about how he used the word, and who he labeled as a fundamentalist. The gentleman agreed with me, and fired back with a definition of fundamentalism based on an early twentieth century description of Protestantism that he had once read. I could tell he felt very proud of nailing me with his knowledge. I did not respond to it or disagree with him. That would have invited an endless argument; not something I'm fond of. I just smiled and let it pass.

But, this encounter underscored for me what I had already suspected, that the term fundamentalism is tossed about without much understanding, and without much relevant contemporary definition. Usually the term is used to indicate someone who is intolerant of others, resistant to ideas that do not line up with their view of reality, resistant to change, closed-minded to new ideas, forceful and persistent in presenting their own views to the exclusion of another's views, and unkind to those who hold different beliefs; maybe even willing to use violence to promote their ideas, or to suppress alien ideas. Of course, this is not a precise definition, only a summation of the way I hear the word being sometimes used.

But that is just my point. There is no completely articulate definition of the word, especially as it is being currently used in the media. It is employed more as a dismissive label about some rube who has no common sense, no connection to the modern plurlistic world; one who wouldn't recognize the truth that there is no such thing as truth, if it jump out and bit them.

If fundamentalism can be described in at least some of the ways I put together in the previous paragraph, then, if I use that as a lens to look at people and groups, families, and governments, church leaders and philosophers, scientists and school teachers, it would seem that everyone I've ever met was a fundamentalist at some point, and many people at numerous points. This is the problem with the use of the word. It has no substantive meaning, other than to indicate, in a rather intolerant way, that some OTHER person is intolerant, but not the one using the term. The term "fundamentalism" itself is an intolerant label. It oozes disgust the way it is employed. That is curious to me in such a culture of tolerance as we claims ours to be.

The word "fundamentalism" is a bomb that whoever uses the term first automatically holds the moral high ground, and the other person (the person being accused as a fundamentalist - and that is what it is, an accusation), must prove they are NOT a fundamentalist. The burden of proof is placed on the so-called "fundamentalist" to deny it in some tangible way. The use of the term is demeaning and coercive in the manner in which it is wielded.

The employ of the word is a kind of labeling, like using the "N" word to demean another person, or like placing "the scarlet letter" on some one's coat, so all can see the "undesirable" person in the midst -- the outcast -- the sinner -- the freak. It marks one in the eyes of others and dialogue becomes pretty much impossible, to say nothing of dignity and camaraderie. The term is pejorative.

Some people don't seem to mind being called a fundamentalist. In my view, this is much like when a dog owner calls their dog unkind things in an pleasant tone and the dog wags its tail, thinking the owner is saying something nice. Some people are just a little too slow to understand the depth of the insult. This is unfortunate, and it is sad. At least to me it is.

Let's face it. We all have beliefs we think are right - or best - as opposed to ideas we think are not as correct, or not as good. How else can one develop any kind of personal opinion at all? One has to make decisions about ideas; which ideas are worthy and which ideas are less worthy. To imply we don't do that is just plain dishonest. It is not possible to have no opinion. Even if one tried, it would indicate that one is of the opinion that that is preferable. So, in that sense, we are all a little fundamentalistic (is that a word?)

We are living in an impossible world today. No one wants to be seen as intolerant, so they down play their beliefs so as not to offend someone else. This will prove itself unproductive in the end. I personally don't mind if someone has views different than mine, even if they think my ideas are crap and theirs are totally right on. I can listen to divergent views in an open and engaging manner without either capitulating or wanting to retaliate. I want people to own their beliefs, just as I would like the freedom and courtesy to own my own beliefs. Is that bad?

I too would like the respect of being allowed to hold my own beliefs without being labeled as cultural-undesirable, or a fundamentalist. Or, here is another solution; I will allow others to call me a fundamentalist for my beliefs, if they will allow me to call them a fundamentalist for the things they believe. Then we might be at least closer to an understanding of how unnecessary the term is. It is one of the many useless words floating about in our language that does more harm than good. Words in my opinion, should be used for good, not for harm. This is what I am striving for, and, perhaps, making some headway . . . I do hope and pray this is true.

There are certain words I think we should call a moratorium on and never use again. One of those is of course the "N" word, as well as slang for Mexicans, Jews, Italians, Polish people, and so on (I'm of Italian decent, so I know the pain words have caused my grandparents and mother - I am not immune to it). But the words I think we should ban from our ordinary speech are words like Right-Wing, Left-Wing, Christian, Conservative, Liberal, and Fundamentalist . . . among numerous others. These words create more confusion than they remedy. They no longer clarify, they only falsify an idea about another human being. All such falsification through labeling is bound to be less productive and more divisive, more intolerant and less respectful, than learning to know each other as people, and being able to share our views openly and freely, even if we have views to which we hold passionately.

Listen for the word fundamentalism in the news, in the speech of others, in the public square, and see for yourself if it doesn't have a prejudicial quality to it. See for yourself if it is not spoken with disdain. Then ask yourself, if the one using the word about others, is doing so because they believe their own views are more "fundamentally" true and better than the one whom they have labeled as the "fundamentalist?" Couldn't such a person also be considered a fundamentalist of their own worldview? I am hoping that we all can start listening to ourselves a bit more analytically, and ask ourselves if the words we use are not only accurate and helpful, but if they are respectful and enlightened. Words really are important.

ARE YOU AN ICONOCLAST?

BREAKING OF IMAGES

We all know what a religious icon is. It's a painting, usually by an artist of the Eastern Orthodox Church persuasion. The painting of icons is an antique practice that survives till today. But the idea of an icon includes MUCH more than religious images. It includes ideas and values of all kinds, religious and secular. An icon, generally speaking, is a symbolic image that represents ideas, beliefs and values. The term icon has even come to include the tiny images on a computer monitor, or a telephone screen.

A person who uses icons is called an iconophile -- image lover, and one who does not like icons and tries to destroy them is called an iconoclast -- or image breaker. When iconoclasts in the past have gotten together and gone around breaking images, these events, and sometimes whole movements, are called iconoclasms.

An iconoclasm happens when one group of people break (destroy) the images of another group of people. This is not just true in the world of religion and art, it is also true in the area of culture. We have all heard the term Postmodernism, and there are many facets of Postmodernism, some good, and some not so good, but one of the central features of Postmodernism is its iconoclastic tendencies.

Postmodernists (at times), tend to through the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. In a wholesale approach to defacing, rearranging, or outright destroying previous notions of culture, Postmodernists occasionally employ iconoclastic techniques to rearrange everyone's world. It can be very coercive, authoritarian, and elitist, while claiming that no one has the right to dictate to others how they should live. It is often self contradictory.

This tendency to "break" the images of others is not just true of Postmodernists today, but it was true also of many groups throughout history, from the Protestant reformers to the revolutionaries of the French, from American patriots to people who burned the records of the Beatles in the 1960s. Some of the English Protestants of the Seventeenth century even took to smashing stained-glass windows, hacking off the faces from religious statues, and whitewashing over artwork in the churches that they found offensive.

There have been lots of iconoclasts through history. iconoclasm is as old as civilization itself. Every time there is an revolution, the old icons are gathered up and destroyed, and new icons take their place; images that are imbued with their own "new" ideas, meanings, and values.

The irony is, every succeeding generation of iconoclasts believes with complete confidence that the old must be removed to make way for the new, only to find that within a very short time (usually within about two generations), the new is not doing as well as it thought it would.

It then becomes the stuff against which the next revolution will rebel. It is a vicious cycle, and one would think we'd learn something from this screwy process. Some optimistic souls believe that each revolution bring us up one more rung on the never ending ladder of human / social / political / religious evolution. You gotta love that kind of optimism.

Iconoclasms may be unavoidable, but there is no guarantee that they are a means to progress. Progress is basically a myth of western culture. To what are we progressing? What does progress mean? Progress is basically an antiquated idea left over from the French Enlightenment that was made possible by the Christian Humanism which preceded it. The idea of progress makes us feel good about ourselves. It gives us a sense that there is meaning in the universe, even if we could not say exactly what that meaning might be.

There is, in fact, no way we can know if we are "Progressing," or "Regressing," or going nowhere at all. The notion of progress is one of those non-scientific left-overs from an age when faith itself was valued because of the influence of the Church on society. The idea of human progress is a construct of faith, not fact, yet it continues to be a deeply held idea in many Western societies - even within our scientific communities. It is an idea that will eventually give way to scrutiny, then ambivalence and ultimately decay. Then a new civilization will replace us with new ideas and will smash our precious icons to pieces, instituting images of their own. History has proven that this is the way of all flesh, in every case, without exception. We Americans will not escape the process. Today we are still safe because progress is a value we continue to hold dear.

It is important, I think, to make a case for the continuity of certain things; for history, for antiquity and for all that came before. The Russian Marxist/Leninist thought to bring about a utopia by sweeping away the icons of Czarist Russia, and what did it do? It left a permanent scar on the face of the earth, and an eternal lament in the hearts of many of the Russian people. Stalin killed millions of his own countrymen and women, in search of the progress that would liberate humankind from the tyranny of Capitalism, so he thought, yet Stalin is dead and Capitalism is still alive and VERY well in this world. So much for that agenda, yet Capitalism is not the savior of human kind, and it is its own kind of tyranny. The story is not fully told.

Sure, things do change, and even more needs to change than has. Change feels like the only constant in the universe, but not all change is beneficial, just as not all iconoclasms are helpful. Much irreversible and unfortunate damage has been done in this world due to such behaviors and attitudes.

Today, however, we are in an iconoclastic age. The images of Modernity are being destroyed "left and right." Maybe some of this is good, but I'm willing to bet we will look back and regret some of the changes we are making these days. For those of you who have time, find Leonard Cohen's song, "The Future," and listen to it for awhile. See if you don't hear the echo of some of the same things I'm trying to get at in this blog.

It is probably important to accept the fact that not all conventions need to be swept away. Only an immature or twisted mind would think such a thing. Not everyone over thirty is untrustworthy, not every young person is irresponsible, not every old person is to be tossed aside for the sake of "hipper" generations. Some categories, like family, authority, virtue, and human kindness, need to remain stable, long-lived, protected, and honored from generation to generation. The gospel is another one of those things. Art, not a particular style, but art in and of itself, is another one, and should remain part of one's spiritual life, both individually and corporately. Many things should, regardless of innovation, remain constant in our civilization.

The next time you feel tempted to trample on an older person because they are in-the-way of your progress, push aside someone from a different ethnicity because you feel threatened by their color or their practices, ignore the values of your parents' generation because you think yourself more enlightened, mock your grandparents for being irrelevant in modern society, reject a pastor's wisdom as outdated or out of touch, or curse your leaders because they represent ideas you do not embrace, think again. Things are not always what they seem.

The next time you feel like smashing an image that represents ideas from before your time, or from before America's time, reconsider your feelings. It is not always necessary to crush an idea the preceded your own. It is not necessary to hate/fear people with whom you disagree.

The next time you feel the urge to join the pack and deface the meaningful images others give to the things they value, ask yourself if you are just being a knee-jerk iconoclast, or a thoughtful contributor to human society.

I am very aware that church folks are just as guilty as any one else in these things, and often more so. It only takes a moment of rashness, unthoughtfulness, religious zeal or personal passion to become an Iconoclast. It take a bit more gray matter, godly virtue and wisdom to know what images need white-washing (if any), and which images simply need a fresh coat of paint.

THE CRISIS OF THE SACRED SPACE

Once upon a time, people took pride, the good kind of pride, in the things they made for God. They gave the best they had and they made the best they could make. They made the name of Jesus beautiful with the works of their hands.

Then came along those who criticized the things made with hands, and they called those works idolatry and wrong. They smashed the beautiful things and replace splendid spaces with bare halls and empty walls, all in the name of being holy. The beauty of sacred places was suppressed.

Today, people meet in gymnasiums and nightclubs for their church services. They believe they are more relevant to the culture this way. They have either forgotten or rejected the notion of the importance of sacred spaces, and of making things with one's hands to beautify the name of Jesus.

As a result, in my personal opinion, the church and the world have become impoverished by this attitude. The world sees religious people who have no love for beauty, not respect for beatutiful things, no interest in aesthetics, and they ask, "Why should I be like that?" Exactly. Why indeed?

FROM SPURGEON'S DAILY DEVOTIONS

"His ways are everlasting."

Habakkuk 3:6

What He hath done at one time, He will do yet again. Man's ways are variable, but God's ways are everlasting. There are many reasons for this most comforting truth: among them are the following--the Lord's ways are the result of wise deliberation; He ordereth all things according to the counsel of His own will. Human action is frequently the hasty result of passion, or fear, and is followed by regret and alteration; but nothing can take the Almighty by surprise, or happen otherwise than He has foreseen. His ways are the outgrowth of an immutable character, and in them the fixed and settled attributes of God are clearly to be seen. Unless the Eternal One Himself can undergo change, His ways, which are Himself in action, must remain for ever the same. Is He eternally just, gracious, faithful, wise, tender?--then His ways must ever be distinguished for the same excellences. Beings act according to their nature: when those natures change, their conduct varies also; but since God cannot know the shadow of a turning, His ways will abide everlastingly the same. Moreover there is no reason from without which could reverse the divine ways, since they are the embodiment of irresistible might. The earth is said, by the prophet, to be cleft with rivers, mountains tremble, the deep lifts up its hands, and sun and moon stand still, when Jehovah marches forth for the salvation of His people. Who can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? But it is not might alone which gives stability; God's ways are the manifestation of the eternal principles of right, and therefore can never pass away. Wrong breeds decay and involves ruin, but the true and the good have about them a vitality which ages cannot diminish.

This morning let us go to our heavenly Father with confidence, remembering that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, and in Him the Lord is ever gracious to His people.

JUSTICE IN OUR SPEECH - Weighty Words

Who in the world can define justice, yet we all have the feeling that we know what it is. We all complain when something is not fair, when our rights or our dignity have been attacked, but do we show justice to others as much as we desire it be shown to us?

One of the litmus tests of a good person is words. Our words indicate what kind of person we are. Are our words sneaky, meant to hide our intentions and our true feelings? Are our words guarded in such a way as to make us look good, while hiding anger, hostility, pain, or deceit? Nothing is more revealing about a person than the words they choose to use. I don't mean swear words, sometimes swear words are necessary, even fun, though some of my more pietistic brethren would disagree with me, but what the h*** do they know. :-)

There is something far more important than just "making-nice" with our words. Do you hear someone running down another person, you can bet they treat all their acquaintances and friends the same way. If someone gossips about one person, they gossip about all. Gossip is not committed by occasional accident, it is a way of life. It is one of those "gifts" that keeps on giving.

What is gossip? It is speaking of another person's problems, flaws, station in life, habits, weaknesses, viewpoints or actions in a manner that, though possibly true (possibly not), is intended to demean another in the eyes of the one with whom that information is shared. Sometimes this is called slander, but that word is too narrow, gossip is more insidious than straight out slander. Gossip has nuances only hell itself has names for. One thing God's Kingdom lacks is the filthy-pleasure of gossip.

One teacher defined gossip as "Sharing information about a third party with someone who is neither part of the problem, nor part of the solution." There are probably some other good definitions out there as well, but we all know what it is and what it is intended to do to another person. It is always meant for harm. It is never meant for good. It is always satanic, it is always evil. (James 3:13-15)

Has anyone ever gossiped to you about someone? You can be absolutely certain they gossip about you too. Gossip is one of the most unjust acts of violence in existence. It is always against another person. No one spreads rumors about themselves. Gossip is an attack against another person - it is suppose to be as secret and as subtle as an IED; and before long, many are mutilated by the explosion. It is especially bad because the person(s) whose character is being calling into question is not present to defend themselves, and they have no body armor with which to protect themselves. That seems to me, very much like punching someone who's handcuffed -- and when it happens to you, it feels like just about as much fun as being water-boarded. It is sheer gut-wrenching torture. So why do we do it?

Until we recognize that this is the only way a coward knows to fight we will continue to be its victims. The coward feels compelled to say nasty things about others behind their back, because they would never dare to say the things they say about others to their face, in polite company, or in the open public. A coward uses words to harm others by sniping at them. All gossips are snipers. All gossip is cowardly. A gossip's words are calculated to hurt, wound, damage, and diminish others. The terrifying thing is, it works, and it works all too well.

I suggest we stop listening to gossips. We might even speak frankly to their face, that we will not permit them to harm others in our presence. Why do we listen to it? Is it that we share their desire to wound others in secret? Does our listening give us a sense of power, of being on the inside, of being privileged to know the dirt others don't? Does gossiping and listening to gossip give us a sick sense of power over others? Do you like to read the gossip columns, or enjoy the wicked things people say about others on the Internet. May I suggest that we would grow wiser and more virtuous if we stopped reading and believing such things about others - whoever the "others" are?

Think of the gossip as a coward who commits acts of violence against people who cannot defend themselves. Does this sound like what spiritual behavior should look like? NO? Well neither does the Bible. God is very specific that the gossip is living out of sync with God's Spirit. For He has never, and will never, speak evil of anyone, no matter who they are, or what they have done. He may speak the truth, and the truth may hurt, but He will speak it to your face, never behind your back. (Titus 3:1-6)

The tongue is an unruly member in our body, James the Apostle tells us. No one is able to tame the tongue. It is a world of evil, full of poison. (James 3:8-10) It is like the spark and flame that set ablaze hillsides, destroyed homes, and cost individuals their lives and livelihoods in Los Angeles this past autumn. It is, in short, a destructively powerful and terrible weapon that we each wield against others as though there would be no consequences to the things we say.

Yes, I am guilty of gossip, maybe more than most. It has caused me enormous heartache, and has wounded friends and family. May God forgive me -- but more -- may God deliver me from the careless words I speak. This is my prayer. May God teach me the justice of good speech, and may my words become both just and fair, wise and winsome. My I always speak well of others.

My mom use to tell me, "Dan, you better sprinkle lots of sugar on those words, 'cause someday, I guarantee you, you will have to eat them." Yes, mom, you were right. I wish now I had put more sweetness in them. Some of the things I've said have been pretty bitter and pretty sad.

Here's to sweet words, and fair speech, and good reports about everyone. Paul says, "Speak evil of no man." May God teach me this lesson, not only for my tongue, but for my heart as well.

GOD IS NOWHERE - GOD IS NOW HERE

Where is God?

Odd, that we don't ask that question very often when things are going well.

"Where is God?" is usually our question in our tough times, not our the easy times. I wonder if it is because we feel that God exists to make our lives better - easier - more successful - more prosperous - more of everything we LIKE and less of everything we fear and loathe.

Years ago, I saw this interesting spelling GOD IS NOWHERE and GOD IS NOW HERE. It stuck with me. Where is God? Where does He live? Where does he work? Some time back, Jone Osborne asked the question in her song, "What if God was one of us?" It was a penetrating lyric with excellent music to match. I have that song on my iTunes playlist, and I play it from time to time. It always moves me, because . . . God IS one of us. The man Jesus is, as the Nicene Creed declares, "is Man of true man, God of true God . . .." Along with that, God tells us clearly where He is, where He lives, where He works, and where He hangs out.

God is in the midst of His people. God speaks to us intimately through the Bible. God is even in nature, showing us His eternal power and deity (Rom 1:18-21), and God is in the world working every day. He is not far from anyone of us, He is near. GOD IS NOW HERE.

But for those who require Him to show up where they want Him to be, there will be only silence and disappointment. Go where God IS. You will find Him in His house. You will find Him in the midst of His people. If you say you love Him, then love His bride, His church, His family, His friends. If you want to be near Him, you can be. Go to God's house this week. Find a church that believes His word and embraces the mystery of intimacy with His Spirit. Go there. Many churches believe and practice "knowing God." Find one. Go with an open heart. You will find God waiting for you with open arms.

ARTISTS; RESIDENT IN THE CHURCH?

The Artist-in-Residence program at Durham Cathedral is a testimony to the enduring legacy of the need for artists in the church. You can observe their program at their website, and get a sense of its history as well as its contemporary relevance. http://www.artschaplaincy.org.uk/projects/air.html

The works of these artists transcend a merely self-centered notion of person creativity; these artists are producing works that are connected to a centuries old tradition that ministers to others and glorifies God.

Their work becomes timeless, because they are joining their lives and their labors to something bigger than themselves. They are, in a sense, hitching their wagon to a star, and because of this their works will remain a testimony of their own creative spirit as it is joined to the work of countless others through the life of the Church.

In these works one sees a continuity with the artists of the past, energetic contemporary expressions of living creativity, and fellowship in an artistic tradition that will stand the test of time. Would to God, more churches employed the arts in their worship, in their sacred spaces, and in their plans for the future.

It would be wonderful if more "artist in residence" programs were established. If you love the arts, talk to your church leaders about including them more integrally into your regular worship. If you are really bold, encourage your church and its leaders to look into creating an "artist in residence" program. It need not be grandiose. You can begin simply. Any enrichment of the worship experience is better than none. Begin where you can, and see the wonderful places that journey will take you.

Look for more information about this subject in coming blogs. Creating such programs is possible, and well worth our time, resources and energy to investigate. Imagine the rich possibilities and the diversity of advantages for humankind if churches returned to the arts, and art was once more created for the glory of God. There is not a single facet of the Church that would not directly benefit. There is not a single area of culture that would not be greatly enriched.

(Painting above: The Annunciation by: Edward Burne-Jones, a Pre-Raphaelite)