I have two brothers. The biological one is a hard working man.
A college educated veteran, his
life’s work has been independent, both skillfully moving pianos and carefully digging
foundation footings for new construction. He is often frustrated by swings in
the economy that can’t help but impact his bottom line. Approaching his mid-60s, his angst is
often expressed with the thought that “I’ll be out of here soon and I can’t
wait. I know something better is
coming for me.” He believes fervently
what he believes about politics, relationships and the state of the world. He attends an all-men’s church
regularly and heeds counsel of the pastor. He uses the term liberal
as a pejorative, believes the local police are afraid of the blacks in town,
and shakes his head disdainfully at the gay rights movement. Eagerly declaring himself a Christian,
it could be said that he thumps Bible.
My other brother comes from another mother. Raised in a series of Church of Christ congregations,
his upbringing involved strict adherence to the Word. Many Sundays were consumed with a storefront church service
followed by a meal at the home of a fellow congregant. Right was right and the Bible outlined
it all. As his life progressed
through a stint in the military, a university degree, business success and
failure, childrearing and aging, the absolutism preached in his youth became
peppered with doubt borne of experience.
Now, he decries the corruption of our political system by Christians,
believing that the church’s narrow focus is wielded as a tool to subjugate the
poor, justify military adventurism throughout non-Christian areas of the world,
and generally bully the electorate.
He’s been known to use the word Christian
as a pejorative and disdains those who wrap themselves in a hollow, unpracticed belief system as phonies.
I love ‘em both.
With the recent decline and passing
of my father-in-law, we assumed the collection of his mail. A retired Methodist minister, he must
have been generous to a fault as his mail was thick with periodicals and coin
club come-ons and requests and thank yous from any charitable organization one
might imagine – many working at cross-purposes to one another. Cancelling so many of those
relationships is a chore.
One of the few pieces of mail “Papa” received that we will
not cancel is a magazine called The
Christian Century. Early on, I’d
set a few of them aside, but I’m not sure why. Perhaps the word “Christian” put me off. One day while nursing a sore throat or
a bum knee, I began to thumb through a copy. I did not get past the “Letters” section before I started
reading. Then came the
editorial. Then a couple of pages
of short-takes from other sources.
Then a feature section on the social responsibility and upcoming
election from a couple of religious backgrounds. It took me ninety minutes to “thumb through” this 48-page
periodical. With the turn of each
page, my perspective tweaked just a bit. Articles were researched, well written, and reasonable. Some questioned adherence to the
Scripture, some spoke to how the Bible informs us today. Some explored the current human
condition (Flea Market Individualists,
January 23, 2013) and raised questions about ministering to every population. Some compared and/or linked popular
culture to presumed foundations in faith (Remembering
Brubeck, same issue.) In the
few months I’ve been receiving the Century,
pieces have been published from Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals,
Rabbis, Imams, and Atheists; from those with divinity degrees and those who
simply attend.
When the manuscripts that became the
Bible were assimilated, their content was intended to fill two spaces. One was to explain those phenomena we
could not yet explain such as the origins of the universe or the reason for
drought or plague. The other was
to set forth a moral code that would both keep us from killing one another and
establish a governmental hierarchy sometimes assumed by the church. As scientific research expands, the
former of these two spaces recedes.
We know how the earth evolved;
we have proof that thunder and
lightning are atmospheric conditions, not conditions of God’s anger toward
us. However, that science has
resolved some of the mythological issues does not mean the moral code of the
Scripture is any less relevant.
The Bible, the Torah, the Koran and many other ancient works still offer
a viable blueprint for our personal behavior. Intrinsically, people want to do good. For some, reference to the early texts
helps light the way.
The church I attend is that of the
Open Road. A few twists of the BMW’s
or the Guzzi’s throttle coupled with a few twists in the road and much that I
mull or fret or wonder about comes into a more precise focus. Perhaps it is meditation over a
motor. Still, I know there is a
place for religion in our society.
From my casual reading of The Christian Century, it is clear that the editorial policy
surrounds inclusive, centrist ideas of creativity and faith. Published bi-weekly, I look forward to
its arrival and set aside whatever I’m doing for the ninety minutes it takes
for me to be refreshed by its content.
Interestingly, the faith it restores in me is not in a deity, but rather
one in mankind’s inherent goodness.
I’ve passed copies along to both of my brothers in hope that
they, too, will see the middle ground occupied by most people of faith.
o0o
Resource: For more information on The
Christian Century, check out their web presence at: http://www.christiancentury.org/
© 2013
Church of the Open Road
Press
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