Syncretism

I have a difficult relationship with syncretism. I first heard the word regarding "those Catholics" in Latin America who mix the Catholic religion with animism. I also heard that it is a danger for Evangelical missionaries if they let the people they're reaching mix their old life in with their new life. I fear, though, that the "new life" is becoming like the missionary. (By the way, Emmanuel Kolini, outgoing archbishop of Rwanda, has just released a book called Rethinking Life which talks about how missionaries who performed a culture transplant on Africa—without anesthesia—killed it. He offers genuine appreciation for bringing the gospel, but he wishes it wasn't so corrupted by foreign culture.)

My next step in observing syncretism was in conservative, Evangelical culture. Syncretism is most insidious when you are the one living it. We each make decisions that we are comfortable enough with, and soon we're far from our roots. It's a slippery slope! (I hate how people use that sentence.) To me, "far from our roots" means that we have abandoned the foundational worldview that our faith was built on. We started becoming Greek/Gnostic in our thinking, and with the maturation of Modernism, we became the ultimate consumers. Those are the two key damnable features in Evangelical syncretism.

My latest observation of syncretism is Phil Jackson. His pop Zen Buddhism has been extremely effective for him and the Lakers. I refuse to denigrate his religious observation, and it'll be up to the Creator God of the Hebrews to judge him. But I did find his syncretism funny. Commenting on the "curse of the Clippers" brought by owner Donald Sterling, he said, "I'm of that generation that believed in karma. If you do a good mitzvah, maybe you can eliminate some of those things." Somehow his practice includes the Hebrew word for commandment. I'm sure he's not the only one to mix karma and mitzvah. But it shows how religious practice often picks up random tidbits from other cultures. And in the case of consumerism, I should clarify that religious practice is deeply held and undergirds how we live our lives, no matter what we say.

Security

Next time you're at an airport, you'll get through the line easier if you tell the TSA folks you're wearing security breeches.

Or maybe not.

The New Reformation

I walked by a dumpster this morning and cracked up at the Spanish for "trash only." Slightly modified, I think it could catch on as the watchword of a new reformation.



The only people who are allowed in the church are the ones that, relatively speaking, are about as good as trash. More to the point, they're the ones who know this to be true. No more condescending people looking down on you because you're not perfect. Because they're not either.

Also, violators should be fined.

Sola basura!

Yet another Haiti post

I can't believe how bad it sucks. And that's an understatement beyond any before. Haiti has been pointed at as one of two (if I remember correctly) fourth world countries. Poverty is so awful as to be inhuman, and while infrastructure per se is not necessary to be human, Haiti's attempts at infrastructure seem to have worsened the poverty. Now with the devastation of the earthquake and aftershocks, it's impossibler to describe. (I have to make up words because I can't find expression?)

I don't have a great plea to make, but merely an observation on how this impacted me. I'm so far removed from what's happening, and I guess I don't have the ability to process it, that I can only turn inward and see what God may do in my heart.

This happened as I listened to All Things Considered on NPR. They interviewed a gentleman named Pierre Brisson. He very articulately set out what happened and the current situation. He admitted that his composure stemmed from the fact that he is still in shock from the devastation and from losing so many friends, and indeed the entire country is in shock.

I hadn't had a strong emotional reaction I think because of the enormity of the situation. Any emotions are inadequate to do justice to the grief that should be had. But the last comment from Mr. Brisson brought tears to my eyes because of the plea from one human: "Please ask everyone you know to pray for us. Pray for this country. We have suffered too much. Enough is enough now."

He started with the common plea, and yet the only thing most of us can do in these moments: pray. But his voice rose as he cried out against the injustice of it all. His last sentence calls to mind the evils of self-serving bureaucrats pillaging their nation, the resulting poverty, and the complete inability to deal with this disaster. The steely emotion in Mr. Brisson's voice as he was supposed to be saying, "And you have a nice day as well, Michelle," was fitting of an ancient psalmist crying out to YHWH, "How long will this go on? Do you even care?"

My heartfelt prayer is that the good Creator will bring his re-creating power to this people he dearly loves as an advance sign of the age to come and justice for people who have suffered for way too long. All our hands will accomplish this as our prayers and God's power work together for the glory of the Creator.

Agenda item

As I walked by the checkout magazines (not the tabloids, but close), I laughed out loud. As a result of a difficult and truly admirable decision by the Palin family, the headline emerges: "We're Glad We Chose Life." Of course now they're even more the pro-life darlings. It's an amazing political move to use "choose life" on that public stage. I'm unquestionably pro-life and more so than most. (No killing old people, unborn babies, poor people in Africa, prisoners, terrorists, etc.) But I can't stand the unsubtle positioning statement. I would have liked the Palins if they would have said, "We like our new baby." It would be a self-conscious nod to a precious life and not a dehumanizing political statement at the expense of the poor child.

Leadership

I think it is possible to take a ragtag bunch of lame people and build a thriving enterprise, be it a business or some other organization.

I only say this because of the example of Jesus. You may have the immediate GODman thought (rather than the more theologically appropriate manGod or Godman perspective). "Of course Jesus could take lame dudes and turn them into awesomeness. He was God." But that's just magical thinking. Do you notice how hard Jesus worked with his disciples to help them become like him? There certainly was no wandwaving. Jesus did the very human work of patient, forgiving, merciful leadership.

I'm afraid I don't have the courage today to lead the way Jesus did. May I have the humility to let God prepare me if that is his calling for me.