But this phrase; “we lament and resist”, offered by Dr. Padilla DeBorst, served to heighten my hope.  These words in tandem, working together, seem to me, an actionable plan for my participation in those spaces and conversations.  I can come to these conversations lamenting that often there is no awareness by others that they may be holding onto a misinterpretation of Jesus.  I can come to these conversations with the hope that humbly resisting the misinterpretation can be useful for God’s ongoing work in their hearts and minds.  I can be hopeful that this journey of learning, insight and understanding that I am on, is also meant to be shared with those God brings across my path!

These men who you may know as the founders of the Religious Right and Moral Majority leaders, put a plan together to gain the mindshare of American Christians. They did this in order to harness and consolidate a 30-60 million person voter block who they could control to elect who they wanted in office. They chose the topics of abortion and Israel to rally behind and preach about in order to create single-issue voters. For example, they chose to take abortion from the Catholics and make it an inflammatory Protestant political issue. And they came up with ideas about how Bible teaching on these topics would be taught – as no less than causing God’s curse on America if you don’t do what they say. They created the “lenses” through which millions of us would see these issues. They successfully assembled a marketing plan to wash our minds with their chosen “truths” – what an incredible feat. And it worked!

For a long time it has worked. Frank Jr is the son of one of these men, Francis Schaeffer, a Christian author who I grew up having a lot of affection for from afar. Frank Jr (who became a personal acquaintance as I sought to interact with him about his ideas and experience) wrote in his book about his own transformation of coming to see the hunger for power behind the ideas. And this power was in, and would stay in, mostly older, white, male hands. They saw themselves as our leaders with the knowledge (or self prescribed responsibility?) to lead the rest of us into “the right way” to live, believe – and VOTE. Frank’s subtitle reveals how, after seeing behind the curtain and coming to disagree with what he saw, his story became one of turning away from the ARC and the tribe he grew up with.

This book was instrumental in my coming to SEE, LEARN, NOTICE how I had been conditioned to believe. It helped me understand why millions of American Evangelical Christians’ beliefs are so distinct when compared to the rest of the country and world. My hope is that books like this from Frank and that from David Gushee will continue to impact readers, thinkers and voters who wish to be free from the influence of the political control of ideas rooted in ARC. Schaeffer’s ideas help me understand Gushee’s ideas better.

In short, my plan of action is to continue to Learn, Notice, Contemplate and Use my Influence to Reinvent ways to help others see and question their interpretive programming as well.

Related to these topics of seeing things anew and helping people question our programming and the past, I want to add a note about the photos I have attached to this post and how they relate to this topic. I accompanied my son on his field trip to the Phoenix Art Museum today and snapped these photos. Here is an example of art used as activism. I appreciated how this artist, Kehinde Wiley (ne 1977), is seeking to cause us to SEE and NOTICE and RETHINK our PROGRAMMING. He is doing this by creating paintings that act as commentary on the way old masters of Flemish portraiture painted people in their society. These are representations or modern remakes of famous paintings by the famous 15th century Netherlandish Northern Renaissance oil painter, Hans Memling (ne 1435). These are one artist’s attempt to help us “see” and question our assumptions and past norms as they relate to race, power and representation. We could go more deeply into how this relates to power politics and messages about privilege and representation today. I appreciate what this artist is doing here. And as both a theologian and an art historian who appreciates Flemish Renaissance art I was impacted by what is being said here – there is so much! I offer it to you to ponder as commentary on our past and also on our present. It is an example of someone using their creativity and vocation as a way help others “see anew” and question both the past and present structures of power and representation. How creative is this method of confronting our ideas but in a non-violent way.

“We’ll always leave the light on for you” my dad said to me before I pulled out of the driveway starting my journey back to college. His words stayed with me. These were some of the warmest words he had ever said to me. Like a vote of stabilizing confidence blessing me into the wider world. Like you go out and do your thing out there. I’ll be here, where you can come back and rest and refresh (and he is still there, and I have done that over the years). Something about those words and that image of the warm light of his country home, a glorified cabin in the woods, standing amidst the deep, rural, uninterrupted darkness, stayed with me. It’s not a fully formed thought yet, but something about the idea of the beacon in the night, offering rest, support and also a space for inspiration, being an aspect of the peacemakers in the world, is coming into focus for me.

Some months back, Osheta said on a vlog that she is grateful for the privilege of getting to “awaken imaginations for how people can be peacemakers in their own context”. I take that to mean she enjoys inspiring people to action and contemplation and to all that they are called to in their peacemaking work. One thing that is shifting for me through our time together here is feeling inspired and awakened in my imagination of what creative offerings I can offer up to also inspire people. My imagination is growing and awakening. I am seeing more of the creative and innovative ways that I can be a peacemaker in my own context and with my own gifts. Ways that we can be the supporters leaving the light on for each other. We can be the rest and inspiration for each other in so many helpful ways. We can be the people offering a listening ear, a challenging conversation or companionship on the journey. We can be the creatives whose stories, poems, songs and creations move people, and invite people to see things a new way.

In Osheta’s book she quoted MLK when he said, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars”. And in highlighting this idea of light in darkness as applied to justice work, Dr. King gives purpose to the stars but also to the darkness. What if our desire for things to be made right is our own first step, our intention to get us to give attention to what is becoming alive within us? And what if all that we really need to make the world as we wish it would be is already alive and at work within us, waiting for us to act on it? What if we are the peacemakers because we have lifted our heads to heed that call? Because we have agreed to be led by the Spirit to wield and hone our tools of empowerment, whatever form those take for us as unique individuals?

There are creative forces at work within me that have always been there. They have been waiting for me to pay more attention to them, to give them purpose and to value them as potential inspiration for others. Peacemaking, justice, bettering the world that we leave to our children is a worthy purpose. I am learning to see how I can participate in peacemaking in some creative ways that I had realized before. It takes aiming my talents toward these goals. And to that end, what if Spirit is waiting for me more than I am waiting for Spirit? It occurs to me that I also experience God as the other Father who always ‘leaves the light on for me’ – and for all of us. Offering rest and inspiration as I seek to share my gifts in the wider world. These ideas are still evolving.

Staying centered for me is greatly helped by a trifecta of things that combat the anxiety of caring. The tension that can sometimes creep up on me when I want to see changes sooner than they want to come. When people or situations aren’t changing soon enough I feel the tension. Especially if I believe what needs to change is causing pain, harm or the perpetuation of injustice.

PHYSICAL:SPIRITUAL:SOCIAL

PHYSICAL: I find that putting my body through a morning routine gives me the best chance at sustaining my mental energy, clarity, peace and probably a cocktail of calming hormones to boot. Meditation, exercise, cold plunge, vitamins and coffee. If this drops off during a time of stress, then other things begin to de-optimize as well. The world suddenly becomes a more difficult place to maintain optimism in.

SOCIAL: You know those activist friends who just ‘get’ you? It is indescribably life-giving for me to connect with these precious ones over the issue that is troubling me. They ‘get’ me or at least they hear me out with a deep listen and offer of support. And this makes a noticeable difference to my nervous system right away. We do this for each other and over time it becomes like a safety net of support. We hold each other up.

SPIRITUAL: For me, this intellectual-spiritual part is huge. It begins more heady than feely. But it deeply effects the feely parts. Thinking on these larger issues like “Who am I? Why am I here? And why now? What is the world for? Who, what and where is God/Source/Spirit in all this?” matters. Really contemplating these and allowing myself to come to new conclusions over time helps me reconnect with myself and feel connected to the Divine as well. 

When I remember what I believe about who I am and why I came here this helps me stay centered. When I think of how much I’ve changed, this gives me hope that we live in an ever-changing and ever-evolving world where others can change too. In fact, we can’t not change, eventually. 

I’ll briefly summarize what has been calming to me recently. It begins with considering that perhaps before I was born here in this lifetime I was some form of soul-energy with God in God’s place or dimension of heavenly life forces. And at some point we decided that I would come to this place at this time for a purpose that would unfold as my life. The key is that I came not only for the easy parts, but for the whole range of feelings within this experience. 

In short, I have felt both better within the tension and more confidently propelled to act as I have accepted that in this world I will have, see and experience troubles. That trouble and tension are inevitably part of it. And it doesn’t even need to mean I have done something wrong. It just is. Yet I live here in physical form as a learner knowing that I came to experience both joy and pain, both flow and tension. So also, I bear witness to both justice and injustice. It is all here and I came to interact with all of it. Where I choose to focus my energy this time around is my choice. And I will feel better if I focus it on my Main Purpose. Recalibrating to this makes me feel calmed almost immediately. Then I trust that opportunities will come for me to do the next right inspired action toward positive change. 

I also come humbly acknowledging that it is possible that there may have been another time here where I was the oppressor, not yet ready to work on behalf of the oppressed. Considering this likelihood shakes me out of my smug slumber like a cold plunge and helps me seek to understand those around me with both humility and empathy. It does not mean that I excuse injustice. No, it gives me pause enough to be curious about what is going on in ‘the other’ to try and understand it. In understanding, I feel more empowered to help promote shalom more effectively in the situation.  

In my considering my choicefulness in coming here at this time, I have hope. I hope because I have a sense of power over who I become and the spirit in which I choose to live here. I believe that the world does not have to be perfect for me to be able to achieve peace within it. And I try to remember that I am a more effective leader as one centered and in peace. Though I cannot always maintain a peaceful escape from the tensions, I can lean on my practices and trust that rebalance will happen. So I hope as I move forward and rediscover my purpose and my place at this time. It helps me to feel both small in light of time and big in this place at this time. Both ok with being insignificant and yet significantly empowered within to do what is right now.   

My hope returns when I get enough energy going to determine not to give my power away to overwhelm or any condition. I get centered again and feel hope in the knowing of peace unconditionally now. In imagining what I can do about it all now, beginning in me. Of knowing that I can effect changes both within and around me now that will continue to unfold in good ways, laying tracks of positivity into my future.

As a teenager and as I moved into early adulthood I would classify myself as a conservative the most narrow sense, meaning that the values we used to have were under attack and we must protect them. This defensive posture meant I, as a person of faith, and the values I hold as part of that faith, are under deliberate attack by forces that want to strip society of any moorings or social values. I searched scripture, looking for examples and parallels to make my case. While I would not cite those examples publicly in terms of my politics, it was certainly there in my thoughts and motivations. 

To be clear, I do believe, firmly believe, that people of faith should and can bring their faith to the public square. My understanding of the nature of human beings, our rights and responsibilities on this earth, and where we are going are all deeply informed by my theology and faith. These are just as valid as any theory, philosophy, or understanding in the public square as motivation for how I want to operate in, and help to shape, society. What changed for me is that my faith became positive rather than negative. Rather than a defensive, fearful, and reactionary posture, I decided I wanted to take a constructive, faith-filled, and proactive posture to the world’s problems.

Since Dr. Gushee’s presentation I’ve felt both that I’ve been awakened to how ARC informed my development, but also very disoriented. First, I felt that Dr. Gushee’s framework puts words to ideas, concepts, and thoughts that have been bubbling around in my mind. White Christian Nationalism, as a concept, seemed too broad and vague. Authoritative Reactionary Christianity clarifies the political aims and tools of such a movement. ARC framing helps me to understand the reactionary fear that I’ve seen expressed by many in my faith community and helps me make sense of political patterns that seem so out of step with what I understand a follower of Jesus Christ to be. It has been a truly eye opening experience!

At the same time, I feel very disoriented. Or perhaps frustrated. There are elements of my personal and faith formation that are important to me that seem to be woven into ARC. Must I reject them? Can I hold them and reframe them? As an example, I do believe the United States plays a role in God’s plan for the redemption of His children. That role is very specific and narrowly defined in my view, and has less to do with the United States as a nation state than it does with the ideals supported by the American founding. Before these sessions I think I would have said I recognized the irony and the tragedy of a nation founded on the notion that “all men are committed equal” but that, nearly 250 years later, still can’t deliver on that ideal. However, after these sessions, I am realizing that it is more than just an ironic tragedy, but a serious and severe flaw in the structures we have built. The flaw continues and affects millions of individuals each and every day, for many of them it shapes every day of their life. 

I don’t know what to do next. My awakening leaves me feeling obligated to help awaken others, primarily through the way that I talk about and live my faith in today’s world. The disorienting feeling leaves me wondering how I can point to the language and concepts of authoritarianism in the name of Christianity that pervades the politics and, sadly, devotional lives of many in my faith community. 

The answer to this pressing question seems more distant to me right now. Rather than moving on this pilgrimage toward “the vulnerability of community,” it feels like my church congregation is suddenly and painfully falling apart at the hands of fear, control, and the failure to see the image of God in one another. And yet, today I feel peace. I don’t know exactly why, but I choose to slow down, be still in this peace, and receive it as the gift that it is. I wonder how many times I have rushed right past gifts such as this one in my eagerness to “arrive” somewhere or to “accomplish” something in my peacemaking journey. Today, I slow down.

In Module 3 of Journey of Hope, we explored what it looks like to move from interfaith dialogue to interfaith peacemaking. Today’s leg of our pilgrimage began with Maha Elgenaidi, a Muslim woman who is dedicated to the work of combating Islamophobia. I have studied Islam and Christian-Muslim interfaith relationships before, but while listening to Maha, I was struck by the reality that we will not overcome Islamophobia until we address anti-Blackness, and that we are struggling with the current racism problem because of the white-centric way in which history is taught. Next, Sikh advocate, Gurwin Ahuja discussed the importance of recognizing our common humanity over any of our religious differences, as well as the need for us to hold space for open conversation and potential disagreement. Finally, mediator and Anglican Priest Liz Griffiths highlighted the importance of engaging in interfaith dialogue with curiosity rather than assumptions.

After today’s leg of our peacemaking pilgrimage, I am struck with the somewhat uncomfortable realization that I am learning more about what it looks like to follow Jesus from these non-Christian leaders than from my own faith community at this time. I see these faith leaders, as well as my own Muslim friends, reflecting the love and mission of Jesus more than I see from many Christians right now. And with that realization, I feel a refreshing sense of freedom to engage with, listen to, walk with, and learn from people of other faiths where I may have felt a hesitation before. I recognize the liberating love of Jesus which is big enough to embrace all of humanity. This is a freedom I hope my own church congregation can experience. And so, our journey continues.

Image Source: https://www.happify.com/hd/how-to-slow-down-time/