I spent the better part of the morning yesterday watching the live broadcast of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon celebrating the new MLK monument in Washington D.C.

Speech after speech was given by persons speaking about rights, both civil and human. It was both a celebration and a continued plea for justice for all persons.

Persons such as Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Martin Luther King III offered speeches of incredible encouragement toward never giving up the fight for justice. How “word cannot come without action.” A reminder that Dr. King’s monument cannot be an excuse for us to put him up on a shelf, but rather continue to be inspired toward justice for all humans, right-relationships, and peacemaking.

The core ideas that propel us through both old and new testaments are the words permeating the Psalms, the prophets, and the words of Jesus… justice for the poor, righteousness, and peace.

But then there was the music. The music that left me wondering, “Where are our songs of justice?” This is the second time this year that I have been struck by the lack of music that sings of justice at a major conference that seeks to highlight exactly that cause.

Earlier this year I was at the a very large gathering of United Methodists where the focus and keynote speeches were entirely centered on ministry with the poor. Despite this focus, both in worship and in workshop, the songs sung were only ever songs centered around “Jesus as a personal savior” or atonement doctrine (ie. Jesus died, rose again, etc).

Then, as I watched the MLK Memorial luncheon… this gathering of justice GIANTS… where persons who risked life and limb, literally everything, were speaking one after another with their lifting-up of history, and pleas to continue the fight. And then the music, offered by both Minister Ernest Pugh and Barbara Conrad, American operatic mezzo-soprano, never once made mention of justice, peace, or right-relationships. Ms Conrad sang an old hymn that lifted up Jesus as King. Ministry Pugh sang a song asking the Spirit to rain (over and over). Not a single word sung of what Jesus’ kingdom should look like. Not a single plea that the healing rain fall first on the most poor and disenfranchised among us.

I think this sadly represents the music of far too many places of worship across the US, and spans style and context. Singers were invited to share songs that reminded them of MLK, and their selections were lacking any call to the core ideas that he stood so boldly for. Singers were asked to plan worship that seeks to highlight our desire to work with the poor, and we sing songs that only focus on our personal salvation or a version of Jesus that is only interested in making sure we have orthodox beliefs about the Easter story.

Our songs tell a story, but how often is it one of theological disconnectedness and dogma rather than one of authentic relationship with those who Jesus called us to first. Christianity needs a new song.

Where is the image of the God of Justice? Where is the marriage of music and word that so beautifully compels us into the challenges of confronting injustice, working to end poverty, and bringing hope to the hopeless through relationship? If we say one thing, but sing about another, where is the unity in that message? If Jesus is King! What kind of kingdom does he reign over? Where are the old songs?

Our art and our songs need to ask and (at times) answer these questions.

I’m reminded of my friends who are currently attending Sing A New Song, a progressive gathering of Christians who are celebrating the love of God for all persons. As they meet this week, certainly they will sing new songs. Will those songs find themselves at the local church?

At this year’s Michigan area school for pastoral ministry (a conference for pastors) I was reminded of the power of poetry. So much can be said in so few words as to overwhelm the soul. So much can be said that one needs time to be silent and reflect afterward, or risk losing a crucial moment of wisdom and insight. This is the power of art.

Much of our church songs, hymns and contemporary alike, are simply poetry set to music. We say much in those few sung words. The words and melodies are often long remembered after the day’s sermon is forgotten.

So then we must ask, “where are our songs of justice?” What are we asking people to remember long after the sermon has been forgotten?

We cannot claim that these songs do not exist, for I know that they do. I use many in the contemporary context… “God of Justice” by Hughes, “Follow You” by Leeland, “As it is in Heaven” by Maher, “I will Go” by Starfield, among many others. One needs only to open a hymnal to find a wealth of songs calling for justice and peace. We make choices that affect what message is conveyed. If anything, we need more of these contemporary justice songs, and if (like me) you find the church desiring more of these songs, consider writing some of your own.

Want to know how to get folks to take your message seriously? Unify the message with the art and song. Sing songs that proclaim the kingdom of God in context… highlighting the Bible-wide messages of Yahweh’s restorative justice, right-relationships, and peace for all nations and persons. They will take notice when we act out our authentic community while singing our songs of justice.

P.S. I was inspired to create a new t-shirt. Check it out if you’re an advocate of justice. Justice is what love looks like in public.

indignant straw man argument ensues…

straw man: “WHAT? Christians are the ones trying to keep the “Christ” in Christmas. It is those who are trying to make everyone say “X-mas” to make the holiday about something other than Jesus!!”

me: “Did you know that Xtmas or Xmas really does mean “Christmas?” as in, the early church used this Greek character as a standard which has carried on throughout history and is still seen today in church icons and symbols?”

straw man: “There is no way that can be true. It is the politically correct media and department stores that want to appear more diverse and non-christian, so they use the X to cross out Jesus Christ. It is the same people who wish you “happy holidays” rather than “merry Christmas.” Even if the “X” stands for “Christ”, nobody means it that way anymore.”

me: “Is it possible that Christians have played a large part in that process, possibly due to ignorance of their own traditions? How could we have possibly avoided this situation altogether, or mitigate it now, rather than pouring fuel on the fire?”

ok… this is the point that I actually write the blog… as continuing the straw man argument could turn into a caricature, which I’m trying to avoid…

Check out this article on Wikipedia prior to reading on…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

Growing up in several different churches, I quickly came to realize that it was my good Christian duty to take great offense to the term Xmas… should I ever see it anywhere. Funny thing was that I rarely saw it anywhere. But when I did, by golly it was time to get righteously angered!

By my teenage years (early 1990s), the term “Happy Holidays” was also demonized. It was “clear” that the department stores were trying to edge the Christian holiday of Christmas right out of the vernacular. Stories were told from the pulpit that those atheists were trying to make Christ’s birthday into simply a bank holiday, or that those “cults” like Hinduism or Judaism were forcing everyone to be politically correct and celebrate all of their holidays too… like Diwali or Hanukkah. By God, this was a Christian country, and we needed to stand up and keep the entire season about little baby Jesus in a manger.

Still, by the time I had reached adulthood, I could only recall a very few incidents where I had heard ANYONE outside of church say “X-mas” (I could probably count them on one hand)… and similarly few incidents where I saw “Xmas” in print or on an advertisement. Each year, however, I saw at least one new book come out from Christian publishing that decried the use of “X-mas” or heralded a similar such “take Christmas back for the Christians” type of theme. I couldn’t figure it out. There MUST be a bunch of people out there saying X-mas and “Happy Holidays” as a slam against Christians, or why would pastors and authors everywhere be so worried?

For a long time I just relegated this conversation to the “must be true, but unimportant to me” category. I supposed that somewhere Christians must be persecuted in this way, just not where I was. After all, Christians are constantly being persecuted in America right?

Well, as it turns out, wrong. Christians have never been freer than we are in the USA to practice our religion. Without going too far on another topic for another blog, let’s just say that American Christians have a really tough time accepting the fact that we have freedom that extends farther than almost any period in history… we are generally the ones “on top” with the most influence and power… and rather we would like to create the persecution narrative that we are oppressed and need to “fight back.” It is much easier to justify an attitude of righteous defensiveness than it is to simply come out and say “I’m excluding your religion and beliefs (or lack thereof) as a continuation of my colonial religious imperialism.”

Do you realize how few books, TV shows, or documentaries have been produced that actually denounce Christmas as a holiday or encourage atheists, secular humanists, or the like to boycott or attempt to destroy the Christian view of Christmas? I guarantee you that your search would come up lacking.

“Well,” straw man may say, “it is a secret agenda… they’re making backroom deals and lurking in dark corporate boardrooms… not writing books. They’re sneaky like that.”

Could it be, on the other hand, that Christians have invented this concern out of thin air as a response to a perceived or extremely minimal threat? Is it possible that someone could have, at one time, been unaware of the historical context of the Christian use of X or Xt, and instead started a rumor that it was an attack from the outside? Is it possible that a rumor within the church quickly became fact, and that generations have now been influenced by a line of reasoning that has no basis in truth? No way. That never happens.

Could it be that a virtual non-issue has become full-fledged in the past 30 or so years because of nothing more than perpetuated hearsay… driven by a Christian media industry that needs to make money each year and leaders who would rather lead a crusade of words against an oppressive bogeyman rather than physically lead a community of the “haves” into communities of “have-nots” seeking justice and mercy? When was the last time that you heard a pastor finish a sermon about putting the “Christ back in Christmas” by telling you to go BE Christ right now to the poor and oppressed in your town? (God bless the pastor who does this.)

The page about “Xmas” on snopes.com makes it a point to say,

“None of this means that Christians (and others) aren’t justified in feeling slighted when people write ‘Xmas’ rather than ‘Christmas,’ but the point is that the abbreviation was not created specifically for the purpose of demeaning Christ, Christians, Christianity, or Christmas; it’s a very old artifact of a very different language.”
-http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/xmasabbr.asp

I have to disagree with that opening statement. To embrace the most extreme interpretation of what you perceive as facts, and then stubbornly use them as an excuse to carry on an idea which is proven not only false, but counter to your own message — well, no, we are not justified in feeling ‘slighted.’  Some things are not justifiable.

How different could it have been if, from day one, Christians made it a point to embrace Xmas and emphasize its traditional roots. Well, for one, book sales would be down…

Now, in hindsight, how humble but perception-changing might it be if Christians began to reclaim Xmas… pronounce it properly as “Christmas,” and use the opportunity as a way of saying both “we’ve been wrong, taken offense where there was none to be taken, but want to make it right…” AND make the point that Christ was never taken out of Christmas, except maybe by the same sins we all suffer from (Christians included), like consumerism, mismanagement of debt, and prioritizing “things” ahead of family, community, and goodwill toward our fellow humans. Christians can start making it right by BEING Christ in their environment rather than just talking about him. It is easy for someone to argue the value of Christ or the sincerity of Christians when you’re just standing there demonizing everyone else. It’s hard to argue with someone who is walking the walk, showing love and care for “the least of these.”

Sometimes rewriting the narrative or the history to make yourself look like a victim comes back to haunt you. Nobody can say what the world’s view toward Christianity might look like if we weren’t so quick to define ourselves by what we are against. How much better would we do if we weren’t adding to the mess a bunch of made-up offenses such as the whole X-mas/Happy Holidays gobbledy-gook?

I’ll take this moment to note that Jesus never talked about a mandatory celebration of his birthday, but he was very clear about (literally) demonizing the celebration of riches and money. In Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:9-13. Depending on translation, Jesus interchangeably uses the term “Mammon” (demon of money) with “riches” or “money”. He doesn’t pull any punches when he says you cannot serve both God and money (Mammon).

I fully support and encourage Christians and church communities that are beginning to embrace efforts such as the Advent Conspiracy. I think this is a wonderful first-step, and certainly on the right track. I will say, however, that the majority of American Christians at this point in time are still willing to fully embrace all that is the consumer-driven machine which dominates the Christmas season and the narrative of our culture. While many Christians faithfully go to church on Advent Sundays and Christmas eve, they still spend ten times the number of hours in a mall than they do aiding the poor or advocating for justice for those with fewer rights or resources.

If you’re looking to reclaim Christmas, try first showing what it means to be a follower of Christ. Be humble. Be a servant, not a crusader for some exaggerated offense.

More reading:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4097755.stm

Wow… since when did the entire human condition ultimately result in discussion of polarized bobble-head politicians?

As a follower of Christ, I found myself watching the news, reading “teh internets,” listening to the radio, and realizing how much of this polarizing, dividing, unhelpful political chatter was working hard to unseat Christ’s worldview as the center of my life focus.

Politics are co-opting every possible realm of human life. My friend Kevin referred to it as a “disease where everything is framed into an extreme stance.”

Another friend Brenden says, “Politicians and the media like to politicize everything because they profit from our division.”

So let us play with words and explore metaphors, shall we?

Tic. A tic is a movement disorder. -Wikipedia

One could relate politics as creating a similar movement disorder to that which movement and vocal tics create in a human body. A person with tics often described the sensation as “an itch that needs to be scratched,” or “something in my eye such that blinking relieves the sensation,” or “I feel a tension or weight on my shoulder that can only be relieved by shrugging or reacting.”

Politics impede the free movement of speech, ideas, and solutions and instead draw the discussion toward one extreme or the other. This builds tension which must be released. One must then release the tension whether voluntary or involuntary. What is the result? Constant reactivity rather than free-flow in the exchange of ideas. Free flowing ideas replaced with blurted out catch phrases and bobbling heads.

Tick. “Ticks are blood-feeding parasites that are often found in tall grass where they will wait to attach to a passing host.” -Wikipedia

This is all too easy. Need I flesh this one out?

Remember the quote above from my friend Brenden? Politicians and media love to make every issue one of politics. They profit from it. They thrive on it.

…but do we thrive on it?

Like a parasite, I think politics latch on to us and suck the life… the community… the person-hood out of “issues.”

Jesus talked openly about life, death, health, family, religion, environment, nationality, and economy. At the core of each discussion was how God was relating to people in ways that brought healing, hope, comfort, and relationship. Jesus admonished religious and political leaders who wanted to put every discussion into the contextual box of rules and laws.

We can all speak decisively that divisiveness is unhelpful and how we must work together to form community… but how many of us actually make that our practice? How many of us practice the healing, hope, comfort, and relationship of the Kingdom of God rather than practicing the skill of political debate and talk-point-parroting? I surely struggle. How many of us take a moment to trade the speaking of a politicized eager aggravated response for the listening, understanding, and loving that Jesus would demonstrate. Lord, have mercy on us.

How do we reclaim the community, relationship, and person-hood of “issues”? I know one thing… we don’t need politicians to “figure it out” for us.

http://sivers.org/punish

Here was my immediate reaction at the time on facebook:

“Pray for Haiti (despite the fact that Pat Robertson says they deserve it because of “selling themselves to the devil” …in all Christian love, I hate that guy).”

and later I wrote:

I do think that it has been far too long that people like Pat have been given a soapbox to speak for all of Christendom… purveying hate and the complete opposite of love for people of other cultures and ideals. Pat has been quoted in the past as saying that “Katrina was God’s retribution against the sinfulness of New Orleans” and other such horrible unloving nonsense. Now he is saying that Haiti made a pact with the devil to gain independence, and now they are getting their divine justice…

That kind of “Christian leadership” does NOT represent the attitudes or beliefs of the majority of Christians, and it is high time we say so. The people of Haiti deserve empathy, mercy, and love… along with all those who suffer terribly.

Now, I didn’t start thinking this way on my own… in fact, I should probably take a moment to credit Brian Mclaren, Shane Claiborne, Jim Wallis, and others for the ideas. Not that I am quoting them, nor probably doing their writings justice, but at least the attitude of purveying love and mercy rather than judgment and condemnation has come straight from their pages.

…and in that vein, I spent the better part of the week seeking how to deal with my emotions concerning those like good ol’ Pat. I HATE IT when people say things like “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” 99.999% of the time, that actually means, “I have an excuse to justly proclaim condemnation over you while [falsely] saying I care about you. What I actually care about is making sure you follow the rules, and if not, you’re out.” You most commonly hear this kind of two-faced talk when speaking with persons who are Christian and anti-gay when referring to gay individuals.

Now, don’t get hung up on the last sentence of the last paragraph… because I almost caught myself this week thinking the same way about Pat.  I caught myself thinking, “I believe in mercy for all persons, but I really hate what this guy says. I can’t love him at all because of what he says.”

Now, I will still say that I completely disagree with him. I completely disagree with his approach to ministry. From a ministry stance, I can boldly say that he does not speak for the majority of Christians, and certainly not for me. But what about my personal feelings toward him? On a personal level, I fight the feeling of utter disgust for Pat Robertson and others like him.

Suffice to say, I’ve mulled this around quite a bit, and I don’t have a cohesive conclusion yet. However, this blog by Donald Miller (author of Blue like Jazz) gave me a good alternative view… at least, a starting place.

A Response to Pat Robertson’s Comments about Haiti by Donald Miller

Enjoy!
http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/q-r-on-liberal-and-conservative.html

Here, a familiar exchange…

“At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge,” said the gentleman, taking up a pen, “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.”

“Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge.

“Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

“And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”

“They are. Still,” returned the gentleman, “ I wish I could say they were not.”

“The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?” said Scrooge.

“Both very busy, sir.”

“Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,” said Scrooge. “I’m very glad to hear it.”

“Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude,” returned the gentleman, “a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?”

“Nothing!” Scrooge replied.

“You wish to be anonymous?”

“I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. “Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned: they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there.”

“Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.”

“If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.

I saw George C. Scott utter these words so convincingly as I watched the 1984 version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” today on television… words written in a book published in 1843.

If you take a moment to read the preface to the book, Charles Dickens offers a word to his readers…

I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

Though lighthearted, I love how he uses the phrase “may it haunt their houses”… Maybe the following lines should haunt us even today as we debate issued such as equal rights for all, or health care for those without… maybe we have our modern day “Tiny Tim’s” staring us in the face…

“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,” faultered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.

“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”

It held up its chain at arm’s length, as if that were the cause of all its unavailing grief, and flung it heavily upon the ground again.

“At this time of the rolling year,” the spectre said, “I suffer most. Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode? Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!”

May no one wish to lay these words aside at this season, or any other.

Take a moment to watch this video, and even if Africa isn’t where your heart is, let the idea of this video inspire you for wherever your heart is.

Listening to the Lectionary <<<Click here!