Friday, December 12, 2003

Winning One For The Grinch

For teachers in the Plano School District, the last days of school before this year's holiday break became more dangerous than even their most watchful administrators could have imagined. Apparently, metal detectors were taking care of the guns and knives pretty well, but candy cane pens almost got through to some of the kids, and may still.

Why the fuss over a nicely decorated school supply? Because the pens in question (a) carried an explicitly Christian message and (b) were to be distributed at a class holiday party and not where stuff like this is supposed to be left, for students to pick up as they choose. The parents of the child carrying the contraband were reported to be "heartbroken" that public schools are becoming God-less places, at Christmas and at other times besides, and a conservative Christian outfit that calls itself the Liberty Legal Institute is challenging the District's grinchiness on First Amendment grounds.

Since this school district only recently coughed up $400,000 to settle another free speech lawsuit, it is probably fair to surmise that its leaders have a lot of work ahead getting school policy written up right. Somehow, existing policy statements are not doing what they are supposed to do. And there will continue to be trouble in the Model City if Plano citizens are left as much in the dark as they may be now about witnessing to their faith in a religiously pluralistic school community.

In the meantime, an eight-year-old boy was all of a sudden put in a very vulnerable position, having to spread the word of Christianity on behalf of his conscientiously religious parents long before he is able to make a decision of faith on his own. And he was supposed to do it surrounded by weary school personnel facing one lawsuit if they caved on the issue, and another if they didn't. My guess is that the grown-ups in this otherwise very silly scenario will all be able to take care of themselves. I am less sure that the child will.

And so, what I've been praying for these past few days is that, somehow, frightened teachers and administrators will still be able to nurture this little guy toward an age-appropriate understanding of what James Madison, et.al., were really fighting for over 200 years ago. It wasn't for the right to drop a testimony of faith on the desks of a captive audience --- especially of innocent children --- or to slip something religious into their hands when they weren't looking. Nor was it for the right of parents to make their children do their own religious bidding.

It is easy for Christians to wax nostalgic at this season of the year about nativity scenes long gone from city squares, carols long unsung in school classrooms, and prayers long silenced at civic events. It is pleasant to remember growing up among people who permitted, encouraged, and enjoyed all three. What made it all possible, though, was the silent suffering of the small handfuls of other folks in our communities whose religious orientations were not permitted to count. Empowering their descendents is worth soft pedaling the Christmas cheer --- and de-religifying the candy cane pens --- any day.

Not too long ago, I found myself in a fairly heated conversation with a good Christian friend about Islamic Fundamentalism, and the stridency with which the movement proclaims the sovereignty of Allah over all of human history. What got my friend's blood pressure up was his fear that these guys were going to start pushing the "Koh-Ran" into everybody's face whether they liked it or not. My own systolic rate took a leap for the worse as I tried to convince my friend that Fundamentalist extremists speak for the Muslim world no more accurately than they do for the Christian. He was not convinced on that particular point, but he did acknowledge something important nevertheless. He admitted that he might be a little off center condemning the Muslims while insisting that we ought to reinstate Bible reading every morning over our schools' intercoms.

By all present indications, the Plano candy cane caper may not be sorted out anytime soon. Whatever the final outcome may be, though, there will still be a little boy out there who deserves to experience the joy of faith and of Christmas on his own terms, and not just on those of his parents and his school district. Merry Christmas, Jonathan, and a pen-less one to the rest of you, too.

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Beliefs Worth Doubting

When David Letterman rolls out his latest Top Ten List, our laugh meters can approach overload. Savvy preachers know this, too; the device is a great way to reign in their congregations' fretting about the week's frustrations and failures, and to help them tune in to God's better ways of handling them.

Lately, I have been working on another kind of Top Ten List, far less entertaining, but maybe at least a little bit enlightening. I am not nearly as good at this sort of thing as Letterman is, and as a lot of my preacher friends are, so I am starting slowly. What follows, therefore, is an abbreviated first draft: a Top Six List of beliefs that as a Christian you might be better off without, or at least qualifying somewhat. I'll get to the other four later, maybe.

Trust in God, and all good things will come to you. I wonder how this squares with the experiences of a lot of people who recently lost their homes to the Southern California fires. Most of them, of course, are insured, and a lot of them are pretty well off besides, so maybe God is just teaching them a lesson about conspicuous consumption --- in this case, perhaps, of land that should have remained unsettled --- without imposing a forbiddingly high net cost. As a warning, perhaps? If this sounds credible to you, call me and we can talk about a few other choice acres I would like to sell you near San Diego.

You have to forgive those who wrong you. Genuine forgiveness reflects choice, not obligation. It is something freely given, not compelled. While it is certainly better in the long run to forgive than to hold onto our grievances, letting the grievances go before we are ready to be reconciled with an offender or enemy will not help our spirituality very much. It might help to look at the issue from God's side. For instance, does he have to forgive us? Hardly. Does God choose to forgive us? In Christ, he has told us that he does. And he invites us to do likewise. But we always have the (God-given!) right to decide whether or not to accept the invitation.

The Lord is coming again, soon. If you hang loose on how soon is "soon" anyway, you can't go too far wrong on this one. Usually, though, hanging that loose is more like hanging by a thread. It has been a really, really long time since Jesus ascended into heaven, you know. Most truly spiritual people have long since been investing themselves in a lot of other godly things besides just waiting around, or sending frightening e-mails about the latest doomsday prophecy.

God helps those who help themselves. I am sure that this is partly true. Taking care of ourselves can free up the energy of people who love us to provide care for others in greater need. I seriously doubt, though, that God has no concern for what people who do help themselves are helping themselves to. (Enron execs: your day is coming, and not only in court.) The really big problem with this affirmation, though, comes with its usually unstated word, "only," as in: God helps only those who help themselves. What is most wonderful about God is that he helps those who cannot help themselves, for example, sinners like us who can never justify their existence before Him.

Jesus is our guide, example and friend. Well, to quote another friend, two out of three ain't bad. "Guide" suggests that though we still have to travel uncharted spiritual terrain ourselves, we will not have to travel it alone. "Friend" might be a bit cozy as an image for a saving relationship with God's only Son (even though Jesus himself seems to have used it) it still gets much closer to the truth than "Judge" does. "Example," though, simply will not do. Unless, by way of other kinds of examples, being celibate and being at enmity with your family is God's will for all of us.

This land is your land, this land is my land. I suppose so, although especially around Thanksgiving time I begin to get bothered all over again about how we acquired title to it and over how much conscripted labor it has taken to manage a lot of it. Indians, Africans, child laborers, legal and illegal immigrants --- in some respects there is not a whole lot of difference between them. The difference, that is, that they make to God. Sometimes it has been very hard for us as their exploiters to remember that this is their land, too. Saying this enough, and with enough conviction, just might make the cranberry sauce taste even sweeter this year.