How to Say It??

I am tired, put off and irritated about racism and bigotry in my community, nation and world. It is exasperating to know that there are some people who are going to be opposed to moving forward because moving forward means a change in ethnic minority status. In just a few years white people will be a minority in America. In fact, for awhile at least, the predictions are that there will be no ethnic majority. The United States is finally become the 'melting pot' that we always thought it could be.

Here is where the racism comes in, however. There are many people, usually white people, who are threatened by any advance or change in the status quo. These people believe that by preserving old mores and values they are conserving American heritage for future generations. For them the ideal for America is English-speaking, white people with two children per family. They are mad that people speak Spanish (of Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Arabic, German, etc.) in the USA. After all, they reason, this is America. We speak English here. (Never mind that America has no official language. All people and tongues are supposed to be welcomed.)

By holding on to the English language, they have convinced themselves that they are caring for American culture. However, I contend that there is no "American culture," at least in the sense that we may want to think of it. America is the place that has given us fast food and the chain department store. These economic powerhouses have learned that they need to appeal to everyone. Therefore, there is nothing unique. Wal-Mart is roughly the same in Phoenix, Arizona as it is in the Appalachian Mountains of East Kentucky. McDonald's has the same menu in Anchorage as it does in Jacksonville.

White people have become bland, lifeless and vanilla. Don't believe me? Think about these observations:

• The top selling condiment in America is salsa. When we are snacking, we choose Mexican food.
• Taco Bell, again with the Mexican food, is one of the top fast-food chains in America.
• The closest town to where I live (Sturgis, Michigan, population <12,000)>
• For at least 50 years white teens have adopted the music, language and fashion of popular African-American culture. Today Hip Hop rules.

The things that add flavor and color to your community and to our nation are not to be found at Applebee's. No matter how much we protest, we want variety.

Categories and Pigeonholes

Here is a pet-peeve, a big problem and a flaw in my character. In fact, I think that most of us are snobs in one way or another. And although there are some prejudices that get more attention than others- racism, ageism, sexism- all are equally bad. Just because a person is different, does not make you better.


There are several ways that I categorize others that have very little to do with ethnicity, religion, age or gender. I am a snob in some unusual ways. I don't like my feelings, but I have them. I, like everyone, need to be working to eliminate by bigotries. I need to not be a snob.


I believe that confession is the first step to improving your life. So here I go. This is the first day of a new attitude.

• I am prejudiced against people who have what I consider bad, or no, taste in music. This is a problem because anyone who knows me will tell you that my musical preferences are weird, to say the least. I am not superior to someone else just because I have different selections on my iPod (or on my turntable).
• I am prejudiced against people who are not in my denomination. Although I am working very hard at this one, I still have problems. By their very nature, denominations divide. When I joined mine, I joined because I thought it had the best practices and doctrines. That automatically puts me at odds with everyone else. I need to realize that they are not "less right" than me, they are just different.
• I am prejudiced to those who have less education than me. I hate to admit this one more than any of the others. I struggle with this every day. Education, especially secondary and graduate education, breeds a certain amount of elitism. I know that I am no smarter than anyone else, and I need to remember that my education only makes me more fortunate than others, not better than them.
• I am prejudiced against those who have bad taste in comedy. Again, this is a completely subjective category, like the music. People who rave over belching jokes are too immature for me. They need some growth and experience to learn what is truly funny. But at the same time, what I consider great comedy is pretty obscure. Most people would just think I am weird. I need to get a life on this point.

I could expand this list with several more entries. There are plenty that could be added. But, I have done enough soul-baring for now. Hopefully, my confession will lead me to greater understanding and patience, and will encourage you to look at things and people differently as well.

The Problem with Peer Pressure

I think that I am now in a position to solve all the problems of the world. Well, I won't be able to solve them, but I think I know the answer to all the problems in the world. Okay, maybe that is still to lofty a statement. I do believe that I have hit on something that, if dealt with in the lives of individuals, will help a lot of people. Peer Pressure.

That's it. That is the problem that is wrecking your life and mine. Peer pressure is the thing that is making the people around you intolerable. Peer pressure is the thing that, maybe more than anything else, is making you do things that you do not want to do. And you thought you were through with peer pressure when you hit your eighteenth birthday.

Humans were made to be in community. Even the bold and creative among us are at heart conformists. In fact, we not only are conformists by nature, but also by training. Our western educational system of grading and socialization teaches us to fit in. We are taught and then rewarded for coloring inside the lines, for drawing our letters and numbers the same way, and in some cases, for wearing the same clothes. We are trained to live with and expect peer pressure. Sometimes it is even comforting.

Since we are made to be in community settings, and since we are trained for the same thing, it becomes natural for us, no matter what our age, to try to fit in with what everyone else is doing. We are susceptible to peer pressure.

This is not a problem until we take this to it's logical conclusion. We want to fit in so badly that we lose track of ourselves, our own personality, beliefs or values. It is in exactly this sort of setting that we get the mob mentality. I may disagree with your plan to lynch someone, but I want to be a part of the group. I do not want to be ostracized. I do not like Hitler, but everyone else is going along...

Are those examples too extreme for you? What about your relationship to God? Is it possible that there are times when you think of yourself and your comfort before you think of God's will? Could it be that God wants you to grow and stretch in a certain area of your life, but you are worried that you might look like a religious fanatic?

You see, peer pressure never leaves. The concerns, the pressure to conform is always there. Each of us must decide for ourselves whether we will follow God, that is, follow what is right or follow the crowd.

How the Think Like a Christian About Hunger and Poverty

Did you ever notice that you never hear television evangelists preach about what Jesus really said about being poor? It would wreak havoc on their income stream I suppose. They need people to keep sending them money. But Jesus said that we should give our money to the poor. He said that we should feed the hungry, care for the homeless, love the orphans, visit the prisoners and meet the needs of the ill. In fact, Jesus’ life can be summed up by saying that he did those things. Jesus’ teachings can be summarized by saying that he taught those things.

In the west (Europe and North America, and Japan and China to a lesser extent), we have more money than anyone else in the world. I believe that the poorest person you know, would be wealthy in most communities in the rest of the world. We have been entrusted with great wealth, and our biggest problem is that we too often squander it. When we get a little extra cash we buy a bigger, fancier, costlier television, or a new outfit, or an mp3 player, or a video game, or go on a trip. All of these are things that we do not need, but we “have” to have them.

So how can we make a difference? What can I do to help solve the most serious problems in the world (and these are the most significant issues in the world)?
Live more simply. Your parents would have thought that a 25” color television set was extravagant. How could you explain spending more for your flat-panel HDTV plasma number than they did for their first car?

• Be generous. Give away some stuff. Give away some money. Volunteer some time at a shelter, food pantry or soup kitchen.
• Be observant. Notice who there is around you who needs some help. Help others to feel good about themselves and their situation.
• Give. In addition to church, you can find other charities- Christian and otherwise- who are making a difference. Try Heifer Project, Compassion International and Food for the Poor to start with.
• Pray. Pray for those who are hungry, who do not have clean water, who live in poverty. But also, pray for the rest of the world, those of us who have money. Pray that we will learn that we cannot continue to turn our heads, but that we must do something- give something.
• Go somewhere. You do not have to go to Sudan or Haiti to find poor and hungry people. They are here in the USA, in Indiana. Go and make a difference.
  

I do not have this all figured out. I certainly am not perfect in my generosity or my giving to others. But I am working on it. I am committing to making 2007 a year of sharing what I have and helping to meet the needs of others. I hope that you will join me.

Christians don't have to be stupid

I got a little honked off the other day. Someone told me, in the middle of an otherwise normal conversation, that people who believe in God are idiots. I was not a little offended. After all, I have devoted my life to the proposition that not only is God real, but that he can be known. I tried to remain clam, but it was difficult. I spend my work time seeking to know God, to know more about God and to get others to know God as well. Not only that, I spend my free time trying, sometimes in vain, to develop my mind. You see, I believe in God, and I want very much to not be an idiot.

This conversation, troubling as it was, pointed up for me some issues of intolerance in our world, particularly where religion is concerned. To begin with, in our culture, people of faith are assumed to be less astute than non-religious people, especially intellectually. In defense of this position, let me say that all too often it is true. There are many Christians who have chosen faith to absolve themselves of knowing information. You see, it is easier to answer the hard questions with 'we're not supposed to know,' or 'we'll understand it better by and by.' What a cop-out. I have known Christians who have never taken the time to comprehend their faith. They believe what they believe just because they believe it. Someone told them it was true and that was enough.

I reject this premise for the large majority of Christian people. Christian persons excel in all areas of academia. Christians can be found in every profession, even those where education and intellect are a premium. I refuse to allow society at large to consign me to some anti-intellectual ghetto. You do not have to agree with my faith, but do not belittle me or assume that I am inferior in education, intellect or ability.

This becomes more problematic for me when I recognized that in the Christian community the same kind of bigotry exists. Those who hold certain theological positions (liberal, conservative, fundamental, evangelical, etc.) believe that those who are of different persuasions are less astute than themselves. Here we go again. Christians shooting each other in the name of orthodoxy.

So, here it is: I am not stupid. I am educated. I continue my education on a daily basis. You see, I believe that God made me. He made every part of my. He made my body, spirit, soul and mind. If it is a sin to abuse my body, then it must also be a sin to abuse my mind. I will not allow someone else to label me as stupid. And I will not allow myself to fit that label.