Shifts in American Christian identity

In a short essay in Newsweek, Lisa Miller reports that American Christians are looking for new labels for themselves. Denominational names, like Lutheran and Methodist, are old-fashioned. Even, "evangelical" has taken on cultural baggage many want to shed. The new (non-baggage) label seems to be "follower of Jesus." Check out the essay for the pros and cons of the "follower" label.

Remembering a pioneer in "disability theology"

Most of us have not heard of Nancy Eiesland, and I had not until I read her obituary in the New York Times. Her theology sounds fascinating and her life sounds amazing. Here are a couple short excerpts from the Times:

By the time of her death at 44 on March 10 [,2009], Ms. Eiesland had come to believe that God was in fact disabled, a view she articulated in her influential 1994 book, “The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability.” She pointed to the scene described in Luke 24:36-39 in which the risen Jesus invites his disciples to touch his wounds.

. . .

Ms. Eiesland’s insights added a religious angle to a new consciousness among the disabled that emerged in the 1960s in the fight for access to public facilities later guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The movement progressed into cultural realms as disabled poets, writers and dramatists embraced disability as both cause and identity.

According to her husband, as referenced in the obituary, Ms. Eiesland's death was not caused by her disability.

(Photo by bunnyandcoco; used by permission.)

Church shopping is an American tradition

Slate.com reported that church shopping is very common among Americans, including now the first family. The idea of applying American capitalism to religion is deeply rooted in our country's history, along with the ideas of freedom of religion and individual autonomy. However, the idea of "commercializing" God gives rise to criticism from some.

Church shopping, marketing, and the not-so-sanctified practices that go with them make easy targets for criticism. But competition among churches for worshippers has always been fierce in the United States, to the benefit of American religion and individual churchgoers. The prohibition against establishing an official state religion helped give us the shoppers' paradise that is our religious marketplace.

(Photo by iboy_daniel; used by permission.)

Supreme Court says "no" to an additional monument next to 10 Commandments

Under its analysis of the First Amendment's freedom of speech clause, the U. S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a religious group could not compel a municipality to accept its gift of a religious monument to be displayed in a park along with an existing Ten Commandments monument. Here is the New York Times story on the Court's decision.

Beginning of Lent (AKA day after pancake race)

Yesterday, for Shrove Tuesday, citizens of Liberal, Kansas and of Olney, England raced for the 60th annual Internation Pancake Day race. This year, a member of the Kansas team won. A short news story, from Wichita television station KAKE (I'm not making that up), describes the events history.

A slightly longer news story, from the Wichita Eagle, elaborates on this year's race. An earler Wichita Eagle story explained how last-minute individual donors came to the event's rescue after the long-time donor--a pancake and muffin mix company--chose not to donate the pancake mix for this year's event. By the way, besides the 5,000+ pancakes made for the event (eaten by hungry crowds, I presume), another 100 "super-duper extra tough" pancakes were made for the flipping race.

U. S. Supreme Court to consider religious military memorial

Supreme Court cases involving government and religion are always interesting. Often the outcomes seem to vary depending on the particular facts of a case. Usually that means that the Court is trying to balance expression of religion and the governmental "entanglement" with religion.

In October, the Court will consider a case involving a cross erected as a military memorial in a federal preserve. Here is the L. A. Times story on the case.

Two years ago, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals . . .declared the cross an "impermissible governmental endorsement of religion."

. . .

Bush administration lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court last fall and said the "seriously misguided decision" would require the government "to tear down a cross that has stood without incident for 70 years as a memorial to fallen service members."

. . .

In a friend-of-the-court brief, the VFW, American Legion and other veterans groups said the 9th Circuit's ruling, if allowed to stand, could trigger legal challenges to the display of crosses at Arlington National Cemetery and elsewhere.

As you may recall, the U. S. Constitution does not contain the phrase "separation of church and state."

(Photo by Clearly Ambiguous; used by permission.)

Gay marriage in a positive religious light

Gay marriage is not going away as a national issue (rightfully so), and Newsweek takes a look at the frequently overlooked religious dimension of the pro-gay-marriage advocates. The author explores the biblical references to family, marriage, sexuality, and love, and how the biblical interpretation has evolved over the centuries. In support of gay marriage, the following excerpt summarizes the article:

People get married "for their mutual joy," explains the Rev. Chloe Breyer, executive director of the Interfaith Center in New York, quoting the Episcopal marriage ceremony. That's what religious people do: care for each other in spite of difficulty, she adds. In marriage, couples grow closer to God: "Being with one another in community is how you love God. That's what marriage is about."

(Photo by tico24; used by permission.)

Brutalism as an architectural style may not survive

A few months ago, this story was on National Public Radio about a Christian Science church in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1971 in a style known as Brutalism, which is characterized by raw concrete in a modern, often stark, presentation. The Christian Science congregation wants to tear down the building and build new one it considers more appropriate to its current need and mission, but historic preservation is holding them up.

A recent story on Slate.com asked whether a newly restored Brutalist building at Yale will help preserve the style. (Yale's reasons for renovating the building were more financial than historic.)

Finally, here in Madison, Wisconsin, the University has its own Brutalist behemoth to contend with--the Mosse Humanities Building. Actually, that building is slated to be demolished, both for functional reasons and because few people will miss its aesthetic. Here's a link to an academic architecture blog that has a photo and short discussion of the Mosse Building.

(Photo by Heidi Glenn / NPR.)

Father Damien's mission continues

In 1873, Father Damien, a Belgian priest, arrived in Hawaii to begin a mission for those permanently exiled from society, patients suffering from leprosy, now known as Hansen's disease.

As the New York Times reports, a community of patients remains in the village on Molokai where the mission began. "Today, just 24 patients are left: 24 people who experienced the counterintuitive twinning of loneliness and community, of all that dying and all that living. Here, you may have grieved over the forced surrender of your newborn; you may also have rejoiced in finding a life partner who understood. "

The story of the survivors is a testament to their dignity, which was first championed by the nineteenth century missionary who lived, served, and died among them.

Proponents of gay marriage cannot automatically rely on interracial marriage supporters

This opinion piece in the New York Times attempts to explain why African-American women, often regular church-goers, overwhelmingly supported the California referendum to ban gay marriage in that state.

Here's an excerpt:

[C]omparing the struggles of legalizing interracial marriage with those to legalize gay marriage is a bad idea. Many black women do not seem to be big fans of interracial marriage either. They’re the least likely of all groups to intermarry, and many don’t look kindly on the black men who intermarry at nearly three times the rate that they do, according to a 2005 study of black intermarriage rates in the Wisconsin Law Review. Wrong reference. Don’t even go there.

Interesting perspective. One also shared by a writer for Slate.com, which I noted in my other blog. Plus, it was a nice reference to the Wisconsin Law Review's symposium on the fortieth anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned state prohibitions on interracial marriage. The symposium issue of the review is here.