Musings: Notes From My Daybook

Reworking material for a presentation for an introduction to Christian faith I was reminded, again, of the recent release of Stephen Prothero's book, What Every American Should Know About Religion--and Doesn't. Newsweek, the AJC, and many other media sources have been talking it up recently. Martin Marty plays with Prothero in an appreciative way in Sightings.

The reminder? In spite of all the talk about faith and religion, we are illiterate when it comes to matters of faith. And, at the risk of stepping on toes, I surmise that even folks who call themselves Bible-believing Christians, have taken the way of reading Chicken Soup or the latest devotional guide rather than stepping into the rough and ready of wrestling with texts. It could be compared to going to the mall for dinner because it will be easier to have the usual Red Lobster/Olive Garden/fill-in-the-blank than to go home and create a meal from scratch.

I have no problem with going out to eat. And fixing meals every day can be tiresome when tacked on to an already tiresome day. But the cumulative result is the loss of the communal value of preparing fresh products into some that feeds not merely the body but the spirit.

Of course, Prothero is lamenting our lack of knowledge about religion generally. And, as Marty suggests, to get religion wrong can lead to other misfortunes.

So, maybe assuming that we know all we need to know about faith and religion, may not only be depriving ourselves of food for our own spiritual journey, we may also be limiting our vision for how we understand our neighbors.

Well, excuse me, I have a new cookbook waiting for me.

As a minister hardly a week goes by without someone from somewhere who has the latest ministry tool or concept or idea that is sure to change the life of the congregation I serve. Usually is it the book or film series salesperson; occasionally it is one of our members. When it happens I find myself wondering did they, that is to say, the now "best-selling author," or the "pastor of the fastest growing church in Wyoming" really find the ultimate answer or did they just package up something that gives them something to market.

Call me a cynic.

However, I did find Angie Ward's essay on the tendency to jump on whatever bandwagon that rolls into town to be constructive and helpful as she speaks about the new buzz on simple church.

Simple or not, church has a lot to do with taking the gospel seriously, taking people seriously, and letting go of ourselves. The problem with that formula is that it doesn't package up very well.