Love is the Why

Posted on by under Culture

Gandhi and Christians

Much ado has been made about the findings of the Pew Research Center regarding religion in the United States. I recommend that you take a few minutes to look over the study to find a number of interesting trends that appear in this year’s survey, the first done by Pew since 2007.

Pew’s sub-title for the release of their research is, “Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow.” There’s a clear story being told there: The number of people identifying themselves as Christian has seen a noticeable downturn since 2007, and the number of people claiming no religion – classified as “nones” by Pew – has increased substantially.

Furthermore, the decline has been caused, in large part, by the fact that while the older generations (read: people who are dying) are overwhelmingly Christian, millenials are not even 60% Christian and have significantly higher rates of “nones.” In other words, young people are moving further and further away from Christianity and religion in general.

Of course this has caused a stir in a nation where 7 out of 10 people identify themselves as Christian. And, without a doubt, it should provoke us to ask tough questions and have earnest discussions.

There are reasons why this happening. Very good reasons. And no, Bill O’Reilly, you can’t blame this on rap music.

And, while many Christians will use this as the reasoning, this is not about America’s moral depravity.

This isn’t about Jersey Shore, Game of Thrones, Fifty Shades of Grey, marijuana, social media, Lady Gaga, liberals, feminists, Richard Dawkins, Kim Kardashian, Obama, the gays, Muslims, or college professors.

It’s not about putting so much emphasis on the individual that our society neglects community. It’s not about everyone having it their way. You can’t blame entertainers, educators, religious thinkers, or “the media.”

This is about Christians.

This is about Christians failing.

People are leaving the Christian faith for a life of theism, deism, agnosticism, or atheism, because the church of American Christianity (AC) is failing. Having grown lazy and complacent in a position of power in the most prosperous nation in human history, numerous problems have taken root in AC and choked out the light of the Gospel. Legalism, moral superiority, homophobia, racism, greed, conformity, scientific ignorance, sexism, religious bigotry, isolationism, revisionist history, child molestation, God Hates Fags, financial scams, archaic adherence to tradition, the gun-toting pseudo-religion of American Christo-Patriotic Conservatism, and more have all contributed to the decline in AC’s adherents and the effectiveness of AC in general.

Why?

Love. Love is the why.

Faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

A religion built on love and mercy and grace has become built on being right and being successful.

Feeding the five thousand has become a means of creating dependency. Kill and eat has turned into trash the planet. The righteousness of foreign wars comes down to who happens to be in office. Finances, political ideology, and personal freedom have pushed away the priority of radical love.

Of course, AC is still doing a lot of great things and showing a lot of love. There isn’t a number that can measure the positive impact that Christians have had on their communities, whether that be organizing community projects, giving to the poor, or reaching out to touch the hearts of the broken and down-trodden. Locally and internationally, Christians are doing great things for people. There are, most certainly, many many Christians going hard for the Gospel and loving when it would be easier to hate.

But there isn’t one Christian who can’t do better. And many Christians are doing next to nothing for anyone outside themselves or their church community. If 70% of the country were as loving as the 1,000 most loving people in the nation, we’d live in a pretty amazing place. Because, and maybe this is the kicker, it’s not just people of faith who are doing great things in the world. Many of the most loving people out there doing things for their fellow human are people who do not claim any religion. I know many good people who are not Christians. So imagine if all Christians did what Christ calls them to do and joined their efforts with those who are concerned just out of being a decent human being.

And love is why I’m doing this. I’m not a doomsayer here to condemn the world of Christianity. I’m not looking to get a rise out of the conservative Christians that I know are going to object to some of the things I say over the course of the next couple weeks. I’m not here to make myself more superior, tout the rightness of Christians, or criticize non-Christians. Love is the why. I know that Christianity is not the religion of white supremacists, snake handlers, grandmas with kitsch in their front yard and living room, and Ned Flanders. I know it’s more than that, because, in a way, it’s less than that. It’s about Jesus Christ. And that means it’s about love, mercy, and grace. Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second greatest, Jesus says, is to love your neighbor as yourself.

I want us to ardently pursue these two commandments. I want my fellow Christians to love God by loving their neighbor. I want them to assess their Christian life and accept that they might not be doing everything right. I want them to love. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Your life as a Christian should make non believers question their disbelief in God.” The best way to hate the sinner’s sin is to love the sinner.

And I’m doing this because I love God and I love people, and I want all people to know God. I’m not out to crusade against non-believers and convert them with a doctrinal sword. I’m not here to shout fire and brimstone and demand that they turn from their ways and repent. Non-believer, I want you to know God because I love God and I love you. One day this world will pass away and all things will be made new. I want to dance with all of you in eternity. And I know that, as it stands right now, AC isn’t making a particularly compelling case to join the dance.

Allow me now to preface this series of posts that will be coming over the next couple weeks, as well as any religiously concerned posts that appear on this blog.

I believe I am right, but I would never claim to be inerrant. I’m open to being wrong. I may someday change my mind as I learn more. But I do have some theological training and I have read the Bible and kept up with modern Christian thought, so I know a few things. I have been a Christian most of my life, but most of 21 years is not very long. For what it’s worth, I am part of Evangelical Protestantism, the branch of Christianity that has, from a numbers standpoint, fared the best since 2007. In that time, it is the only branch of Christianity to have more converts than departures, although the overall number is slightly down but at a lesser rate than other branches. I certainly have room to grow too, a lot of room, as a Christian and as a human being that actively seeks to make the world better. Far be it from me to claim I’m any better than you. Most importantly, I implore you to seriously consider the things I say. Please do not outright accept or reject my ideas. Rather, carefully consider what I suggest, and carefully consider where your own heart and mind are.

Let’s do it.

Soli Deo Gloria

– Peter

The Fantastic Fiasco

Posted on by under General Articles

Lupe tells the story of my transition into summer.

Lupe

I tend to speak in quotes.

SpongeBob, films based on Tolkien, random YouTubes and Vines, Tarantino movies, The Big Lebowski, and numerous other sources find their way into my speech pattern (but mostly SpongeBob – and that’s not a joke; my friend Ethan and I spit SpongeBob lines like we’re Stephen Hillenburg’s Uzi).

I also think in quotes with regularity. Often these prepackaged sentiments and phraseologies  come from songs, especially rap songs. Very frequently, lyrics (of any genre) fill my mind whenever I’m not focused on something in particular. And sometimes when I’m being very intentional about focusing my thoughts into words, they get translated as lyrics.

As I gathered my thoughts for this post, thoughts which will inform and reflect on my current state of mind, I found myself tossing around a lot of Lupe Fiasco lyrics. I tend to see writing with section headings as a cop-out, or at least a significantly easier way to compose a long piece, but sometimes the unicorpus essay doesn’t fit the bill (I made that word up by the way).

So, let’s do it. Oh, and you might notice it’s been eleven days since I posted. While I probably had a few days where I could have written, it was the end of the school year and mental faculties and writing time are generally needed elsewhere.

Never Forget You (ft. John Legend)

Take me to that old familiar place, take me to memories we won’t erase
Take me to all that we had, good and the bad
I’ll never forget you, I’ll never let you go
I’ll never forget you, I’ll always remember, I hope you know.

Like I said, it’s the end of the school year.

I think, more than any year of my life, I’ve reflected on the unfortunately brief nature of college relationships. When you go to college, they tell you all about making great friends. They don’t say anything about leaving them four years later. Four years, and that’s only if they’re in the same class as you. Four years, and that’s only if you put in the work to maintain the friendship as you become a sophomore, a junior, and then a senior.

They tell you all about the new and different people you will meet and the memories you’ll make and the new ideas you’ll be introduced to. They don’t tell you about the day the memories and the ideas are all you have left.

They tell you about meeting someone special – because, as a homeless Army Ranger in San Diego and a Macy’s worker in Minneapolis have both told me, college is where you find the girls – they don’t tell you about thinking you found someone special only to see it all blow up. They tell you about finding love. They don’t tell you that personal chemistry is harder than Organic Chemistry.

They tell you about those intellectual types called professors. They tell you about the liberals, the atheists, and the self-loving and self-righteous doctors with little or no time for the needs of students. They don’t tell you what it means to be a name and not a number, what it’s like to have someone so educated care about your work. They don’t tell you what it’s like for your instructor to be your fan and to be your friend. They don’t tell you how freaking cool those people are.

I’ve learned all those things now (except Organic Chemistry).

I have one semester left at St. Norbert, and while I’m going to take a nearly unbearable weight from this place I’m not going to be able to take the actual people with me. But what I shared with those people will stay with me forever, and I won’t let a grad school here, a job there, or a better market for graffiti art way out there take those people away and prevent me from maintaining some of those relationships.

I’ve spent a lot of time at St. Norbert bemoaning everything I don’t like about it. I’ve overlooked a lot of good things. I’ve missed out on or taken for granted a lot of great times with friends. And now we’re right down to the wire.

Just know this, Norbs people: I’ll never forget you. I’ll never let you go.

Words I Never Said (ft. Skylar Grey)

It’s so loud inside my head
With words that I should have said
As I drown in my regrets
I can’t take back the words I never said.

Somewhere along the way I became a social activist. I also became pretty liberal. A lot happened this year that changed the way I see the world. I’m a feminist, I’ve worked through my feelings on the LGBTQ community (post on this coming soon), and I’ve become deeply moved by the plight of darker-skinned Americans. I don’t know where you put me on the political spectrum. If a concern for the poor, minorities, women, the environment, and education makes me a democrat, so be it. If support of local governments and the protection of the unborn makes me a republican, then fine.

Truth is, I give fewer damns about politics than Rhett Butler. (BTW as someone who leans left but has previously voted right, can anyone give me a reason to like any of the Republican Presidential candidates? And what’s up with Hillary? She doesn’t sound so good either. If I use my right/privilege to vote in 2016, are there any dope third-party candidates?).

No, I’m not really concerned with politics. I’m concerned with people. I’m here to talk about the tough things in life that make us uncomfortable. If you’ve ever taken a look at the About Me section on the blog, you’ve seen that I call myself an Establishment Saboteur and a Cultural Provocateur. I’m here to call out mistakes and provoke change. And hopefully I continue to add actions to words. I won’t let myself regret words I didn’t say, even if it makes half of my Facebook friends uncomfortable.

My changing worldview has been working in a sort of yin-yang with my Christian faith. Although I’m a follower of Christ first and everything else second, my understanding of Christianity – how I “do” it and how Americans “do” it – can evolve as I continue to listen and learn. It is my hope that my voice can help the Christian church do a better job of living the Gospel and representing Christ as it exists in a country that is much more than a hive of WASPs. This is going to make up a series of posts coming over the next couple weeks (along with a number of other religion/theology themed posts). And maybe this liberal fundamentalist can change the way you (as a Christian or non-Christian) sees my faith and my religion.

I only have one life to live before moving on up, and I can’t take back the words I never said.

Til I Get There

I’mma keep it cool, and I’mma do me
It is what it is and that’s how it’s gon’ be
Until I get there, until I get there.
And yeah I got flaws, I know I’m not perfect
But all the ups and downs, will soon be worth it
When I get there, when I get there.

I’m returning to Culver’s to work this summer. This will be my third summer there, along with two Januaries and a few other breaks thrown in. It can be a really tiresome job, like anything in food service, and I’d really rather be doing something else. But it’s a job, and for that I’m thankful. Sometimes you just have to make money, and even a job like mine can glorify God (KB gave a talk on that idea at last year’s Legacy Conference. Absolutely merked it). While I’m a pretty darn good cashier and dining room cleaner person, I actually struggle with a lot of the other tasks. My bagging skills have been compared to that of a blind monkey’s. But the job is a chance for me to learn and improve and grow and do things even when they’re tough and/or not fun.

There are truly some nice things about working at Culver’s besides a discount on food. I have plenty of strange, pleasant, and fun interactions with customers, I learn a lot about people, I work for good managers, and I enjoy my co-workers. I’m actually kind of a celebrity with the high school kids there. I’m not really sure why.

However, the job is going to wear on me, and that, combined with the other jobs, responsibilities, and events I’ll have this summer, could make this a tough few months.

Or it could make this a terrific few months. If I approach things with a positive attitude, enjoy the good things about Culver’s, savor the occasional beers and/or smokes after a long day, take in the beautiful weather when it isn’t too humid, spend quality time with family and friends, play a bunch of basketball, and invest in reading and writing, this could be a great summer.

But it is what it is and that’s how it’s gonna be. Until I get to late August.

Superstar (ft. Matthew Santos)

If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the camera’s here
And the microphones, and they wanna know
If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the crowd is here
And the lights are on and they want a show, yeah

I’m a writer. Whether or not writing ever earn’s me a living, I’ll continue to do it.

I think I’m a pretty decent writer. And a lot of people have told me they think so too, especially since the blog became eloquent mumbler.

There’s two important things to do with this:

First, I have to stay humble. I think one reason I’ve gained fans is my voice, and that voice almost never brags or boasts. So call me out on that if I ever come off as self-important, self-righteous, or condescending. I intend to remain honest, self-deprecating, and humble-bragging.

Second, I have to make the most out of whatever talent I have. Maybe I have what it takes to be great and maybe I don’t, but I won’t find out unless I put in the time and effort necessary. If I am disciplined, I should have time enough this summer to make major leaps and bounds in my writing ability.

I can’t let a lack of effort or a lack of confidence cut my dream short. If I’m a superstar then I should have no fear. If not… well, only one way to find out if I’m not.

The Show Goes On

Alright, already, the show goes on
All night, till the morning we dream so long
Anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun go
Just remember when you come up
The show goes on.

I guess I don’t really have to explain this one too much, right? Not a bad theme song, especially when thinking about people you’ll never forget, speaking words that are tough to say, moving on through daily life, and working on a career, all while moving into the summer months.

Soli Deo Gloria

– Peter

Requiem for a Youth

Posted on by under Poems 
Requiem for a Youth

It is so-
sad.
It is-
so sad.
It-
is so sad.
To see him like that-
like THAT.
Behind the glass
with the phone in his hands,
a tired smile,
a lot of lost weight
making his orange suit baggy
like the denim shorts that used
to hang below his double X L shirts.
His hair short
like it was back in the day.
Mirthless chuckles in place of his
whooping laugh.
He leans back in his chair like the day in class
when he wouldn't listen, wouldn't leave for the office,
when he used his ankle bracelet to get out of detention,
and the gentle teacher mentioned a social worker
a SOCIAL WORKER,
what kind of kid has one of those?
The same kid who could stop a lesson with a joke,
the same kid who was so loved by so many,
who ran into the cops so often
but was polite each and every time.
The very one who was sequestered in a little carousel
in first grade because he was too funny,
too rambunctious,
too exuberant,
too disruptive.
The one who, after that stand off with the gentle teacher
came back the next day and-
apologized.
Apologized.
So humbled, so embarrassed, so well-meaning.
Like he is now,
inside the walls
for pushing his envelope off the table with 
an armed burglary.
Withheld from a society that loves him-
kind of like in first grade.

Six years is a long time to stop being a kid.
It might be too long to start being a man.

Surreal Saturday: The Wire and The Fight

Posted on by under Culture, Sports

The Wire

Well I’d say this has been the first run of days where I failed to meet my self-imposed goals for writing. I last posted on Wednesday, and since then I have had a couple days where I was writing for school, but I have also had a couple days where I made the decision to not write. So boo on me. But now we’re back at it.

Saturday was a surreal experience for me.

I spent the day watching stuff. That’s about it. It started with Everton losing on the road at Aston Villa. It continued with six episodes of The Wire (that’s a little under six hours, for those keeping score at home). It resumed with the second half of Spurs/Clippers, and concluded with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

Everton was a disappointment.

Spurs/Clippers was a thriller.

The other two events are the only things that really mattered.

The Wire is some of the best television I have ever seen. It’s on the shortlist of my most favorite shows (along with Breaking Bad, The Office, Band of Brothers, Modern Family, 24, Avatar, and Spongebob). Right now I’m in the middle of Season 3, and I hope the rest of Season 3 (and 4, and 5…) doesn’t hinder me from finishing the school year strong.

But what made that marathon on Saturday such a trip was more than that reality-blurring high we get when we binge-watch a great show. Instead, it was the show’s relevance considering current events that made the experience so unusual. The Wire, made between 2002 and 2008, follows the stories of criminals and law enforcement in….. Baltimore.

And, in this fictional TV show, so many of the issues raised in these days of the Baltimore Uprising are so prevalent. The sordid conditions of Baltimore street life, the lawlessness of the wild west drug trade, the insolence and hostility of criminals, police being a little physical out of frustration and fear for their lives, police being a little physical for lack of self-control, dirty and/or incompetent officials at all levels and of all colors, the criminals with good hearts, the anger simmering among the urban poor, the ineffectiveness of government reforms. The police don’t always follow the rules. There’s an exchange where one official makes a snide comment about black violence and then rolls his eyes when a politician interested in real change rebukes him. It’s all there. And now, seven years after the last episode of the show ever aired, the world that The Wire takes place in has caught the attention of the nation and the actions of its people have come under intense scrutiny. Two things become abundantly clear. The first is that these issues are always so much more complicated than people want to make them. I firmly believe that the death of Freddie Gray and others is intrinsically connected to racial issues, and in some cases there is a precise cause-effect relationship. However, watching The Wire reminds me of the extremely tough world that law enforcement work in. Of course that doesn’t give them the right to use deadly force when de-escalating a situation or non-lethal force is an option, and they should be ready to lay down their lives to avoid taking another’s, but the fact remains that enforcing the law in an extremely troubled city like Baltimore is a nearly impossible task. The other issue brought forth by my hours-long venture into the world of The Wire is that the way the media and much of America has received the events in Baltimore is disgustingly ignorant and unkind. There is always crime in Baltimore, and it didn’t take the death of a man in custody to reveal that the city has its struggles. But when crime is redirected into a grieving process, outsiders lose their minds. When using a baseball bat to run off a rival gang turns into using a bat to break a car window, outsiders call out crime and thuggery. Why don’t those people care about what happens when the media isn’t there? Ironically, when so many white apologists try to excuse racism and downplay race issues with the black-on-black violence argument, they are also exposing the fact that they themselves only care when the violence is interracial; the same people who say blacks should focus more on violence in their own communities are content to just ignore that same violence. It’s like they are saying Stop the killing. But, if you can’t, just make sure it stays within your community. So please, before you pass judgments on the actions of the people of Baltimore, consider where your own heart is at.

Anyway, it was surreal watching The Wire and seeing all these issues in a television drama years before anyone really cared. And the show is just outstanding.

As for The Fight, I had a sports-viewing experience unlike any other I have ever had. What you have heard is true: the boxing match itself was not a thriller. Floyd Mayweather proved how masterful he is at not getting punched, and the threat of his right-counter kept Manny Pacquiao from really going after him.

Oh well. I know many people are disappointed that the fight was not a 12 round back-and-forth or that Pacquiao didn’t knock Mayweather out with a crushing left hook. But the experience, for me, was nearly mystical. I’m young enough that I have never really had the opportunity to watch a fight this meaningful before. After years in the making I finally got to see what might be the last boxing match of its kind.

It almost didn’t seem real at times. I almost had an out of body experience as I realized that they were really in there fighting. I felt something like the holy spirit of sports pass through me when the crowd chanted “Manny! Manny! Manny!” Those things that I have only ever seen in some movies were actually happening. As an added bonus, Manny hit Floyd with one of the hardest punches Floyd has ever taken, Floyd shook his head and said “no” repeatedly as Manny stepped back from a flurry of punches, and the whole thing came after an intro video that featured Manny kneeling to pray in a church.

Was the fight a little too methodical, predictable, tactical, and slow? Yes. But the things I experienced while finally seeing The Fight of the Century were worth those minor grievances.

It was quite the weekend. I watched some sports, binge-watched a top shelf program, spent quality time with family and friends, and even smoked a cigar that, although it had a harsh, hot, tasteless beginning, turned to a smooth and flavorful smoke in the middle, giving a rather satisfying session of cigarring.

And I got to ponder and experience the surreal.

Not bad.

Soli Deo Gloria

Peter