For some odd reason our celebration of national independence often forces me to reflect on authentic worship. Just like the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well, I'm often perplexed by the whole concept of worship and the conflicting messages we receive through religious authorities. But the True Authority responds: "The day is coming, indeed it has already arrived, when the true worshipers will worship God in Spirit and in Truth."I suppose that it is during this celebration when I'm really confronted with various forms of idolatry which almost imperceptibly fly under the banner of patriotism, in addition to our sometimes conflicting allegiances as citizens of the Kingdom of God and of earthly nations that causes this "worship" question to come again to the forefront of my mind. It could also be the inverted allegiance that I've experienced in some Christian communities, leaving an indelible impact on me, which makes this such an important issue for me. As I've distanced myself further and further from these negative experiences, I've come to a more mediated position on this whole matter - after getting over the initial emotional reaction.
Some might consider this blasphemy and pronounce me anathema for expressing it, but I do believe that there is an appropriate level of "worship" one might give to their national heritage. That is if we take N. T. Wright's definition to heart: "But the word 'worship' means, literally, 'worth-ship': to accord worth, true value, to something, to recognize and respect it for the true worth it has." In that sense, there is much of immense worth and value in the heritage of this nation (and of other nations as well) that should be recognized, respected and to which we should respond. It is a good thing, a wonderful thing, a valuable thing to celebrate our national heritage and the liberties we experience as citizens of the United States of America.
However, we should be very careful that this genuine appreciation and appropriate response does not evolve into a form of idolatry. All of the good things that we value ultimately derive from and have their source in God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If we fail to recognize this fact then other allegiances quickly take first place in our lives - whether it is nation, wealth, power, recognition, family...it could be anything and we're enslaved again to worshipping false idols.
As N. T. Wright says in another place: “People often quote Oscar Wilde’s dictum, that a cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. We live in an age of cynics, where ‘worth’ means ‘price’ and ‘price’ means money and money means power. But the gospel of Jesus Christ puts worth back into the world, worth beyond price, worth beyond worldly power; for the gospel of Jesus Christ summons us to worship, to worth-ship, to lay our lives before the one true and living God, to worship him for all he’s worth. Give to this great and loving God the honor, the worship, the love, due to him; celebrate the goodness, the worth, the true value, of the created order, as his gift, his handiwork; and allow that celebration to lift your eyes once more to God himself, to his glory and beauty.” The time is coming, indeed it is already here, when true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Lord may our worship always be through Your Spirit and in Your Truth. Until next time - Blessings in Christ ~ RLS
N.B.: In light of Jason's important comments, I've decided to add a link that I received through Sojomail. It is a link to Michael Gerson's op-ed piece for the Washington Post on July 4th. I don't agree with everything he has to say, but it does express something of a mediated position that I was also attempting to approach here. We do need to appraoch our national story with a good bit of humility; however, that doesn't mean that there is nothing of value in our collective narrative.
5 comments:
I liked your post and I appreciate the time that I am sure you put into writing it very carefully. I want to ask just a few questions, and respond as a sociologist.
What do you think are the subjects of "immense worth and value in the heritage of this nation"? Also do you think all individuals experience what you say are "the liberties we experience as citizens of the United States of America"? What about individuals living here that are not citizens?
I know I am crossing hairs here but speaking for a moment outside the context of civil religion there are things to consider when 'worth-ship-ing' anything. We live in a deeply stratified society, one in which the gap between the have's and have not's grows daily. When people of all sex, socioeconomic status, religious belief, and ethnicity stood together and watched fireworks last night one thing they could not celebrate together was equal opportunity. One of the common phrases I have heard on the presidential campaign trail is, "there are two America's" (by the way I don't endorse Edwards as a viable candidate). It is a reference to the reality that life's circumstances are not the same for everyone in America. I hear this and I often wonder are there two Christ's in America? One for those who have and attribute their position in society to hard work and determination and one for those who have not and long for equal opportunities to make something of themselves. One for the have's who thank God for blessing them with all their worldly possessions and one for the have not's who often bless others even when they have nothing to give.
This is turning into a rant, for that I apologize. I sincerely value your writing and your character and write this not as a critique but as a conversation starter.
Thank you, Jason, for your thoughtful response. First, I must say that in no way did I mean to gloss over the oppression, injustice, and brokenness that is also a part of our national heritage and our human story. I tend to operate with a rather tense already / not yet eschatological vision - in that I was attempting to voice a mediating position from my typical abhorance of "nationalism" I didn't explicitly point to the broken aspects of our communal story as a nation. There are many which could be elucidated, I simply wasn't speaking from the prophetic voice here, though it is important that that voice be heard - so I'm glad that you have brought it within ear-shot.
I'm not sure it would be a worthwhile exercise to list all of the "subjects" that I deem of immense worth and value in our national heritage. Recognizing that we have many flaws - I would say that there is much we could legitimately call "good" in this nation. There are certainly some lofty ideals that are laudable. There is a relatively stable form of government which has afforded general internal peace for many years - unlike the mass chaos experienced in some parts of the world. There is a general sense - or at least there was at one point - that we could work together to find solutions to just about any problem. Though, as you pointed out, there is not "equal" opportunities there are great opportunities open to a large number of people (I'm not sure that equal opportunity for all people has been a part of any human organization in the history of the world, nor do I think that we necessarily want equal opportunity, there are some unintended consequences if that vision is achieved). Religious freedom is something of value. Education is something of value. On and on one could go...but the point is that these things only have a derivitive value - true value, true worth belongs to God...who is the source of worth and value.
So, in that sense, some of the things I mentioned may not have true value if they don't point us toward a Kingdom Vision. We, then, may value the liberties that many experience (giving worth to that) while recognizing that not everybody experiences those same liberties - that does not take away from their value if it points us to the Kingdom Vision in which people live in houses built with their own hands and tend to their own vinyards, as Isaiah would say. Thus, if this is worship in Spirit and Truth (by the Holy Spirit through the Son) then it will point us beyond the immediate object toward the Ultimate Object (the Lord God) - this kind of worship calls us to live toward His Kingdom - embodying a way of life that reflects justice and righteousness. But then we come back to the already / not yet and you realize there is a tension there.
Citizenship is not the main issue here, but there are some obvious practical and logistical reasons citizenship is desired for those who live here. There are creative ways to get around that, though, if we developed something similar to the European Union with those countries closest to us. This would hopefully cut down on explotation.
This dichotomy between have's and have not's is giving an inordinate amount of worth to material possessions - and the ongoing opportunities for accumulation of wealth that they afford some. I'm not a Marxist by any stretch of the imagination - though I recognize that his social theories did help to explain soem things. Oppression is wrong for biblical reasons - not because of the dichotomy between those who have greater access to material wealth. There is one Christ Jesus. The "idea" of "Christ" may be understood and appropriated in multiple ways, but that doesn't negate the fact for Christ-followers there's one Christ; the Word, the Alpha and Omega, the Lord.
I don't take offense at anything you expressed...again the prophetic voice needs to be spoken and heard - but the reality of injustice doesn't mean that nothing of value is left - in other words, in the midst of sin and brokenness God still mediates His grace to us. Thanks for starting the discussion. Blessings in Christ ~ RLS
Jason, I just kind of realized that I was simply responding at I read your comment - so it has sort of a stream of consciousness feel to it and lacks some clarity. Sorry about that. If you'd like to continue the dialogue - I'll try to do a better job of clearly communicating. Blessings ~ RLS
Richard,
No worries, I followed your line of thinking. To comment on your entire post is unnecessary since I agree with most of your line of thinking. Therefore, I will limit my comments to just one point, albeit a major point concerning wealth and oppression. While you may disagree I am not sure enough attention has been payed to the accumulation of material goods (i.e. the source of any Capitalist society). Capitalism only works when mass production of any item or service is rewarded with mass purchasing of that item or that service. I am going to have my students read a book in thier intro course this fall entitled Born to Buy. It does a great job of identifying just how "socialized" our society is when it comes to purchasing whatever it may be a person feels they need or want. It's focus is on how corporations target children as young as two when selling goods. Anyhow, in order to exist as Christian in an otherwise ruthless capitalist society I feel we must remain especially viligant in the ways we act and react as community. Especially in the context of local churches, where you have business owners, managers, service laborers, and working class people all attempting to worship the same God of righteousness and justice. Without Christian community and ideals, critiques of capitalism sound more like bitter arguements of the left out. I believe Christians should lead the dialogue when it comes to critiquing Capitalism and the divides it is set up to create (see Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism).
Jason,
I agree with you wholeheartedly…Capitalism inevitably accentuates division. It seems to me that Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” didn’t necessarily intend this consequence but set out instead to recognize the reality of our divisiveness (brokenness, if you will) while creating an economic system that would best fit the reality of our situation (it is a system that attempts to increase production and wealth of a nation based on the depravity of humanity – in other words, we gain because of human sinfulness). Smith himself seemed to realize that this economic system tends toward stratification (some will benefit more than others), thus it only works to the benefit of all within the nation if there is still a deep sense of morality and a obligation to care for all of our citizens (I’m reading a lot into his thinking…and it has been quite a while since I’ve actually read him myself). Hence the necessity for social safety-nets in a Capitalistic society. (Though, no society is purely Capitalistic [free market], we find ourselves somewhere on the Socialist – Capitalist continuum.)
You’re right that this economic system breeds greed and is an even bigger problem when our general morality (that is care for the other) is greatly diminished. The Christian community should respond, in that we witness to an alternate vision for life and a different value system. But don’t you find it a little ironic that this dichotomy (used so often among sociologists) between so-called “have’s” and so-called “have not’s” only serves to perpetuate the established value system? We still caught in the idolatry of defining value based on material possession. And when, in the history of the world, the have not’s succeeded in overthrowing the have’s – the results have been inevitably the setting up of a new system based on material acquisition and power resulting in further stratification and oppression.
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
As we live into the Kingdom vision our form of life becomes a critique of the idolatrous and destructive values that Capitalism imbibes. But, we also must realize that every human economic system is broken – because we’re broken – and unless you ascribe to a realized eschatology…it seems that it will continue to be this way. That doesn’t mean that we fail to offer the critique, it just means we’re always living into or toward our telos in Christ and as we focus on our worship of the Lord God and living out the Kingdom ethic, then our critique will be compelling and obvious – at least for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Thanks for making me think. Blessings in Christ ~ RLS
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