Since You Like To Prepare To Watch TV

If you'll be watching the State of the Union tonight, Faithful America offers a reflection on our national score on the Biblical virtues of justice, mercy and humility. They call for openness in government and humility overseas, and keep morality in the public domain (free from paleocon copyright) with the reminder that "budgets are moral documents." Sojourners, an ecumenical group which characterizes itself as progressive where Faithful America's nonpartisan, also offers a resource kit for encountering the State.

On the other hand, to engage with the ideas presented at the same level as the one who'll be reading them, you could take the apostolic approach and go with the perennial drinking game.

Kanye West poses as Jesus

So I figure this could go one of two ways. One, all sorts of people--you know the kind, the ones you daren't say "Happy Holidays" to--are going to get all over Kanye for depicting himself as Christ. In which case you and I will all enjoy ourselves utterly by asking them "Yeah, I know, you said the same thing when "The Passion" came out, didn't you? You know, how disrespectful it is for one person to have the hubris to take and control the image of Jesus for their own self-aggrandizement? Yeah, I mean, you were all over that Mel Gibson, weren't you?" That will be fun.

The other way it could go is that everyone will get kind of nervous, because Kanye did do "Jesus Walks", after all, and got a lot of Grammy noms, and seems to be a fairly together guy, and plus when looking at that picture they'll realize that hey, Kanye does look a darn sight more like Jesus than James Caviezel, for pete's sake, and that will remind them of the big stink they so patently did not make over Mel Gibson's white Jesus, and then it'll be a race thing, and no one will touch it. That could happen, but it won't be as fun.

Then you have the Super-Intelli Theologienne reaction, obviously better than either of the preceding two, which goes as follows. According to my theological source, TheSuperficial.com, Kanye's explanation of this photo shoot was, "In America, they want you to accomplish these great feats, to pull off these David Copperfield-type stunts. You want me to be great, but you don't ever want me to say I'm great?"

Now we know Kanye is a faithful guy who, even though he likes to talk about how great he is, obviously wouldn't blaspheme by depicting himself as Jesus to make that point. (And we also assume he knows enough about the Bible that did he choose to do something so dubious, he'd use an image of the risen and not the suffering Christ.) So look what he's doing here. Kanye depicts himself as Jesus, knowing that everyone who looks at that picture is going to think, "What, Kanye West thinks he's Jesus?" (Maybe they'll even go on to think, "Mr. West, I know Jesus. Jesus is a friend of mine. And Mr. West . . ." Anyway.) Cause of course we know he isn't. What Kanye's doing is an important postmodern technique which would sound a lot more impressive if I could remember the stinking word for it. Ahh! I'll look it up for you.

Kanye's using a sign that is obviously different from the thing it signifies to show you something about the signified. "Pff, well, Kanye West isn't God." Right, but he's now tricked us into thinking about the discrepancy between humans (even Grammy-winning humans) and God. Whatever Kanye West is--finite, American, lyrical, black, male--the irritated Rolling Stone reader is forced to conclude that God may be that, but is anyway clearly more than that. Not a bad insight on a walk past the newsstand.

Which American Catholic are you?

(I apologize for this complete non-post after several days of silence, but I'm taking a J-term class which meets three hours, five days a week, and consequently passing through the valley of the shadow of holding my tongue. And actually, I have been looking for a good Catholic meme like this one. Belief-O-Matic is fun too. All right, now, fall to.)

You scored as Liberal Catholic. You embrace the social justice mission of the Church, and the view of Catholic community as seen in the Acts of Apostles. You have a great love of the American democratic tradition, but tend to want to apply these traditions to the Church itself and the deposit of faith. You want a married and female clergy, decentralization of power, and an endless list of reforms. You feel that you are a true champion of the Second Vatican Council. Like the Neo-Conservative Catholic, your views may be too determined by American culture, and you may uncritically accept many theories that may be harmful to yourself and society; instead you may need rediscover authentic Catholic thinking. You should emphasize the love of God, as your Creator and sustainer. [Well, I don't like to think that I accept views uncritically, and tend to find my own most helpful to myself and society, but I think the insight that both liberal and conservative Catholics can be unhealthily affected by American society is quite fine. Well done, quiz.] http://saint-louis.blogspot.com - Rome of the West Liberal Catholic 95% Evangelical Catholic 69% Radical Catholic 64% Neo-Conservative Catholic 55% Traditional Catholic 24% New Catholic 17% Lukewarm Catholic 10% What is your style of American Catholicism? created with QuizFarm.com

US Bishops: Out of Iraq!

From the Vermont Guardian:

Declaring that the United States was at a crossroads in Iraq, the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops said it was time to withdraw U.S. troops as fast as possible, and turn over control of the country to Iraqis.

“Our nation’s military forces should remain in Iraq only as long as it takes for a responsible transition, leaving sooner than later,” said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, FL, in a statement.

Oo-ee, do I know some Catholics who are not going to like this. Many of 'em the type who want those who disagree with any tittle of teaching (or fail to vote a disproportionately restricted Catholic position) to leave the Church. So we can all hold our breath for the mass apostasy of America's Catholic hawks.

P.S. In case you don't trust a Vermont paper on peace issues, here's the actual bishops' statement on Iraq. While they focused their press release on their call for dialogue, the statement itself says, "Our nation’s military forces should remain in Iraq only as long as it takes for a responsible transition, leaving sooner rather than later." Right on, Mountain Staters. And thanks, bishops. Keep preaching peace.

Progressives Hail their "Moral Issue"

I have to study for a take-home tonight, but wanted to quickly recommend this Times Magazine article on the newest political "moral issue," the living wage (What Is a Living Wage? - New York Times).

Rev. Jerome Martinez, a supporter of Santa Fe's living wage movement, said "I have gotten a lot of grief from some people, business owners, who say, 'Father, why don't you stick to religion?' Well, pardon me - this is religion. The scripture is full of matters of justice. How can you worship a God that you do not see and then oppress the workers that you do see?"

I hope this article inspires more Christians in power to think seriously about how they can support the vision of worker dignity contained in Catholic social teaching. Legatus is an organization of Catholic executives, "witnesses to Christians ethics in the field of business," their website says. A list of goals written by one Catholic CEO doesn't invoke these beyond recommending examination of "ethical business practices," (which could have to do with consumers rather than workers)--but he does recommend using religious stamps.

Colombian Town May Mandate Carrying Condoms

A town with one of the highest HIV infection rates in Colombia may make it a crime not to have a condom on you if you're 14 and up (Town weighs requiring residents to carry condoms, Chicago Tribune.) The Catholic clergy is bemused, to say the least, though I give points for openmindedness to the priest who said he'd rather see more widespread education about the consequences of sex. Although don't you think this plan would also help in that regard?

Wow, what's this, Mom?
It's a pocket scapular. Now shut up and do your brother's laundry.

The proposal's a valuable publicity stunt, and I sure hope it stays just that. I mean, how far is this going to go? Will enforcers be checking expiration dates? "Ma'am, judging by the looks of your boyfriend you've got the wrong size here, I'm going to have to write you a ticket?" Plus, there are so many unforeseeable consequences to this kind of weird governmental intervention. You KNOW the rough kids in Tulua are already thinking up new ways to be bad-ass once even the nerdiest have a Trojan in their backpacks.

Abused bishop stands with all excluded Catholics

The bishop prays at a trial of antiwar demonstrators earlier this year.

Detroit's Bishop Tom Gumbleton shared today that he, too, was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a priest. Sensible of the range of victims' experiences, the gentle cleric friends call Gumbo went out of his way to note that others have undergone far worse: Bishop Gumbleton escaped the repeated pattern of violent abuse that can leave the worst scars. This brave disclosure has already exposed the bishop to inchoate and slanderous attacks from the blogosphere, but we're not going to study 'bout that narrow-minded offal. Rather, know:

Bishop Gumbleton is best known as a champion of peace and justice, but he's also worked to strengthen the Church as a supporter of gay and lesbian Catholics. According to a mentor of mine who knew him well (and from whom I drew the nickname), Bishop Gumbleton is a large part of the reason the American Midwest is so open, in parish life, to the gifts of women and laypeople. Aisha Taylor of Women's Ordination Conference wrote in an email: "Bishop Gumbleton was the only bishop to join Women's Ordination Conference at our prayerful protest outside the bishops' meeting in November 2004. He wore a purple stole (international symbol of women's ordination), pearls (symbol of that particular protest), and talked with us before leaving the meeting saying he was not going back inside." Sometimes--often--you minister best by standing with those on the outside. With his courageous disclosure, Bishop Gumbleton steps out of the Church hierarchy to join abuse victims and all Catholics who've been staring for too long at a door that's firmly closed.

Is Gender Necessary? Hell No!

We had a Human Sexuality seminar at school this weekend. It was good to see the priests and nuns and other future ministers of the church recieving scientifically sound, sex-positive education. Part of it, though, really irked me. We were talking about, you know, how sexuality includes gender and identity and how all of that impacts on how we relate to others, and all of a sudden there's this slide up with a list of male and female qualities. You know, women are into social relationships, men are into hierarchical positions. Women want to be listened to, men want to solve problems. (This one particularly irked me as I'm often being tasked for jumping in with solutions, and I have a good female friend who's even more so. (Me: "Geez, I feel so bad I haven't sent so-and-so's present yet." Her: "Oh! Well, send it today."))

Now, granted, my friends are weird, but we aren't that broadly unusual. Since I've got example after example of folks who don't fit these broad generalizations (men who want to be listened to, women who prioritize rules over individuals, women who bond by doing and men who bond by talking, &c) I can only imagine that anyone who genuinely believes these things to be true of most of the human family has a stake in that belief so strong it's affected their worldview. The position of that stake doesn't have to be "I hate men," or "Aren't those women sweet little things." It could be "My sisters and I are at last winning acceptance," or even "Though myself a man, I am comfortable saying positive things about women." Heck, it could just be "I am a person who does well with categories."

This is lazy psychology, but as theology, it's even worse. If you have no problem with going around proclaiming that women are less competitive, more person-oriented, consensus-inclined and values-driven than men (oh yes, I read my Carol Gilligan), then listen: you're saying that women are inherently, by their very nature, more capable of expressing Christian values than men are. Men get the math skills, but we get the sanctity. Well-intentioned, at some point back there a few, futile steps ago, but wrong-headed, dangerous and completely unacceptable.

Categories are comfortable; they make us feel smart. They are also an unacceptable foundation on which to build any brand of theology. Looking at a person as merely a member of one or more groups shuts us off from the brave brand of interaction that remains open to transformation, that allows us to see the uniquely distinct, radically equal presence of God in every individual.

I predict we'll one day look at these "innate" gender descriptions as no more than a late gasp of the personality test craze. It's real easy to create a list of vague traits that arguably coexist but that can never be predicted in a given individual or related to how someone's expected to act in the world. (Quick: are you a Type A or a Type B?) We think of personality tests as magazine and self-help stuff, but fifty years ago they were psychologically hot, all up in the big science journals and stuff. This, my friends, is why we can't base our God-practice on psychology. Our own experience, and that of the people we serve, deserves a place in theological method. And I can't imagine that anyone who gives her own experience at least equal credence to the latest John Gray book would choose to reduce the blazingly diverse human world into a tired punchline: "There are [only] two kinds of people . . . "

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A Franciscan invited a few of us back to the friary for lunch during the seminar, and somehow, among five celibates and one single laywoman, the conversation turned to parenting issues. When I mentioned that my father took time off to help raise me--"but that was in the eighties," in a better job market than today's parents enjoy--one brother gave me a fascinated look. "Wow," he said, "You must be the youngest person at this school!" Since all the other young'ns I know took at least a year or two off since college, we determined that yeah, I probably am.

Theologienne composes another trenchant and deeply spiritual blog post.

I don't mind being the young one. It makes me comfortable with asking out-there questions or dumb ones. It sometimes gives me the not unpleasant aspect of campus pet. (Not teacher's pet--I mean, like, a cat.)

"What are the four main steps in Lonergan's approach to method?"
"Cookie?"

And I'm lucky to feel like I have all the time I could possibly have to figure out how to use my skills to fight for the Church we deserve. Many of my classmates show up with whole portions of their lives behind them: leaving marriages for religious life or vice versa, fleeing a lucrative and soulless job, finally contextualizing a life of ministry or struggling to integrate faith into an established secular situation. My stories, in contrast, are mostly ahead of me. Wherever I go on my next big step, and the next and the next and the next, I'll be taking my Theologienne-ness with me. That's enough to add a certain confidence to your step--even if, at 22, mine's really more of a toddle.

Thought for the day

Religion is a mixture of legitimations and prophetic challenges in the name of the Ultimate. --Michael Amaladoss, SJ

Corinthians PG-13

Certain things can be taken for granted when you're a div student. You'll learn at least one thing that makes you question your faith. You'll spend a lot of time answering the questions "What's that?" and "Oh. What are you going to do with that?" And of course, you'll eventually watch the Mandy Moore evangelical parody Saved. I checked it out last night, in a bid to get all my veg-ing done before classes start, and liked it a lot. Unsympathetic characters use religion as a whip and a fence; the likeable ones--thank you, Hollywood--don't abandon faith, but use it to draw strength out of life's confusing and painful events. "What would Jesus do? I don't know, really," muses the central character, a teenager who gets pregnant in a (repented) attempt to save her boyfriend from being gay. "But for now, at least we're all trying to figure it out together." What a mature understanding of what it means to be church.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days

The Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice 2006 conference, March 10-13 in DC, promises "grassroots advocates, policy experts, politicians, theologians, organizers, and students gather[ing] to shape a new positive, progressive religious vision for U.S. foreign policy." Somebody had better, that's for sure. Sadly, I'll be lepidopterally pinned to work that weekend, but you should go.