ShaneBertou.com

With all of the talk of racial reconciliation that is taking place in our county following Sen. Obama’s speech, I thought it might be a good opportunity to recommend two books I read recently that helped shape my perspective on the issue - particularly as it pertains to the Church.

Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity

Despite political strides toward racial reconciliation since 1964, many blacks feel that nothing has really changed since Jim Crow days. Some also worry that the church—which should be leading efforts in racial reconciliation—is one of the worst offenders in fostering racial division. Gilbreath, an editor-at-large for Christianity Today, offers a poignant and often humorous look at the state of racial reconciliation within evangelical Christianity specifically.

Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America

Divided by Faith by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith has an ingenious, troubling argument. “[E]vangelicals desire to end racial division and inequality, and attempt to think and act accordingly. But, in the process, they likely do more to perpetuate the racial divide than they do to tear it down.” Emerson and Smith, argue that evangelicals have a theological world view that makes it difficult for them to perceive systematic injustices in society. In particular, evangelical emphasis of individualism and free will seem to predispose them to believe that most racial problems can be solved if individuals will only repent of their sins. Therefore, many well-meaning strategies for healing racial divisions (such as cross-cultural friendships) carry within them the seeds of their own defeat.

Alright, so there seems to be more than enough interest to justify this experiment. We’ve set up a stand-alone blog for the group which can be found at http://readingforchange.wordpress.com.

We’re kicking things off on Monday, February 11th - that gives you the entire weekend to track down the book. We’ll be discussing a new chapter each day. If you come late to the party, don’t worry, you can choose to start from the beginning or pick up the conversation at any point.

If you’d like to participate, feel free to stop by and introduce yourself to the rest of the group!

My buddy Tim and I are planning a little online reading collaborative based on Brian McLaren’s latest book Everything Must Change. We’re inviting others to join us in the adventure. We’re hoping that other bloggers, readers, and lurkers will participate as we journey through this book as a community.

We’re still working our way through the details, so stay tuned. But in the mean time… Any interest?

Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach. What’s on your stack?

(Update: I swear I never saw this post before. Sheer coincidence that they’re nearly identical. but now that I have seen it, and Billy has commented, I feel the need to ht: BillyBurnett.)

I learned a great number of things from reading Boomsday, the latest political satire offering from Christopher Buckley (Thank You for Smoking). Not the least important of which was that blogging can be hazardous to your health - not to mention the health of the entire “boomer” generation.

In his latest novel Buckley tackles the looming collapse of Social Security. The story takes place a few short years from now. As more and more “boomers” enter retirement age, living longer due to (insanely expensive) advances in healthcare and technology, the burden to support these loafers falls evermore on the shoulders of America’s young people. In a vain effort to try to bridge the Social Security spending gap, Congress passes tax hike after tax hike on the nation’s youngest professionals. And, needless to say, that has the under-thirty crowd seeing red.

Cassandra Devine is a public relations worker by day (spinning for the lowest of the low) and a fire-breathing activist blogger by night. Her late-night criticism of the government’s inability to fix the Social Security crisis has garnered her an enormous following among the “U30’s.” After yet another tax hike on her generation, she issues a call for her readers to “take action” against golf courses and retirement communities nationwide. When they actually do, it lands her in a bit of hot water with the FBI. She becomes an instant celebrity and tries to find new ways to use her voice to force Washington to deal with the crisis.

Then it hits her….

She never thought her proposal that boomers voluntarily kill themselves at age 70 would get any real public support. Nor did she think that anyone would take seriously her idea for the government to incentivize “voluntary transitioning.” But she especially didn’t anticipate Representative Jepperson sponsoring the Bill before Congress, or adopting her plan as his running platform for the upcoming Presidential election.

Boomsday is an interesting look into the world of politics, public relations spin and social activism. But more importantly, it manages to bring the topic of Social Security reform to the forefront of conversation. The book’s heroine uses an absurd proposition in order to spark debate and encourage public dialog on an important issue. The brilliance - or irony - of Buckley’s writing is that he uses an absurd story to do exactly the same thing.

I had some time to kill between appointments this afternoon so I made a visit to the library. I haven’t done much reading since we moved back to Rochester, and my brain is starving for attention. I came out with the following three books.

Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America - Ronald J. Sider
Just Generosity calls Christians to examine their priorities and their pocketbooks in the face of a scandalous tendency to overlook those among us who suffer while we live in practical opulence. This holistic approach to helping the poor goes far beyond donating clothes or money, envisioning a world in which faith-based groups work with businesses, the media, and the government to help end poverty in the world’s richest nation. This updated edition includes current statistics, policy recommendations, and discussions covering everything from welfare reform, changes to Medicade, and the Social Security debate

Boomsday - Christopher Buckley
Outraged over the mounting Social Security debt, Cassandra Devine, a charismatic 29-year-old blogger and member of Generation Whatever, incites massive cultural warfare when she politely suggests that Baby Boomers be given government incentives to kill themselves by age 75. Her modest proposal catches fire with millions of citizens, chief among them “an ambitious senator seeking the presidency.” With the help of Washington’s greatest spin doctor, the blogger and the politician try to ride the issue of euthanasia for Boomers (called “transitioning”) all the way to the White House, over the objections of the Religious Right, and of course, the Baby Boomers, who are deeply offended by demonstrations on the golf courses of their retirement resorts.

Rochester’s South Wedge - Rose O’Keefe
Rochester’s South Wedge follows the hundreds of ambitious and ordinary people who have formed a distinct community for 185 years. Immediate neighbors include Mount Hope Cemetery, the nation’s first municipal cemetery and final resting place for the Frederick Douglass family and Susan B. Anthony; and Highland Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Close by are the University of Rochester and Colgate Divinity School. With its northern boundary on the original Erie Canal, the South Wedge became home to laborers, craftsmen, and shopkeepers who contributed to the boatbuilding industry in the 1800s. The world famous Ellwanger and Barry Nurseries covered parts of the South Wedge and surrounding area.

Ever wonder how “outsiders” view the various ways in which we go about “doing church?” That’s precisely what Jim Henderson set out to discover in his latest book Jim & Casper Go to Church.

Over the course of several months Jim - the ex-pastor - and Casper - the professed atheist - set out on a grand experiment. The two of them visited over a dozen of the most prominent - as well as some of the more obscure - churches in America undercover and shared their thoughts about the experience with one another. The purpose was to give Christians an inside look at how those we claim to be trying to reach (aka, “the lost”) view our faith and practices - as well as our sometimes transparent efforts to win them over to Christianity.

The result is an honest, if not downright brutal, glimpse into the thought process those we would label as “lost” go through when encountering different expressions of the church for the first time. The churches that they visited were a venerable “who’s who” of contemporary Christianity that included heavyweights such as Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Emergent types such as Mark Driscoll and Imago Dei and even a small dose of the house church movement.

As someone who has often times been critical of “how” we do church myself, I found Casper’s perspective to be invaluable. While one might be uneasy about considering what an athiest might have to offer the church in terms of advice, his brutally honest take quite frequently offered much by way of spiritual truth. Having once worked for a Christian marketing firm he has an uncanny knack for seeing through the B.S. and speaking directly to the heart of the matter. And more often than not I found myself agreeing with him in his criticisms as well as his praises (yes, there were plenty).

What also emerges from this experiment is a genuine friendship between Jim and Casper. Jim was a pastor for many years before starting Off the Map, an organization that promotes dialogue and understanding between Christians and athiests. As their relationship develops we see many opportunities for Jim to put what he teaches with Off the Map into practice as he interacts with Casper. Through their friendship we see the value in forming genuine relationships with those of a different belief structure, one without all the “additives” and agendas.

This book should be on the “to read” list of every pastor and church planter, as well as anyone else who wants to read a perspective from outside the “holy huddle.”

Rob Bell’s new book titled Sex God is scheduled to drop sometime in March. According to the subtitle the book explores “the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality.”

Needless to say, I’m intrigued. And it will probably sell a bazillion copies based on the title alone.

I read the first chapter - titled “God Wears Lipstick” - yesterday. The folks at Zondervan have made it available for free download. Upon first glance it seems like a page-turner. His talk of the “new humanity” sort of creeps me out, but when taken in context I couldn’t find anything objectionable or particularly heretical about it.

I checked online and I’m fourth in line on the reserve list when it arrives at the public library. I’ll probably just cough up the dough for my own copy when it comes out. Stay tuned…

I just finished To Own a Dragon - the latest title by the increasingly popular Christian hipster author Donald Miller. The book is a collection of thoughts on Miller’s experiences growing up without a father. It is co-written/inspired by his mentor John MacMurray.

I wasn’t sure what to expect to gain from reading this book. I partly expected to read a couple hundred pages of “Boy, life sure was hard without a dad. It sucked.” I personally come from a home where my father was not only present, but took an active role in helping shape my faith from an early age. I’m (relatively) well-adjusted, with a healthy relationship with my own dad. I wasn’t sure if anything from Miller’s experience would resonate.

To my surprise his reflections offered much more insight into the spiritual nature of the father/child relationship than I had anticipated. The void left by his own father’s absence caused Miller to search deep within himself to reconcile his issues with “manhood” and “authority.” Ultimately, Miller argues, it is God who fathers us and our earthly fathers merely serve to demonstrate that relationship in a tangible form.

Miller’s tongue-in-cheek sense of humor is always an entertaining read, and this time around is no different. I especially enjoyed his simplistic approach to defining manhood. After giving kudos to the Promise Keepers and Wild at Heart sort of “manly man” spirituality, he gave his own definition of what it means to be a man. No programs, no gimmicks, no seven-promise contracts - just anatomy. If you have a penis, you already have all it takes to be the man God has called you to be. I find that idea refreshing.

I read this book thinking it wouldn’t have anything to offer me. But as a father, and a son, I came out of the experience challenged and affirmed. I also think this book is worthwhile read for all the dads out there, because sometimes the absence of something can teach us the most about the ideal.

In closing, a couple of resources:

1) Donald Miller has started a foundation. The Belmont Foundation helps provide role-models for children growing up without fathers. It seems like a worthwhile thing to plug yourself and your churches into.

2) Below is the audio of Donald Miller’s talk last April at Rob Bell’s church. It’s a very thought provoking talk that explores all the ways God isn’t like a Magic Bullet. It’s titled “God is Fathering Us,” and you should take the time to listen.

I just finished reading Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres last night and I still find myself struggling to process it all.

The book is a heart-wrenching memoir of her life in a strict Christian household in the Midwest. It chronicles the struggles she faced in dealing with her overbearing mother and emotionally absent father; but it also speaks to the experiences of her two adopted brothers who were the only African-Americans in the community. She talks openly of her hellish adolescence during which her home was the source of great physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

She speaks candidly of her own budding sexuality and how it ultimately led to her being shipped off to Escuela Caribe - a Christian reformed school run by New Horizons Youth Ministry. What she shares about the abuse she and her fellow students suffered there will appall you. And it will enrage you to you learn that the school and its flagship “ministry” are still in operation today, despite scores of similar stories from other students.

In reading the book I experienced the full gamut of human emotion. I laughed when she complained about Sandi Patty’s voice and the poor quality of Christian music, remembering similar complaints from my youth. I was entertained to read her efforts to reconcile her Calvinistic upbringing with the Pentecostal worship services at the school. But unfortunately, these lighter moments were few and far between, and for the most part I spent the entire time angry.

I wasn’t angry at Julia. One might find it easy to pass her off as simply “jaded.” But how could I tell someone to get over it when they’ve experienced such horrific things in their lifetime? How could I tell her to look past the time her father broke her brother’s arm from beating him so bad? Or to just look past the times her oldest brother forced himself on her sexually while she lay there paralyzed by fear?

I don’t believe Julia Scheere’s anti-religion sentiments are a mark of being jaded or disenfranchised. I believe they’re completely justified.

I found myself most angry with the staff at Escuela Caribe, who had been trusted to care for and nurture the students in the name of Christ. I was saddened to realize that Julia will likely never know the Jesus I know (she claims the experience “destroyed (her) faith”). It angers me that the Jesus she was shown and has experienced is not the beautiful and caring spiritual lover so many of us have come to know, but rather a twisted and perverse sonofabitch whose servants destroy the very lives they’ve been given to nurture.

Several of Julia’s classmates have started a website to bring the suffering they endured at Escuela Caribe to light. Here is a link to a television report that recently aired during which Julia was interviewed.

What I gained by reading this book was a great deal of empathy for those whom have had their spirits destroyed by misrepresentations of Christ and his church. I’ve found myself growing more compassionate and loving to those who reject the Church due to their personal circumstances and experiences with it. And it has renewed my resolve to never allow myself, or my community, to become the gross perversion of Christianity that Julia Scheeres (and myself) have grown to despise.