Shouldn't "national" include everyone?

For those who missed it, yesterday, May 1, was the "National Day of Prayer." There have been various days so designated throughout the history of our country, but Ronald Reagan signed the legislation making May 1 the official day. In recognition of full disclosure, I should tell you that I preached at a "National Day of Prayer" service at Dahlgren Naval Base in Virginia in the 1980's.

While such services have been taking place for a while, there is a growing movement to include people from all faith traditions. Ah, you may say, but everyone in our country is free to pray for this country and its leaders whenever they like. That is true, but the official National Day of Prayer Committee, who met at the White House to receive a copy of the Presidential Proclamation declaring this day as a day of prayer from President Bush, defines this day as emphasizing Christian purposes. From the official website for the National Day of Prayer comes this information:

Our Vision and Values

In accordance with Biblical truth, the National Day of Prayer Task Force seeks to:
- Foster unity within the Christian Church
- Protect America's Constitutional Freedoms to gather, worship, pray and speak freely.
- Publicize and preserve America's Christian heritage
- Encourage and emphasize prayer, regardless of current issues and positions
- Respect all people, regardless of denomination or creed
- Be wise stewards of God's resources and provision
- Glorify the Lord in word and deed

Who We Are and What We Do

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Our Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose it is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America's leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.

Official Policy Statement on Participation of "Non-Judeo-Christian" groups in the National Day of Prayer:

The National Day of Prayer Task Force was a creation of the National Prayer Committee for the expressed purpose of organizing and promoting prayer observances conforming to a Judeo-Christian system of values. People with other theological and philosophical views are, of course, free to organize and participate in activities that are consistent with their own beliefs. This diversity is what Congress intended when it designated the Day of Prayer, not that every faith and creed would be homogenized, but that all who sought to pray for this nation would be encouraged to do so in any way deemed appropriate. It is that broad invitation to the American people that led, in our case, to the creation of the Task Force and the Judeo-Christian principles on which it is based.

Now, this seems to me to be more of a "All Christian Day of Prayer" because Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., are invited to pray on their own and not be a part of the official observances of the day and would not be as concerned to "foster the unity of the Christian church" as Christians would. But, then, it would not sit too well with folks for the President to sign a proclamation suggesting that Christianity is the only religious group he wants to pray for this country.

It is not that other religious groups have not tried to be included in their local community observance of the day. According to a Christian Science Monitor story from April 30 and written by Jane Lampman, "The Interfaith Alliance of Central California plans to hold its own inclusive prayer event as well as a protest in Fresno. The multifaith group had asked to participate in the task force observance planned for the steps of city hall there but was refused. (emphasis added) So the members will conduct a quiet protest at the site, carrying signs that say 'One Nation, Many Faiths.'"

This whole project raises just a host of questions for me. I do not wonder whether people of faith ought to pray for our country and its leadership, but I do wonder whether there ought to be an "officially [as in governmentally designated] day" to do so. [Just a note: In addition to a national proclamation issued by the White House and signed by the President, there are also state proclamations for every state signed by governors.] If it is to be an officially designated day, shouldn't it include all people of faith who want to participate? What does the current practice of the Christians on the official board telling people of other faith that "they can pray, but just not with us" say about our country? With a day like this so designated and supported at the highest levels of government, how can some Christians continue to speak about the anti-Christian bias in this country?

Parents and kids and religion

In the Washington Post blog On Balance is a provocative column raising the issue of whether parents have the right to force their religion on their children. It was inspired, at least in part, by an Oregon case in which a divorced man who had converted to Judaism wanted to have his 12 year son circumsized over the objections of his ex-wife.

The issue of children and religion has been one I have wrestled with throughout my ministry as the pastor of a church and throughout my life. I have observed it played out in three different arenas.

For me, personally, I never felt that my parent's religion was forced on me. I grew up attending the Fort Sanders Baptist Church in Knoxville Tennessee because that is where my parents and my aunts and uncles and my grandparents attended. Plus, it was only 2 blocks from my house. I attended Sunday School classes, Training Union classes, and worship services there. At the age of 6, I "walked the aisle" at the invitation and made a profesion of faith and was baptized by immersion just before my 7th birthday. {There is way too much insider Baptist stuff in this sentence for me to 'unpack' for anyone now. If anyone is remotely interested in knowing about any of the terms, make a comment and I will be glad to expound.}

Why did I become a Baptist at that point in my life instead of a Methodist or a Buddhist? It was simply because that was the only religious life I knew. Was that forced on me? I don't think so, in the sense that my family never said to me, "Become a Baptist or else." Have I remained a Baptist? No. Several years ago, at a time of my increasing struggle with the theological direction the Southern Baptist Convention was heading, I was recommended to the search committee of the Plymouth Congregational Church of Wichita Kansas. I ended up serving that congregation for 9 years, then going to Piedmont College and Covenant Congregational Church in Georgia for nearly 2 years, and now going to preach at the First Congregational Church of Salt Lake City Utah with the possibility of serving as their pastor. Did my parents force their particular understanding of religion on me? If so, it did not quite stick.

The second arena was when Vicki and I had our children. When Adam and Joshua were growing up, I was typically serving as the pastor of a church. So, as I did with my parents, they came to church with us. Both of the boys went through the "Baptist-process" as I did. One difference in their experience from mine, I think, has been our willingness to talk to them about things religious and our own doubts and shortcomings in this part of life. Perhaps because of that both Adam and Joshua have explored many different religious expressions. Do they see things in exactly the same way that I do? Absolutely not. Does that trouble me? No.

The third arena is I have attempted to be a minister for families in the churches I have served. I have two approaches from parents. First one is when they say, "We are going to let Susie decide for herself what religion she wants to be when she gets a little older." Frequently what that means that neither the parents nor Susie ever attend any religious gatherings. Thus, Susie grows up without any religius inclinations at all. The second approach is the dogmatic one where Susie has been taught the words to say so that she can parrot them for the minister and, thus, become part of the church that the parents want her to be part of. Unfortunately in these families, discussions about religions and beliefs and churches never take place. There is no discussion needed. And, frequently what happens is that Susie grows up and never darkens the doors of a church again.

So, good readers, what should the role of parents be in their children's religious life? What have you experienced? I would be interested to hear.

Despair or . . .

Quick note: As a follow-up to my post about Zimbabwe and the call of religious leadership in that country for justice, you might want to see this interview that Jim Wallis did. It is found at: http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/.
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Also on the God's Politics site is this quotation from Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund.
It is so important not to let ourselves off the hook or to become apathetic or cynical by telling ourselves that nothing works or makes a difference. Every day, light your small candle.... The inaction and actions of many human beings over a long time contributed to the crises our children face, and it is the action and struggle of many human beings over time that will solve them—with God's help. So every day, light your small candle.
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What Edelman advocates in regard to our responsibility to improve life for the children is something that has obvious application in all efforts to change the world. Every person can do something to make a difference on the positive side of life's ledger. That person may consider her contribution to be so feeble that it is not worth doing, but she would be wrong. A person may see the vastness of what needs to be changed and despair of being able to accomplish anything, but he would be wrong.

Yet, the truth contained in Edelman's words is a difficult one to accept. We have been so bombarded with the notions of: INSTANT results in everything from weight loss to political action; and the one true hero who can take care of all of the problems our society faces. We have lived with those falsehoods for so long that we can forget the incremental nature of most change, and we can forget that many people are required to effect the change and make it last.

There is a Crosby, Stills, & Nash song about the riots at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, entitled, Chicago, in which the chorus goes, "We can change the world -- Rearrange the world -- It's dying - to get better."

So, do we despair or do we light our candle? After all, our world is dying to get better.

Plea for Justice

My interests in things religious and how that has an impact on the world and how the world has an impact on that drive this blog. So far, I have devoted a lot of time to the American Christian scene because that is where I am. Today, however, I want to share a written statement from churches in Zimbabwe.

As everyone who has been keeping up with international news knows, the country has been roiled in a contentious election cycle. Let me encourage you to read the news accounts of this dating back to March. After the party of President Robert Mugabe lost, reports of violence against those who opposed his rule have increased. So much so that the leadership of three diverse church groups have issued a statement to the people. It is:

As the shepherds of the people, we, Church leaders of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), express our deep concern over the deteriorating political, security, economic and human rights situation in Zimbabwe following the March 29, 2008 national elections.

Before the elections, we issued statements urging Zimbabweans to conduct themselves peacefully and with tolerance towards those who held different views and political affiliation from one’s own. After the elections, we issued statements commending Zimbabweans for the generally peaceful and politically mature manner in which they conducted themselves before, during and soon after the elections.

Reports that are coming through to us from our Churches and members throughout the country indicate that the peaceful environment has, regrettably, changed:
Given the political uncertainty, anxiety and frustration created by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC’s) failure to release the results of the presidential poll 4 weeks after polling day:
- Organized violence perpetrated against individuals, families and communities who are accused of campaigning or voting for the 'wrong' political party in the March 29, 2008 elections has been unleashed throughout the country, particularly in the countryside and in some high density urban areas.
People are being abducted, tortured, humiliated by being asked to repeat slogans of the political party they are alleged not to support, ordered to attend mass meetings where they are told they voted for the 'wrong' candidate and should never repeat it in the run-off election for President, and, in some cases, people are murdered.
- The deterioration in the humanitarian situation is plummeting at a frightful pace. The cost of living has gone beyond the reach of the majority of our people. There is widespread famine in most parts of the countryside on account of poor harvests and delays in the process of importing maize from neighbouring countries.
The shops are empty and basic foodstuffs are unavailable. Victims of organized torture who are ferried to hospital find little solace as the hospitals have no drugs or medicines to treat them.

As the shepherds of the people, we appeal:
- To the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to work towards arresting the deteriorating political and security situation in Zimbabwe.
We warn the world that if nothing is done to help the people of Zimbabwe from their predicament, we shall soon be witnessing genocide similar to that experienced in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and other hot spots in Africa and elsewhere.
- For the immediate end to political intimidation and retribution arising from how people are perceived to have voted in the March 29, 2008 elections and arising from the desire to influence how people will vote in the anticipated run-off in the presidential poll.
Youth militia and war veteran/military base camps that have been set up in different parts of the country should be closed as a step towards restoring the peace and freedom of people’s movement that was witnessed before and during the March 29, 2008 elections.
- To ZEC to release the true results of the presidential poll of March 29, 2008 without further delay. The unprecedented delay in the publication of these results has caused anxiety, frustration, depression, suspicion and in some cases illness among people of Zimbabwe both at home and abroad.
A pall of despondency hangs over the nation which finds itself in a crisis of expectations and governance. The nation is in a crisis, in limbo and no real business is taking place anywhere as the nation waits.
- To, finally, the people of Zimbabwe themselves. You played your part when you turned out to vote on 29 March 2008. We, again, commend you for exercising your democratic right peacefully. At this difficult time in our nation, we urge you to maintain and protect your dignity and your vote.

We urge you to refuse to be used for a political party or other people’s selfish end especially where it concerns violence against other people, including those who hold different views from your own. It was the Lord Jesus who said, 'Whatever you do to one of these little ones, you do it unto me' (Matthew 25:45).
We call on all Zimbabweans and on all friends of Zimbabwe to continue to pray for our beautiful nation. As the shepherds of God’s flock, we shall continue to speak on behalf of Zimbabwe’s suffering masses and we pray that God’s will be done.
We remain God’s humble servants:
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ)
The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC)
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC)
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What is happening in Zimbabwe is an example of a political party arrogantly using its power to trample the rights of the people and intimidate the voters and desperately using its power to retain its position. These church leaders have shown great courage in speaking out about the situation, for they could easily become targets of violence themselves.

Yet, shouldn't that be what church leaders do? When there is a crisis concerning justice and righteousness and moral clarity, shouldn't the churches stand up for the people and the true best interests of the country, no matter what the cost? Couldn't all people of faith learn from and draw inspiration from their example? Shouldn't we Western Christians look to our own reluctance to address issues we see?