MAYFLOWER - the book

I recently finished reading Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick, published in 2006. I should say I finally finished it because it has been sitting on my shelf for a while. It is a fascinating read.

Like most Americans, I was raised on the story of the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving. This story has been referred to as the classic American founding myth. The Pilgrims were always cast as brave and heroic and virtuous. The Indians were decent and helpful and embraced their new neighbors in friendship and love.

While I know a lot about the Pilgrims and the Puritans, both historically and theologically, I have rarely gone beyond the shallow façade of the popular story. In this book, I learned a great deal about those early settlers and other early forays by Europeans to the American shores, unfortunately not all of it was very positive.

For example: those pious Englishmen were involved in selling Native Americans as slaves to Spain and the West Indies; they used all means, some fair and some not, in obtaining more and more land from the neighboring tribes; and they engaged in some acts that would now be considered barbaric behavior in the commission of the fighting of King Philip’s war.

I realize that I have been guilty of overly romantic thinking as I consider that doughty band of Pilgrims - and the Puritans who arrived later - and that I should see them just as human beings as we all are, products of their times, and not especially “holy or saint like.” But, that may be my point in this.

The behavior those Pilgrims exhibited was just like what people in every age have manifest. They were subject to the same flaws and to similar excesses as we all are. Wouldn’t it be nice if, some time, I could look at myself and say, “I cannot imagine that I would ever be willing to see people enslaved or cheated from their land.”

Let me encourage you to read Philbrick’s book and ponder what you can learn about yourself.

The Spirituality of the Dinner Menu

Let me begin by saying that I am a meat eater. I grew up in the South when a meal was not a meal without meat. With that full disclosure out of the way, I need also say that I do not eat as much meat now as I used to and eat substantially less red meat now; both choices made for health reasons. In fact, for the last few years, Vicki and I have been using soy milk almost exclusively at home – again as a way to have a healthier diet and lifestyle.

In the January 27 issue of the online New York Times, Mark Bittman has an article dealing with the some of the issues surrounding the world’s increasing demand for meat. Many of which I had never considered. For example, beef requires about 16 times the amount of fossil fuel to produce compared to a comparable amount of vegetables; beef produces 24 times the amount of greenhouse gases as the vegetables; the livestock in America produces 900 million tons of waste annually (and it has to go somewhere); 30% of the earth’s ice-free land is involved in the production of livestock. This does not even address a host of other issues dealing with growing grain that is used to feed the livestock, solely for the purpose of quickly fattening up the animal, and the consumption of grain fed animals may contribute to deleterious health effects in human beings like diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

Why did I entitle this, “The Spirituality of a Dinner Menu”? As a person of faith, I believe that my faith should have an impact on the decisions I make on a daily basis. Obviously, what I choose to eat is a daily decision. So, if I am concerned with the issues of the proper stewardship of the earth, of eating in a way to promote health, and of not consuming more than my share of resources – most Americans consume 110 grams of protein (75 grams of it from animal products) when we should eat no more than 55 grams of protein total - doesn’t making dinner choices become something of a spiritual matter? It should, it seems.

I know that during World War II many days were designated as ‘meatless’ days in order to conserve and to save meat for the troops. That designation was a matter of law, based on rationing books, but it was also a matter of patriotic pride.

Join with me in declaring meatless days in your household now. Make it a matter of the growing depth of your spirituality.

In for a Penny, In for a Pound

I am known far and wide as a frugal person. I guess, in part, that is because I have never had much money. In part, it is because I find it horrific to spend more for something than it is really worth. So, there were three news stories I recently read that just “stupefied” me. (That is an obscure reference to the movie L’il Abner.)

Last Sunday, January 20, in the Week In Review Section of the New York Times was a story about how the trend toward Mass Affluence, I would call it very conspicuous consumption, might be over because of the crashing economy. In the piece, it was mentioned that some people might no longer buy a $700 Coach handbag, a $1450 Burberry Trench Coat, a $345 cast iron Dutch Oven or a $200 pair of blue jeans, but may have to settle for less expensive substitutes.

Then, on a sports site, it was reported that Shaquille O’Neal, now the famed center for the Miami Heat, spends $875,000 a month on average. Among his expenses are: $24,300 for gas, $17,220 for clothes, and $12,775 for food. This is not an annual amount; this is how much he spends EVERY month. That means Shaq spends $291,600 a year on gas.

Finally, in the current issue of The New Yorker, is the story of a woman who served as the catalyst for a class action suit against Bed Bath & Beyond for falsely advertising it sold linen products of a higher thread count than they actually were. Most of the purchasers will receive refunds and discount certificates. The lawyers who brought the suit, though, are to receive “up to $290,000.” Nearly $300,000 for a lawsuit about the quality of bed sheets.

Can you see why I was “stupefied”? These are outrageous dollar amounts. Covenant Congregational Church, where I serve as the pastor, is spear-heading an effort, through the Souper Bowl of Caring, to raise money for local hunger relief agencies. I am going to speak to the Leadership Council – the heads of various student organizations – of Piedmont College to try to enlist student organizations to join with us. If we collect $50 and 100 cans of food, we will have done a lot.

I just wish I knew some of those people who paid $200 for blue jeans to ask for a contribution.

Recent Activities

One of the good things for me is having the opportunity to be involved in activities beyond my normal sphere of work. Here are some examples.

Last week, I was the featured program for the Chaplain's Association at the Habersham County Medical Center. Being in a rural county means the hospital does not have a paid staff of chaplains and depends upon local clergy to be on call to provide pastoral care. The Chaplains meet every quarter to receive updates on news about the hospital and to have an 'enrichment' type provided. That was me, last week. I did a presentation on issues about which to be aware in providing pastoral care for patients from other religious traditions besides Christianity. In other words, an attempt to provide some 'do's and don't's' if the patient is a Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim or Jew.

This week, I have been invited to speak to one of the MBA classes that is looking at International Business issues. My assigned topic is "The Import of Religion Upon Doing Business Abroad: With Emphasis on Islam." I get to look at the broad relationship between religion and business, as well as give some info about Islam and principles from the Qur'an that would affect business transactions.

This morning, I was asked to provide an additional workshop presentation for the "Bible and The Liberal Arts" initial conference in February. This is the initial offering in what Piedmont College plans to be an annual event. Barbara Brown Taylor will be the featured speaker. A variety of workshops will be offered for Saturday afternoon. [By the way, full details on the conference can be found at www.piedmont.edu.] Registration is going so well that we have expanded from 4 workshops to 6. I think I will do something relating to the Bible and other sacred texts informing our values.

It looks like things will be busy for the next few weeks.

Shameless Plug

On the site to the left, under LINKS, namely The Chittum Files, you will find some important information about a charitable opportunity.

Adam and Jill, our son and daughter-in-law, will be part of an American Cancer Society Relay For Life in the Kansas City area as part of a team from the Blue Valley High School. For those who would pledge to their endeavor, Jill will offer chances on a hand-knit scarf. This is a sketch of the offer; Jill has all the details on her blog. Look at her January 25, 2008 posting.

So, this is a shameless plug to anyone who reads this blog and does not look at The Chittum Files to CLICK NOW on the link and consider contributing to the ACS and getting a chance for a swell, personally hand-knitted scarf.

The Church of What ... ?

One of my favorite websites is Soma (www.somareview.com) that reports on things religious and the culture. The last two postings, both dated January 23, 2008, deal with two relatively new church starts: The Spock and The Jedi Church.

The Spock is supposedly a church located just south of Lynchburg, Tennessee. It is based on the character from the Star Trek television show and movies, Mr. Spock, the half-human and half-Vulcan science officer of the Starship Enterprise. Fans of the show will remember that Spock was driven by pure logic and disdained emotion as a human weakness. According to reports, the members of the church (one source indicated there are 120 members) have vowed to live on the basis of such logic and not to display any emotions in their relationships with others.

John Spalding of Soma concedes that there is no independent verification that this is actually a church as opposed to a hoax. Frankly, I find it hard to believe that there would be 120 folks in rural Tennessee who would be willing to be part of such a church. If the church were in California or around Santa Fe, New Mexico, it would be more plausible.

The Jedi Church is in its embryonic stage. Started by two brothers in Wales, it has 6 members. This church is obviously based on the Star Wars movies and seeks to help members use the Force for the good. This story has a bit more credibility, since 400,000 people in the UK declared the Jedi Faith as their religion in the 2001 census.

That leads to all sorts of questions for me. Can just anyone start a church based on just anything? Traditional conservative, evangelical Christian people think that is precisely what has happened with some of the New Religious Movements in the United States. Think the Unification Church with Reverend Moon or the Hare Krishnas. Should that be allowed? If not, how could it be stopped and by whom? If so, how should one evaluate the truth claims or intent of such churches? Is there something missing in "regular" Christian churches or Buddhist temples or Jewish synagogues or ... that would compel someone to start churches like The Spock and the Jedi Church?

Now, I do not presume to think that scores of people actually read what I have written, but I want to invite any who do to engage in some speculative thought. Assume you were going to start a church based on something or someone not generally associated with the major religious expressions, what would your church be like? Share your thoughts with me, and with your permission and my pledge to keep the identity of the respondents absolutely anonymous, I shall share the comments on this blog.

The Power of Religion Seen Again

The Washington Post continues to have the best coverage of religion and things religious. There are two stories from today's edition that merit notice.

On Tuesday, a 23 year old Afgahni journalism student was sentenced to death for distributing a paper that he found on the internet. The crime? The paper violated the tenets of Islam by humiliating Islam. The young man's case will go to two appeals courts, but he may be have to hope for a pardon by President Hamid Karzai. The verdict was seen as being in line with Afghani Constitution that gives such power to courts in some special cases.

In India, the Dalits are still waiting for such basic rights as having potable water available. The Dalits, commonly referred to as "untouchables," have historically been discriminated against by the Hindu majority based on their theological understanding of the classes of society. The particular village referenced in the article indicated that the people now hope that the rain gods will help them because no one else has.

Any religion or religious expression that does not uphold the basic needs and rights of people does not fit my understanding of what the power of religion should be. Any one who uses the power of religion to condemn or to relegate classes of people to 3rd or 4th class status does not square with what I see taught in my Book of Holy Scripture. Someone said something about caring for the least of these, didn't he?

May we all use the power of our religious beliefs for the good of people.