RevEagle.com

The Texas Primary has come and gone. The analysis leaves us asking whether it was the Texas Two-Step or the Texas Mosh Pit!

The two-step tends to be a fairly organized dance. Western dancers are courteous to other dancers and everyone moves around the floor in the same direction. Mosh pits are crowded and anything can happen. Intended or not, emotions run hot and feelings of aggression can turn to anger. Smashing up against others, being pushed deeper into the pit, or being squeezed out are common occurrences.

At the recent Texas Caucuses, reports from across the state do not reveal the organized, civil movement of a two-step. Rather, rooms were crowded with some people squeezed out and in some places, emotions ran hot. Order was absent. Precinct chairs and locations were not prepared for the crowds of animated voters. There were not enough sign-in sheets. Many caucuses went on for hours, causing some to have to make their way out of the pit in order to go home. Now we are left with many questions about what really happened in these caucuses and how just they were.

No one can deny that this is an exciting Democratic primary! We have two excellent delegates who are working hard to communicate their positions and garner votes. The fact that this is a close race indicates just how good both of these candidates are, rather than indicating a split in the party. Given this intense campaign, the Texas Primary finally had a potential role in determining the outcome. In a number of the previous years, the candidate had been determined before the date of the Texas Primary. Therefore, this two-step system had not truly been tested. In this election, it was tested and, in my opinion, failed.

Why do we have people vote in the primary if that vote does not really count? What was the wisdom that thought people needed to return for a second vote in order to determine delegates, which is the mechanism that determines the selection of the presidential candidate? For those who introduced this two-step system: What do you think of it now that it has been put to the test?

From a faith perspective, this system raises all kinds of justice questions for me. Polling stations are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., which provides access to people on night shifts or day shifts alike. Even parents can get to the polls while their children are in school. The caucus process leaves people out. It does not provide equal and just access. If someone works a night shift, evening job, or has young children who need to be put to bed, she or he simply cannot participate! With all the crowds and chaos, just how physically accessible were these caucuses? Could everyone hear what was being talked about? While many people reported that the causes were exciting, many also described them as crazy, disorganized, crowded, and intense. I heard from some congregants who said they could not stay until the end because of the crowds, the chaotic energy, and/or the time span.

So we are left with a day of voting in which those who went to the polls indicated their desires, whereas those who were able to attend the evening caucus and able to get into the room got to have the final say. This is not about which candidate had the advantage in which part of the process, although the fact that the same candidate did not prevail in both parts of this dance in itself ought to raise questions. This is about the justice of this process. For a moment, put aside your personnel preferences concerning the candidates and ask yourself: Is this a just process?

What do you think? On Tuesday, March 4th, did we hold a Texas Two-Step or an election Mosh Pit?

Tags: Social Reflections // Add Comment »

Who is more electable in 2008: a black man or a white woman?

Aside from the candidates’ personalities, we need to ask whether racism or sexism is the bigger issue. It seems to me that sexism continues to play a major role in this campaign, whereas people tread very carefully around race issues.

For months, we have heard reporters, radio personalities, and friends talk about Hillary and Obama. Why is it more acceptable to refer to a woman by her first name and a man by his last name? Some have said it’s because there was another Clinton in office and it would get confusing. Please! When I first came to Dallas, I was at an event with the Senior Pastor of MCC Dallas. Despite the fact that we hold the same credentials, I was introduced as simply Colleen Darraugh, while he was introduced as Reverend Piazza. We do not consistently extend the same professional courtesies to women as we do to men.

It has also been disturbing to me how frequently people talk about Senator Hillary Clinton as a bitch. I believe that if she were a he, with all the same characteristics and policies, that she would be seen as assertive and strong. Instead, the inherent sexism labels her as “bitchy” and “aggressive.” Does it not disturb you that any presidential candidate has been called a witch, a she-devil, and uppity–about whom radio personalities have predicted that her presidency would equate to castrating all the males in Washington? Imagine what would happen should anyone call Obama uppity!

Recently, radio personality Bill Cunningham appeared on behalf of the John McCain campaign. He repeatedly referred to “Barack Hussein Obama,” intentionally eliciting emotional responses to hearing an Arab name in a US election campaign. Appropriately, John McCain repudiated the remarks, distancing himself from Cunningham. However, a few weeks earlier, a person asked McCain, ”How do we get rid of the bitch?” McCain responded, “That’s a very good question!”

Is there more sexism at play here, or are people just more sensitive around issues of race?

Where do people of faith stand on these issues? Historically, scripture has been used to justify slavery and the oppression of women. After all, only a male could adequately represent Jesus! In more recent times, we have come to understand the liberating word of scripture. Many Christians now believe that all people are created equal in the eyes of God and that we are called to treat each other as equals. Still, there are many branches of Christianity who see women as equal but different; for example, they believe that women must submit to the authority of men. How could these people of faith possibly vote for a woman for president? She would have authority over the military and Congress! This would conflict with their understanding of the teachings of scripture. Electing a black man would be seen as a lesser evil than electing a woman, at least for Democrats. There’s no faith-based conflict for those who are Republican, as it appears the candidate will once again be a white male.

What role will traditional faith perspectives play in this election? Does the culture, influenced by Christian family values, still hold that certain roles are open only to men? Is sexism a bigger issue in this campaign than racism? Are they both at play in different ways?

This blog is not intended to promote any one particular candidate. Rather, I’d like to raise the questions of sexism and racism as they are alive and at work in this election year. Notice how people talk about the candidates. Notice whether they are talking about policy or gender or race.

No matter who is elected as the next President of the United States, it is clear to me that our work is not done to overcome either racism or sexism.

Tags: Social Reflections // Add Comment »

It has long been said that religion and politics do not mix. Yet it is clear, in the United States, at least, that religion plays a major role in politics.

If there were truly a separation of church and state, right before an election we would not report on which churches the candidates attend! We constantly hear faith-based arguments when discussing politically charged issues of abortion or gay marriage.

Who determines whether an issue is about faith or politics? Who determines the separation or the connections?

Churches (and other faith-based groups as well) are not supposed to endorse candidates. Our IRS 501(c)3 status can be at risk if we are seen as or thought to be lobbying for any particular candidate. Liberal churches have stepped carefully around this matter; however, the religious right seems to spend plenty of time and energy navigating these tricky waters to get their point and perspective out. The religious right has been quite vocal on GLBT issues and abortion, just to mention two of the hottest buttons.

As a pastor, I have been included in a conservative, religious email list. I stay on this list because it is important for me to know what others are saying. WallBuilders has created a voters’ guide that it sent to churches and pastors asking that we distribute it to our parishioners. First of all, just consider the name WallBuilders. It certainly stands in contrast to the motto of MCC: “Tearing down walls and building up hope!”

WallBuilders Voters’ Guide lists every presidential candidate, thus not specifically endorsing any one candidate. It notes how the candidates stand on these issues: Human Life Amendment, Traditional Marriage, Gun Rights, Business Freedom, Limit Taxes, Opposes Gay Pride, Iraq War, and Moral Education. Here is an excerpt from a recent mailing:

That Voters’ Guide proved to be a great threat to anti-Biblical secularists. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State therefore filed an official complaint requesting that the IRS investigate both WallBuilders and the American Family Association (headed by Don Wildmon) for distributing that Voters’ Guide.

We have absolutely no intention of backing down or altering our message. We will not be intimidated from exercising our constitutional rights and encouraging other Christians to do so. In fact, please urge your friends and family in states that have not yet voted to download the Voters’ Guide and distribute it. Because the real intent of the secularists is to keep Christians out of the civil arena, the Rev. Barry Lynn (head of Americans United), warned that ” Any church that distributes these biased guides is risking its tax exemption and casting aside its integrity.” He is dead wrong! The Voters’ Guide was reviewed by numerous constitutional attorneys before we released it. Show him that Christians will not be silenced and that his threats will only result in more aggressive action from Christians as we take our stand as salt and light in the civil arena!

Some often marvel that the head of such a secularist group as AU goes by the title of “Reverend,” yet Barry Lynn is indeed an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (the same denomination of which Barack Obama is a member) – considered the most liberal (and fastest declining) of all American denominations.

The UCC was the first denomination to ordain an openly gay minister (way back in the early 1970s) and to call for recognition of homosexual marriages; and over 200 of its churches are led by openly homosexual ministers. The UCC is also a strong advocate of abortion and openly endorsed abortion a full two years before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court abortion decision in 1973. They even opposed the ban on partial-birth abortions.

Please notice the connections made among abortion, gay issues, a liberal church, and a candidate for office! Please notice also the personal attack on Barry Lynn’s faith and position as well as the tone of the critique of the UCC.

WallBuilders is also hosting a series of Congressional Pastors’ Briefings with “Christian” Congressional representatives. Separation of church and state? I don’t think so! It seems that it is OK for conservative voices to speak loudly and publicly about faith and politics. Isn’t it time that liberal Christians also spoke out?

We need to let people know that there are other Christian perspectives out there. We need to reclaim the name “Christian” and use it again in partnership with social-justice work. The political realm needs to hear from the voices of the “left”–from those who have a different understanding of Jesus. As we speak, we need to speak to the religious right, and perhaps more importantly, to the moveable, malleable middle of America.

Faith and politics have always been intertwined and likely will remain so. We must not let only one faith group or one segment of a faith group speak for all others. We must speak our truth. We must let our faith inform our politics. While progressive churches investigate ways to speak out publicly as they safeguard their non-profit status, at the very least, every person can fully engage faith and politics in their personal conversations. We must encourage people to prayerfully consider the intersections of their faith and their politics. I encourage you to talk about faith and politics together.

Tags: Social Reflections // Add Comment »

Me, frantically: “I’ve lost my notes!”

God, calmly: “So write some new ones or better yet, trust the notes that are on your heart!”

Have you ever lost something you valued? Have you ever lost your way while speaking and then had to reconstruct your subject matter from memory, or find your path another way? On two separate occasions in the last year, I had situations in which I lost my notes. 

One Sunday morning, the computer would not print out my sermon notes. Right now I can’t recall all the details and truthfully, they don’t matter. The point is that I had prepared and had made notes and somehow did not have them at the appointed time. The message came through loud and clear: “Trust. Trust the preparation. Trust that the true notes are written on your heart and mind. Trust that the Spirit will speak through you. Let go and let me [God] speak.” And so I did. Many in the congregation that day said it was the best sermon they had heard from me. Clearly, it was not about the topic. It was about the trust.

Then in early December 2007, I lost my journal in which I had been jotting my ideas and reflections for my blog. I used that journal for several other things as well. On this particular occasion, I had used it while serving as emcee for the annual Christmas tree lighting in our little town. My order of events was noted in this small, unobtrusive journal. While the last performer was on stage, I set my journal down near the speakers and prepared for my final task of helping the crowd call on Santa to appear and sing “Jingle Bells.” I did not need my journal for this. Immediately after Santa arrived, our stage event was over and people began mingling, visiting, and commenting on the program. While I chatted with folks, someone apparently decided to pick up my cool-looking journal and take it. It was a small notebook not worth much monetarily. However, it was filled with blog and devotional ideas as well as notes from meetings. The intellectual property was invaluable to me.

I found it difficult to write blogs after that, at least for a while. My notes were gone. I had good ideas in that notebook, and I needed to flesh them out.

Suddenly, in my dismay, that inner wisdom of the Spirit spoke, challenging me again. “OK, so big deal. You lost some ideas and notes. You remember some of them. Write them down again! Trust your heart! Trust the spirit. You will remember what you need to remember. Those important notes are already written on your heart.” The admonition was challenging and comforting all at the same time.

It’s too easy to fall back on legitimate reasons as excuses for inaction. I lost my notes. Big deal. Make some new ones! I didn’t have a good reason for not blogging. I had given power to the person who took my notebook. I had let the loss of a notebook take me out for a while. A notebook, for heaven’s sake! Perhaps it’s worth considering what good might come to that individual if he or she chose to read my notes!

Whatever the reasons for inactivity in your life, do not let them become excuses that hold you back. Trust. Listen to your inner wisdom. Take action.

Lost your notes? Lost your way? We all get lost sometimes. Trust and get going again. You can find your path. Trust that God is still speaking and guiding. Trust the word written on your heart.

Tags: Faith Reflections // 1 Comment »

As my Christmas cactus burst into blooms once again, I was reminded of my reflections last year.  Here is a piece I wrote last Christmas that I believe still speaks today.  It was written specifically to the congregation of the church that I pastor (Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Dallas) however I know it also applies to you. May God bless you as you bloom and grow!

These cacti, originally native to rain forest environs, need a time of rest. These are plants that need to be moved to either very indirect light or darkness for several months. About a month before I want them to bloom, I move them into the sunlight and increase their moisture. Soon I am greeted with a series of cascading blooms that truly are beautiful as well as delicate. My Easter cactus usually rests during Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, finding its way to new life during Lent. However, this year it received the same schedule and treatment as the Christmas cactus. The result? I have both red and white blooming cacti!

As I studied the buds and blooms, I found myself drawn to meditate on our own blooming as a community. The buds do not appear all at once nor do they all grow and blossom at the same rate. All over the plant, buds are appearing, growing, and breaking open in bloom. Daily, the picture of the plant changes and evolves, yet it is still the same cactus. It is lovely to watch.

Our spiritual community can be seen reflected in this cactus. We, too, need periods of rest, of taking our experiences and our learnings deep within. We need rest before the next cycle of growth and blossoming. It is rare to see only one blossom within a community. Generally, conditions are right for many blossoms to unfold, but not at the same moment. 

I look at our spiritual community and see so many of you in full bloom! Others of you are about to burst into bloom and others are showing the bud of promise. You are beautiful to behold! In our community I see both new birth and resurrection of new life. Our blossoms give hope to the world around us. We are delicate and can be injured by forces in the world; however, we know that after another rest (time for grieving, for healing, for learning), we will bloom again!

The birth of Christ that we celebrate is not just one date in history. While we read the stories surrounding the birth of the historical Jesus, our Christmas celebrations are really about the ongoing birth and blossoming of the Christ Spirit in every one of us! Christ is the vine and we are the branches. Christmas reminds us of our new birth and our need to blossom over and over again. We are called to birth and resurrection, to experiencing rebirth throughout our lives. 

This Christmas, may others find joy and hope in the beauty of your blossoming life. May you embody the Christ-Child Spirit! Bloom and grow!

© Colleen Darraugh, 2006

Tags: Musings from the Garden // Add Comment »