Okay. I'm going to speak frankly for many, MANY of my colleagues in ministry who are experiencing many of the same issues I see in my congregation and community. In the process, I am, no doubt, going to offend many people who I love very much.
Sorry, but here goes.
"We all have to remember that we can't let our love of the games get ahead of the core values, and we know that happens often. This is a painful, painful reminder that awful things can happen when that occurs."- MARK EMMERT, president of the N.C.A.A., announcing sanctions against Penn State University after the child sexual abuse scandal.
"Sports do not build character, they reveal it." - JOHN WOODEN, former coach, UCLA men's basketball (and quite possibly the best coach ever in any sport)
Saddened by the state of society and sport?
Take a look in the friggin' mirror.
Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy. - Exodus 20:8
I've been a huge sports fan all my life. And I suppose I always will be. But having said that...
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that Sports, for many people, has become the God they worship--or at least the religion they practice. It's their ultimate concern, and their passion. It sets the rhythms of their weeks, and their priorities. It is where they find their community, where they get their identity--and whether they admit it or not, where they learn their values. Win, baby, win. Nice guys finish last. Winning isn't everything--it's the only thing.
Joe Paterno did what he had to do, to keep winning. By the playbook I follow, as a person of faith--he committed a grievous error...he made a terrible choice that allowed unthinkable evil and pain to ruin the lives of many. By the playbook of the Sports God--not so much. After all, sometimes we have to sacrifice for the good of the team, right?
Penn State will lose some games over the next four years. And I'm sure many of their tribe will feel like they've been screwed by the NCAA--like they've been unfairly punished--that the legacy of the winningest coach EVER in college football has been besmirched in an evil way. He'll always be a winner in their hearts.
Because their hearts belong to the Sports God that created Joe Paterno, in its image.
No offence taken here. So many of us don't think of ourselves as a part of a bigger whole, at least not much bigger than our families or are company of employment. Add to that so many of us don't contemplate our souls too deeply as it isn't part of our professions or every-day rat race. But it is something people in the clergy are given to do.
ReplyDeleteSo the mirror reflects, basically, how tired we look and if we need a shave or hair appointment.
I'm not sure if the condition of our society as a whole is endemic of the collegiate sports world, or if the problem is how insular that world is.
I think it could be that the campuses of our institutions of learning are so much like societies unto themselves, that they make their own rules sometimes. And their leadership, being small in number, and their population also small in number and less diverse in age, intelligence and experience, that events that are dealt with regularly or routinely in larger society are magnified or shrunk more easily and more readily in an insular micro-society.
It is easier to regulate the smaller campus world, so it is also easier to fail to regulate it.
So the same meme would apply to the insular world in which church scandals have taken place. While such scandals are not theirs alone, occuring in larger society, they are magnified within the smaller worlds of education and religion.
Modern societies are sick. Societies are made up of individuals. Individuals need to be aware that they aren't solo travelers in life, that what they do does impact others and they need the discipline to regulate their own behaviors in order for the whole of society to thrive. Perhaps that idea is not being taught extensively enough, in the various venues and facets of our society. If the larger was clean and healthy, the smaller may be as well.
But the size and insularity of the microcosm that is Penn State, in my opinion, is what enabled it to allow such evil to persist. They now are being reminded that they indeed play a role in the outside world and must keep that in mind.
For all that is needed for Evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.
See that, boys? It's my dear brother, my dear clergy friend, and other than that? Crickets.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'd love to have an open, honest discussion about this topic, it doesn't appear that anyone wants to speak for the opposing viewpoint: that Christians repeatedly skipping church (or Jews or muslims repeatedly skipping synagogue or mosque) is good for their children and our world. If it isn't defensible, why do you DO it?!?
Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.
Alright, I’ll chirp, even though my perspective isn’t from the far end of the spectrum that you seek. I’m just positing what I’ve been reflecting on since reading this post.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I know I must own up to my lack of attendance on Sunday mornings and I could come up with a slew of excuses but I won’t.
But, expanding on your example, I don’t know if Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky attended church or not, but I imagine there are plenty of people, like them; seemingly pillars of their communities, with seemingly model families, model lives, who are in the pews, donating money, extolling God’s name, wearing their cross, etc, etc, and YET somehow within the cloak of their sense of entitlement and their privilege, they to do harm to others, and take a path of least resistance while others are harmed. All for the sake of preserving their status and their prestige. Which I also think can cross all varied dimensions of class, or religion, so that also those with less stellar “appearing” families, and lower statuses, sit in pews, praise the Lord, and YET find the energy, means and justification to participate in activities that are steeped in hatred, steeped in maintaining the status quo and also hurt people. And I’m not just talking about the blatant, “let’s put our ignorance on exhibition” hatred, I’m talking about those who also resort to subtle, and covert behaviors that can do just as much damage. I think about those who are “present” on Sunday, and yet there remains a break down between their devotion to the act of worship and their dedication in working on being a child of God, honoring other siblings of God. And yes, I recognize that as I point my finger, there are always three pointing back in my direction, but the key thing is I recognize it.
Three years ago I attended a retreat at the Rochester Zen Center, and in the overview about the Center and the practice of Zen Buddhism, the Roshi mentioned that one doesn’t have to become a Buddhist to practice Zen, that the practice of Zen can actually help one deepen in their Christianity. That hit home for me and I truly believe that a large part of an individual’s path towards being the kind of Christian that recognizes his/her role as “one of many” requires being mindful of how one is establishing a spiritual balance. On one end is the attending to worship, but there must be, on the other end, the need for an ongoing practice of “being”. This also brings to mind one Sunday, when you’re beautifully, brilliant wife handed out mini laminated checklists, which we could use in those moments when we recognize that we are not being our best selves, and we snap, making a withdrawal from our “Christ-like behaviors” savings account. The checklist serves as tool of reflection, when one has to ask themselves, “Now, why was I acting like a damned fool? Was I hungry? Was I tired? Was I responding to envy? Was I....” A simple reminder of a process of self- awareness that can re-align our behavior.
But I think there are quite a few people who don’t grasp that. They want all the answers in a 20 minute sermon to be all that’s necessary. And listening to the deep, powerful, sermon, unpacking the wealth of Biblical wisdom rooted in deep Jesustakingittothestreets Christian learning is important, but it means absolutely nothing if it isn’t followed with daily reminders, and the dedication in questioning one’s self, “What is needed of me so that I can demonstrate the peace that God expects of me.” So, I feel that the replenishing of the soul, in worship with others serves its purpose when it is in conjunction with the self- reflection and practice of living in communion with others.
And yeah, I write guilty of the many Sundays I’ve selected to sleep in and spend my morning sitting in my living room in my pajamas, over being a part of that communion. So I’ll stop chirping now.
Hmm. Thanks for jumping in, Kristin. I am always excited to see that you have contributed to a conversation on this blog, as you inevitably deepen the thought and widen the scope.
ReplyDeleteI agree that information without application is just so much noise, and I particularly agree with what the Roshi said to you (I delved into Zen in my undergrad years, and it is an important part of my best spiritual practices). There is just so much noise already in our lives, and it is vital that we regularly exit the merry-go-round and silence the calliope. This is done in many ways, and most of them are solitary.
I am an introvert (meaning I gain energy in solitude, I spend it in a crowd). I build quiet time into my personal life, and into every worship I lead. To me, the greatest commandment(s) are as Jesus stated: "Love your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength...and love your neighbor as yourself." But in order for most of us to make a decent go of that directive, another piece must first be followed: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
The cool thing is, I learned in church how to find solitude in a crowd. It is a life skill I have practiced for most of my adult life, and it makes it possible for me to be a non-anxious presence in times of crisis. I now go about the business of teaching this skill every Sunday morning. Much of what we are about in ministry is the conversion of loneliness to solitude. It is a great hope for the world.
I also agree whole-heartedly that church attendance is no guarantee of righteousness. It is possible to go to church each week investing no more energy than the Mobil Supreme it takes to get there and back. The challenge for the Spirit and worship leaders is to make that hard to be the case. Worthy investment brings returns. We strive to make that hour on Sunday an opportunity for worthy investment of time and mind.
Last of all, I do not wish to inspire guilt. It is too often a deep trap, and a useless waster of life-energy. Lives grow complicated, and our reasons for absence from our faith community grow complicated, too. I am merely suggesting that the remedy to all those twists and knots is actually profoundly simple:
Come back.