Liberating Dirt
Liberating Dirt
"Great is our god" was the cry that rang out around the fallen statue of Saddam Hussein. Nowhere in the streets of Baghdad was heard chants of democracy or republicanism. Themes of liberty and freedom saturate eyes and ears as Operation Iraqi Freedom comes to a close, but did we free anything or anyone? Removed from constraint all that "liberty" has led to is looting and rioting. It was for freedom that Christ set us free; it is only in Christ, not in a democracy that we are truly free. The proclamation of the gospel, not the imposition of American Democractic-Socialism, is the clarion call of the bell that rings freedom. As Christians in our country cheer the actions of our government, especially President Bush, has anyone bothered to think how our actions will affect the lives of Christians in Iraq and the work of the gospel in the Middle-East? As Christians we must ask ourselves when does the "national interest" outweigh the interest of the Kingdom of God ? Those who desire to identify the God of the Bible with the United States are gaining all the attention from the Islamic world, but not froni their own. Muslims identify Jesus Christ with the content of a godless America and they hate Christianity and America because of it. Will Iraq become a bastion of Western democracy and ideals? If the folks who beat with shoes the head of a bronze Saddani, there own Westernized, Western funded dictator, and chanted our equivalent of "Jesus is Lord" have anything to do with it, then your answer is no. All the coalition forces have done is liberate conservative Islam in Iraq , leaving the people in chains. As such, the only thing liberated was the dirt, which was not merely dirt cheap, but free already.
Where the Boys Aren't
Ok, so I was out of town and desperate for a place to write...that served coffee. That is how I ended up in the wasteland, otherwise known as your typical evangelical bookstore. It really would not have been such a bad experience if, say, you were Helen Keller. Then again, Helen could smell and this place, as so many of its genre, was just too perfumery. (And, no doubt, the kinds of "evangelicals" who frequent these places would probably chasten poor Helen for her obvious lack of faith.) In fact, everything was so cute that "Precious Moments" figurines would probably be regarded as too radical. The place was so sweet, I kept waiting for the Hansel and Gretel to show up with window frame crumbs on their lips.
This store offered Samson power bars, salvation wrist bracelets, pastel portraits of effeminate images of Jesus and the standard, high fructose "xian" muzak. For those of you who read our magazine and don't think we are kind, let me say, I really tried to drink the coffee. But just like the rest of the store's inventory, even the coffee had been transmogrified into something tasteless and uninspired.
No wonder the evangelical world ponders where all the men are! Those that haven't become sissies are out fishing or killing animals and eating them. They're slam liming down oysters and chicken wings at sonic sports bar while they watch a bunch of guys on TV beating the heck out of each other in the name of basketball or football. They wouldn't venture into one of these pink and frilly places to use the bathroom.
I long for the day when you can buy woodcuts depicting David only halfway finished chopping Goliath's head off Full color illustrated copies of Foxes Book of Martyrs. Finely matted imprecatory Psalms, and books on 100 Ways to Tell Your Neighbor that Judgment is Coming. I know, I know, I am not being very nice here. I am fully aware that this article is reactionary. But in all fairness, being in one of those stores that reduces our precious faith to the trinket and the trivial has some value. It should purge all of us of the idea that Jesus, the Easter Bunny and Smurfs have anything in common.
AA-Attention- No Purchase Necessary
There are lots of businesses out there. Many of those businesses compete with each other. And we're supposed to make informed decisions. The good news is that often those businesses make it easier for us to make those decisions. It is a small irony that three tools businesses use to help me choose them, help me not choose them. First should be obvious. Some businesses think the key to growth is storming into my home, via the sales call, and demanding my attention. That rules them out.
The other two rules are less obvious. Often we look for businesses in the yellow pages. Some businesses have ads. Others try to get my attention on the cheap. They name their business A-Aardvark Locksmiths or some such thing. Is a business that begins its public posture with bad spelling a place where I want to do business'? Is a business that says, "Choose us because we're so sneaky" a place where I want to do business'?
But the most common conic on in our day is this reason for choosing a business- I could be a winner. I could buy a set of tires that are reasonably priced, and long lasting. Or, I could take a chance that I'll be the one in ten thousand that wins a trip to see the Daytona 500. This is the most common perhaps because while most people are aggravated by sales calls, and the phone book scam is pretty aaa-obvious, everyone wants something for nothing. While this form of gambling at least doesn't suffer from the stewardship issues that come from betting against the house, it taps into the same something-for-nothing mentality.
Wealth doesn't come from buying, contra the economic pundits of our day who confuse consumer confidence with economic health. It comes from producing. It comes not from scratching a game card, but from scratching the surface of the earth, from pulling goods and services from the stubborn ground. That, not entering to win, is a safe bet.