A Song. I Like It...No, I Don't Like It...
As she was singing, I slowly became interested in the words of her song.
I looked down to the floor of the convention center to notice the performer. She was a pretty lady, like you would see on the cover of Good Housekeeping or Ladies Home Journal. She was petitie with hair beautifully styled, immaculately dressed, and she had a smile that showed easily at appropriate times during the song. There was a sense of conviction portrayed with her voice and gestures. And the tune was catchy, tugging at the strings of the heart. It was the kind of song that could have been about God or goldfish, and still bring a tear to the eyes of many. But not me- I was too busy considering the words.
I could be in China, Russia, or Kuwait
I could be in Kosovo, or behind the Iron Gate.
I could be in Iraq, or Ethiopia.
But thank you God, I'm in America.
So went the refrain, several times in succession, louder and with emotion.
It was sung with a great sense of importance, demurely, with an air of great conviction.
Men in their suits rang out with an "amen".
Many eyes had tears.
And, there was a standing ovation.
I stood and clapped, yet still a bit uncomfortable with what was happening.
There are implications to such a song that continue to bother me:
*Is being born in America necessarily a sign of God's favour?
I understand the Calvinist theology behind such a song, that all details of life are predetermined by the sovereignty of God. But, I'm mighty uncomfortable with it. I just don't think God picks and chooses where you are going to be born.
*Does the accompanying economic prosperity of America make this a better place to live?
I have no doubt that someone, starving in Ethiopia, would rather be eating a hamburger at McDonalds.
But maybe not, if he is a Muslim.
As a religious person, I continue to believe there is part of the human soul that will never be satisfied with money and material things.
*And, if people are starving in many places of the world...
The answer could very well be to share our abundance, instead of gorging ourselves in happy and oblivious obesity.
Maybe those people do not want to be Americans, but simply want a piece of bread.
*I'm of the opinion one can live in China, Russia, or Kuwait, and not be envious of America.
There's some absolutely ungodly presuppositions that need to somehow be smashed:
*We are not better than people in other parts of the world.
*God does not love us more, nor they a bit less.
*Living in the suburbs of America does not, necessarily, make one happier than living in a hut in Africa. I know it is hard to believe. But happiness is not tied to materialism.
*Americans do not have an exclusive claim to patriotism. Many, in other parts of the world, love their countries and cultures every bit as much.
Finally, this question to eveyone who, with tears, generously gave applause to this song:
If these people in other parts of the world are so unblessed, and if you here in America are so abundantly blessed, then what is to be the proper reaction from you and me?
I'm thinking it had best be something better than "Thank you, God, I'm in America."
11.17.06 (11:03 am) [
edit]
posted by:
akelso (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (9:36 am)
"*Is being born in America necessarily a sign of God's favour?"
Thank you PastorD, for this post. I believe being born in America is a stamp of God's challenge to our capacity for love despite being bathed in decadent privilege - if you read my post of today, you see that I personally believe America has evolved into a miserable failure where the Love of Christ is concerned.
- Andrea
posted by:
bawdy (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (11:32 am)
Amen!
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (1:23 pm)
Reply to: bawdy
Do I hear an amen? Thank you, brother.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (1:28 pm)
Reply to: breakouttheglass
I agree, our freedom here in America is what makes us special. Economic freedom encourages prosperity. Religious fredom encourages a thriving church. Personal freedom brings satisfaction. Our form of government, and the energy of our people, has made for a great experiment in history. But we have forgotten the true adage- "With much freedom comes much responsibility." The ultimate of selfishness, and I think godlessness, is to have the audacity to live for self, without concern for others. And I am afraid it describes too much of America today.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (1:31 pm)
Reply to: akelso
"decadent privilege"
I read your post, and encourage others to do the same. "Give me your tired, your poor, your..." at the Statue of Liberty has been replaced by "Your tired, poor, and hungry need to just go away. We don't care for them. But, we'll drain you of your most accomplished and promising." I don't think that is what our forefathers had in mind.
posted by:
drforbush (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (3:12 pm)
PastorDave,
Don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but you are starting to sound like a liberal. Liberals have been making statements like this (your questioning of the lyrics in this song) for quite some time. And, they are constantly attacked for not being patriotic, or sometimes for being un-American.
But, this reminds me of the Christians who tell me that someone can not go to Heaven unless they are saved by Jesus. So, the simple question is: "Is some like Gandi going to Hell, because he was not saved?" The thing with both problems is that they assume the Christian American centric view of the world.
The solution is that Americans need to realize that there are "good" people from all religions and all countries, and maybe if "good" Americans work together with these other "good" people we can make some progress.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (3:19 pm)
I see growing
learning, knowing
and it's simply - such a'good thing - to seeEEEEEE!
it is such a good thing
a blessed and a great thing
that I think I'll get down on my kneeeeeesss!
Something tells me that sometime in the next few years a metamophisis of such a colosal nature will take place in your heart, that, as cherished as it is to you, your beloved church may not be anywhere big enough for it any longer. Or, and maybe this would be even cooler, you'll drag the church along with you.
When I started to read the first line or two of the lyrics, I thought, wow these are cool! Then I read the tag line... awful. I thought it was going to be a song of inclusion rather than one celebrating that good old smug superiority that makes my blood boil... And to think that you heard this at a church conference? A church that worships Jesus and God?
posted by:
fractalmom (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (4:08 pm)
You know. This is something i have long thought about. As i sit here, enjouying a wonderful glass of (yes) merlot, after a fine dinner, in a nice restaurant, and then i go home and watch tv and see starving children om the other hand, on cnn i see people who areproud to be iraqi, chezch, african, the list is endless. i am proud to beamerican, but not an ass about it. I dont think i am better than anyone, yet i am very glad i am who i am. Funny how the "ugly american" can rear its ugly head.
imho, asalways, dawn
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (5:01 pm)
Usually I think of the best country in the world as one whose citizens are living their lives in the way that humans are supposed to live. This would be one that enriches and caters to the humanity of her people. Of course, this is highly subjective and controversial, right? Well, I think the suicide rate is hard to argue with. Suicide victims are telling us that their humanity has been so far drained, it's running a deficit. And the more who say this, the more society needs to take a hard look at itself.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (7:20 pm)
Reply to: drforbush
I intend to develop and mature in my understanding of life and God for the rest of life, and even hopefully beyond. But, I do not think I'll ever be a universalist. I do believe Jesus Christ to be the supreme revelation of God; there will be no greater. And I do believe salvation is through Him. As to the eternal destiny of any individual, I will not be the judge. But if Ghandi or any other finds salvation, it will be through Jesus. For me to every believe otherwise, I would have to radically reinterpret what it means to be Christian.
As far as sounding liberal, I think it is time for me to stop dismissing what another may say or believe simply because that person is labeled "liberal". It's a relative term. How can a thinking person "tow the line" consistently according to either the terms conservative or liberal? "Liberal" is not a bad word, is it?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (7:29 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
Good grief! Truly the church does, and often, irritate me. But do you know what keeps me faithful? I love God. And, I see God in the church. Not usually in the big shots, but in the little people. I think if Ms. Martha who died last night. She was a kind and gentle lady, probably was not able to vocalize all the "correct" theology, but she exuded love and God in her life. I think if my good friend who came over last night to help me work on my car. A few years ago, he had very little idea of God and no involvment in church. And I can go on, naming person after person whose life is wonderfully different because of God. It makes me feel worthwhile to be involved in their road towards transformation. So, often, I cannot stand the church. But, when it is personal, I love it. Kind of a minister with a split personality.
One day, if you hear of some crazed minister who was fired because he started overturning pews and pulling down chandeliers, screaming at the congregation and kicking at the deacons, you will know it was just Dave who finally lost it. Maybe you can come down and help me make bale?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (7:35 pm)
Reply to: fractalmom
Dawn, your words are running together, sort of a slurring of your writing. That merlot- it's good stuff, I surmise.
I'm not belittling prosperity. It sure beats poverty and failure. But when it comes our way, it brings with it a higher responsibility toward the hurting, poor, and needy. Shame on the church that spends all its money on itself. And the same with any individual. According to my Bible, I John 5, love is an action- not an emotion.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (7:37 pm)
Reply to: TheRockSays
So, how is the suicide rate of the US in relation to other nations? I'll guess, the more "progressive" a nation, the higher the rate.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
11.17.06 (9:18 pm)
Reply to: drforbush
How many times do I have to beg you to quit making so damn much sense?
posted by:
fractalmom (
reply)
post date:
11.18.06 (5:02 am)
Reply to: fractalmom
OMGosh Dave, LOLOL. I was actually quite sober, but I WAS on my new PDA phone checking my email. Those wee little tiny buttons are quite hard to hit unless you have Barbie fingers, which I do not. You have to type with your thumbs sort of, whilst you hold the thingy with your fingers. Quite a challenge, still, since I am breaking out into my own business in February, it is a necessity.
Thanks for the concern though!
dawn
posted by:
christine@swanktrendz (
reply)
post date:
11.18.06 (7:36 pm)
I would have been uncomfortable with the Thank you God I'm in America - even if it does mean 'freedom' - lots of countries have freedom - not just America. And the specific singling out of those countries before saying the Thank you God... I don't know, something is wrong. It's a little too politically pat. And also, I thank God I live in Canada lol ;)
posted by:
drforbush (
reply)
post date:
11.19.06 (12:40 pm)
PastorDave,
One bit of chaw to chew on. If Jesus came to give us salvation. And through his work he created ideas that are spread through out the world and cause people to behave in Christian ways. But these ideas or ways are no longer associated with Jesus' name, are they not saved by his teachings?
How do we know? Maybe the teachings of Jesus made it to the Far East before the name of Jesus did. What is more important the name of Jesus or the works of Jesus? or Gesu?
posted by:
mercuryrising (
reply)
post date:
11.19.06 (12:54 pm)
I think that people in this country fail to realize just how blessed we are. I'm not saying that we are better, but we are definitly blessed, and I thank God everyday for being born in this great country :)
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
11.19.06 (4:27 pm)
Maybe the problem with that last line is in the punctuation, or might be - if we eliminate the "But."
I wouldn't mind it if it read. Thank you God. I'm in America.
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
11.19.06 (6:59 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
I don't remember the exact suicide figures, but I seem to remember countries like Canada and the US being about midrange, and not too different from western Europe. The reason I became interested at the time was because I was taking a "social aspect" course for my engineering degree, and I had this iconoclastic prof who was the worst kind of iconoclast--the kind that appreciates things for their iconoclastic value, rather than their intrinsic, practical worth. Anyway, he told me that the highest suicide rates were in Quebec and Sweden. This was shortly after the UN had said that Canada was the best place in the world to live (at least once, at that time). For me, this new information brought that deeply into question.
What I learned is that I should believe everything I hear. The only place that had obscenely high suicide rates was in most former Soviet and Soviet-satellite countries. That certainly fits in with my world-view, that these countries were more than just self-serving autocracies, but were sick and dehumanizing.
On the other hand, the only places where I found it was rock-bottom, was much of Asia and all these 3rd world countries, which I'm supposed to be very glad I don't live in, with their unstable governments, civil wars, and rampant poverty. Canada has been the best place in the world to live a few times running, but far more people who live here wind up not wanting to live at all, than those living in a backwards place like Africa.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (8:07 am)
Reply to: fractalmom
Yet another matter we have in common. Not the drinking! But the pda. I have a Palm Tungsten E that goes with me everywhere. It's my Bible, my newspaper, my address and phone book, etc. My great Christmas wish, which sadly I do not think Santa will bring, is for a Treo Smartphone, which would successfully combine my PDA with phone and internet access. If you see Santa, tell him that's what I want.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (8:09 am)
Reply to: Lezah
I'm sure the performer would say Canada is a good place- after all, it's close to the USA. Seriously, you're right- too politically tinged to be part of a worship service.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (8:12 am)
Reply to: drforbush
I agree, there is great benefit to mankind by following the teachings of Jesus, whether he gets credit or not.
Our understanding of "salvation" differs. To me, it is more than an enlightening of the mind. Salvation involves a transformation of the heart, a radical and supernatural change that can only be affected by God. Jesus Christ brings this about as one surrenders to His Lordship. It only happens as the result of a deliberate choice. I'm thinking this is quite different than your more social interpretation.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (8:21 am)
Reply to: mercuryrising
Maybe that is the intent of the song- I'm not better, but I'm better-blessed. But it still rings, to me, of a sense of superiority. That having money and material things is evidence of being more blessed. I'm thinking having a close family, and enjoying the myriad of little things in life that we in America are often too busy to notice, is to be equally blessed.
Note: Mercury, if you read this, I would like to know how to stay in touch with you, read your blogs, etc. You no longer keep an active blog here, but seems I remember you had a Blogger account. Please give me a link!
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (8:22 am)
Reply to: surrogate
That statement, minus the condescension of the previous ones in the song, would be alright with me.
posted by:
fractalmom (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (9:34 am)
you know, i had NO idea how useful this little phone/pda would end up being! Its the new Nokia E62 and after the rebate was a mere $100. Its my splurge for me, since in February I won't be running my best friends two companies, but will be branching out on my own. Scarey..very scarey. But, I think it will be for the best, I will have more time for the babies. This whole custodial grandparenting thing takes an awful lot out of a 51 year old woman...LOL. In any case, I am now a total techno geek, complete with a bluetooth thingy hanging out of my ear that is voice activated. so much easier to make a phone call whilst in the car. Of course, getting the kids to be quiet long enough to TELL THE PHONE who to call is sometimes a challenge.
dawn
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (6:12 pm)
Reply to: TheRockSays
We are in agreement about the premise that quality of life is not tied to material possesions. Having said such, I still am not willing to tie national suicide rates to overall quality of living. I would guess that suicide has a cultural connection. Some cultures allow it to be more acceptable. Some, I suspect, develop people who seldom even consider it.
posted by:
christine@swanktrendz (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (7:42 pm)
I am begining to believe suicide is tied to affluence. The more progressive a country is, the higher the suicide rate (or the more progressive its reporting of such). There was a Simon & Garfunkal (sp) song about Richard Corey which I thinks sums up the situation quite well. Also, I say the above with some experience - knowing several people who have exited this way.
posted by:
TheRockSays (
reply)
post date:
11.20.06 (7:51 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Actually, it is very unlike me to look at a single statistic and presume that it is an accurate gauge for something as complex and amorphous as "happiness", or "contentment", or "fulfillment". And I am aware that there are various cultural values and traits which might encourage or detract from suicide, by means that have little to do with fulfillment. However, when I think about what it must take to overpower the instinct of self-preservation, it's very tempting to see it as all coming down to despair, caused by the society in which one lived.
