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Tyler Akers’ The Death of Americanity

I always find myself quite challenged by my good friend Tyler Akers’ site, and since New Wine’s next event will be about a collapse-proof Evangelical Church (June 15th), I was delighted to see Tyler posting some of his thoughts about Christianity in America.

In his post titled, The Death of Americanity, Tyler suggests that Christianity in America is:

a mix of American nationalism–and all that it implies (consumerism, materialism, isolationism, arrogance and apathy, zenophobia, historical and cultural ignorance, missionization by Americanization, simple, propositional faith claims with no new way of being, etc)–mixed with anywhere from a semblance of the Christian message to a fetishization of some of its most obscure and useless dimensions…

While in my opinion Tyler correctly describes the state of affairs concerning what he calls Americanity, his post is not a cynical rant that leaves you in a state of despair.

And perhaps this is why Americanity will fail, too, because it has tried as it may to cover up the radicality of the event of the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection, the events that change everything and leave nothing in tact as it was, except as a new order of love, constituted by charity and community and zeal.

Here Tyler is trying to turn things back to the reality of Christ, and all the implications that come with Him. Whether or not you agree with his assessment of Christianity here in America and the urgent need for change, I am sure you agree with having Christ at the center of our faith.

I for one am looking forward to June 15th. It will be interesting to hear how Dr. Metzger and other panel members address this issue.

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Thumbs Up: Arts, Faith, and Alberta

(If your not familiar with Alberta Streets Last Thursday Arts Festival check out this short clip:  Alberta Arts Video)

Have you ever thought of where the gesture “thumbs up” originated? Your thumb is a unique digit on your hand, so maybe it’s from sign language.  We’ll have to Wikipedia it to find our for sure. Wherever it came from, it sure does feel good to get them, especially from people you’ve just met.

On April 25th, I had a chance to reflect on some great “thumbs up” moments as I presented a portion of our New Wine Intern “Created to Create” conference workshop. I spoke of an experience I recently participated in with a diverse group of fifteen others as we gained exposure of Portland’s Alberta Streets Last Thursday Arts festival. I had been struggling with coming up with an idea of how to create exposure to different perspectives on art, faith, and racial reconciliation. It was in my cultural anthropology class at Multnomah Biblical Seminary that I started learning of the gentrification and displacement of the African-American community in the Alberta Arts district. During the 1990’s, the city of Portland along with private investors poured money into an extensive urban renewal “face lift” in Alberta’s crime infused area. As property values in the area skyrocketed, many of Alberta’s long-lived African-Americas were displaced because of unaffordable increases in housing rental costs.

The neighborhoods around Alberta Street look a lot different than they did fifteen years ago. Now, the community is predominantly a mixture of young hipster white middle class Portlanders and what remains of the traditional African community. On the last Thursday of every month, Alberta Street opens its sidewalks to experimental art venders and performers. The hipsters and hippies come out in droves to hang out for this uniquely Portland block party. To create space for exposure for this New Wine Immersion event, I decided to look at the aspects of restoration and beauty as well as observation and participation as it related to arts, faith, and racial reconciliation.

When our group first arrived to Alberta Street I unpacked how the night was going to unfold. Then I began to pass out bright purple latex gloves and black garbage bags to everyone. With looks of confusion on their faces, I explained that, as a matter of our faith, we were going to participate in the beautification of the Alberta neighborhood. Neighborhood clean up, or restoration, is an artistic act of worship. Artistic expression often times puts a greater emphasis on scarcity, or an individual’s creation of a uniquely original work. It seems that God’s involvement in the creative restoration and beautification of what was once damaged in creation, points us to places where our artistic expression can move into areas of collaboration and participation in this process.

We divided our beautification efforts between Alberta Street, where the Arts festival takes place, and the surrounding neighborhood residential streets. Not too long after we began, I noticed the group really getting into the project. We were having a great time interacting with each other, when we began noticing the neighbors paying closer attention to us. Folks on Alberta were giving us “thumbs up” and shouting thank-you’s wherever we walked. As we started moving off Alberta and deeper into the less admired parts of the neighborhood, residents began to come out of their houses and meet us on the street as we were picking up garbage.

One woman came up to me and said, “Thank you so much! No one ever does this sort of thing, especially not around this side of Alberta. Everybody forgets about us down here.” As our trash bags became full we took in a gorgeous sunset and deposited our restoration waste into a nearby dumpster.

We finished off the night with some observation of the art work being displayed by the various venders as we asked ourselves questions like, “What makes good art?” and “What is the artist trying to communicate through their work?” As we entered a time of reflective dialogue in our group, I began to ask myself how the church at large can best integrated the arts into the proclamation of the gospel in both word and deed. I’m still wrestling with this question. I’m starting to realize that I’ll probably be living in this tension for a long time. I’m just glad I have some of those “thumbs up” moments of reflection to soak in while I’m wrestling.

I’m interested in hearing how you are engaging creatively through the arts in the holistic expression of the gospel. In what ways has the church done this well or perhaps not so well? Where do we go from here?

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God in the mosh pit, part II

I was not intending to write a second blog about another experience at a hardcore show, but this one just kind of came to mind and I couldn’t let it go untouched. Last Saturday night I went to see one of my new favorite hardcore/metalcore bands play at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland. The Devil Wears Prada (also known as TDWP) (yes, they got their name from the book, but for a different reason) is a hardcore band from Dayton, Ohio and are what some in the evangelical subculture would consider a “Christian” band. Since the band’s first record in early 2006 I have been a devoted fan.

The name of the band came when one of the band members read Lauren Weisberger’s critically acclaimed novel The Devil Wears Prada. The story is about a controlling, stylish-New York fashion magazine editor who is known for her stuck up, selfish attitude, and is referred to as “the Devil incarnate” by some of her employees. From the reference to fashion comes the catchy title, The Devil Wears Prada.

TDWP lead vocalist Mike Hranica states the band’s name, while from the novel, is about the concept of how the devil uses materialism and consumerism to remove our focus from loving God. Hranica stated in an interview, “if the devil were walking around, he would be wearing Prada or Gucci, or some super expensive clothing just so he could go around and be like, ‘Yo! Check out what I’m wearing! I’m wearing this sweet stuff!’ God, on the other hand, would be walking around wearing rags because he wouldn’t care. He’d be like, ‘You know what? I’m clothed; it’s all good. I am just as good as all these other people walking around.’”

The show was intense as mind blowing, as I was expecting, but I noticed something in particular that I’ve never really noticed before. I think music is certainly a gift from a loving God who created us to be creative and reflect His love. I’ve noticed that when I’m at most rock shows, up close and squished between sweaty bodies of people I’d probably avoid if I saw them on the street, this overwhelming sense of passion begins to overtake my body, and with the adrenaline rush from the live show, I all of a sudden I feel like I am capable to take on anything and save the world. I’ve noticed that I frequently find myself thinking of social justice initiatives and global peace advocacy when I am with that crowd, rocking out! I’m sure it sounds strange, so let me clarify a few things.

I’ve always had a strong connection with music that is different than just enjoying a song or a band. I seem to really find myself and often find God in music in more often than in nature or in a story. Music just seems to have a special place in my life. Historically, throughout American Evangelical History, metal music has been primarily associated with the demonic influence, Satanism, and evil. The sound of people screaming lyrics seems to resemble more the shriek of demons and appear to be filled with anger rather than the “baah”of a lamb or the peaceful sound of a babbling brook. However I think I see things a bit differently.

When I’m at a hardcore show or even just listening to metal and hardcore music, I envision the screaming and fast paced music more like the roar of the Lion of Judah as He wages war against injustice and sin rather than Satan torturing a soul in Hell. I believe that there will certainly come a day where God will judge the living and the dead and there will be a great war between good and evil and evil will be destroyed.

On the contrary, when I’m enjoying mellow, slow, acoustic music, I envision myself basking in the awe of God’s presence and enjoying His blessed creation. With this sentiment in mind, I wonder if this is how God uses music to connect to us, His creation. It’s one thing to sing a song; it’s another thing to be completely swept away, in awe of grace, joy, beauty, and wonder.

Furthermore, I cannot seem to get over the fact that God uses music and art as a platform to transform us and mold us into His image. I’m not talking about singing praise songs on a Sunday morning in church, I’m talking about the emotions that are drawn up when you hear your favorite band singing your favorite song and what the melody and notes crafted together create within you. While some would say it’s selfish, I think it’s an example of who God made us to be: loving, passionate, and affectionate creatures. God created us with emotions and music is just one way in which we respond with emotion.

I’ve noticed that during a live show, as soon as the band takes the stage, all of a sudden it’s as if all of those little mundane things that separate us as a culture (race, class, religion, skin color, etc) seem to melt away and for a moment we are united together, all focused on one thing, the music that we love. A common good unites us regardless of diversity.

In his captivating story, The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis depicts Aslan the Lion creating the great mystical land of Narnia by singing. Rather than stern, rigid statements and commands, Aslan’s creation comes out in the form of a beautiful, sweet song, with each note building on the previous one. The song begins to reach certain points of climax as Aslan’s creation becomes more and more beautiful and more complex. Lewis brilliantly captures a rather beautiful expression of God’s artistic ability through the use of a beautiful medium, song. Lewis weaves together the intricacies of the Creation narrative while simultaneously capturing the beauty of what the experience of creation would have been like if we were there to see it, because God said that it was good and beautiful.

There is no song or music piece that captures God’s heart perfectly, for I think if such a song existed, it would have to contain elements of heavy metal, jazz, acoustic guitar, piano, etc. The music of God is something that is so mysterious yet so revolutionary, it cannot be captured.

I believe God has written us to perform certain parts of his song called Redemption and that we all play a different tune at different times. When put together this displays a beautiful example of the true and living God. God the Father through Christ’s redemptive sacrifice given by His Spirit is a song that is being composed and written and will one day be performed. As each day goes by He is making edits and deletions of parts of that song in each one of us until it is just right. When that day comes He will return and will look at his beautiful creation once again and say, “it is good.”

Until that day, I ask you to think of what song you are singing. What music are you playing with your life? Maybe you’re destroying injustice or maybe you’re relaxing in God’s presence. Or maybe you’re playing a sad song that makes God weep and He desires to retune that song until it’s a beautiful reflection of His love for you. What song are you playing, and what song are you called to play?