Greek lesson

The word "hypocrite" is an ancient Greek word used to describe an actor, someone who wore many faces or masks on stage. Etymologically speaking, today we use this word to describe a person who's actions contradict their professed beliefs ... like perhaps, a former head of a state's faith-based initiatives program getting busted for promoting prostitution.

Farewell to Bush and his Apocalypticism

Apocalypticism is a world view holding that good and evil are embattled in a cosmic struggle. This struggle is decided in an ultimate battle, one that ushers in a new end-time reality. For a real life example of apocalyptic thought, one just has to look at last night's farewell address by Pres. Bush. Saith Bush:

As we address these challenges -- and others we cannot foresee tonight -- America must maintain our moral clarity. I've often spoken to you about good and evil, and this has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil are present in this world, and between the two of them there can be no compromise. Murdering the innocent to advance an ideology is wrong every time, everywhere. Freeing people from oppression and despair is eternally right. This nation must continue to speak out for justice and truth. We must always be willing to act in their defense -- and to advance the cause of peace. (emphasis mine)

While this is just one paragraph in eight years of work, there are markers in this paragraph pointing to apocalyptic ideology.

There is a logic to apocalypticism. The cosmic struggle between good and evil is played out in history and realizable in human terms. The struggle is realized in the here and now and happens within the social plane - the struggle is present now, and sides are chosen. Believers personally and internally identify with the cosmic struggle - the believer chooses sides, of course, the side of the good. The struggle is at a point of crisis, and acts of violence have cosmic meaning. Importantly, apocalyptic worldviews increase the likelihood that group will become violent. Having an apocalyptic worldview does not mean that that group will necessarily become violent, just that the presence of this factor correlates with violence.

Us: liberators; "the side of the right." Them: Axis of Evil; terrorists and Islamo-facists. 9/11. Rid Iraq of WMDs. Regime change. Spreading freedom and democracy. Fight them over there, so they don't attack us over here. Smoke them out of their holes. Abu Ghraib. Guantanamo. Harsh interrogation techniques. Torture.

Reread the paragraph in Bush's speech one more time for other examples. Us: good; freers from oppression; eternally right. Them: evil; murderers of the innocent; wrong everytime, everywhere. There can be no compromise between us and them. We must speak justice and truth. We must not hesitate to act in defense of the good. We must advance the cause of peace.

Farewell.

Shameful

Come'on Terry McAuliffe! Where's your head at? It's not just that you didn't wear the right color blue to a UNC/UVA basketball game, a game in Charlottesville. I mean, that wasn't smart either. It is that you sold out, sent your lackey to quickly buy UVA gear, and most offensive, you put it on.

Note to McAuliffe: Never stop wearing the Orange and Maroon.

Faith in sports

Reader Darren sent me a great article on sports, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, and faith. My initial reaction was to write a fun post, but I think there is something deeper there. First, the writer believes that faith-full athletes possess a built in psychological advantage during competition:

And I can't help but think that the religious guys are, well, blessed with an advantage, a big one at that.

Actually, the issue isn't really religion. It's faith. I don't care what or whom a ballplayer believes in: Jesus, Moses, Buddha, L. Ron Hubbard. I don't care what his position is on stem cell research, abortion, gay rights. But a system of belief — any system, really — that stills the mind and quells doubt is of obvious benefit, particularly if you're an athlete.

In this light, the writer argues that Warner's faith has allowed him to overcome the long odds - from grocery store clerk to Super Bowl MVP, from down-and-out backup to another chance at starting a Super Bowl. Money excerpt:

"It's an advantage for any individual, when you have faith and believe in something," Warner told our Greg Boeck Thursday after the Cardinals broke practice. "In my case, it's the power of Jesus ...

"I walk by faith and not by sight. I walk according to what I believe, and what I believe the power of God is, as opposed to what the world tells us, or what circumstances appear to be."

Put another way, belief can liberate you. You need not dwell on the long odds. You're free of the thoughts that crush so many comebacks — the assortment of self-involved, self-inflicted self doubts.

"So much of this business is 'Me, me me,'" Warner told Boeck. "... My faith has allowed me to step back from that and say, 'Hey, this isn't about me.'"

We've talked about how faith has a self-less component - losing the self in a transcendent power - and some of the possible benefits therein. Kinda cool to hear the argument in the context of sports. Maybe more football athletes should give themselves over to the Football God(s).

Now if only Christian sports stars like Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow won't wear John 3:16 on their eye strips while getting unsportsmanlike conduct/taunting penalties.

Inaugural Oath Update

It is as we all thought: A federal judge rejected the injunction from Michael Newdow and Co. to stop the phrase "So help me God" from being used during the Inaugural Oath. According to the Baptist Joint Committee's blog - a leading separation of church and state group - the case is still alive, as the judge did not dismiss the overall case, just the injunction.

American individualism and theology

The Christian Science Monitor landscapes two recent religious surveys and argues that American individualism has finally infiltrated theology. According to the article, we have become our own "theologians-in-residence" and "Cafeteria Christians." In the first study, conducted by the Barna Group, 71% of Americans say they are more likely to develop their own religious beliefs rather than accept the teachings of a particular church. For examples, nearly 50% don't believe in the existence of Satan, nearly 33% believe Jesus sinned while on earth, and nearly 40% don't believe in the necessity of evangelism. The other study by Pew Forum of Religion and Public Life we discussed earlier - a study in American's views on the afterlife, to which 65% of Americans believe that other religions can lead to eternal life.

American individualism, to me, is not the only factor at play here. Hyper-denominationalism is also a factor, where the severe fragmentation of church denominations during the last century have muddied the theological waters. With different churches on every corner preaching different theological emphases, the American public has murky understandings of theological orthodoxy. Let's also not forget our global and technological interconnectivity, where the exposure to different ideas and religions is a click away. I am sure other factors are at play, but these are off the top of my head.

This theological relativism can't be good for Christianity in the long-run.

Update: Tripp has some contempt for the surveys and argues for a theological conversation at the grassroots level.

McAuliffe and the VA Netroots

I read this in my Google Reader earlier today and was shocked at a coffee-out-my-nose level: the Virginia Netroots hearts McAuliffe apparently. According to the article, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has won over our blogosphere; we all are fawning. Nevermind the problematic logic: to win a blogger over, the blogger has to be impressed, yes; but an impressed blogger, doesn't mean the blogger is won over.

I've seen McAuliffe twice in Martinsville. I was impressed at his knowledge, energy, and his dedication. I am, however, still skeptical. And even before he announced his candidacy - during the presidential primaries - I saw McAuliffe's Hawai'ian shirt and rum fiasco on television as embarrassing to our party.

Was I impressed? Yes. Am I won over? No, still a lot of work to do there. And, I think the rest of the blogosphere is still relatively cool on him also.

Update: Quoted in the article, Not Larry Sabato has this sarcastic quick-post.

Quote of the Day

From Thank God for Evolution:

So here's traditional religion's God problem in a nutshell: Religious people of all faiths know that none of this is true. God is not tribal and petty. God does not have multiple personality disorder. And God is not a cosmic terrorist. Yet as anyone who has carefully read their Bible or Koran can testify, some passages of Holy Writ undeniably portray God this way. That is traditional religion's God problem. That's the elephant in the living room that no one other than atheists are willing to talk about. It is why millions are embarrassed by scripture (though they'd never admit it), and why millions of others are leaving organized religion altogether.

A meaningful, science-based worldview solves this problem once and for all. A sacred evolutionary understanding of the universe, and of human consciousness and culture, evaporates this problem because it helps us see what an inevitable yet illusory view of 'the Creator' this is. ...

(h/t Tripp)

Quick Perriello points

Rep. Perriello gave his first floor speech today, a minute speech on the economic stimulus package. Jim White has the full text here. Money quote:

I believe our nation's economy will recover only through a visionary strategy for rebuilding America's competitive advantage. That means real, committed investment in our workforce, investment in our infrastructure, and investment in innovation and energy independence. This investment will be the guidance that our constituents need.

Of interest dear NC-5'ers, Rep. Foxx gave her minute speech immediately afterward. Hopefully some of Tom's non-craziness rubbed off.

Also, the SCHIP bill passed the house (289-139), and along with the bipartisan majority, Perriello voted for the bill. Afterwards Perriello released a statement, which you can read at Democratic Central. Vanquishing my aforementioned hopes, Foxx voted against the bill ... again.

Not a bad day.

Intoxicated Peruvians

This just seems like a bad idea:

Peru's top court has ruled that workers cannot be fired for being drunk on the job, a decision that was criticized by the government on Wednesday for setting a dangerous precedent.

The Constitutional Tribunal ordered that Pablo Cayo be given his job back as a janitor for the municipality of Chorrillos, which fired him for being intoxicated at work.

The firing was excessive because even though Cayo was drunk, he did not offend or hurt anybody, Fernando Calle, one of the justices, said on Wednesday.

I can't tell who was more drunk on the job: the janitor or the justices.

(h/t Huffington Post)

Spirituality and happiness in children

According to a new study on pre-teen children, higher levels of spirituality correlate with higher levels of happiness. This link is already well established in adults and teenagers. Interestingly, religious practice has little to no effect on a child's happiness.

I would take exception with the study's metrics of spirituality: a sense of meaning and value in one's life and the development of quality relationships. These factors seem quite lacking, don't they? A sense of a transcendent power, perhaps?

GOP dead?

If you read the intertubes lately, it would appear that the GOP has already lost in 2010. Read this CNN article or this Washington Post article. To a Republican these articles must be absurdly alarmist and to a Democrat, perhaps too pie-in-the-sky.

To their main point: with the newly announced retirement of Ohio Senator George Voinovich, the Republican party now has five open Senate seats to defend next cycle: Bond (Missouri), Brownback (Kansas), Martinez (Florida), and Hutchison (Texas). Missouri, Florida, and Ohio are notorious swing states, and Gov. Sebelius could easily win in Kansas if she runs. Democrats, on the other hand, think that only one seat is competitive: Reid (Nevada). Couple this with 59 current Democratic seats, and the GOP is understandably nervous.

Today former Rep. Tom Davis (VA-11) offers an all-is-not-lost approach to Republicans, a way for them to rebuild their party. Calling for a more moderate approach, Davis believes that returning to past ideas of conservativism is disastrous, as the electorate thought Republicans were exactly true to their conservative principles. Yet Ben Smith argues, Democrats have purged all swing-district moderate Republicans, and you will not hear calls for moderation in Republican circles, especially in the race for the RNC Chairmanship.

Let's not get excited (or depressed, if you are so inclined) here, folks. In political real-time, two years is an eternity. Take the two years between the Republican beat-down of 2004 and the Democratic tsunami of 2006 as an example (i.e., the fall-outs from Terry Schiavo, Scooter Libby, Hurricane Katrina, et al.).

Terminator Jesus

Andrew Sullivan pointed out a NYT piece on a hip and macho Calvinist preacher, Mark Driscoll. Sullivan took exception with this excerpt:

What bothers Driscoll ... is the portrayal of Jesus as a wimp, or worse. Paintings depict a gentle man embracing children and cuddling lambs. Hymns celebrate his patience and tenderness. The mainstream church, Driscoll has written, has transformed Jesus into “a Richard Simmons, hippie, queer Christ,” a “neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky Fairy of pop culture that . . . would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell.”

Naturally, Sullivan is disgusted with the derogatory and homophobic sentiments here, especially when portraying the Christ. While Sullivan is right to be upset in these terms, I think there is something more disturbing here.

Driscoll, and apparently other evangelical ministers, blame the consumerification of Christianity for the "effeminate Jesus," where churches preach upbeat, lovey-dovey messages - over and against talk of hellfire and brimstone - to grow and maintain church numbers. I can't adjudicate that theory one way or another, but I do know that I hate hearing sermons on sin and damnation. I would argue, however, that the image of Jesus Christ, rightly or wrongly, is influenced by our sociological self-perceptions.

Interestingly, cultures re-image Jesus from his socio-historic Middle Eastern identity into an identity that characterizes the (ethnic) norm of that culture. For example, you can see pictures of an Asian Jesus in Asian cultures, an African Jesus in African cultures, and statues of a white, blonde, blue-eyed Jesus in Sweden. America is guilty of this transformation too; we have a white, bearded Jesus with long brown hair. I would argue that this inculturation of Jesus is generally a good thing. This re-imaging allows us to more easily identify with Jesus and relate with his humanity. In doing so, we create a deeper understanding of the Divine, one that fosters and strengthens an intimate relationship with God.

Driscoll is actually pointing to a subtle transformation in the image of Jesus within our culture, a movement away from the parental, relational Jesus towards a divinely muscular Jesus. Take for example, the title of the aforementioned NYT's piece: "Who Would Jesus Smack Down?" Jesus is becoming more manly, less feminine, able to take an earthly beating and provide an eternal one. Think Passion of Christ. In an age of cowboy diplomacy and unilateral militarism, this Jesus stands behind us, intimidating demon and unbeliever alike. Joe Six-pack has six-pack chiseled Jesus.

What does it say about us that a portrayal of Terminator Jesus is emerging?

God and gays: Gene Robinson and Ken Blackwell

In light of the Left's outcry against the asking of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation, the Obama Inauguration Committee today announced that Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the openly gay Episcopal priest, will give the invocation at the opening inaugural event. According to Politico - quoting and anonymous Obama source - this selection apparently preceded the Warren announcement and was not a reaction to the public backlash. Hmmm. Really?? This, however, should teach us patience towards Obama, as this does underscore Obama's positive commitment to GLBT issues.

On a tangential note, Ken Blackwell, vying for the Chair of the RNC, believes that homosexuality is a compulsion that can be restrained.

"You can choose to restrain that compulsion," Blackwell told radio host Michelangelo Signorile, a gay and lesbian advocate, this summer during the Republican National Convention. "And so I think in fact you don't have to give in to the compulsion to be homosexual."

I know there are major theological differences here, but the RNC election seems like a game of one-upsmanship in bafoonery; remember Chip Saltsman?

Double-shift: Tom's a legislatin'

During his campaign, Rep. Perriello promised to work a double-shift in Congress, as hard as we work to put food on the table for our family. Today we are starting to see the fruits of that labor. Less than one week as a Congressman, Perriello has already co-authored his first bill, the College Learning Access, Simplicity, and Savings (CLASS) Act. This bill would make it easier for "students and parents to claim tax credits for college expenses." Perriello stated:

“A cornerstone of my economic revival plan is workforce development and education, so I am proud that my first piece of legislation will aim to provide new avenues for funding higher education. Fifth District families need all the assistance they can get in this tough job market, and this bill will go a long way in helping those seeking more education and training,” said Perriello in the news release. “One in four eligible taxpayers do not claim any higher-ed tax provisions because of their complexity. The CLASS Act will consolidate some of these provisions into one easy-to-understand tax credit so that more can benefit. I will fight for this tax credit to be included in the economic stimulus package to make college more affordable for working families,” Perriello added.

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We already knew that Perriello was appointed to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, a super-sweet assignment for us Southsiders. Today, Perriello received another committee assignment: the House Veteran's Affairs Committee. Hopefully this seat translates into bringing a new VA hospital to the area. Of note, 13% of 5th District residents are veterans.

Keep on, keepin' on, Tom!

Football God(s)

As this year's playoff performances demonstrate, apparently God does care about football. Here's a teaser:

As someone who has intensely followed sports for all of my life, I am convinced that there is often some greater force at work that transcends the people involved, and these chiastic patterns are evidence of it. Call it karma, call it football gods, call it fate, call it destiny, call it whatever you want: there's something there.

"24," torture, and a new political era

If you want an example of how life imitates art, which then imitates life, check out this article in the NYT about "24," torture, and a new era in politics. The show's unabashed use of torture as an intelligence gathering tool has (mournfully) influenced the actions and beliefs of West Point cadets and Iraqi soldiers. But in an age of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and the increasing public backlash of toture, producers of the show have become somewhat apologetic of their show's effects. In the upcoming season, the show's main character, counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer, is going to have a more reflective, nuanced worldview, one that understands the complexity of the world and the consequences of actions. This apparently may not totally influence Bauer's actions, but I applaud any effort to demythologize torture and its results.

I never really watched the show, but because there is no playoff football tonight, I will be watching the season's premiere with this in mind.

Unemployment factor?

After the November unemployment rates came out for Virginia (4.6% overall) and several Southside localities, I was curious to see how these unemployment rates compared to Tom Perriello's performance gains. Below is a table with unemployment rates and their state ranking, along with the Democratic percentage gains between the 2006/2008 congressional races and the rankings of those gains within the district.

County/City	Jobless rate	Jobless rate state-wide rank	2006/2008 Net % Gain	Net % Gain district-wide rank
Danville (City)	14.4%	2	14.1%	2
Henry	9.6%	5	13.5%	3
Martinsville (City)	14.9%	1	20.8%	1
Pittsylvania	10.1%	4	8.2%	18 (tied)
Total	4.6%	--	10.2%	--

Martinsville has the highest unemployment rate in the state (14.9%) and our campaign made the highest percentage gains (20.8%) there. While you can't make a statement of causality here, our campaign did make large percentage gains in locations with the highest rates of unemployment, except perhaps Pittslyvania County.

Obama on the BCS BS

In a press conference yesterday, President-elect Obama reiterated the need for a college playoff system. After congratulating the Florida Gators on their national title, Obama stated, "If I'm Utah, or if I'm USC or if I'm Texas, I might still have some quibbles. ... That's why we need a playoff."

Amen.

Religious diversity in Congress

The religious make-up of the new 111th Congress generally reflects the religious diversity of the American electorate. Protestants make up the majority of Congress with 54.7% (compared to 51.3% of the American population) and Catholics make up 30% (compared to almost 24% of the American population). Jews make up 8.4% (1.7%) of Congress while Mormans make up 2.6% (1.7%). There are two elected Muslims and two Buddhists, but only one admitted atheist, Rep. Pete Stark (D - Fremont) - professed atheism or agnosticism is still considered political suicide.

Diversity, to me, is always a good thing, as the exposure to different people and ideas increases dialogue and progress. Keep in mind, however, that the diversity of the overall population is most likely different than the demographic breakdown of each district/state. And when Representatives of districts with overly unrepresentative samples team together to write or vote on religiously-implicated legislation, someone is going to be upset, even marginalized. As the last decades have shown, religious diversity in Congress does not mean tolerance in legislation.