Battle Cry
On Sunday in San Francisco, more than 25,000 youth attended a music and worship event organized by the evangelical Christian group “Battle Cry.”
San Francisco Chronicle coverage of the event and surrounding controversy gives a fascinating account of the way in which Christians are understood by progressives, and how they very often disappoint stereotypes.
Who is Battle Cry fighting? From their
website:
Corporations, media conglomerates, and purveyors of popular culture have spent billions to seduce and enslave our youth. So far, the enemy is winning. But there is plenty we can do. We need to take action.
Battle Cry’s main action is holding very large rallies, often in Stadiums, to give youth a chance to, “experience unforgettable ministry and worship,” complete with dozens of bands and speakers.
In advance of the event, many San Francisco activists worried that the Christians were brining messages of hate. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors even passed a resolution condemning Battle Cry. After the event, a
Chronicle editorial touched on the controversy:
Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, was quoted telling counter-protesters Friday that the gathering Christians were "loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting and they should get out of San Francisco." On Monday, however, Leno struck a more reasoned tone, acknowledging that his rally cry was "not one of my prouder moments." He said the youth group was "welcome in San Francisco," even though he does worry that its religious rhetoric could "under a cloak of love" feed a "fearful world's appetite for hate."
The editorial goes on to say:
We may disagree with certain aspects of the Battle Cry agenda -- on issues such as abortion rights, religion in schools or acceptance of an individual's sexual orientation -- but the attempt by counterprotesters and some of the city's elected officials to call them "fascist" and "hateful" was totally at odds with the tone of the ballpark event and the approach of the Web site.
According the Chronicle coverage of the rally,
No protesters were on hand Saturday, and the vibe was not one of condemnation, but of celebrating the fact that it can be cool to be Christian... The teens were greeted Friday at a kick-off rally at City Hall by an official city condemnation and protesters who called them anti-gay, anti-choice and intolerant. Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, suggested they "get out of San Francisco."
Scott Thompson, a youth pastor who attended the gathering was quoted in an
AP story on the event:
I'm not here to hate anybody... This isn't about Bush or gays or anything other than being here to worship together.
Community
Although I've heard many rants on Christianity as a self-help society (see the blog
Wax Banks for an example) that make me shudder, I realize there might be more than a grain of truth in the statement. Yet self-help may not be the right word. Christians are taught to look to God first and then to the community as a mechanism of support; community is one of the most important aspects of Christianity. And Christians are great at building community. Most (if not all) churches hold this as a core belief. An article on
Boundless Webzine notes:
Community is a big buzzword in Christian circles. Recently, Moody Bible Institute titled their yearly conference simply “Community:” Nothing more needed to get people’s attention. A search on Christianbook.com turns up 240 items with the word community in the title — compare that to only 133 with the word sex and you know you’re on to something.
Churches create small groups to encourage a greater sense of community:
You were created for community! Contained in the very blueprint for your life is a profound hunger for relationship... In order to foster this aspect of our life together we encourage you to join a LIFE Community, a place where you can find connection and deeper involvement.
-From
Grace Chapel (a church in MA)
Books like
The Purpose Driven Life provide lessons on how to build community. The author tells us that "Life is meant to be shared." And that cultivating community takes honesty, confidentiality, humility and frequency. It offers advice on how to restore broken relationships, and it notes the need to protect the communities you've built.
There is even
software to facilitate the community building process.
Although
some people may believe that Chrisitianity is "like 12-step rhetoric without any of the actual, you know, grappling with the physical and material circumstances of one's life," I would argue that grappling with these things is at the core of Christianity - and that maybe trying to help each other get through life successfully isn't all that bad after all.
SXSW
I'm on vacation this week:
South by Southwest. Next week I'll post again.
Evangelical Climate Initiative
Over 80 pastors have signed an
Evangelical Climate Initiative, as has already been noted in a variety of places:
ABC news,
CNN,
The New York Times and others. This issue highlights some of the diversity within the evangelical church.
The Evangelical Climate Initiative website notes:
The same love for God and neighbor that compels us to preach salvation through Jesus Christ, protect the unborn, preserve the family and the sanctity of marriage, and take the whole Gospel to a hurting world, also compels us to recognize that human-induced climate change is a serious Christian issue requiring action now.
Recent polls show that many evangelicals support action for global warming (cited from the blog
Stones Cry Out):
And now details from a new poll of evangelical Christians seem to strengthen the call made the group of 86 evangelical leaders for action to reduce global warming.
In the poll, conducted by Ellison Research—-which frequently surveys church leaders—-70 percent of evangelicals said they believed global warming will pose a serious threat to future generations. Sixty-three percent of evangelicals believed that although global warming may be a long-term problem, since it is being caused today, the nation must start addressing it immediately.
But not all Christian leaders – or followers – support the movement. Several prominent leaders didn't sign the initiative, and some
pro-life organizations are questioning the funding:
”Global warming is a controversial issue in itself, but the real problem comes with the so-called solutions, such as population control and reducing access to technology that will lift people out of poverty,” said Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America. “Hewlett Foundation is one of the most prodigious and unabashed funders of abortion causes, with much money going to make abortion acceptable. Its significant grant for this initiative, along with the controversial Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, reveals where this effort could lead. They would not fund something that contradicts their main missions.”
Death Penalty
From the Emmaus Way (a church in North Carolina) blog,
Passages:
Hi all. I noted on Sunday night that I am opposed to the death penalty, and gave some information regarding opportunities for folks to attend prayer vigils/protests against the impending execution of Perrie Simpson by the state of North Carolina this Friday, January 20 at 2am. So, I thought I would briefly describe why I am opposed to the death penalty so folks who were interested or who differ with me on this could comment. I am trying to keep this short and manageable, so here goes.
I am opposed to the death penalty based on the intersection of my faith and my understanding of the public policy attributes of the death penalty, as generally applied in the U.S…
It does not deter murder or violent crime…
Vengeance is not a reasonable motivation for public policy…
The death penalty is not fairly administered…
It costs more than life in prison with no parole…
Mistakes are possible and irreversible…”
