Church & State

Okay...trying to follow through...

So tonight the government shuts down.  Each of us, will want to blame one party or another for their stupidity and all of us would agree that Washington seems to no longer be able to do its job.  This, unfortunately, will most likely result in doubling down on our particular political 'belief' and the division will only widen with the next election cycle.

If, however, we step back and look at this from a broader perspective, I believe we see two dominant archetypal 'myths' of the American experiment coming into conflict.  Let me explain.

On one hand, there is the myth of the 'rugged individual.'  America is the land where individualism has been celebrated in ways unlike anywhere else in the world.  The leaving behind of the old world and the family ties as we struck out to 'make it on our own.'  The image of the cowboy on his horse conquering the west and 'pulling himself up by his own bootstraps.'  This is the land of the entrepreneur like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates who through their genius were able to change how the world thinks.  Yes, there is this myth or value of individualism alive and well here in America.

This runs contrary to another archetypal myth born out of our Judea-Christian roots.  This is what brought the Puritans to America to form a more perfect society.  This is the more perfect union declared in the United States Constitution.  This is the wagon train circling up and providing a patch of safety in the midst of a wilderness trek of thousands of miles.  Yes, there is this sense that no matter what one's 'class' we stand together, we take care of one another,  for we are the people of the United States.

Throughout our history this two 'myths' have rubbed against each other, and sometimes we bend one way and at other times we bend another way.  There has, it seems, always been an uneasy dialog between these two world views.  Interestingly, at this point in our history, we have chosen to end the dialog.  We have the rugged individuals in one corner, and the compassionate community in the other.  No longer are we willing to get close enough to be rubbed the wrong way.

What does this mean for us today?  The church, in my opinion, has a responsibility to help repair the bridge.  One of the hallmarks of the Reformation (Luther himself) was the rise of individual accountability.  Yet, nonetheless, the reformers always recognized that we have a responsibility to care for our brother and sister in need.  Can the church broker a dialog, encouraging both sides to see the wisdom of what the other has to offer?  Might we pray that we might....