Category: Politics

A Brief Thought on Cancel Culture and the Mega Church

I listened to an episode of Glennon Doyle’s podcast ‘We Can Do Hard Things’ recently. The episode was entitled ‘The Episode That Wasn’t’. Basically, what happened was that as the guest was getting prepped for the zoom call, her husband was rude and aggressive with the podcast team, and they relayed the experience to the hosts – when one of the hosts got in touch with the guest, she implied that the team member had overly sensitive feelings. The hosts then decided that they would no longer have the guest on the podcast, and instead talked about standing up for yourself and not allowing people to get away with treating you that way.

I think what they did was the right call. They stood up for their team and backed the values of the podcast. Brava. However, one thing sat really uncomfortably with me after listening. I couldn’t put my finger on it for a bit – I agreed with what they did, but there was something about how they were handling it that left me ill at ease; and then it hit me – the way they spoke about the guest and her husband was severely lacking in grace. I was left feeling that it wouldn’t be safe to have a bad day around them.

That whole situation just got me thinking about the times we’re living in right now. The right is cancelling the left and the left is cancelling the right, left, right and centre (see what I did there?). Many in the wellness space proport that cutting ‘toxic’ people out of your life is just what you have to do to heal. Those that have certain differing beliefs from each other completely disregard the validity not only of their ideas, but of them as a person.

Which led me to thinking about the state of the church (mega and otherwise) and all the revelations that have come to light in recent times. It seems on one side, you have people with blinkers on, defending or ignoring the abuse suffered by countless people at the hands of the church system and its leaders, and on the other, those that would burn the whole institution to the ground and dance on its ashes.

I’m not here to say that the way certain people view things is ‘wrong’ – when you look at people’s backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and way of making meaning, it’s almost always possible to understand how they arrived at their position. I am, however, offering my opinion, which is this: when it comes to systems, I don’t think we need to show grace, but when it comes to people, we do.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, when it comes to systems, let’s analyse, scrutinise, and critique. Let’s challenge them, change them, and make them better, less harmful, and more effective – or even burn them to the ground if necessary. But when it comes to people, let’s be honest and truthful, but in a way that considers their humanness and with some understanding of the journey they have walked. It’s not to say that people aren’t to be held accountable, but we do so in way that embodies that old saying, ‘but for the grace of God, there go I’.

One of our pastors preached a message recently saying that grace is the only thing unique to Christianity – and as a self-confessed Judgey-Mcjudgerton, that’s something I’m learning to add to the equation when I’m tempted to completely cancel someone… because I’m really glad that Jesus doesn’t cancel me when I’m a dick.

Love you friends,
Deb x

The Post About Having Nothing to Say…

I find myself in the middle of a hiatus from regular blogging – most likely coinciding with my recent discovery of the wonders of less social media in my life. You see, I kind of feel like I actually don’t have that much to say right now. It’s not that there’s a lack of absurd or horrific things happening in the world, it’s just that I don’t really feel all that compelled or qualified to write about them.

And I guess that’s what this blog is…a post about not having to have anything to say. I feel really tired of being outraged. Whenever I open a news page, social media feed or even my Google feed, it’s like a constant litany of invitations to have a strong opinion about everything. I’m constantly being asked to pick a side, and you know what? For once in my overly-opinionated life, I just don’t feel like putting my precious energy into having strong feelings into things so far outside of my everyday existence. (I’ve even noticed a number of ‘articles’ that are essentially just recapping different people’s strong opinions on something someone famous posted. Amazing.)

I’m not saying there’s not a time for outrage – it’s just when outrage is called for from every quarter, 24/7, it begins to take a toll. You see, our anger, when coupled with meaningful action, can be a powerful force for change and for good. However, when our anger has no purposeful outlet, it turns in on us and begins eating away at our peace and joy. And the realities of life dictate that there are only a certain number of causes for which we can wield the sword of justice.

If I’m really going to invest my emotional and mental energy into getting passionate about an issue, I would like to become well-versed enough on the topic so that I’m not just spouting a quote I read somewhere on Instagram. I’d like to listen to the various sides to the debate and consider hard evidence. I would like to get close enough to the issue that I become aware of genuinely helpful steps to take – to arm my passion with hands and feet, so I don’t end up just sitting under a smouldering heap of shit, shaking my fist at the universe.

So, I’ve given myself permission to not take the weight of the world on my shoulders, get offended on others’ behalf, and impotently rage at the government – and instead, choose a couple of things I am passionate about, and put my resources toward those areas. It’s really freeing. It may mean at times that I’m not up on the latest issue doing the rounds in the media, and that when someone asks me what I think, I might have to look a little ignorant – but I’m prepared to make that trade for a more rested inner world.

Some new phrases I’m trying out include:
“I don’t know”
“I don’t care”
“I don’t really want to talk about it anymore – it makes me feel itchy on the inside”

So take this as your permission to peace out sometimes…. or more often than that. It may not be the done thing right now, but outrage culture is not out to look after your well-being – that’s something only you can do.

Love you friends,

Deb xx

Stepping off my Soapbox

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I love being right. It’s one of my favourite things ever. The allure of things such as quiz nights and games like Pictionary is the chance to be rewarded for rightness. It’s something inherent in my personality, I was always very black and white in my younger days. It’s something that must have made me insufferable at times – you know, that kid that’s raising their hand so high to answer a question that it looks like they’re about to pop a fufu. As with most characteristics, there is both a shadow side, and a strength side to this. Along with my moral policing of my friends, it also meant that I had a hunger for truth and a conviction to live out what I believed to be right.

I recently listened to a podcast called ‘The War is Over, if you Want it to be,’ by Brian Zahnd (Word of Life Church – I highly recommend, btw). Amongst other things, he highlights the current social media climate, pointing out that it seems that for many of us, rightness trumps relationship (no pun intended). Ouch. That got me. Although my black and whiteness of yesteryear has long become much more nuanced, I realised that my mind has been following some really unhealthy tracks in this regard. I often feel genuinely justified in thinking that it’s ok to disregard authentic relationship with people that act in a way that I perceive as wrong. At times I almost convince myself that Jesus stands on my side and would back me up 100%. Which is pretty sick.

It’s not that rightness doesn’t matter; I believe it really does. But things get a bit blurry when the issues we are willing to battle over are often a matter of perception. Do I believe in absolute truth? Yes. Absolutely. However, none of us individually have the all-encompassing global view and insight on any one issue that would constitute complete understanding.The irony that strikes me is that if younger me got the chance to meet me now, we wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on so many things. So many. I was passionately convinced of so many things that I now know were just plain wrong (like my conviction that I had a future as a gymnast – despite the fact I couldn’t do a cartwheel or touch my toes).

My best friend at primary school was from a Mormon family, and I remember us having a conversation one day trying to figure out what the differences between our faiths were. After a short discussion, she said that their bible had Mary Magdalene in it, while I said I thought ours was just Mary. End of discussion. Sorted. And on we went with our merry friendship. I LOVE that! What mattered was not who was right or wrong, despite the fact that we obviously didn’t really have a handle on our respective religions; what mattered was that we were buddies.

When you look at the New Testament, it’s so very clear that Jesus was much more interested in loving people first, and from that place he taught truth. He was happy just hanging out with people, regardless of the fact they were oftentimes societal outcasts, and most certainly not your average pew-dweller. In fact, you only see him getting super shirty with the Pharisees; the people who were obsessed with being right. Let this be a lesson to us all – and a red flag next time we’re tempted to start standing on our righteous soap boxes at the risk of breaking relationship.

Our search for truth is vitally important; but not nearly as important as our quest to live out a Kingdom life by loving people the way Jesus did.

Much love,
Deb x

Wading into the Political Quagmire

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I’ve purposely steered clear away from engaging in any political comment on Facie regarding the coming election. Although, I think I may have mentioned something over a year ago when I genuinely thought it was a joke that Donald Trump was running. The whole thing is making me feel tired on the inside. All the fear-mongering, nay-saying, predictions of certain doom (and its best friend gloom).

I told Caleb recently that although I’m trying to make writing a regular discipline, I only want to blog when I actually have something to say. And today, I really want to say something. I know that I’m only adding my voice to the millions. I’m hoping that this will be a non-anxious voice.

The thing that keeps hitting me in the face, is that as Christ-followers, this changes NOTHING about the way Jesus has called us to live. If anything, it highlights it. Earlier this year when I was having some medical issues, the doctor told me that it looked like I had a mass on the south wall of my bladder (who knew your bladder had a south wall?). It was unusual, and they couldn’t rule out cancer. I had to wait several days before I could get in to see a urologist for what was an unmentionably uncomfortable procedure (except to say that it involved a camera…and my bladder…). We were driving home from church the day after the initial scan, and I just remember saying to Caleb, “This doesn’t change anything. If I do have cancer, it’s gonna suck so much. But it doesn’t change the way Jesus has asked me to live. It doesn’t change his goodness, eternity, or His long term plan. It will change what daily life looks like, but it doesn’t change the fundamentals.”

I’m not saying the current election won’t have massive ramifications on America and the world. My little knowledge on the inside workings of US Politics largely comes from The West Wing (and on that note, may I just say, ‘Bartlett for President’?) But I do understand that there are implications for the future of the Supreme Court, unborn children, refugees and migrants, and countless other very, very important issues. But does it change the day-to-day example for living that Jesus set? Not at all. Jesus Himself was born into a time of political instability. I think Christians often think of him as apolitical. I can’t get onboard with that – why else would the leading powers want him dead? His politics were subversive. They transcended the political ways of human rule. They pointed people away from the sovereignty of the leaders of the land, and instead to the Leader of the Kingdom.

The same applies today. Regardless of what the rulers of the land dictate, our political mandate is a higher one. One of hope, of love, of caring for the orphan and the widow, of kindness to our neighbour. Christians living under all forms of peaceful or tyrannical government have had the same mandate. It has not changed. Panic about what the future may hold, is not the Kingdom way. Jesus himself said, “Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” (Jn 14:27).

So perhaps we could see the current political uncertainty as a cool opportunity to put into practice the politics of the Upside-down Kingdom. A chance to be peaceful in a time of anxiety. An opportunity to be kind in the midst of vitriol. A moment to hold hope and joy in the face of an uncertain future. I, for one, intend to (metaphorically) hum the old Sunday School tune at the coming days, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

And that is the last you’ll hear from me on the subject!!

Over and out friends,
Love you,
Deb x