Staying actively engaged in the interpretive process of renogotiating our lives
An Invitation to the Practice of Gentle Cynicism
This gentle cynic invites you to take a tour of his episodic public journal (blog)--if you wish--where he share his practice of gentle cynicism. This practice does not follow the modern concept of cynicism, but a philosophical way of living with ancient biblical, classical and medieval roots. It takes the form of a dynamic filter between one’s full self (to include one's community) and the world, like shifting chaff from wheat. Moreover, it is a search for what is best (or simply good) rather than what is simply accepted, and what it means to actually participate with or work toward God’s Shalom while differentiating what misses the mark (illusions). By "Shalom", he seeks a vision of God's promised and emerging wholeness, peace, grace, wellness, wisdom.
Gentile Cynicism is thus a way of training the whole self (soul, mind, body) to actively discover and experience more fully the vibrant, flowing, and invigorating reality of God's creative energy and purposes, and less the draining emptiness and forthcoming bitterness of a fragmented world. It is a way of moving through (not stepping away from) tensions where there is a complex array of easy-to-get-to thin practices, answers and ideals on one side; while on the other, profound, thick sources of questions and insights that invite persistent souls toward the way of becoming more fully human.
A gentle dealing with the limitations of my world juxtaposed with the social and moral issues of the day filtered through the Christian narrative and social ethic--the church of Jesus Christ
I have recently found when some hear of my honorable discharge from the military as a conscientious objector, an inevitable question comes from some, “Do you love your country?” I immediately have to wonder what they mean by “country.” Even good intentioned “Christians” (some more clearly than others) are no doubt referring to some form of patriotism or nationalism, which more than often borders on state worship if you are willing to think it through. Sometimes a follow-up question is retorted, “Do you love the flag?”
In fairness, this gentle cynic (cultural critique) sees more clearly today how difficult it was for me in the past and is for many Christians to find release from the hypnotizing hold of the stars and to become untangled from the confining stripes of American nationalism, a kind of "worship" that supersedes and dictates our Christian praxis.
Consider a fact, that today America is compared to the Roman Empire in various aspects; e.g., in the title Pax Americana (a “peace” requiring violence to keep it in check) is used by various historians (Cullen Murphy, Anne-Marie Slaughter). With this and other historical parallels, it has been interesting to learn of several accounts of Christian disciples during the early centuries of the Christian church (1st – 3rd) who left military service because of imbedded idol worship. The early Church supported those men who refused to sacrifice before Roman idols and as a result left military service. Surely, beyond the fact that Jesus Christ calls us to be and act as peacemakers, we are also called to come out from among them, i.e., the worship of idols and of one's nation (see St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, quoting Isaiah 52:11-12).
It is true, greater than the nation where we live is who we are; for indeed, we are the people of God. What my good Christian friends do not realize is that what they are ascribing to an “All Hail America!” when the Gospel is announcing “Jesus is Lord!” I personally can no longer say both and get away with it as many do. Many American founders never envisioned a people worshiping their country, quite the contrary. If anything they sought to guard against it.
In this flux time where we who seek the nearness of God’s kingdom, I prescribe a patriotism built on love of the following: first the Land created by God, which we are to serve, protect, and sustain as stewards; and second, the People which today is vastly becoming multi-cultural (E Pluribus Unum), which includes, yes, Muslim immigrants. God made many nations and tribes, not that we may be divided or fight those who are different, but that we may know one another (a loose translation of the Qur’an).
As far as the American flag goes, it has become a powerful symbol of sacrifice, which conjures up images of countless soldiers who gave their lives in defense of what it symbolizes (i.e. the grand experiment of freedom). For a careful, thoughtful Christian, there is no other symbol of genuine freedom than the cross of Jesus Christ. I am convinced of the need of a greater emphasis for the discipline of thoughtfulness among those who share community under the name of Christ; for t rue life is a freedom, which loses its life in order to find it, instead of serving its own life and thereby losing it. Thus it is freedom transcending the self and subsisting in ‘the other’ by love.
Postscript: I wish to challenge anyone seeking to be a devoted disciple of Jesus to take seriously an intentional undertaking of the task of casuistry with an aim to better understand one's connectiveness in a fragmented world of competing narratives (American nationalism vs. the Christian narrative). Such a discipline is needed if we are to “better appreciate how what we do not only fits within the story of our lives, but also how it is determined by and determines the ongoing story of the Christian community” (Stanley Hauerwas, “Casuistry as a Narrative Art” in The Peaceable Kingdom: A Primer in Christian Ethics (Notre Dame: Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1983), 130.
Reared in Hamilton OH, served as an altar boy, excelled as a Boy Scout, an aviation enthusiast, and a golfer; joined the U.S. AF in '77 and stepped out in a lonely world. In '80 I encountered the Story of Jesus in a big way which began to transform me in all aspects. Aware of God's kingdom, I discerned a call to ministry and studied at Trinity College. Married in '87, taught mid. sch. English. Later I began pastoral work in Richmond, VA, was ordained in '92 in a Baptist trad. In '93, I encountered ministry with a meta-church structure until '97, when I took a sabbatical and followed a path of enrichment, taking on classic spiritual disciplines and the broadening of my theological horizons while applying doubt to my advantage. Moved in '98 to Harrisonburg, VA, and consulted in two industries. '03 I worked out some significant formational projects at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (MDIV) seeking to inch my way into something missional in purpose while responding to the ongoing emerging church conversation and being more cognizant of God's Kingdom coming non-violently into a chaotic, fragmented and violent world filled with harsh realities and challenges.
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