Change Doesn't Just Happen Over-night...

Change doesn't just happen overnight, it happens both over-night and during the day. Change happens whenever people live it, not when we observe it.

The following is a piece I wrote for one of my classes this semester that attempts to capture this sentiment. It includes both a spoken word piece and a short explanation of the piece. Hope you enjoy!

Anyone who has been to an Occupy general assembly knows the true rate of change – slower than turtle slow. Yet, when one removes themselves from the frustration of this time consuming process, they are struck by the essence of the moment. In front of the individual is a group of people who are more than willing to suffer through the monotonous motions of consensus while actively participating in a demonstration of inspirational social change. Here, it is the moment that is of utmost importance, for it is in this moment that change occurs. A conversation is started that had been previously hushed, someone is made aware of an important issue, and individuals and groups are transformed into something new. Even if the process appears to be slow and arduous, change is happening and should not just be criticized (although it is important to be critical). Instead, it should be celebrated and affirmed.

I wrote this particular piece after a conversation with my roommate about the Idle No More movement. Specifically, we were discussing the perceived fractured and ambiguous nature of Idle No More. People are often quick to criticize the movement while denying it any credibility because members within the movement often disagree with each other. Furthermore, people complain that the movement’s goals are unclear and that their cause would be strengthened with a list of specific demands. Similar arguments have been made about other recent movements such as the Occupy movement. However, I believe that these movements represent a new kind of social movement. These movements are comprised of decentralized individuals who are committed to the idea of social change. Although these individuals may disagree with one another at times, they are all dedicated to seeing the end of oppression, domination, and suppression. These people refuse to wait for change to happen and instead live their lives with the idea that change is happening through them.

Poetry and spoken word are powerful tools for social movements and activism. Sarah Browning writes, “Poetry and other art forms can combat despair, inspire those working in the trenches of social change movements, humanize those we are taught to fear, and build bridges across our differences, telling our human stories” (see below for citation). In his lecture on poetry and activism given on January 22, 2013 to a SJS 200 class, Bud Hall talked about the seemingly magical moment when poetry is read aloud, allowing a transference of ideas from one to another in a way that often mystifies and astounds us. Poetry and spoken word go beyond communicating simple concepts, having the ability to communicate emotion and feeling. For example, Bud Hall read aloud a poem that addressed the criticism of Occupy’s lack of concrete demands. The poem itself listed many varying demands that were both personal to the author and universal to the movement. Instead of presenting a clear list of demands however, the poem was able to communicate the complexity of the movement while reasserting its credibility. I hope that my piece might serve a similar role for social movements such as Occupy and Idle No More. I hope to demonstrate these movements’ complexity and often-contradictory nature while reestablishing faith and hope in the change they bring.

Paying Attention...

“The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight.  The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention…More than anything else, attention is an act of connection.” – Julia Cameron

I was privileged recently to experience this connection through paying attention.  Due to some minor complications with my pregnancy, I have been off work already for almost three weeks.  I am now 31 weeks pregnant and experiencing all of the changes that entails – swollen feet, body aches, feeling ‘too big to be allowed’, and general discomfort.  Most of my time is spent at home so I was happy to join Duncan for a short trip to Granville Island recently.  He had a meeting so I set myself up at a coffee shop with a book (http://www.amazon.ca/The-Optimistic-Child-Depression-Resilience/dp/0618918094 for the book; for more on Dr. Seligman, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Seligman).

I was lucky enough to find a table to myself with three extra seats around it that were free so I could freely spread out my stuff and my girth...Being the weekend, the place was busy so I was not surprised when a white-haired woman and her husband asked if they could join me while they sipped their own coffees.  I smiled and said ‘sure’ and they joined me.  I went back to my book and they made awkward small talk – all of us seemingly uncertain how to incorporate each other into our current existence.  Once I got to the point of feeling too awkward in my own body, I put my book down in order to pick up my London Fog and surreptitiously ‘observe the surroundings’ before striking up a conversation with the lady sitting beside me.  In about 15 minutes, she had shared with me much of her story (originally from Northern Ontario, now living on the Sunshine Coast but comes down sometimes as her son has a place down here and is gone two weeks out of each month for work, etc) and we kept up with other chatter and comments (how we should visit the Sunshine Coast, etc, etc).  What I started to realize as I listened to this retired woman sharing her story was that I was really enjoying myself.  I was enjoying HER really, as she shared her story with me.  In paying attention to her, with my head out of my book, a smile on my face, I was connecting with a woman who I simply could have ignored and yet because I did not, I was able to delight in interacting with her. 

Soon, the couple had finished their coffees and decided to go check out more shops.  I remained seated but instead of going back to my book, I decided to keep my head up and take in my surroundings - to pay attention.   Minutes after the couple left, a woman who was sitting by us, observing the interaction I just had, came up to simply tell me that she thought I looked just beautiful, even, and especially since I probably did not feel like it right now.  Wow!  When does that ever happen??  (And how can I make it happen more often?).  She went back to her conversation at her own table and I remained at mine, now sporting a stupid, but delighted smile on my face.

Shortly after this, two older women asked if they could then join me at my table and I happily obliged.  They joined me and again we shared bits of our stories, connecting with each other rather than just our coffee cups.

All of this occurred within the 40-ish minutes that Duncan was in a meeting.  He then came and picked me up and we went home, however, the experience stayed with me and continued to keep a smile on my face for the rest of the day, as now I carried not just myself and baby along, but also pieces of these amazing women that I had met.

I’m interested to hear other stories that people have of what happens when they pay attention!

Martin Scorsese

I recently wrote a paper on Martin Scorsese's passion project The Last Temptation of Christ. In my research I had the welcome task of watching a bunch of his early movies that had not seen before including some of his short films from NYU. Below is Its not just you, Murray in two parts:

The film is a fascinating piece that foreshadows much of Scorsese's later work, in particular Goodfellas. However it is one line in particular that stood out to me as absolutely fascinating. At minute 6:17 in part one Joe says:

Murray, whenever anything ever happens to you... well you gotta learn to control yourself. You know always control yourself. Don't do anything. Don't say a word. You gotta stop, you gotta pull yourself together. You gotta take it easy. In other words murray when people bother you, hit you, abuse you, curse you, you know what i mean murray? When they really really bother you. Well Murray, don't do nothing. No sir, because remember that one day, murray, one day, you're gonna see somebody, some guy, who is all those other guys rolled into one and then you can give him all he deserves.

At this moment Murray punches a mirror reflecting his own face. This brilliant and fascinating juxtaposition of word and images, which echo Christ's passion, speaks challengingly to our tendency to place blame outside ourselves.

Scorsese is brilliant director, whose faith and Catholic upbringing are interwoven into almost all of his films. Despite often containing both graphic violent and sexual content, Scorsese's films are rarely  gratuitous but rather use explicit images for powerfully effective, realistic, thoughtful and challenging storytelling and communication of ideas. He is considered perhaps the greatest American director alive today and in my estimation this accolade is not unwarranted.

For the mature and thoughtful viewer I recommend: Mean Streets and Last Temptation
For the conservative but equally thoughtful viewer: Bringing out the Dead and Hugo

I don't only need dollars

Spring is often a time of new beginnings. For the last five years, it’s always been the time when school ends and a new summer job starts.  It is usually a time riddled with the anxiety and anticipation of living in a new place, working a new job, and making new friends.  But this spring has an additional element of anxiety.   I am still moving to a new place, but instead of working for someone, I am starting my own business with three friends.  We are leasing a four acre parcel on an organic farm to grow chickens, vegetables and staple crops (dry beans and grains) on Vancouver Island.  This is essentially my ideal job: a wee bit of office work, but mostly building fences, shoveling manure, planting seeds, hoeing rows, hauling bins of zucchini, selling at markets, and the like. 

I am nervous and excited to be self-employed as a farmer.  

I am nervous because when you’re on someone’s payroll, you get paid after you put in your hours and get to go home when your shift is over.  But this year, making a net profit is not dependent on the hours of work I do, but the result of the hours of work I do.  This is scary because the result of my work is at the mercy of the weather, soil fertility, pests, available infrastructure, marketing opportunities, and many other variables. 

I am excited to be self-employed in this manner, because my work will largely provide my basic needs.  We are exchanging labour for rent at the farm house, we are getting paid in firewood to work for the neighbours, we are growing food we can preserve, and we are brewing our own beer.   It feels good to push away from our economic system that is based on money—to acquire our basic needs from soil and work, and to rely on neighbours and be able to return the favour.  

It is odd that I feel more secure being on a pay-roll rather than working directly for my own food and shelter.  But it is a bold, and perhaps false, assumption to say that our economic system is more stable or secure than the weather and agreements made with people. 

Don’t get me wrong, our goal is not to be self-sufficient or stop using money; we aim to have an economically profitable business so we can expand the business, put savings away, and go on adventures.  But it is nice to be able to “stick it to the man” a bit, and feel more connected to the people and place we live with and depend upon.   

Evangelism, Outreach and Oppression

In the last year and a half, I have witnessed several beautiful moments at interfaith events in Abbotsford. I have seen people meet others from different religions for the very first time and share a meal together. I have watched people learn about the similarities and differences in their beliefs and carry on respectful conversation. I have watched this community strive to create an atmosphere of religious peace and am inspired to continue working in this community.

While these bridges of faith and understanding are being built, there have also Christian groups meeting to devise targeted outreach strategies to convert people of other religions. I would like to think that all Christian missions strategies are created with the noble intentions of spreading love and compassion. Yet when these plans use militaristic language, and reflect strategies of colonization I wonder if love and compassion is being spread or if oppression is perpetuated.

It is important to consider the thoughts and feelings of the “target” group when considering how to share faith. How might the target of Donna Mayhem’s comic react to this material? 

There is great value in sharing faith with one another but to do this respectfully can be challenging. It takes great conscientiousness to suspend one’s judgments long enough to begin to create understanding. 

I want to live in place where my beliefs are respected, where I am not targeted for change but am embraced and included as I am. I also want to be part of creating a community where religious diversity is valued.

Before we start planning an interfaith dialogue in Abbotsford, I ask the planning committee to reflect on times when they have felt the most welcomed and included. We use our answers as a springboard to create an inclusive event where all people feel welcomed.

I am curious to know what ideas you have to respectfully confront oppressive faith-sharing tactics and to create a climate of religious peace?  

42.23.34

As we enter Holy Week, we approach the end of Lent. I have not always been a fan of the liturgical calendar, but it is slowly growing on me. I think it has something to do with getting older, years blending, and time (age) being less important. For me this blending comes with a sort of nostalgia for the repetitions of existence. Maybe it was just the circles I am traveling in this year, but Lent took on new potency. In a large part because of the “hit” of Atheism for Lent, as it shed some alternative perspectives on what Lent might look like for individuals.

I am not very good at giving things up for Lent, nor have I found doing so to be a formative experience. Therefore, this year, rather than giving up something, I decided to intentionally reflect. I was not sure what that might look like at the beginning. But as Lent progressed, I found myself thinking a lot about the void, nihilism, and the abyss. This is not an uncommon state of reflection for me, nor was it disconnected from my academic studies. I read Feuerbach’s “The Essence of Christianity” for class, in which he argues all of Christianity is just projection of Man onto the Heavens. This can be troubling for some to view their beliefs as nothing more than projections of themselves, yet for me it was a devotional endeavour. Examining beliefs, finding myself within them, analyzing what might be me, what might be “other” than me, was an interesting process. In this reflective state, there is a lot of time to view one’s own evil, sin, loss, failure (whatever you want to call it). This posture leads back to my own emptiness, the hollow shell of life, the meaninglessness of existence, and often the pervasive experience of the absence of God.

When I stare into the void, I am either wooed in, or propelled outwards. The abyss has the ability to offer a strange sense of solace, in the absence of all there is deep calm. OR, my surroundings propel me back into the sensual reality around me. The necessity of food, life, light, routine all act as forces pulling me back into space and time. It is a dance, to and fro.

These reflections were furthered by Kierkegaard’s book, “The Sickness unto Death.” In which he argues that the self’s relation to itself, by necessity, must be realized through an external third. Thus, everyone is in despair if that third is not God. Yet even if you think you are relating to God, you are probably not, because it might be your own piety, or any number of Idols you think are God, but will in fact be revealed to not be God. (Peter Rollin’s new book “Idolatry of God” explores some ways of thinking about this; considering that God is often an idol of certainty and satisfaction, not in fact God). In this, the void is ever present; it is just beneath the surface of the things that pull away from the void. Beneath the joy of one moment is the emptiness of the next.

The final part of my reflection was writing the paper I posted two weeks ago, “Is Evangelicalism Worth a Bailout.” In which I consider the intersection of Capitalism, atonement theory, the rise of Evangelicalism, and environmentalism. While dwelling upon this topic, I was once again confronted by the horrors of human action, the stark depravity of the systems we have created, the rape of Mother Earth, and the blame we all must own due to our complacency with such systems.

It was a Lent full of lament.

I often find myself thinking in images. As I was considering the world, reflecting upon Lent, and the death of Jesus, I was drawn back to two of my favourite artists. First, Kazimir Malevich, who confronting despair, anxiety, and life reduced things to geometric shapes. (See Black Square, my first interaction with Malevich).

The second artist is Emily Carr, which is probably due to living in Vancouver. One of her paintings is probably my favourite rendition of the crucifixion. The three trees remain after a clear cut. They draw the viewer into the heavens. The painting confronts one with the horror and ecological destruction of clear cutting the magnificent old-growth forests of BC. Simultaneously, however, the viewer is being drawn out of one’s horror and into the light.

I took some time this reading break to work on a project of depicting my Lenten reflections by bringing together these two artists. I painted a crucifixion scene. It is a grey cityscape, which doubles as a Malevich inspired Cross. I think the rest is self-explanatory. I have found it helpful as an Icon leading me into the despair of the cross. In the spirit of Atheism for Lent, I encourage you to use it as an Icon of despair this Holy Week. As we move towards Friday, try to experience it without the knowledge that Sunday is coming. Experience the week as if Friday is the END.

42.23.34: “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”

I would love to know your thoughts, questions, comments, and emotions, regarding this piece or anything I wrote.

Sabbath or something like it

Hello! It's been a while, sorry. Because of that, I want to put things a bit into context before you continue. A bit of my program here at seminary focuses on ecology. Last semester, we were supposed to focus on sabbath as a practice. This was my experience of sabbath today:


Today felt like sabbath, which is weird because it is Monday. 
But apparently Sabbath can happen anytime.

I spent most of Sunday battling a hangover as well as a significant amount of negative self talk thus little energy to do the same today. So I didn’t. I chose care which manifested itself in getting brakes for my car and weeding for two hours.

I know maintaining one’s car isn't a usual practice of self-care. But today it was. It was a rejection of the pattern of procrastination in my life. At the root of my procrastination is a defense mechanism of my faulty self-worth (read this blog). I had been procrastinating getting new brakes for two months, which in retrospect could have been disastrous for myself and for others. New brakes means new life! As I was waiting, an older gentleman asked me if I was studying or just reading for fun and I said that I was studying, he replied, “ah, yes, I’ve seen that look of studying before in my children.” We chatted for a little bit about his kids and then he encouraged me to not worry about student loans, that everything would be okay. It is humbling how a random stranger could offer so much hope, even when you weren’t even aware you needed it.

After I got home from Les Schwab, the sun was still out so I decided it would be a good time to work on weeding. I don’t have much experience in growing things but I am good at weeding. The gardner housemate has been gone since January so it was a mess out there (and still is). It took me two hours to barely finish one half of the front garden. While it was hard work and I am sure I will be stiff tomorrow, there is something to be said about getting one’s hands dirty. I mean, obviously it has been said by loads of people but it is another thing to actually get dirt under your nails. Most of the time was spent quietly listening to the birds and avoiding grabbing slugs. Eventually the next door neighbor kids were forced outside and I spent the last hour listening to them play pretend, as though they were characters in Star Wars. They discussed whether or not Darth Mal deserved to die and then moved on to rapping about Frodo. I love them and I don’t even know their names.

I didn’t weed for the attention but two of the other housemates walked in after I had finished and hadn’t even noticed my handiwork. They walk by it every day, coming and going, how could they not?! Do they even notice what the outside looked like? This made me think about how little we see the world around us, whether that is creation or our neighbors. I have spent a lot time lately focusing inward, which usually ends up being more harmful, and I think I would like to be able to see others and creation more than I do. I want to feel it under my finger nails and be able to laugh with kids as they play, encouraging neighbors and taking care of myself even my possessions.

Maybe that's the point of Sabbath, stopping to notice, be noticed and to care about it.

How are you experiencing Sabbath?

Dear Cow

When I was young I gave thanks for milk: Dear God, Thank you for this day, thank you for this milk. Amen

I realized I was privileged to have milk.



This morning I prayed for forgiveness: Dear Cow, Forgive me for abusing you, for denying you your cowness. For treating you as a means to an ends. Amen

I realized I was complicit in the industrialization of animals.

Is Evangelicalism Worth a Bailout?

It is paper writing season; here is my latest. I attempt to bring together some of what has been going on in my head, consisting of: Evangelicalism, history, capitalism, atonement, and the environment. Let me know how you think it went. ***Warning - It is a paper, I do not apologize for the length.

Is Evangelicalism Worth a Bailout?

Reconsidering the Fiscal–Faith Dynamic

  

 “It is inherent in the methodology of economics to ignore man’s dependence on the natural world”[1] – E. F. Schumacher

Introduction

Five years after the global financial collapse the initial shock has past, but ramifications linger. The eurozone continues to wallow and anti-establishment sentiments lurk.[2] Simultaneously, “January 2013 was the 335th consecutive month with global temperatures warmer than the 20th century average”[3] and total sea ice volume has decreased 75-80%.[4] Undergirding these economic and natural crises is the worldview of the global west. What is Evangelicalism’s relation to this current state of affairs? Is Evangelicalism complicit or does it have anything worth saying to the current situation? This paper, risking generalization, posits that the concurrent arcs of Evangelicalism and capitalism depict a symbiotic unholy union, originating in Evangelicalism rise amidst bourgeoning capitalism. Doomed from the outset by unsustainable oversights, the evangelical-capitalist harmony ruptured from within. However, Evangelicalism is not completely bankrupt; an environmentally conscious re-imagining of core evangelical theology may yield future economic hope.

A Brief Historical Reflection

            As early as the middle ages, significant Christian accommodations to capitalism are evident, yet fully developed capitalism took much longer to mature.[5] Freedom and sufficiently secure property rights were necessary developments to sustain industry.[6] Industry, in turn, was a prerequisite for an economic system of production and distribution determined by supply and demand, as regulated by the motive of profit.[7] These factors finally aligned in England, the first country to industrialize.[8]

            Evangelicalism began and grew alongside industrial development. As a broad movement, four commonalities best define Evangelicalism: belief in supernatural experiential conversion, the Bible as a revelation from God, importance of missions and personal evangelism, and the saving character of Jesus’ death and resurrection.[9] These beliefs found traction in the Victorian era. Commenting on the psychological anxiety of the period, Deborah Gorham states, “Having produced industrial capitalism, the Victorians sought refuge from it."[10] Richard Bushman, considering the Great Awakening in New England, notes a similar trait; an increased desire for material wealth caused clashes with authority, yet the disturbance found resolve in the psychological appeasement of guilt, offered in God’s grace.[11] Bushman argues, “The idea that the law could not condemn if God justified contained the deepest meaning of the Awakening.”[12] In essence, a culmination of the reformation schism - between grace in justification, and behaviour in sanctification - occurred. Contemporarily this rift appears to have reached its nadir in the economic decisions of the 21^st century, as bailouts offer tangible grace for ghastly ethical behaviour, while consequence remains aloof.

Addressing this accusation of psychological appeasement, Mark Noll refers to Bruce Hindmarsh’s alternative perspective that psychological stability resulted from the promise of a direct experience of divine grace in a populace coming to terms with increased personal agency.[13] Robert Wauzzinski does not doubt the stability, but argues it is rooted in a deep-seated syncretism between Evangelicalism and industrialism. Optimism prevailed because “Evangelical-revivalism had come to a truncated view of human sin. Concomitantly, the scope of the Evangelical worldview was increasingly internalized and personalized, leaving it impotent to discover economic alternatives.”[14] In this truncation, industrialism filled the rest of the worldview; Evangelicalism offered the “supernatural, theological, moral and metaphysical categories”[15] while “industrialism comprised naturalistic, materialistic, ‘scientific,’ and mechanistic components.”[16] This unceremonious marriage is evident as “Revivalists and industrialists came to need each other; the former needed money, the latter legitimation.”[17] For example, George Whitefield worked in a “free-market ethos” adopting growth-based models of “save as many souls as possible.”[18] It was a marriage not meant to last.

The Spectrum

Craig Gay’s work With Liberty and Justice for Whom? articulates the contemporary divide within Evangelicalism, between right “liberty” capitalists and left “justice” critics. Whereas, “prior to 1890, economic individualism, success orientation, a strong work ethic...were advocated by almost all Protestant churchmen – both theologically liberal and theologically conservative,”[19] the present situation is a spectrum begun by the “‘left’ – that is, among those who identified capitalism as an economic system essentially at odds with Christian theology and ethics.”[20] Gay adds the sociological insight that the spectrum also corresponds to “class” divides, as those earning money via an education advantage, and a corresponding gradual secularization, principally make up the left.[21] The spectrum, however, largely still lies within liberalism; therefore, divisions are degrees to which capitalism or statism are to blame for economic woes.[22] A brief survey will assist in understanding the theological-political differences within this spectrum.

Right

The right, often proponents of Reaganomics, Friedmanomics, or “pure capitalism,” defend their positions with concepts of individual freedom and liberty. Jeffery Sachs is a contemporary example of this type of growth based, fair opportunity, economic theory.[23] This position is often defended by “Christian progress” historiography, such as that done by Rodney Stark. For example, “English capitalism could develop as it did only because the English enjoyed unparalleled levels of freedom. It was no coincidence that the nation with the longest tradition of individual liberty was the nation where invention and industry thrived.”[24] Accordingly, Christianity, freedom, and capitalism are essential for modernization.[25]

Center

The center position realizes capitalism’s strengths, but is wary of unrestrained capitalism. “Those in the center are primarily interested in determining just how much state intervention is necessary to correct the market failures that they feel have plagued modern societies and created situations of relative economic inequality and injustice.”[26] A contemporary example is Richard Bayer, as he offers a modified and nuanced free-market economy.[27]

Left

The left is often defined by its belief in the importance of the state for achieving justice. Free-market Keynesian economics and moderate-socialism typify this category. “The evangelical left’s basic criticism of capitalism is that it represents a comprehensive sociopolitical-economic system in which a small business elite exploits and oppresses the majority of people in modern societies.”[28] Thus, themes of justice are drawn upon in reaction to the oppression. Dambisa Moyo is a contemporary proponent of this “just” growth theory.[29]

Gay, reflecting upon this spectrum, deconstructs the defence of the various positions. He notes liberty, as claimed by the right, is often only freedom of the individual while not considering the collective.[30] Further, justice, as claimed by the left, is mainly defined as equal distribution rather than fair opportunity.[31] Thus, Gay states, “both the left and right fail to appreciate fully the character of modern capitalism. The left fails to appreciate the remarkable ability of capitalism to create wealth and hence alleviate poverty, and the right fails to appreciate the ability of capitalism to dissolve traditional culture and hence exacerbate spiritual poverty.”[32] Gay’s alternative is capitalism in which liberty limits oppression through balancing social, political, and economic power; love trumps justices; and implementation of Sabbath regulates greed.[33]

            At this point, many Evangelicals would agree that a more consistent application of these ideas ought to be the next step. However, a further complication is the mode of application, as there is no single agreed upon mode. Richard Niebuhr’s classic spectrum articulates the options: are Evangelicals to acquiesce, oppose, transcend, transform, or be in paradox with culture as they attempt to apply their ideas regarding capitalism?[34] Alternatively, some might desire a “biblical paradigm,” such as Lucien Legrand’s concept of a prophet-king tension, exhibited by Israel, as a means of offering a Christian perspective to capitalism.[35] Others, however, might invoke a “Jesus” paradigm, such as speaking prophetically to the culture from a sub-culture/minority position.[36] Frustratingly, these approaches did not prevent the current economic upheaval, as two decades have passed since Gay’s work. Has Gay’s advice simply gone unheard, or is there something deeper occurring?

A Materialist Insight

Far-Left

The collapse of the eastern block occurred almost twenty-five years ago; nevertheless far-left alternatives have not disappeared, instead they increasingly challenge the liberalist assumptions governing the above spectrum. Magazines such as Geez and Adbusters propagate radical alternatives; and movements such as “Occupy” have shaped political discourse worldwide, popularising the “99% vs. 1%.” Liberation theology continues to exist, despite Gay’s charge that it is “almost completely devoid of transcendence as traditionally understood.”[37] Furthermore, anarchist writers are being heard; such as Noam Chomsky, who re-interprets entire histories for instance the Cold War as a North-South oppression.[38] Other radical leftist, materialist thinkers deriving ethics from the Judaeo-Christian story, such as Slavoj Žižek and Peter Rollins, are gaining a voice within Emergent Christian circles, while criticising psychological appeasement.[39] The prevalence of these views begs the question, “what ought to be gleaned from these voices of dissent?”

            The far-left makes clear that materiality is missing from, and central to, the entire economic discussion. The environment has been the unspoken assumption; when considered, the environment makes serious claims against Evangelicalism and capitalism. Against Evangelicalism, it might be heard crying, “my guardian, my guardian, why have you forsaken me?” and to capitalism, “Let me produce this day your daily bread, for tomorrow you will ask again!” Thereby challenging Evangelicalism to break down its silos of thought, as economics cannot be divorced from environmental consideration. In the same way, grace must remain connected to ethics to prevent reductionist psychological appeasement.

            In response, the challenge is to begin re-imagining economic systems based on a more holistic worldview. Fortunately, not all segments of Evangelicalism have neglected the environment. There were early prophetic critiques that economic growth had no discernible limit without regulation by the environmental sciences.[40] Bill McKibben, for one, has pioneered environmental thinking, specifically around concepts of “enough” in contrast to growth.[41] More recently, environmental thinking has begun to emerge in critiques of consumption[42] and attempts to place “egalitarianism and ecological integrity more actively onto the political agenda.”[43] However, this environmental ethos has not inhabited the church in such a way as to revolutionize action.

A Renewed Theology

Paul Williams asserts that theology will subsequently shape ontology, epistemology, and politics; therefore, one must consider the heart of evangelical theology, the atonement.[44] Stephen Finlan, developing why atonement theories work psychologically, notes “the belief that nothing is free, that there must be give-and-take in the spiritual economy as there is in the material; [and] secondly, the intuition that ritual establishes order.”[45] Therefore, ritual must repeat to establish order, which can be observed in Evangelicalism by the repetitive focus on guilt followed by undeserved rescue.[46] Economic practices of the 21^st century subsequently follow the theology. Guilt based theories of atonement and capitalist transactions initially assume give-and-take; however, both when pushed to crisis transcend this economy, with humans always receiving more of the “take.” God’s grace will be sufficient; similarly, unlimited growth is possible (even if bailouts are required). One relieves psychological tension, while the other causes psychological anxiety (at least for those whom are aware of the materialist reminder that the earth is finite).

            Reflecting upon the rise of Evangelicalism as contemporaneous with bourgeoning capitalism, one can perceive how models and metaphors of the atonement became skewed. For example, George Whitefield’s capitalist drive to “save as many souls as possible” necessitated he utilize the most efficient metaphors of the atonement.[47] Thus, he capitalized on the psychological anxiety of the period; consequently, prioritizing guilt metaphors while demoting others. This lack of balance continues to plague Evangelicalism; for example, the Mennonite Brethren Conference of British Columbia continues to be divided over whether there is a “central” atonement theory, or a spectrum of metaphors without hierarchy.[48]

            Contemplating the current economic situation has revealed this underlying issue of unbalanced atonement metaphors. One method to resolve this is by changing the language used to communicate the atonement, from solely personal salvation to cosmos reconciliation. It is a pivotal change that follows biblical precedent, as the captivity letters accomplish this expansion of language to accommodate and communicate the gospel to a broader cosmology of “all things” (Col 1:17).[49]

Beginning with the atonement, evangelical theology should implement an environmental consciousness in other areas; thereby ensuring evangelical faith is not reduced to psychological appeasement. For example, the material nature of the fall could be highlighted. A material action, taking the fruit, had material consequences. Alternatively, the Psalms, in Brueggemann’s opinion, ought to be rediscovered, such as Psalm 104, in which the wicked whom do not care for the earth are threatened with death.[50] Finally, evangelical eschatology can be informed by other traditions such as the Eastern Orthodox, which has better preserved salvation as involving all of creation.[51]

            Is Evangelicalism worth a bailout? No, not if that means retaining the unsustainable status quo relationship with growth-capitalism. Is Evangelicalism worth re-imagining? Yes, once Evangelicals have thoroughly renewed their theology, they may be better adept at developing sustainable economic systems that bear in mind the finitude of the earth and the limitations of human economic transactions, while retaining liberty and justice. In this way, Evangelicalism has the opportunity to reclaim and define the material world, instead of letting it be defined by the industrial-capitalist ideology.

Conclusion

Evangelicalism and capitalism have had an insidious relationship, a consequence of their synchronized rise. At their nadir, they have been guilty of fiscal irresponsibility and unsustainable, growth-based economics supported by spiritualised psychological appeasement. Yet internal and external critiques have emerged, reminding Evangelicals to consider finite “this world” relationships. Thus, Evangelicalism has the opportunity to break from its uncritical wedlock to industrial-capitalism, re-imagine its theology in more holistic terms, and offer positive alternatives to the current economic and environmental crises.

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[1] E. F Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered (London: Abacus, 1974), 36.

[2] “Italy Seeks Path Out of Election Impasse,” Aljazeera English, February 26, 2013, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/02/2013226195420564530.html (accessed March 3, 2013).

[3] Jeff Masters, “January 2013 Earth’s 9th Warmest on Record; Category 2 Haruna Hits Madagascar,” Blog, Wunderground, February 22, 2013, http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2354 (accessed March 3, 2013).

[4] Jeff Masters and Angela Fritz, “Arctic Sea Ice Volume Now One-fifth Its 1979 Volume,” Blog, Wunderground, February 19, 2013, http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2352 (accessed March 1, 2013).

[5] Rodney Stark, The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success (New York: Random House, 2005), 63ff.

[6] Ibid., 153.

[7] “Capitalism,” Merriam Webster Dictionary, 2013, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitalism (accessed March 3, 2013).

[8] Stark, The Victory of Reason, 157.

[9] Mark A Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), 9.

[10] Deborah Gorham, The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982), 3–4.

[11] Richard L Bushman, From Puritan to Yankee: Character and the Social Order in Connecticut, 1690-1765 (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1970), 188–194.

[12] Ibid., 194.

[13] Mark A Noll, The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield, and the Wesleys (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 152–153.

[14] Robert A. Wauzzinski, Between God and Gold: Protestant Evangelicalism and the Industrial Revolution, 1820-1914 (Rutherford, N.J: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1993), 219.

[15] Ibid., 218.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid., 219.

[18] Mark A. Noll, ed., God and Mammon: Protestants, Money, and the Market, 1790-1860 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 238.

[19] Craig M. Gay, With Liberty and Justice for Whom? The Recent Evangelical Debate over Capitalism (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991), 10.

[20] Ibid., 22.

[21] Ibid., 177ff.

[22] Ibid., 114.

[23] Jeffrey Sachs, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (New York: Penguin Books, 2005).

[24] Stark, The Victory of Reason, 158. Emphasis added.

[25] Ibid., 233.

[26] Gay, With Liberty and Justice for Whom?, 160.

[27] Richard C. Bayer, Capitalism and Christianity: The Possibility of Christian Personalism (Washington, D.C: Georgetown University Press, 1999).

[28] Gay, With Liberty and Justice for Whom?, 66.

[29] Dambisa Moyo, Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009).

[30] Gay, With Liberty and Justice for Whom?, 222.

[31] Ibid., 226.

[32] Ibid., 115.

[33] Ibid., 225, 231, 236ff.

[34] H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture (San Francisco: Harper One, 2001).

[35] Lucien Legrand, The Bible on Culture: Belonging or Dissenting (Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 2000), 40.

[36] Ibid., 83ff; John Howard Yoder, The Priestly Kingdom: Social Ethics as Gospel (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984), 88.

[37] Gay, With Liberty and Justice for Whom?, 9.

[38] Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance (New York: Henry Holt, 2004), 70.

[39] Amirhosainsabeti, Zizek Lecture on Buddhism, “Buddhist Slavoj Zizek” Gangnam Style, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjhhHpCAXHM (accessed March 3, 2013); Peter Rollins, Crack House Church, 2013, http://www.atheismforlent.net/crack-house-church/ (accessed March 3, 2013).

[40] Schumacher, Small is Beautiful, 23.

[41] Bill McKibben, Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age (New York: Times Books, 2003).

[42] B. Goudzwaard, Hope in Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007).

[43] William E. Connolly, Capitalism and Christianity, American Style (Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), xi.

[44] Paul Williams, “Lord of the Sciences: Christianity and the Modern World” (Lecture, Christian Thought and Culture II, Regent College, Vancouver, BC, February 19, 2013).

[45] Stephen Finlan, Problems with Atonement: The Origins of, and Controversy About, the Atonement Doctrine (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2005), 80.

[46] Ibid., 82.

[47] Noll, God and Mammon, 238.

[48] J Janzen, “Deep Spirited Friends Conversation Reveals Deep-Seated Concerns,” Mennonite Brethren Herald (December 2010), http://www.mbconf.ca/home/products_and_services/resources/publications/mb_herald/december_2010/pe/friends/ (accessed March 1, 2013).

[49] Legrand, The Bible on Culture, 152ff; Brian J. Walsh, Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 226.

[50] Tripp Fuller and Bo Sanders, Brueggemann’s Guide to the Bible, Homebrewed Christianity, n.d., http://homebrewedchristianity.com/2012/11/10/brueggemanns-guide-to-the-bible/ (accessed March 3, 2013).

[51] Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, 2nd ed (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 118.