War by other means
In a conversation with a young friend, I was told that politics is the only way to get anything done. This is not true.
Politics — that is, the use of civil power — is a means to gain the upper hand in a Hobbesian struggle. It is war, fought by other means.
It is for that reason that politics is a questionable activity for Christians. The victories achieved are often brief and, depending on the opposition, only maintained by the continued use of force.
It is profoundly the case that civil or military force are not the tools of the Kingdom of God. It is among the many reasons that the Kingdom of God is not, and never can be, a human project.
Fr. Stephen Freeman, The Peaceable Kingdom in a World at War
The best reason yet to kick the news and opinion addiction.
Where did the schadenfreude go?
There’s something wrong with me (or is it “right with me”?). I waded into Kevin D. Williamson’s High Plains Grifter to wallow in schadenfreude at the self-inflicted wounds of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s about to get his comeuppance.
But I didn’t feel it. The schadenfreude wasn’t there, even though a corrupt top law enforcement officer is particularly odious.
What I felt was that Texas needs to remove this cancer from public office and the cancer needs to spend the rest of his life in repentance — as do we all.
TEC
[T]he Episcopal Church across centuries served as America’s religious finishing school, educating our leaders, and providing liturgies for our national life.
For most of my life, I operated an analytical view toward churches’ doctrines, and the waffling of the Episcopalians vexed me sorely. In recent years, they’ve vexed me by waffling on human sexuality.
But I’ve also come to appreciate the beauty of Anglican worship. I’m glad some of our solemn national moments are enacted or remembered in the National Cathedral in DC, and are done with Anglican dignity. Gone is my youthful contempt for civil religion.
I also no longer shake my head in bafflement when some doctrinally conservative sort leaves Evangelicalism for the ECUSA. It may be less than ideal (or may not), but I don’t doubt that the dignified Episcopal service is more nourishing than the gimmickry of many Evangelical Churches.
(But what do I know about typical Evangelical Churches today? I barely pay attention to the televised ones, and they’re probably not typical.)
Creative investigations of decency, virtue, and goodness
How many more novels, TV shows, and movies do we need exploring yet another flavor of badness, charting yet another journey of self-destruction, physical or moral or both? It’s like … yeah, I get it! This kind of work might have been revelatory once; that time has passed. Too often (and here I’ll get extra-ornery) the creative cover story that goes “I’m interested in these deeply flawed characters … I like writing about broken people” is simply an excuse to revel in depictions of violence — physical or moral or both.
I believe it is time, instead, for creative investigations of decency, virtue, and goodness. If that sounds boring: yes! That’s why the project is needed! Let’s learn how to render complex and compelling the characters who are trying their best to live correctly — and sometimes, gasp, even succeeding.
I’ve newly subscribed to Robin Sloan’s newsletter on the concurring praise of several cyber-friends. His point here is solid — but not exactly original. It’s a notorious fact that it’s much harder for a writer to create a compelling portrayal of goodness than a compelling portrayal of evil. Why that should be so is above my pay grade.
A fundamental reality of human existence is that vice often leaves virtue with few good options. Evil men can attach catastrophic risks to virtually any course of action, however admirable.
You can read most of my more impromptu stuff here (cathartic venting) and here (the only social medium I frequent, because people there are quirky, pleasant and real). Both should work in your RSS aggregator, like Feedly or Reeder, should you want to make a habit of it.
Tipsy Teetotaler ن 