Cling To Your Idealism - Part 1

A couple of years ago, I was talking with a colleague of mine about some difficulties I was having in my church. One of the issues concerned prophetic statements I had made about health care and some other social issues. My friend concluded that the conflict was in large part a spillover from the angry national political climate, but he also placed some of the responsibility on my shoulders - observing that even in my late 30s, I am still quite the idealist.

He was quick to qualify his charge, saying that idealism can be a very good thing - but the implication was clear. Idealism is something that is fine for students in a classroom theorizing about changing the world; but real people out in the real world, and especially pastors, need to get over it if they want to avoid trouble and get anywhere.

In my time in the church and in politics, I have seen many people “get over” their idealism. From seminary classmates with whom I shared pitchers of beer and dreams of a social justice movement in the church; to fellow ministers who have been slowly seduced by the allure of bigger steeples; to partners in political blogging who transformed from bold critics of the system to dependents on the status quo – in all of these, the basic pattern is the same.

Grow up. Go to school. Come to understand the evils of the world and its systemic nature. Develop big dreams and plans for changing the world. Graduate. Go out into the world. Realize that changing the system is a lot more difficult than anticipated. Watch a lot of friends and colleagues do well by abandoning their idealism and conforming to the system. Watch a few struggle painfully by continuing to fight the system.

Ultimately, the process forces young idealists into a difficult choice. In the movie “The Rainmaker,” the rookie lawyer played by Matt Damon asks the grizzled veteran who defends a criminal corporation, “Do you even remember when you first sold out?” What he’s really asking is if the lawyer made a conscious choice to abandon the principles of his youth, or he if he just woke up one day and realized he had drifted away from them.

My sense is that most ministers who lose their idealism drift away. They might not even realize it is gone, thinking they are still fighting for those same lofty principles they developed in seminary. But bit by bit, they might soften their language from the pulpit and edit their words in the newsletter. They might shy away from the challenging programs and study topics, instead making choices that are less controversial and more popular. Slowly but surely, they become cogs in the system they once decried, and they come up with a variety of justifications for why they shouldn’t pursue a bolder, more prophetic style of ministry.

In the next installment of “Cling To Your Idealism,” I’ll unpack some of these justifications, and I’ll examine some ways in my own ministry I have felt the temptation to abandon the lofty ideals of my youth.

It's Time For The Circus To Leave Town

When I was kid, back before animal rights was even a consideration, the circus was the most exciting event that came to town. There was so much to see and enjoy – the elephants and tigers, the acrobats and trapeze artists, the clowns and the funnel cakes. When that big tent went up next to the Civic Center, we all knew that we were in for a once-a-year treat.

Well now that we’re facing this national debt/credit crisis, and now that the 2012 election is finally getting into gear, we all have a front row seat for the circus that is American politics. But before we take our seats to enjoy the greatest show on earth, please consider this: It’s been fun, but it’s time for the circus to leave town. There’s a reason that it only stays in one place for a few days at a time, and that’s because it doesn’t take long for the fun and excitement to wither. Then, we see the circus for what it really is - a noisy, smelly, unsightful mess - and we’re grateful when it moves on to the next city.

When it comes to politics and the media coverage of politics, the American people have had enough of the circus, too. No more tricks and illusions. No more annoying donkeys and bloated elephants who can only seem to stink up the place. No more clowns who only play to the audience and ignore the real issues. It’s time to send all three rings, and the media that encourages them, packing.

I think we can all agree on that it’s time for the circus to go. The only question, is, what does this mean? How do we get our politicians and the media focused on what matters?

A) Throwing out the elephants and the donkeys by supporting a viable third party
B) Reshaping the existing parties from within from cultivating better candidates
C) Working to change the electoral system to allow for more choices and
less corporate influence
D) None of the above. Politics and the media will never change. The
solutions will come by changing people’s hearts and minds through other
avenues.
E) Who cares? I just want another funnel cake.

Left vs. Right Does Not Define Us

Back in June, I went to the graduation ceremony at the local public elementary school. One of the teachers, who happens to be a member of my church and a card-carrying Republican, spoke briefly of a new after-school program that she has helped initiate. It is designed for children who are in danger of not having the basic skills necessary to begin first grade - a type of program that is quite common around the nation, but that had been sorely lacking in this rural Virginia county.
I was choking back tears as this teacher called about two dozen children to the stage – most of them from desperately poor African American families – and presented them with hugs and certificates. Knowing that she also invests a considerable amount of her personal time making home visits and tutoring these students, it dawned on me what a significant difference she makes in the lives of young children who have an incredible number of obstacles thrown between themselves and academic success.

This remarkably dedicated kindergarten teacher reminds us of how incomplete and misleading the typical left vs. right dichotomy can be. It would be easy to consider her Republican voting record and her conservative views on issues such as abortion, gay rights, and gun control, and to conclude she has little in common with folks on the left. From this, it would be easy to assume that, like some Republicans, she takes a “blame the poor” attitude toward poverty issues and has little compassion for those who are suffering in this economic crisis. Because of such stereotyping, it would be easy to ignore the fact that she is dedicating her life to helping poor children in a woefully underfunded public school system.

Those of us who get pigeonholed into easy categories of left/right and Democrat/Republican often fail to see the common bonds we share with our so-called political enemies. We cannot allow differences on a handful of “hot-button” issues to be exploited by those with political agendas and ambitions. If people of good will and legitimate concern for the common welfare continue to beat up one another based on these outdated categories, more sinister forces that have no concern for the people or no particular stake in partisan politics will further consolidate their power.

A prime example of this sinister tactic is the recent attack on teachers’ unions in many states. In this budget crisis, in what should be a time for the people to rally around its education system and proclaim that it is always a top priority, we have allowed partisan politicians trying to increase their own power to bitterly divide us. People who care deeply about the same thing have been duped into throwing stones at one another, to the great detriment of our nation’s children. Shame on them, and shame on us for taking the bait.

So before you place yourself in staunch opposition to someone because of who they voted for or how they feel about one of those wedge issues, please consider the deeper, non-partisan values that might be shared. Both sides might be surprised if we can steer the conversation away from the oppositionalism that is consistently fed to us. “Seek common ground” is not a naïve, pie-in-the sky slogan. It might be our only hope.