Occasional Opinions Coming!

And links about the crisis of faith.

Writers live by hope.  We always imagine that the next book or the next essay will take us even higher up the ladder of success.  Success for some is financial reward.  For others, it’s becoming a person of increasing influence.  For others still, it’s about making a difference in the world.  I’ll admit to being motivated by all three, in varying degrees.

I am grateful that I have had modest success in all these ways.  I am no longer motivated by financial reward—just enough to pay for expenses is recently all I sought. I know that without a grand title like editor-in-chief, I am no longer a person of influence—and that’s fine with me.  That was both a blessing and a curse, to be honest.  

When it comes to the third motive, I have no doubt I still have something to contribute. I still believe that today’s culture and current Christianity are skating on thin intellectual and spiritual ice, and that the gospel has the power to turn that around. And I think I am one voice that can speak into that.  Whether it will make a difference—maybe here and there, one can hope.

I’m not the only voice trying to do this.  But the older I am—turning 72 later in the month—the more I identify with the writer of Ecclesiastes: There often seems to be nothing new under the sun, and nothing much to say that I haven’t already said. Then again, I had a friend in publishing tell me that is true of most writers: We have but one or two themes that engage us, and we keep coming back to those.

Given that there is less and less that is new under the sun—at least to me!—I write this just to say that I am reconceiving this newsletter less as a weekly or bi-weekly offering and more as an occasional publication.  As the muse, or Spirit, prompts.

That being the case, I will stop monthly payments of paying subscribers, and see about getting Substack to give a prorated refund to those who signed up for a year.  I’ve appreciated the support, and it has helped pay bills associated with the regular writing and publishing of this newsletter. But it doesn’t seem right to encourage paid subscriptions when I can’t promise a regular publication schedule. 

I have been a fortunate writer to be able to have readers who care about the things I care about, and who encourage me and support my work.  That has been a great blessing in my life. So thank you!

What am I going to do the weeks I don’t feel the muse?  There is the wife, three children, and 8 grandchildren.  There is the handyman demands of my nine apartments (which, you might find surprising, I get great satisfaction from). There is drawing and painting (a creative outlet taken up in retirement).  There is volunteer work in church and community.  And there is my wife’s ever lengthening honey-do list.

So I won’t be reclining in my La-Z-Boy watching golf.  At least not as much as I’d like to….

Whatever Happened to Christian Faith?

I wanted to send these links and commentary last week, but family events got in the way.  Better late than never.

Why As Few As 5% Of Americans Attend Church Each Week by Paul Prather at Religion Unplugged.  Prather, a Pentecostal pastor in Kentucky, summarizes a Washington Post piece on religious diversity in America.  That piece is not free, so Prather’s summary is a gift, if a sobering one.

Its most startling takeaway: Although 21% to 24% of us say we regularly attend religious services, research tracking people’s actual behavior shows that in fact the number may be as low as 5%. (Regular attendance is defined in the Post article as going to services at least three out of four weeks.)

In this respect, we swim in the same waters as Europe—drowning in secularization and paganization.  There was recent controversy over the supposed drag queen version of DaVinci’s The Last Supper at the opening of the Olympics. In a belated apology, the creators said they meant no harm to religious people, and some observers see more of a likeness to The Feast of the Gods. See the comparison for yourself and decide.   

Even if it’s a take on The Feast of the Gods, it’s hardly better.  As one commentator put it: 

Offensive to many, indeed, but, frankly some of the other drag queen dancing in the program was more immorally suggestive than this fashion “table.” For me, the camera move and what came next in the “festivite” scene reveals more of the producer’s intentions than any still moment. 

Some over-reaction–condemnations came fast and furious when it was thought to be an imitation of The Last Supper. Unfortunately that includes normally thoughtful and irenic people like Bishop Robert Barron and Pope Francis. 

But one person at least went beyond the controversy to take us deeper into DaVinci’s iconic painting:   The Painting Behind the Olympic Scandal: 5 Spiritual Features of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Jonathan Leidl offers this analysis to encourage greater devotion to the Eucharist—a very Catholic thing.  But you don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate the many salient features of this famous painting that point us to the heart of the gospel.

I suspect one reason the world doesn’t take our faith seriously is, well, because we don’t—or at least we appear not to. This satirical piece by Anthony Esolen drives home the point beautifully: If All Are Saved, What Happens to the Drama of Life?

It’s formally about universalism, but you’ll see as you get into it, it seems to be mostly about how we (and I include myself in this “we”) are sorely tempted to make Jesus just a really nice guy, so that he’ll be more attractive to a skeptical world.  Opening example:

“Lord,” said the repentant thief on the cross, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Jesus. “Your life was not important. You and the other fellow both will be with me today in Paradise.”

Read it in full. It’s a gentle reminder that perhaps people might be more attracted to truth with all it’s hard edges than we might imagine.

Grace and peace,

Mark

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.