Sesame Street & Contextualization

Some time ago, Ryan and I Netflixed the documentary The World According to Sesame Street.  When I opened the red and white envelope and saw the title, I assumed that my (then) soon-to-be-husband, knowing my love of all things Muppets, picked out some impossibly cute children’s programming that would surely take my mind off of impending finals and wedding planning.

Instead, what he got was a documentary following how Sesame Street translates into different countries and continents.

Unlike much of American television, which is syndicated, dubbed, and shipped overseas, Sesame Street reflects the culture in which it’s broadcast.  The “fundamentals” are the same-muppets and human beings cohabitate peacefully in a neighborhood, reading, spelling, and celebrating numbers while teaching and learning lessons of mutual respect and understanding.  Sesame Street is no urban utopia, but does offer a model of what can truly occur when community is a truth recognized.

For example, in Mexico, Sesame Street is called “Plaza Sesamo.”  Instead of our familiar Big Bird, the 6-foot high yellow bird, the resident avian is a quetzal-a colorful bird featured prominently in Aztec folklore.  Some segments from the American Sesame Street are translated into Spanish, but generally, the show produces its own unique content.

In South Africa, where the AIDS crisis is the blight of a generation, the show features a muppet who is HIV-positive.  Our own American context, so sanitized that even our pencils contain anti-microbial material, may find such a character appalling and indeed, when news broke of this unique puppet, many Christian conservatives objected loudly.  However, in a country where most children have been directly affected by HIV/AIDS, it is appropriate to feature a muppet who represents a societal norm.

Examples of the contextualizations of Sesame Street could fill several blog posts.  Sesame Street is seen in over 140 countries around the world, ranging from Indonesia to Russia to France and everywhere in between.

I wonder, then, in a world where the North American church struggles to be “relevant” in today’s society, what it would look like if we were to take a cue from Sesame Street and focus on the contextualization of our worshipping communities?

What would happen if local churches quit trying to be “something they’re not” and instead, embraced their unique ideological worldview?

Among the numerous lessons taught by Big Bird and Co., Sesame Street has shown that it is possible to stay true to a set-format while adapting that format to fit the needs of a specific context.  Although, in the past I have critiqued the Emerging Church, contextualization seems to be one area in which the movement excels.

So how shall we model ourselves after Sesame Street?

• Make worship understandable and accessible in a way that makes sense to its community.
• …but that doesn’t mean “dumbing down”-Sesame Street continues to teach letters and numbers, knowing that education is achieved through repetition
• Structure a worshiping community that is responsive to the needs of its immediate context. In other words, if your neighbors are shoeless, don’t give them bananas. Take care of the pressing needs first; worries about bananas later.
• Use a language that is easily comprehended. Explain words and concepts foreign to the local vernacular. Translate as necessary.
• View tradition through the lens of the present. While the content of Sesame Street has changed, the tradition-the basic format-has not.
• Celebrate personal cultural identity while celebrating the cultural identity of others.

…and you thought all Sesame Street taught was letters and numbers!

Paul Simon Lyric du Jour

Submitted for your approval: the Paul Simon lyric for Friday, September 19, 2008:

“You take two bodies and you twirl them into one
Their hearts and their bones
And they won’t come undone”

from “Hearts and Bones”

Music Meme

1. Of all the bands/artists in your record collection, which one do you own the most albums by?

Paul Simon, both as a solo artist and with his collaborations with Art Garfunkel.  That, and Mozart symphonies, operas, and concerti.

2. What was the last song you listened to?

Hmmm…not sure, because my iPod playlist was on shuffle.  The last one I remember was Toot and the Maytels cover of “Country Roads, Take me Home.”

3. What’s in your record/CD player right now?

Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” by Beethoven, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.  [I love how Bernstein conducts Beethoven!  Beethoven and Copeland especially.  The sound is so...clean, so passionate]

4. What song would you say sums you up? “I wanna be sedated,” by the Ramones.  (Ha! just kidding!  Only on my most pessimistic of days).  Another toughie.  Maybe “The Tide is High,” by Blondie.

5. What’s your favorite local band? Foscoe Jones at the Distractions!  They played at our wedding reception.

6. What was the last show you attended? Robert Earl Keen at La Zona Rosa in Austin, TX.

7. What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to? It’s dorky, so I’m just going to “name it and claim it.”  Weird Al Yankovic-the Running with Scissors Tour.  Seriously, the dude puts on an incredible show.  Nothing like singing along with your nerdy band of brothers.

8. What’s the worst band you’ve ever seen in concert? Probably any of the Christian rock groups that I saw when I was but a youth, growing up in the Texas Panhandle.  Just about any concert that includes an altar call is awesomely bad.

9. What band do you love musically but hate the members of? Not sure…I’ll get back to you.

11. What show are you looking forward to? Don’t have any yet; maybe somebody cool is coming to Louisville soon.

12. What is your favorite band shirt? My Social Distortion T that says, “Viva Social Distortion!” and has their skeleton logo wearing a serape and a sombrero.  It’s awesome; I wear it especially on Dia de los muertos and Cinco de Mayo.  .

13. What musician would you like to hang out with for a day? Paul Simon.  Or possibly Elvis Costello.

14. What musician would you like to be in love with for a day? Paul Simon or Bono from US (with apologies to my husband…he knows that my loyalties to him are occassionally divided….)

15. Commodores or solo Lionel Ritchie? Commodores.

16. Punk rock, hip hop or heavy metal? Punk, especially punk from the late 1970’s.

17. Name 4 flawless albums:

Paul Simon- Graceland
U2- The Joshua Tree.  [I don't care if it's cliche...]
Smashing Pumpkins- Meloncollie and the Infinite Sadness.  The defining album of my adolescence.

Who- Who’s Next?

18. Did you know that filling out this survey makes you a music geek? It’s not that geeky.  Now, if it had been some kind of opera/classical music survey, that would catapult it into the music geek stratosphere.

19. What was the greatest decade for music? I’m siding with Coffeepastor on this one, who says, so eloquently and succinctly: “1966-76. That covers The Beatles’ studio stuff, vintage Zeppelin and The Who, and Dark Side of the Moon, among other things.”

20. How many music-related videos/dvds do you own? One (U2: Live at Slaine Castle)

21. What is your favorite movie soundtrack? Hmmm…that’s a toughie….probably a toss-up between “Kill Bill: Vol. 1″ and “The Darjeeling Limited”

27. What was your last musical ‘phase’ before you wised up? Aerosmith. Late 1970’s Aerosmith is ok; most anything in the 90’s is crap.

28. What’s the crappiest CD/record/etc. you’ve ever bought? I’m pretty picky with my CD purchases these days; probably any of the pop music I purchased in the 90’s, including, but not limited to, Hootie and the Blowfish, Ace of Base, Backstreet Boys…

29. Do you prefer vinyl or CDs? Vinyl–despite it’s drawbacks, the sound quality is more raw, more emotional; it’s the Maria Callas of music mediums (or the Buzzcocks, to draw another analogy). There’s something we miss without the snap, crackles, and pops of vinyl.

Render Unto Caesar

Ok boys and girls-let’s step into the “Wayback” machine and travel across the distant spectrum of time to that fabled year of renewal and hope.

It’s the fall of 1992.

Imagine you are the progeny of liberal democrats living, like proverbial fish out its aquarium, in a land filled with conservative republicans.  Forced, like our ancestors, to sing our songs in an strange land, it is the curse of a diasporal Democrat to sit and weep, remembering Zion (or, in our case, Camelot).   Yet our family kept the hope alive, placing Clinton/Gore signs in our yard, replacing them with haste when our signs suffered vandalism or outright theft.

My go-to-accessory (keeping in mind that I was in the 5^th grade) was a Hillary Clinton button, worn proudly on the upper-right shoulder of my sweater vest.    I watched Murphy Brown.  I listened to my parents talk politics at the dinner table and spouted off my political arguments, learned by rote, to my un-enlightened schoolyard mates.  Hell, I even dreamed of running for president myself, hoping to be the first female to do so, but also wishing that a female would fill those shoes long before I came of age.  I also knew, being of good Presbyterian stock, that Jesus loved everybody, but probably had a preferential option for the poor and those who vote a straight Democratic ticket.

Sixteen years later, I’ve traded a Hillary button for a Barack button, and politics continue to inspire and infect my general psyche.  Murphy Brown has been replaced by Jon Stewart.  For more serious political commentary, I trust Gwen Ifel and the NPR gang of political correspondents.  I attend Sunday morning worship, but not without getting a quick fix from my friends at Meet the Press.  My parents and I exchange political bon mots via telephone or email; this time, I am more a participant, and less an observer, though much of their political insight and wisdom infuses my own ideology.

And yet, armed with a Master degree in Divinity and the quasi-religious paranoia that accompanies such an academic distinction, I watch and read elections news with less of an enthusiastic eye than I possessed four, eight, 12, even 16 years ago.   Scripture reminds us that powers and principalities ultimately fail us.  The greatest and most godly of Biblical kings and rulers screwed-up royally (pun intended).  In one of the first references of separation of church and state, Jesus instructs us to “render unto Ceasar’s/U.S. Government/NATO, etc. what is ‘Caesar’s’ and render unto God what is God’s.”  We have  a duty, as citizens of our respective governments, to abide by the laws and the agreed upon social contract.  The understanding is that, by paying our taxes to Caesar, we are fulfilling our obligation, we are living into an economic exchange.  Rendering to God, however, tends to be more problematic.

Therefore, as excited as I am about unilateral change in society, I know that nothing  ever really…changes.  Humans are still fallen, totally depraved.  No government can be perfect as long as imperfect human beings are in charge.

Which is why Jesus cautions us against trusting in earthly powers.

But herein lies my struggle.  What role, if any, does Christianity play into our politics? Can we truly “render” separately, or will the left hand continue to know what the right hand is doing, to mix my biblical allusions?  How can we claim to be Christian and participate in politics?  If our call is to be both “of the world and in the world,” can we do both and be faithful members of the Body of Christ?

In my last post, I referenced a blog written by one religious leader who balances the line between religion and politics.  Jim Wallis writes:

“On Nov. 4, Christians will not be able to vote for the kingdom of God. It is not on the ballot. Yet there are very important choices to make that will significantly impact the common good and the health of this nation — and of the world. So we urge our Christian brothers and sisters to exercise their crucial right to vote and to apply their Christian conscience to those decisions. And in the finite and imperfect political decisions of this and any election, we promise to respect the Christian political conscience of our brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Wallis hits it right on-”we are not voting for the kingdom of God,” despite what many religious leaders may say.  Ultimately, we have a responsibility to Caesar and to our communities.  We owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to vote for socially-conscious leaders and policies.  The responsibility to God and God’s Kingdom, is to act when Caesar’s policies fall woefully short of God’s love.  Remember that God calls us to rend our hearts (not our garments) and to render our hearts, as well.

“Just Biden Time”/ “Palin” Comparison

With his usual wisdom and insight, Jim Wallis has written the following blog post concerning the current election hoopla and the Christian response.  In a world where derision and cynicism tends to be normative, Wallis is a beacon of hope, optimism, and reason.

Click here to read the post.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much

Today began as most days do in the Kemp-Pappan household.  Awakened by the melodious tones of NPR Morning Edition, I shuffled into the bathroom, showered, and continued somnambulating towards the kitchen.  I flipped open the lid to the coffee maker and discovered, to my befuddlement, a pristine, yet empty, coffee filter.

“Sweetheart, were you making coffee?” I inquired.

“Yes, but I couldn’t find any.”

Shit.  Reality, like cold water thrown upon you in the shower, assaulted my senses.  “Shit.  We ran out yesterday.  I totally forgot.  Dammit.”

“Maybe we should ask Obama to help us…”

So I finished getting ready, a little cranky, a little edgy, but not devastated-luckily, the bus drops me off downtown near a Starbucks.  It’s a half-block out of the way of my usual morning jaunt to work, but the small inconvenience means nothing to a caffeine junkie in serious need of her fix.  I plunked down a $1.86 for a grande breakfast blend, threw in a tablespoon of half and half, and continued on my merry way.

Downtown Louisville in the hazy early morning sun is one of my favorite places to walk.  Women and men hurrying to work crowd crosswalks and sidewalks, some wearing the professional garb of a cubicle worker, some wearing uniforms and nametags, some in casual wear-jeans, sneakers, t-shirt.

On days I arrive at work via the Starbucks route, I pass near-of all places-a women’s “surgical center,” a euphemism for an abortion clinic.  And, on these mornings, I also pass by persons protesting said clinic.  It’s not the kind of protest you see on the news-no picket signs or billboards with graphic images-just three or four older adults standing outside, holding rosaries, praying, and passing out pamphlets.  Occasionally, a car is parked in front with a billboard proclaiming that “abortion is murder,” but that’s usually the extent of the inflammatory rhetoric.

Today it looked as those these protestors were handing out yellow-colored pamphlets which I could only assume gave theological arguments against the practice of abortion.  For a moment, I considered walking up to these individuals in order to hear their spiel and read their pamphlet, but changed my mind and continued towards my place of employment.  As I crossed the intersection, I turned and smiled, impressed by the diligence of these most tenacious persons.

Politically and logistically, I could not disagree more with the message of this protestors.  And yet, I admired their discipiline, their dedication, their passion.  At 7:35 A.M., these persons were assembled in what appeared to be a peaceful protest, working for something they believe in.  Have I ever stood in protest at an early hour for a cause?  No.  Have I ever passed out fliers or tracts?  Have I ever gone door-to-door?  Have I ever put my Self out there, “naked,” vulnerable, unflinching, unwavering? No. No. No.

Clearly, these protesters believe they are fulfilling their call to work for God’s love and justice in the world by potentially swaying young women from entering the clinic.  I would imagine that they view their work as ministry and witness, both to passer-bys and to their target audience.

The point is not their message [not today, anyway.  I have a whole soapbox speech about what it means to be "pro-life," but we're not going there today.]  The point is their action.  Protesting, in their opinion, is another way to work towards the Kingdom of God.  And that leads me to wonder:  where does the act of protest fit into our call to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God?”  And what is our duty if we witness a protest for a cause that we believe is incongruous to the Biblical message?   How can (or can we) protest civilly in a pluralistic society?

If a local business does not pay its employees a fair wage, for example, is it our duty as Christians to protest?  Or are we too concerned with not raising a scene, not drawing undue attention to ourselves?   As children, many of us were scolded in church for making noise or squirming in the pew.  Perhaps a well-meaning grandmother pinched the back of our arms in a subtle yet potent demonstration of the need to act decently and orderly while worshipping.

Maybe, then, it’s time for us adults to re-teach ourselves that its ok and permissible to, at times, utilize our first amendment rights and raise our voices in respectful, peaceful, but vociferous discontent.  Perhaps we, as Presbyterians, ought to be better about discerning when it is appropriate to make a scene, make a fuss, clang gongs, bang drums, call attention to an injustice.  We are quick to protest with our pocketbooks but less likely to publicly demonstrate our dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Just some thoughts on this Friday.  Peace to all

In Your Face(Book)

When it comes to FaceBook, the latest internet sensation, people either 1) have a facebook account or 2) don’t know what FaceBook is. Most of my friends have a Facebook and even the most stodgy of internet purists eventually partake of this most seductive of Lotus blossoms. Having eaten of its petals, they are powerless to return home again.

Like anything produced by the Web, FaceBook has its share of supporters and haters, though, in my experience, the strongest critics of this social network are, generally, users themselves. Socially, FaceBook raises some unique problems: does it increase isolationism? Does it promote shallow relationships, rather than the intimacy of community? Is it the opiate of the masses, or a luxury for those with steady internet access?

Theologically, the questions remain just as complex: Does FaceBook, with its non-confrontational premise, relieve us of our obligation to the Other? Is FaceBook merely another tool of the devil designed to distract humans from doing, loving, and walking humbly with their God? Or, as my inner Calvinist wonders, is FaceBook another addition to the pantheon of false idols to whom we regularly pray, co-existing jovially with its cousins Money, Power, Wealth, Fame?

I suppose that, like most other human inventions, FaceBook is neither good nor bad, angelic nor demonic. It simply exists, somewhere in that purgatory of human ingenuity where the good and bad qualities, unfortunately, cancel each other out.

One of the best facets of this technological neural network is they way it can reach across distance and “eons,” bringing people together who have been separated by time and re-location. For instance, occasionally, a friend requests bursts forth from someone whom I haven’t seen since high school. Old friends from Primary years also appear, as do people from various, often fleeting, phases in our lives. Maybe an old boyfriend/girlfriend re-appears, or a distant connection with a friend long-lost is re-kindled.

A surprising of FaceBook is its ability to resurrect the past. People whom we thought were “dead,” or forever lost to myth and memory re-emerge, and our past reaches up to our present. It’s exciting, terrifying, and heart-wrenching. Nostalgia commences and we remember people, places, events. Whether or note to actually re-connect with the person is not important; in fact, most FaceBook friends do not, in my experience, demand a lot of attention. Instead, we are simply content to know that they are there, these shadows from the past, these resurfaced memories.

FaceBook, whether it realizes it or not, taps in to the basic human fear of forgetting. We do not want to be forgotten. We also, most of the time, do not want to forget those whom we have had a relationship with. A social network allows those threads of connectivity, even if they are as gossamer, to bind us together and we believe, with enough threads, that we will one day be able to weave a blanket and wrap ourselves with the idea that we have not been forgotten by those we have cherished.

A downside, naturally, is that FaceBook might not let us forget. A friend request may appear from a person who has hurt us. We may be reminded of ways we have hurt others.

I worry that too much nostalgia may do us more harm, than good. Old friends are often not forgotten, but there are instances when too much remembering may prevent us from moving onward to the next phase of life.

Enough for now; time to go change my FaceBook status.

PresbyMeme II

Ryan tagged me for this meme and, like the Dude, I must abide:

The Rules // Presbymeme II

• in about 25 words each, answer the following five questions;
• tag five presbyterian [or UCC, ELCA, RCA, or Disciples] bloggers and send them a note to let them know they were tagged;
• be sure to link to this original post, leave a comment or send a trackback to this post so others can find you;

The Questions // Presbymeme II

1. What is your favorite faith-based hymn, song, or chorus?

Completely unfair to ask a music major her favorite hymn–I could easily provide a list, subcategorized into hymn tune name, genre, musical era.  Favorite German chorale tune: Herzliebster Jesu.  Favorite arranger of American Folk hymnody: Robert Shaw.  Favorite composer of modern American hymns: Hal Hopson.

But then, I’d just be showing off…

I suppose, if you twisted my arm and tickled my left foot just around where my big toe intersects the sole, I’d admit my favorite is hymn tune Lobet den Herrn (“Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”).  The song has it all: great tune, great theology (“shelter’s thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth.  Has thou not see how thy desires e’re have been granted by what he ordaineth?).  Love the feminine imagery (mother hen), love that red thread of providence.  Eveything a good Calvinist Presbyterian could want or love.

2. What was the context, content and/or topic of the last sermon that truly touched, convicted, inspired, challenged, comforted and/or otherwise moved you?

Being in seminary means that, as a student, you have the good fortune to be exposed to decent, if not excellent preaching on a semi-regular basis.  The best sermons are the ones that pull you out of that silent, quasi judgemental critiquing mode (“seriously? you call that a transition?” “a golf joke?  how cliche!”  “Her 3 sub-points seemed more like three sub-sermons”) and draw you into that sacred, silent space of worship.

I know I have sat through dozens of sermons that left me blinky-eyed and momentarily convicted.

But one of the last truly great sermons I had the pleasure of hearing was at the funeral of our dear friend, mentor, and colleague, Stan Hall.  The sermon delivered at the service was preached by Stan’s close friend, David Johnson, one of the great orators who has that effortless ability to weave story, humor, and profound theological reflection.

Way over the word limit here; the next few answers will be brief.

3. If you could have all Presbyterians read just one of your previous posts, what would it be and why?

Not sure.  I could point to some of my old posts at the former blog, but that feels like cheating.  With luck, I will produce something of literary and theological value at some point that I, in a moment of over-bearing hubris, will demand the entire denomination read.  Today is not that day…

4. What are three PC(USA) flavored blogs you read on a regular basis?

The Fettered Heart

Tribal Church

A Church for Starving Artists

5.  If the PC(USA) were a movie, what would it be and why?

Apocalypse Now?  Just kidding…

Tag: Monica, Carrie, Kendra, Philip

Back in the Saddle Again…

Career comebacks are not just limited to Patrick Dempsey and David Hasselhoff: my friends, I welcome you to the New, Improved, Blog! The first blog was brilliant but albeit short-lived, much like the original seasons of Star Trek. Think of this blog as a souped-up, shiny, reincarnation of the first blog–the Star Trek:TNG of blogs, as it were. In keeping with the spirit and integrity of the first blog, this new blog is a “continuing mission…to explore strange, new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no blog has gone before!”

And, having made references not only to McDreamy and the Hoff but also to Star Trek, I have now revealed my extreme level of dorkitude.

Anyway.

This blog, entitled “Hymns and Needles” will explore my two great passions: theology and knitting. There are great blogs about theology. There are great blogs about knitting. This blog is the hybrid of the two and will seek to explore theology, liturgy, knitting, and everything in between. It will also most likely host a bunch of pop-culture references and the occasional Paul Simon lyric. That’s just how I roll..

Some topics and weekly updates will include:

1) Adventures in Public Transportation. Because I ride the bus to/from work. In Kentucky. Wackiness ensues.

2) The Paul Simon Lyric du Jour.

3) Needle Sharing, in which I pontificate on the latest knitting project.

4) Theological Musings, in which I put my seminary degree to use.

5) Miscellaneous topics, including but not limited to, the Presbyterian Church, cats, Desperate Housewives, love letters to Bono, reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, sermon, sermon outlines, sermon illustrations, double predestination…

****

And so it begins, as all journeys must, with but a single step. Engage!