I have not used the powerful platform of this blog to advocate for a particular political candidate. But this weekend I discovered that there is an alternative candidate that the liberal media has not been covering. Even worse, this candidate, whom many of you know and love, has run before. If you Google the name of his movement, "Jesus for President," you will find that as long ago as 2000 (remember the turn of the millenium?), this good man was a candidate. He and his surrogates have been using YouTube as a medium for getting out the message (a problem for them back in 2000), and if you want to see more of the campaign and its message, go to YouTube and search for "Jesus for President." I think you will realize, as I have, that the answer to our nation's problems is right in front of us.
Here (below) is one of the most effective of the campaign's video spots. In it, the Son of God appears as himself, most surprising, perhaps, for his choice of clothing. It looks like a Christmas sweater from his mom. But the message is one we all need to hear, particularly the parts in which he corrects some of the misinformation in the Bible (which he refers to as a biography).
Bishop Ken endorses Jesus. And so do I. What about you? Will you put your politics where your faith is? Obama, Hilary, John, Rudy, Mitt, John, Fred, Harry, and Dave (just to make sure I have covered them all) are telling us that they pray. Well, why not go right to the top and elect the one to whom or through whom they pray? I have not heard the leaders of America's churches speak about Jesus' candidacy. I wonder why they are so quiet. Since the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church is the one I look to for guidance, I will ask her directly (I know she reads this blog): When are you going to endorse Jesus? (And, by the way, I saw your performance as Kate Blanchett playing Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There" and I thought you were fabulous.)
Monday, November 26, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Parish of Despair
I want to pause to note the passing of The Rev. Chad Varah, shown here (in a photo from Reuters) on what might be a precursor to the cell phone before miniaturization. You have to love this guy. He set up a hot line for the suicidal and founded Samaritans, a charity that worked to prevent suicides. Here are some of the other major reasons to love him (as indicated in the New York Times obit this morning, which I urge you to read in full for all of the juicy details):
1. The Samaritans was named from a headline in The Daily Mirror. Father Varah disapproved of the name for his organization because he believed that religious teachings, presumably including Bible verses and stories meant to be instructive, should be avoided in helping the desperate. Treat em don’t preach to em.
2. He chose as his parish one that had a single parishioner—the lord mayor, as it happened—which gave him the opportunity to serve, as he put it, “the parish of despair.”
3. Father Varah supplemented his undoubtedly meager income writing for comic strips, an avocation I suspect most priests are not irreverent enough to pursue. (I do know of one cartooning Episcopal priest, Jay Sidebotham, the exception that proves the rule.)
4. When called to testify in the obscenity trial of Linda Lovelace, who starred in the pornographic film Deep Throat (the one that started pornography chic), he was questioned about the commandment forbidding adultery (which he had previously made clear in writings for what the Times calls a “sexually frank magazine” he did not always condemn). His response was, “Why are you quoting this ancient desert lore at me?” You go, guy!
5. He retired at the age of 92—at which point he was still getting around on public transportation. He died at 95 in Basingstoke, England. The rest of the Anglican Communion must be relieved.
6. He once characterized Pope John Paul II as “an ignorant Polish peasant” for his condemnation of contraception. I don’t know if the late pope was either ignorant or a peasant (I have my opinion), but what you have to admire is Father Varah’s willingness to say what he thought in public and for attribution (another uncommon trait in clergy).
7. He believed in reincarnation.
Be careful out there. Father Chad Varah could return as a member of your congregation. You won’t like what he has to say if you’re an orthodox Christian (whatever that is). And for god’s sake don’t put him on the vestry.
1. The Samaritans was named from a headline in The Daily Mirror. Father Varah disapproved of the name for his organization because he believed that religious teachings, presumably including Bible verses and stories meant to be instructive, should be avoided in helping the desperate. Treat em don’t preach to em.
2. He chose as his parish one that had a single parishioner—the lord mayor, as it happened—which gave him the opportunity to serve, as he put it, “the parish of despair.”
3. Father Varah supplemented his undoubtedly meager income writing for comic strips, an avocation I suspect most priests are not irreverent enough to pursue. (I do know of one cartooning Episcopal priest, Jay Sidebotham, the exception that proves the rule.)
4. When called to testify in the obscenity trial of Linda Lovelace, who starred in the pornographic film Deep Throat (the one that started pornography chic), he was questioned about the commandment forbidding adultery (which he had previously made clear in writings for what the Times calls a “sexually frank magazine” he did not always condemn). His response was, “Why are you quoting this ancient desert lore at me?” You go, guy!
5. He retired at the age of 92—at which point he was still getting around on public transportation. He died at 95 in Basingstoke, England. The rest of the Anglican Communion must be relieved.
6. He once characterized Pope John Paul II as “an ignorant Polish peasant” for his condemnation of contraception. I don’t know if the late pope was either ignorant or a peasant (I have my opinion), but what you have to admire is Father Varah’s willingness to say what he thought in public and for attribution (another uncommon trait in clergy).
7. He believed in reincarnation.
Be careful out there. Father Chad Varah could return as a member of your congregation. You won’t like what he has to say if you’re an orthodox Christian (whatever that is). And for god’s sake don’t put him on the vestry.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Anniversary
As some of you know, I suffered an emotional collapse just over a year ago—All Saints Day, to be exact. It took me a few months to recover, with the help of an excellent psychiatrist and some medication, although it has taken this full year to begin to feel like myself again (whoever that might be). I no longer take meds. Leaving the New York City stress factory has helped my healing. Being able to retire as an Episcopal clergy has been a pivotal blessing: The Episcopal Church (or, to be fair, any church) is a petri dish for killer stress. Moving to Portland, Oregon, has revived my spirit and improved my vision. Everyone here is so positive—and, as those of you who know me know, I have to struggle to see the good news. But mostly I think I am just happy to be more than four thousand miles away from the east coast, where I lived all of my former life (although I miss many of you who live there, especially my [adult] children and my aging mother).
We have a surprising number of new friends here, most of them writers. I have been writing almost constantly since we got here in June. I have nearly finished a book critiquing the church (but also offering some reflections on what I see as a way out of the current Christianity quagmire). There have been several short stories (a new genre for me), a fistful of poems, notes for a new play, and the draft of the first third of a novel.
A couple of my older plays are being read by theaters—one of them, Enlightenment, is based on the last years of Thomas Merton; it has not been produced. It excites me to know that theaters are interested in it. The idea for the play was first suggested to me in the early 1980s by my agent at the time, Lucy Kroll. She was right that I should write it, but the play itself had to await the publication of Merton’s complete journals because of privacy issues. When the journals came out in the late 90s, I read them all and quickly wrote the play. It had been gestating for a long time and was ready to be born. After one staged reading in New York, however, the script sat in my desk drawer for seven years while I worked long, frustrating, and mostly fruitless hours for the church. Last month I completed a revision and sent it off to a theater here on the west coast. When it is produced—and I know it will be—I will let you know. Soon, I hope.
Perhaps the most unexpected accomplishment of these months has been the founding of my new publishing company, KenArnoldBooks, which will issue its first four titles in January and February of 2008. The launch party will be in early March. I will have much more to say about the publishing program as time goes on—but it should surprise no one who reads this blog that I am looking for books that are radical in their perspective, daring and provocative. I am not seeking to publish orthodox thinkers or writers. Nor am I only interested in religion—but insofar as I am publishing books with a spiritual bent, they will represent all traditions.
So, a year after a frightening encounter with demons, I am engaged with the work that has always mattered most to me: writing and publishing. And for the first time in my life I am doing both with as much freedom as we ever achieve. I can write (almost) whatever I please and publish only what interests me.
May you all know such freedom in your own lives. If you do, hold on to it; if you don’t, do something now. We so quickly run out of time. The demons are always waiting.
We have a surprising number of new friends here, most of them writers. I have been writing almost constantly since we got here in June. I have nearly finished a book critiquing the church (but also offering some reflections on what I see as a way out of the current Christianity quagmire). There have been several short stories (a new genre for me), a fistful of poems, notes for a new play, and the draft of the first third of a novel.
A couple of my older plays are being read by theaters—one of them, Enlightenment, is based on the last years of Thomas Merton; it has not been produced. It excites me to know that theaters are interested in it. The idea for the play was first suggested to me in the early 1980s by my agent at the time, Lucy Kroll. She was right that I should write it, but the play itself had to await the publication of Merton’s complete journals because of privacy issues. When the journals came out in the late 90s, I read them all and quickly wrote the play. It had been gestating for a long time and was ready to be born. After one staged reading in New York, however, the script sat in my desk drawer for seven years while I worked long, frustrating, and mostly fruitless hours for the church. Last month I completed a revision and sent it off to a theater here on the west coast. When it is produced—and I know it will be—I will let you know. Soon, I hope.
Perhaps the most unexpected accomplishment of these months has been the founding of my new publishing company, KenArnoldBooks, which will issue its first four titles in January and February of 2008. The launch party will be in early March. I will have much more to say about the publishing program as time goes on—but it should surprise no one who reads this blog that I am looking for books that are radical in their perspective, daring and provocative. I am not seeking to publish orthodox thinkers or writers. Nor am I only interested in religion—but insofar as I am publishing books with a spiritual bent, they will represent all traditions.
So, a year after a frightening encounter with demons, I am engaged with the work that has always mattered most to me: writing and publishing. And for the first time in my life I am doing both with as much freedom as we ever achieve. I can write (almost) whatever I please and publish only what interests me.
May you all know such freedom in your own lives. If you do, hold on to it; if you don’t, do something now. We so quickly run out of time. The demons are always waiting.
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