One Month and One Day
Wow, it has been awhile since my last post. Thank you all for your (somewhat) patient demeanors.
Today I had the pleasure of attending a Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. As I listened to portions of selected sermons written by Dr. King I became aware of how little things have changed. If anything the church continues to struggle with power and how to appropriately deal with the disenfranchised in the community. More than this is the fact that the disenfranchised now include the sons and daughters of the established Protestant churches. The sub-culture known as "post-modern" is comprised of many persons with lineage in these same Protestant churches.
I would never say that the white, suburban, intellectual male is now "walking in the shoes" of his black brothers and sisters. However, I will say this, the post-modern culture shares more with the minority communities than it shares with the Protestant churches of today. Maybe that is a good starting point. Perhaps the post-modern folks and the minorities could begin to work together. Perhaps it is this mix that will be the catalyst to further Dr. King's Dream beyond its stagnation. Perhaps these communities will see the beauty in one another. Perhaps these communities can help the Protestant churches find footing and a new place of belonging.
If there is one thing that Dr. King reminded us, that thing is Hope. And, I think that Hope can find itself in the strangest of places. Conversations and Relationships between the post-modern, intellectual, white folk and the minority communities seems as good a place as any.
Today I had the pleasure of attending a Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. As I listened to portions of selected sermons written by Dr. King I became aware of how little things have changed. If anything the church continues to struggle with power and how to appropriately deal with the disenfranchised in the community. More than this is the fact that the disenfranchised now include the sons and daughters of the established Protestant churches. The sub-culture known as "post-modern" is comprised of many persons with lineage in these same Protestant churches.
I would never say that the white, suburban, intellectual male is now "walking in the shoes" of his black brothers and sisters. However, I will say this, the post-modern culture shares more with the minority communities than it shares with the Protestant churches of today. Maybe that is a good starting point. Perhaps the post-modern folks and the minorities could begin to work together. Perhaps it is this mix that will be the catalyst to further Dr. King's Dream beyond its stagnation. Perhaps these communities will see the beauty in one another. Perhaps these communities can help the Protestant churches find footing and a new place of belonging.
If there is one thing that Dr. King reminded us, that thing is Hope. And, I think that Hope can find itself in the strangest of places. Conversations and Relationships between the post-modern, intellectual, white folk and the minority communities seems as good a place as any.
posted by Sean at 11:48 PM
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