I thought I’d share two intriguing clips I stumbled upon that address elements of the election. Why listen to me when you can hear from Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Brueggemann and Peter Block?
I discovered these over a set of weeks, but they are interesting to watch together. Both point to a shared theme – this election is about electing a commercial version of candidates / party platforms, it’s more about the best sales pitch. This makes sad sense to me as I’ve learned that the rhetoric of our times is advertising more than anything else. We think in sound bites, we’re swayed by shadowed portraits of opponents and illumined images of our favorite candidate. And too often we are buying into a simplistic sketches of complex issues and, worse yet, ‘participating in meaningless narratives’ as Block notes. I’m as guilty as anyone, and listening to these men makes me want to repent for my own actions, frankly.
I find Hauerwas makes a good point – elections should force national conversations about things that matter, things we only discover amid election discourse. Maybe it is the conversations that actually matter most. But then I hear Block mention how prone we are to amnesia… Will we too soon forget these discussions? Will these conversations move our policies forward or not? These are worthy questions.
You can always count on Brueggemann to insert economics, placing them right next to covenant realities. And since this election speaks so much to our current economic situation, it is worth asking the question about how economics and community and covenant all come together for the common good.
http://vimeo.com/50073815#
I take voting seriously. I’ve already cast my vote. But I don’t want to take it too seriously, getting caught up in entertainment, distractions or meaningless narratives. I want to temper my reactions on this day with the larger truth – Jesus is Lord, not the caesars of this world. Whoever claims victory, Christ remains the Prince of Peace and our greatest hope.
But let’s keep good conversations happening beyond the election cycle for the common good!
CREDIT: Video compliments of Travis Reed & The Work of the People,
Amen, friend.