Some of you will recognize "security wall" or "separation barrier" as a ubiquitous new religious metaphor. You may have noticed it popping up everywhere. For example, in February, 2009, Bishop John Shelby Spong said about Jesus that "he appeared to need no security barrier behind which to hide." More recently, last month in the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, for the uninitiated), in a position paper arguing that Georgia should continue to ban guns in places of worship, the Rev. Patricia Templeton, rector of St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, said, "Fear is isolating. Fearful people build barricades."
This past Monday (Aug. 9, 2010), the principal of Stone Mill Elementary School was attacked and robbed and had her arm broken as she arrived at school at 6:45 AM on the first day of school. It so happens that's the neighborhood I work in--Stone Mountain/East Ponce de Leon/Memorial Drive. In short order we received an email message reminding us of the latest safety tips and urging us to keep ourselves and our co-workers safe. No one suggested that this message was isolating or was the wrong-headed message of inappropriately fearful people.
I consult with a large state agency. It sits in a grassy estate with extensive parking areas in front and behind. It is in a bad neighborhood. It is surrounded by a security fence. You need a key card to get through the parking gate.
How many people would hesitate to help their aging parents put in the latest alarm system? Who would not help their young-adult child living in a transitional neighborhood install an improved bolt lock?
What if people looked at themselves before using their religion to scold other people?
Speaking of scolding, I recently read an essay targeting the "Prosperity Gospel" of such preachers as Creflo Dollar in favor of being as "the lilies of the field." This author was an upper-middle-class sort of person, and I bet that upon reading the essay, not a single compatriot seriously considered cashing in his or her retirement account or firing the broker. I would think the Rev. Dollar's followers, on the other hand, are more likely to be the have-nots who want to get a little piece of the pie. Maybe they need more of a work ethic and a way to get there.
Notwithstanding that Creflo Dollar is an easy and tempting target, I wish people wouldn't use their religion to bash other people over the head!
What happened to looking into your own heart?
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