I recently listened to a great lecture from philosopher James K. A. Smith (homepage, blog) titled "What Does a Public Theology Look Like in 1984." In the lecture, delivered at Regent College, Smith proposes a thought project: what would a Christian theology of public engagement look like in Orwell's dystopia, Oceania? Such a thought project represents a particular challenge to Smith's Reformed tradition, which has historically emphasized the church's participation in and transformation of established social structures. Is such a stance toward culture always a viable alternative?
The subtext of Smith's lecture is that we, in North America, increasingly find ourselves in something akin to an Orwellian society. We find ourselves shaped by our daily immersion in what Smith perceptively calls "secular liturgies" that shape our affections in ways that run counter to Kingdom of God. Our lives begin to mirror the tragedy of Winston learning to love Big Brother.
Ultimately Smith's lecture points toward what he refers to as a "Reformed Monasticism," which he insists isn't a "monasticism of withdrawal" but a "monasticism of engaged resistance."
The lecture, with questions and answers at the end, runs about an hour and a half and can be downloaded from Regentaudio.com for just five Canadian bucks. Very compelling stuff.
One of the most provocative statements in the lecture came during the Q&A. There Smith suggested that "the 'culture wars' is the Vietnam of the church." I think the analogy fits pretty well, sadly enough.
Absolutely incredible. Almost scary, really. I haven't quite finished but I listened to most of it today and there is so much to consider.
Having been a fan of Orwell and "1984" for a while, this more less affirms what I'd already believed; but, there are some new (and newly inspiring) ideas to be sure. A definite must-hear for anyone who hasn't read "1984"...after they read "1984" of course.
Thanks for the link, Barry...I'm grateful. Also, Down with Big Brother.
Posted by
Brian Rhea |
6:48 PM
Glad to hear you enjoyed the lecture, Brian.
You might also like to listen to Jamie Smith on American Public Media's "Speaking of Faith." He wants to reclaim the word "evangelical" from the culture warriors (here, here!). The link is on his website (which I linked in my post). I'm listening to it right now. Intersestingly, he talks there about the idea of "church as polis" that I wrote to Richard about in the comments on my post about "Socailizing Kids and Corporations."
Posted by
Kim |
2:56 PM
Barry,
I especially appreciated when he spoke about "secular liturgies" aiming us in any direction except towards the Kingdom. Billboards. Grocery store check-out lines. Fighter jets at football games.
It's giving me a lot to think about and the problem that I'm having with it all is the same exact problem that I had after reading "1984"...it's so accurate that it's overwhelming and depressing.
It seems like such a monster to slay and it's not enough to know that you're personally avoiding it's grip for the most part. You want your friends to be safe, and your mom, your brother, your third grade teacher.
How to slay the monster?
Posted by
Brian Rhea |
10:55 PM