"Lunchbox evangelism" derives from a Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy evangelizes by hitting people over the head with her lunchbox. Here's a quote from Walker:
We need to avoid hitting each other over the head with our cultural, political and religious lunchboxes or calling judgment down on those who are different. The recent remarks of various evangelical leaders -- like Franklin Graham and Pat Robertson -- disparaging Islam is exactly the wrong way to go. Who can forget Jerry Vines at the SBC several years ago -- calling the prophet Muhammad a "demon-possessed pedophile?" I wonder how he would react if a Muslim were to call Jesus a homeless wine-bibber who hung out with prostitutes and publicans?And that's just the beginning of the astute analysis and memorable imagery in this essay.
2 comments:
Bruce: You are doing good work here. Just seeing if my newly created blog gives me the credentials to post here.
I have been posting by name at burleson's blog recently and encourage you and all who see this comment to check my several entries in his essay contest: "What I would do if I were President of the SBC?"
I have every reason to believe Frank Page read every entry in that blog. some of our fundamentalist brothers are quite hilarious.
I do hope that in addition to Michelle Goldberg's Kingdom Coming that I join you in endorsing, your network is conversant in the current GQ issue expose on Ralph Reed. That along with the easily google up Moyers address of May at Wake Forest "A time for Heresy" is setting the standard.
I have had letters published with the last two weeks in both the Gadsden Times and Bham News, doing my part here in my own hinterland East of the great Mississippi.
No excuses for any of you not having read
James Ault's magnificent Spirit and Flesh, especially the chapter The Neck that Turns the Head. It is about how fundamentalist women control local congregations. I have had my own experience with a Council of Shadows in the last six months in the church where my Mother was Baptized, and the evildoers here locally who abuse New Testament prescriptions for reconciliation; well it is outrageous.
Ault and Moyers at Wake Forest and love to go from there.
Stephen Fox
Collinsville, Alabama
Mr. Berry errs in 2 points: 1) My old friend and former classmate Brent Walker did not say that Article 6 created church/state separation. Article 6 creates a secular (i.e., religion neutral) government (whether or not SOCIETY is secular is up to the faith groups in society, not the government). The no-establishment and free exercise clauses of the 1st Amendment create church/state separation. 2) Berry repeats the oft-made claim that the Constitution ONLY prevented the establishment of a national church. This is false. Leonard Levy, Douglas Laycock, William Haller and many others have examined the published record of the debates in the Constitutional Congress prior to the passage of the 1st Amendment and several ideas popular today were specifically debated and dismissed: a)no national church, but establishment of Protestantism or Christianity in general; b)establishment at least of belief in God; c) nonpreferential aid to religion; d) multiple establishment of several churches--Against all this, Madison pushed through the first Amendment's clause that no law even RESPECTING an establishment of religion could be made. Mr. Berry is dead wrong and Brent Walker is absolutely right.
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