Bill Maher's Kind of Poison

On a recent trip, at the end of a long day, I dragged myself to a hotel room and sprawled out on the bed to unwind. Heh heh. Unwind? I made the mistake of turning on the TV, where the first thing I encountered was Bill Maher's "Real Time," with his sneering sarcarsm fully on display. I admit, I'm not a regular viewer (strange as it seems, we don't get HBO) and I didn't watch this episode for long. Frankly, I can't stomach much from Maher.

Maybe he's like Don Rickles; his TV persona is all spewing and venom, while in normal life he's a decent guy. I hope so. All I know is that he appears to take a particularly cruel pleasure at launching invective at people he thinks are idiots, or are corrupt, or both.

I know HBO is supposed to be edgy and all that. I just don't understand the popularity of Maher's brand of "hip, incisive commentary." Am I just not getting it? Does he want us to take him seriously? How does one laugh at his attacks, even if they include witty oneliners? Maybe my sense of humor is underdeveloped, but I swear, I don't get the attraction. He was plain mean to the guests who tried not to agree with him, even to offer a challenge to his tirade. The "conversation" seemed a bit like shooting fish in a barrel.

Which brings me to my point. Bill Maher strikes me as a tragic indicator of American popular culture, which has become pervasively poisonous. The line between serious, if pointed, critique and downright character assassination has been badly breached. If this is really what we like to watch, then we as a society are slowing eat out our own souls.

There are several ironies for me in this scenario. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell (may he rest in peace) were and are regularly excoriated for their judgmental hyperbole. They both have said some pretty inexcusable things on national TV. I can say without a shred of doubt, however, that there is no one more hateful than Bill Maher, unless, of course, there is someone worse, admidst the gazillion cable and satellite stations available to people willing to pay. He is unequaled in setting the standard for hate speech on television. It doesn't seem to bother people much. And that's what worries me.

We'd better start paying attention. May Bill Maher's schtick shrivel and die for lack of viewers.

The Dilemma of Christian Citizenship

As I, like you, watch Pakistan crumble, I pray for them and silently give thanks for the democratic tradition of our own country. We don't suffer from coups. We don't watch our political representatives come to blows on TV. Yes, we've got our problems, but I'll take our problems any day.

That said, I think we Christians face a serious dilemma. There is plenty of pious talk about the power and importance of faithful Christian witness within government, but how do we do it? How are we doing? We have at least three presidential candidates all being questioned about the extent to which their religious convictions affect their politics. And there's a certain amount of gaming going on. What does it look like to the world when we Christians carry on this way? More importantly, what does God think?

In the second chapter of Ephesians, we read these words: "For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one...that he might create in himself one new humanity in the place of two..." (Eph. 2:14-15, NRSV). There is something special going on in the Ephesian church. The power of God is being demonstrated in what would have been a pretty hostile Ephesian environment. That power has been made manifest in the formation of a new people. In other words, against the odds God is doing something politically unprecedented. In Christ, people who are hostile toward each other are becoming fellow-citizens.

A new people. Christ empowers us to be something different; to embody the realities of God's kingdom; to provide a world-changing witness. This is our mission. The way we live matters to the world. It isn't just what we profess about Jesus as Lord that counts. In Christ we are new creatures. In Christ, the world which is still to come has come. Christ's followers embody that new creation world. It absolutely must show in the way we live.

So, what happens when we American Christians slip into the way of all flesh by succubming to the political game? What happens to the world - far beyond the church - when we Christians live like the rest of the world in politics? In government? What happens to the world when they can't tell any difference between the way Christians behave politically and the way the rest of the world behaves?

For starters, let's be willing to tell the truth about ourselves. This means that "spin" is really lying. I'm one of nine people in our (United Methodist) jurisdiction, "running" for bishop. We all want to remain Christian throughout the process even though we know it's a political one. To do so, I must tell the truth about myself. I must not fudge on the facts. I must not inflate my accomplishments, even slightly, in order to position myself strategically. I must err to the side of truth and avoid exaggeration.

Likewise, I must always remember and demonstrate my conviction that all the episcopal candidates are my brothers and sisters in Christ. We are of the same Body, fellow citizens of God's reign. I must trust God and the church to arrive at the right conclusions. When it is all said and done, the integrity of Christ's Body and the mission of the church are far more important than whether or not I get elected bishop.

Ecclesial politics are not world politics. The stakes are higher by magnitudes for people running for offices such as the presidency. Nonetheless, for Christians, there are still boundaries - ecclesial or worldly - that we must not cross. Yet we do, to our shame. When we do, we need to humble ourselves and repent. True repentance itself is a witness to the power of God to change lives. When we make excuses for ourselves, we lose the chance to make a powerful witness.

I am bothered when Christians cross this line at any level. We use the rhetoric of responsible citizenship, but employ the tactics of political gamesmanship. Worse, to put it lamely, God is bothered. The Bible is replete with prophetic criticisms of what we jadedly accept as "inevitable" compromises.

Christian citizenship means ultimately believing in God's providential guidance, no matter how disappointed or elated I may be with the outcome of any political process. I know that this value seems naive, but it really matters.

So, Christian candidates of all kinds and levels: run enthusiastically. Run vigorously. Run honestly. Run humbly. But remember the larger realities at play. At the end of the day, we will be judged by the Righteous Judge. Please, Christian friends and colleagues, keep me honest. And God give me the grace, when I err, to repent and return to the way of Jesus. Most of all, may the Church in every place offer a living witness like the Ephesian church. To the extent we are able, may we be responsible citizens of the world. But when push comes to shove, may we be found clearly identifying ourselves as citizens of God's kingdom.

Politics, Cable News and Learning How to Witness

Mitt Romney the Mormon. Mike Huckabee the Southern Baptist. Barack Obama the United Church of Christ with Muslim relatives. Do people really care that much about religion? Hardly.

The media should be ashamed of themselves ("media" is still plural for "medium," which even people in the media seem largely to have forgotten) for all the hoopla over the religious commitments of political candidates. If you notice, there is precious little of their actual commitments made known by the media. The references are mostly a way of categorizing people, which then prompts the stereotypes: "If Huckabee's a Baptist, will he try to make everyone Christian?" "Is Romney as wacky as those alleged co-religionist polygamists making the news?" "Is Obama really a Muslim just pretending to be a Christian?" And playing on stereotypes is a way to get people riled, which means more people watching the program. Gosh, poor Hillary is starting to look boring!

And that's the point. Nothing is worse for cable news networks than becoming boring. I know that I'm far from the first to say it, but because of the 24 hour cycle, TV news has been reduced to melodrama. It is a clownish, cartoonish, caricature of actual news. Even with the better programs we get little. It's mostly speculation. Journalists may be close to the action in Washington, but they're still outsiders trying to get a glimpse of what's going on on the inside - in the policy meetings where actual decisions are made.

I know: we're not going to change the way the news media work. They are mostly huge business conglomerates who must make a profit. But I hope we Christians can learn how not to fall prey to believing the garbage. We all have our political leanings, but we could make a powerful witness by not participating in the allegations and innuendo that make up 90% of what passes for news.

Even more importantly, I pray we don't ape their tactics. I fear we sometimes do. The church is not guided by the profit motive (are we?) and our mission is about redemption and reconciliation, not controversy and "gotcha.'" Jesus told his disciples not to engage in empty oath-taking or swearing by. "Let your word be 'Yes, Yes,' or 'No, No;' anything more than this comes from the evil one," (Mt. 5:37). If ever there was a time for Christians to practice rigorous honesty with ourselves, the time is now.

And on that note, I'm thankful for groups such as the United Methodist News Service and others like it, who maintain a level of even-handedness that I wish we found on the evening news. There are venues for church-related opinion-making, even bloviating (after all, what are blogs for?). However, in the season when we are thinking about the Prince of Peace, may we be especially careful to be truthful to ourselves and charitable to our opponents - in every possible way, including politics.