America needs new artists.
In The Journey of Crazy Horse, Joseph M. Marshall chronicles the negotiations between the Indigenous peoples of the Northern Plains and the U.S. government. At the start of the negotiations, one point was unclear to both sides.
When U.S. officials arrived at the meeting, they brought papers with drawings of the land, marked to show where the Plains people and the settlers should live. The lines on the map supposedly indicated a barrier between where the two groups could hunt, grow crops, and homestead.
However, when the Plains people rode to those locations on the map, they found no lines in the land. Someone had made them up.
Over the course of history, one group has been primarily responsible for establishing the rules the rest of us must abide by: the patriarchy. In the Western world, the patriarchy has been dominated by white, wealthy Christian men. As they have laid out the rules, those rules have almost always slanted in their favor.
From the unamended U.S. Constitution to current Supreme Court decisions, the rule makers seem to follow the same playbook that unfolded on the Northern plains long ago. Arbitrary lines guide us, but who gets to draw them?
Lately, I’ve been wondering, maybe it’s time to let other people draw the lines? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus put it this way: “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…”
Many of you know I’m a great admirer of the late, great Phyllis Tickle. In The Great Emergence, Tickle wrote about the church’s 500-year cycle, when we go through what she called a rummage sale. Every 500 years, the church makes drastic changes that forever shift its trajectory.
Guess what? It’s been 500 years since the Reformation. It’s time to get our crayons out.
It’s time to rethink our theology. And when the church rethinks theology, it also reshapes political and economic realities.
What if we let grace, mercy and justice lead the way? What if we set aside white supremacy, unbridled capitalism, and inequitable justice systems? What if we strove to respect cultures, religions, individuals and creation for what they are: Creations of the divine? What if we let love lead the way?
What if? What kind of society would we have if we let religious dogma fade and gracious inclusion grow?
Last week, the U.S. heard a dramatic message from the electorate. But this isn’t a new message.
In fact, it’s been quite consistent. The people are sick and tired of the status quo. The only difference this time is that more white folk are starting to get sick and tired of it. That’s a good thing.
Additionally, we’re starting to see some new artists show up and pull out their crayons.
We’re seeing progressive Christians.
We’re seeing more women.
We’re seeing more African Americans.
We’re seeing more Hispanic Americans.
We’re seeing more Native Americans.
We’re seeing more Asian Americans.
We’re seeing more Muslims and Jews.
We’re seeing more people from other faiths, as well as atheists.
We’re seeing more young people.
We’re seeing more diversity; in other words, we’re seeing more of America.
Instead of the usual black lines on white paper, my hope is that America will continue to become the kaleidoscope of beauty it has always been. And here is my real hope: that we might erase some of those lines and color outside the lines elsewhere.
A new era stands before us, for both the church and the country. It’s time to reimagine a better future for everyone. Let the new artists start to draw.
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