good reading and good eating

I'm reading an excellent book right now. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. In this book Pollan seeks to answer the loaded question "what should we have for dinner?

At one time in man's history that was a no-brainer - we ate whatever we could hunt or gather. With all the choices we have today that question has a lot to it.

The subtitle of the book is called "a history of four meals". Pollan tries to trace 4 meals from their source to his belly and tell what he discovers along the journey.

In visiting an "organic" farm Pollan makes some discoveries that apply to the church as well. (This book is not "religious" or about ecclesiology whatsoever.) The farmer spoke of "the impossibility of taking a 'decidedly Eastern, connected, holistic product, and selling it through a decidedly Western, disconnected, reductionist Wall Streetified marketing system.'"

He was speaking about how the governments involvement in the organic food industry has ruined the term and concept of "organic". (Not just the "government" - the capitalistic Western system.)

To me - I can't help but think the same applies to the church. When we take something as pure and natural and organic as the church is to be and try to sell it in a decidedly Western market system - well it's impossible - it ends up ruining the "organic-ness" of the church. (This is my observation or "association" - NOT the author's.)

I wish I could explain this better - but hopefully you catch my drift. Anyway, the book is really good - the guy is not a health food or organic food advocate - he just shares his findings as he tries to follow 4 meals that he puts on his table. He's a good writer and easy to read - for those who only read fiction and find nonfiction "boring" - this would be good one to wet your palate with.

Pun intended but the recommendation is serious.

Speakeasies and Blind Pigs

I told you I think about words.

I didn't tell you this though.

I was strolling in downtown Charlotte on a Saturday morning several weeks ago. I passed an establishment that was known, in it's name (I can't remember it's full name), as a "speakeasy". Obviously it was a bar of sorts and it wasn't open in the morning - in fact it didn't open until 8 pm nightly.

But the term "speak easy" got me thinking, as words sometimes do. What a neat concept or term for a bar I thought. A place where you can relax, speak easy with friends. A 'third place' where one could have conversations with friendly people who might not remain strangers very long.

I can't shake the desire to be involved in a "third place" of this type. A place that would be a place of conversation and healthy discussion. A place where people could meet and linger long.

I just looked up "speakeasy" in Wikipedia. It turns out the term is not as noble as I envisioned - A speakeasy was "an establishment that surreptitiously sold alcoholic beverages during the period of United States history known as Prohibition (1920-1933, longer in some states), when the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol was illegal. The term comes from a patron's manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion — a bartender would tell a patron to be quiet and 'speak easy'."

Oohhh...

It went on to say they were related to places known as "blind pigs" - where people would be served a complimentary alcoholic beverage under the pretense of entering the establishment to view an unusual animal (such as a blind pig).

Wikipedia went on to say, at least, that "speak easies" were usually high class establishments where as "blind pigs" were generally low class dives.

Well, I still dream a high class 3rd place where people can speak easy.

Are there any good 'isms' out there?

I've been thinking a lot about consumerism. I can't help being a consumer because I consume. If I stop consuming I die. But consumerism sounds "bad" and I believe it is. One of the causes of death that commonly appeared on death certificates in days gone by was "consumption". Even though it's not a medical condition any more (I think we call it cancer now) people are still dying of consumption.

I know I'm not walking in a straight line with my thoughts but putting an 'ism' on the end of a good or neutral word usually turns it into a bad thing.

Nothing wrong with being a part of a denomination but denominationalism is bad - real bad.

Communism - I'm all for community but not communism.
Socialism - people and societies are important but this isn't usually very good.

OK - how about:
Capitalism?
Globalism?
Colonialism?

Here's a neutral 'ism' I can think of right off the top of my head -
Organism - but that's more in the category of biology so it's off track for my raving discussion here.
How about "idealism"?

There might be some "good" 'isms' -
Optimism - usually a good thing.
Orgasm - oh, wait that's spelled differently. Never mind.

I think about words

Like sometimes I wake up thinking about a particular word - where it comes from - it's roots - how it's related to other words - stuff like that.

This is usually pretty random - most times I don't know how I get stuck on a particular word other than my mind usually doesn't shut off at night and one gets caught in the net of my waking consciousness.

This morning I work up with the word 'espouse' caught in my brain.

Is the word 'espouse' related to 'spouse' and if it is what does it mean for one to espouse something with that connection?

So i just looked it up in the dictionary. Espouse does have the word 'spouse' as it's root. Espouse has two meanings; 1) to marry 2) to pick up the cause of (support).

Hmm... interesting. So if I espouse something maybe I better be sure I want to be married to it.

A Pew Study or a pee-ewe study?

My two most favorite things of newspaper reading are: number one - the Sunday morning Vindicator. (I used to read the "funnies" first. Now I never read them. I read the Business section first, then the Technology section.) The second most favorite - the Saturday morning Vindicator - I read the Religion section religiously. I like to see the "take" the local Vindicator and the Associated Press present on whats happening in the area of spirituality. ( I know - I'm not "normal"; I'll also tell you this - I never read the Sports section.)

Well, this morning there was the recent findings of a interesting study of the Pew Forum of Religion and Public Life. The survey confirms the "no-brainer" hunch that denominational loyalty is fraying.

I found a very provocative comment in the article by the Rev. Eileen Lindner, a Presbyterian minister - "As with most things for Americans religion is a consumer product. So it's not brand loyalty you can rely on. It's marketing, location, and other things. Denominations have been slow to react to that."

Some interesting tidbits I found in the article:

• Many Americans don't want to be associated with with denominations even if they belong to one. (This would definitely include me. (I'll tell you this but don't tell anyone else - I'm a part of a Nazarene church!)
  

• 16% of Americans are not affiliated with any religious tradition - an increase from earlier surveys. Says Alan Wolfe - "What we've been witnessing is a shift from a fixed identity to a fluid identity."
  

• The research identified 20% of nondenominational churchgoers as mainline Protestants. (The mainline tag was applied to people who did not identify themselves as "born-again" or evangelical Christians and to those who said they attend "liberal nondenomiational" or "emergent" churches.)
  

• The nation is on the "cusp" of becoming minority Protestant.
  

In commenting on the findings of the survey Rev. Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention said, "It points to the shallowness in our society, where people don't care about what really matters. It's a consumer society. People look at what looks good on the surface - the bells and whistles. People are apt to ignore substantial issues they deem unimportant."

Ignoring substantial issues because I deem them unimportant... Is this what consumerism does to us?

That stinks. PU

Reacting to these findings by tweaking our marketing strategies? That really stinks.

As far as denominational loyalty and/or Protestantism shrinking - I think that smells pretty good.