Especially when an article is as important as this one. Thanks to the Spirituality and Practice Spiritual Literacy Blog, I discovered that The Huffington Post offers "America's Greatest Deficit is Spiritual, Not Merely Financial" by Brian D. McLaren. It begins: "With all the angst about the economy, the deficit, and a looming government shut-down, I'm still concerned that we're treating symptoms rather than diagnosing the underlying disease." Read it all.
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So, I am still offering links but I will also offer some thoughts regarding what McLaren is saying here.
At the end of this must-read article he asks three critical questions: He asks: "Is this our moment for spiritual leaders to step forward and offer a more penetrating spiritual diagnosis of what ails us? Could our spiritual deficit be the issue nobody's talking about? Are we ready to go into treatment?"
Good Questions. And I would assert that our only hope is that we move to a point where we can answer "Yes" to all 3 questions.
Please note that McLaren says we must see the difference between "'dress-for-success' religiosity, aimed at sending 'vote for me' signals to winnable religious constituencies" and genuine spirituality. How can this happen?
Let me offer two ways which might turn the tide: HOPE and PRAYER. I don't know which comes first but I do know we need both in huge doses. For today, let me say a few things about Prayer with the hope that I can offer something pertinent in response to the challenge of McLaren's vital questions.
The late, great Harrell Beck, my Old Testament Professor at Boston University School of Theology in the early 70s, would always begin his classes with a thoughtful and heartfelt prayer. He would often deal with current events. He would often repeat these words which he attributed to Earl Warren, the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-1969): "What the world needs now is a political definition of compassion."
I would add Peace, Justice and Sustainable Abundance. Or, maybe that's my way of articulating the major themes of a political definition of compassion.
Prayer is the most essential component of an effective compassionate politics. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. knew how to pray and they showed us what compassionate politics is all about. Walter Wink, a more recent prophetic voice of compassionate politics, said: “History belongs to the intercessors who believe the future into being.” How do we do effective intercession? Or, how do we pray effectively and create more compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance?
Prayer must be understood to be more than words or thoughts or feelings. Amen means “let it be” or “make it so” and this means action. The Great Commandment says it very well: “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NRSV)
Loving requires action, effort, involvement, participation. Courage is needed.
Prayer embraces Thinking, Feeling, Saying and Doing. It is not complete until something happens, until something is done. This is what the world needs now. Prayer in its fullness. Prayer in its completeness. In its Wholeness. Holy Words and Holy Actions.
McLaren is asking the right questions and we must respond with creativity, compassion and courage as we face this crisis in our national and global body politic. This crisis endangers us but also offers a fantastic opportunity for spiritual growth for millions, even billions of humans. Let's take advantage of this opportunity. Let us join together in prayer and hope. It is absolutely essential that we do so if our nation and our planet is going to come out of this crisis with greater compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.
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