Shacking Up or Sacrament?

by | Sep 7, 2011 | Feature, Headline News |

“Shacking Up” to Save Money

More couples are riding out the economic downturn by “shacking up,” according to Loop21. Among them are Christians like 29 year old Tamaira Ogden, who moved in with her boyfriend to save money.

“Being a Christian woman, I have gone back and forth about the situation,” Odgen said. “But by moving in together, we are able to save more and clear out past bills. We both feel very strongly about not going into a new marriage with unnecessary debt and so we won’t.”

“Shacking Up” as Sacrament

Saving money isn’t the only justification though, for moving in together without a marriage license. Author and theologian Tony Jones was recently married for the second time at Solomon’s Porch, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but he and his bride didn’t procure a state marriage license. He outlined their reasons here, and expanded upon his argument here and here. Jones said:

1. “The sacred ceremony of marriage is far more important to us than the legal contract of marriage.”

2. “We don’t really care if the government considers us married. We’re far more interested in our marriage being solemnized by our family, friends, and community of faith.”

3. “We don’t think that we should enjoy the 515 benefits of legal marriage when so many of our friends cannot.”

4. “I do not think that clergy should act as agents of the government (as I’ve written before), and I did not want to ask my friend, Doug [Pagitt], to do so.”

Shaking Up the Church

The Loop21 article cites a Census Bureau report that says there was a 13 percent increase in cohabitation between 2009 and 2010, from an estimated 6.7 million unmarried couples living together in 2009 to 7.5 million by 2010. That’s a lot of cohabiting couples, some of whom are surely attending church. What you think about this trend?

Is it time for churches to adjust their view of marriage in our society? Or, do these cohabiting couples simply need to make their “marriages” legal?

Change We Didn’t Expect

by | Sep 6, 2011 | Feature, Headline News | 2 comments

QUIET STRENGTH: President Barack Obama, Ruby Bridges, and representatives of the Norman Rockwell Museum view Rockwell’s "The Problem We All Live With,” hanging in a West Wing hallway near the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

With President Barack Obama’s approval rating sinking to new lows, it appears that many of his supporters may soon go from singing “The Thrill is Gone” to “Hey, hey, hey goodbye” in 2012 given, among other woes, general dissatisfaction with economic recovery efforts.

Calls exist from all sides for the president to do something — something that will finally lead to more jobs at the very least and anything at all to put Republicans, Tea Partiers, and other vocal critics in their places.

He’s obviously working, but what he’s done hasn’t been enough to quell criticisms even from his supporters. And I get it. It’s not that I want to take away my own approval rating points from the president. As much as I can identify the reasons behind why progress in some areas is slow, I just wish he’d take on his loudest detractors toe to toe.

People, figuratively out for blood, want to see muscle, the presidential version of WWE-style flexing. They want to scream “Yeah!” behind their guy as he threatens his rivals. Because there’s one president against many entities of everybody else, it seems like it would be easy beef to toss around. After all, Obama is the president, the big cheese, the one with the power to say a few words to shut everyone up.

Alas, that is not Obama’s approach.

It shouldn’t be a surprise, though, considering that in his inaugural address, he reminded us then that “power grows through its prudent use,” and he has continued to demonstrate such usage every step of the way.

He could’ve taken the path of “shock and awe” to go after Osama bin Laden. A massive airstrike, for example, would’ve made an impressive statement, though others could’ve died as a result. Instead, the president sanctioned a more restrained Navy SEAL mission that happened to be successful.

In response to more recent grievances about the economy, the president launched a bus tour in which he listened — not exactly a nuclear-war move. And amid talk of creating new jobs to no evidence of such, Obama plans to address a joint session of Congress Thursday. It would’ve been Wednesday but plans changed presumably to avoid a conflict with a previously scheduled Republican presidential debate. This occurred as yet another example of Obama accommodating the very people leading the charge against him.

Seriously? With all due respect, Mr. President, what’s really going on?

More than trying to accomplish a country with a growing economy offering jobs to everyone who wants to work, Obama seems to be grasping at something even greater — a more perfect union between Democrats and Republicans. Yeah, I’m rolling my eyes too. But that’s why we elected him: That approach is one of those changes we yearned to believe in.

It’s less noisy, less flashy, and a lot more frustrating to watch. But, if a comparison had to be made, well, it’s probably pretty close to what Jesus would do. That’s not to elevate Obama to deity status; it’s just acknowledging how a follower of Christ would act in trying to be like Him.

Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that Norman Rockwell’s classic painting “The Problem We All Live With” now hangs outside the Oval Office. The painting — which shows U.S. marshals escorting a 6-year-old black girl named Ruby Bridges into a New Orleans elementary school in 1960 as an angry white crowd registers its protest — represents one of our nation’s most powerful moments of racial desegregation. In little Ruby’s simple act of going to school, we see a striking example of quiet strength.

Can we also learn something from President Obama’s repeated gestures of civility and restraint in the face of nasty opposition?

Credit must be given to the president for maintaining a commitment to peace and reconciliation while dodging mud that if one decided to “raise up” would go away so easily. How often have we heard among casual conversations that all Obama needs to do is curse out the GOP one good time to get things done? Not that that would be the holiest approach. We’re called to live holy because Christ is holy. We’re also challenged to hold one another accountable for actions; that’s one of our responsibilities to one another.

Another, as laid out by the prophet Jeremiah, is to avoid boasting in whatever power we have. As president, Obama is a card-carrying member of the bully pulpit, and membership has its privileges. Only, with it comes a certain level of responsibility particularly with the practices of being a Christian.

Nothing represents a firm execution of Christian values more than not exercising the extreme power you might have in a situation in an effort to maintain civility. If it’s a preference on the table, do we want a Christian president who just talks the talk or one who inconveniently walks the walk through hell and high water?

Not only is that change we can believe in; it’s change we already trust as we follow Christ’s example and as we hope our leaders do the same.