and reconsider the wisdom, courage and relevance of Germany's "confessing church." Not because there is a clear fascist demagogue coming to power - although I fear and grieve the Palin/Bachmann juggernaut - it is the ugly theology they spew that moves in exactly the direction that "good Germans" embraced in the 1930s.It seems that only about 1/10th of German Protestants resisted Hitler - and while it is estimated that only 20% of Americans subscribe to the racist fear-mongering of the current cabal - all malignancies start small. Already, it has become "acceptable" in some circles to not only spit on elected officials and hurl racial epithets, but threats against the lives of politicians are growing. It would seem that the murder -during Sunday morning worship - of an American doctor who supported the rights of women to control their reproductive destiny was NOT a horrible aberration. It was a portent of things to come...
Sadly, even the idea of a "confessing church" is being co-opted by the forces allied with the Tea Bag movement and the more fundamental church. Dr. King reframed the necessity like this:
The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.
In the next few weeks, I will be exploring this theme more deeply - especially the Bonhoeffer and MLK connections - but for now maybe St. Lou Reed should take us home...
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