Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Edges of Faith

Home

Home
Progressive Christian
the dangers of the imagination: the conservative response to Christmas, Undocumented

the dangers of the imagination: the conservative response to Christmas, Undocumented

Last updated on: December 27, 2011 at 9:51 pm by David Roberts

the dangers of the imagination: the conservative response to Christmas, Undocumented 2011-12-27T21:51:19+00:00 David Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Some time ago, my friend and writer George Elerick asked his readers if the church has a future, and if so, what would it be? My response was instantaneous.

Imagination.

And I think it is precisely what is glaringly absent from many of our churches today in America. Now, I’m not talking about using our imaginations to come up with trendy, hip or innovative church models, not even progressive ones. Don’t get me wrong, these are vitally important, but I can’t help but feel that they are attempts to patch holes in a capsizing boat.

What I’m talking about is something different. It’s about allowing — trusting — our imaginations to connect us with something infinite and transcendent and to allow our imaginations to merge with that something that is both within us and beyond us.

And in this meeting place, where our infinite imaginations meet the infinite God the result can be an explosive outpouring of creation, of new languages with which to encounter the Divine, a modern-day pentecost.

And perhaps this is precisely what makes opening up our faith and sacred texts to our imaginations so threatening to some. Because in doing so, it turns us all into creators and it imbues us with the responsibility to create and the responsibility for what we create.

And what has been created by so much of American Christianity of late has been utterly toxic.

But when we allow our imaginations to open up the story of God, Christianity is no longer something only received, only handed down from tradition, from parents, from culture, but something we also create, author and live within.

Imagination seems absent from much of American Christianity, and no surprise, it’s art has begun to wither where it once flowered. Some of the most powerful Christian art comes from centuries past. Nowadays, when someone mentions Christian art, we more likely to think of the saccharine work of Thomas Kinkade or a schmaltzy Christianized imitation of a romance novel than a truly sublime and transcendent piece of art that can transport us, challenge us, or move us. I’m not saying my work is necessarily any better (I hope it is!). But I am saying I hope Christians artists and writers move in a more invigorating direction that deals more with the imagination and less with theological systems.

Now, I understand that historically, Christianity has done as much to restrict art as it has to empower it and that, freed from the strictures of religion, art and imagination have themselves moved in stunning directions. So perhaps Christianity has always feared where the imagination would lead the faithful: to become creators.

But imagination, when put to the stories of our faith, breathes life into them again and helps us to fall into their rich, deep and complex narratives. It transforms them from a rule book or an ethic of life to a story of ourselves and of God that we live into, in wonder, in awe, in doubt, in faith, in our imaginations.

So perhaps it should come as no surprise that it was not any of my intentionally provocative, questioning essays I have written that has drawn the ire of a few conservative Web sites. Rather it was a piece of short fiction I wrote, intended as a Christmas gift to my friends who have supported my writing, that has provoked a response. As I perused the responses yesterday, I was struck by how threatened many of the commenters seemed to be, not only because of the political implications of Christmas, Undocumented, but also because of how I engaged with the Nativity story imaginatively and turned it into a piece of fiction, or what our theological forbears might call midrash.

So, here are my favorite responses with a few editorial comments:

1. Exactly. Those that use GOD instead of worshiping HIM will pay for their misdeeds. <smh>

2. Leftist BULL$HIT!! Here’s what Jesus did say about illegal aliens: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1 <Actually, no. But the Bible does have some important thing to say about how we treat “illegal aliens.” Essentially it says to love them, like a neighbor. Wait, that sounds familiar.>

3. To make a contemporary story, all mexican families would be ordered to return to their land of birth for a census, and Jesus would be born in Juarez. Good luck with the 3 Wise men and a virgin … <Let’s see, racist and sexist. If only there were something homophobic in there, it would have been a trifecta>

4. Well baby Jesus was ‘Hey-soos’, Joseph was ‘Jose’ and Mary was ‘Maria’. I guess the 3 Wise Men were Democrat politicians giving gifts and pandering for votes. Mean old Herod was like a Sheriff Joe Arpaio then…. it all makes sense when you lower the IQ to the level of a leftist liberal lunatic analogy maker…. <see other comments>

5. From Mark Tooley, president of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, writing at American Spectator: “At Christmas time, should the Nativity story be interpreted as a tale of solidarity with illegal immigrants? Some religious voices, anxious to push some version of liberalized immigration policy as a Christian imperative, describe Jesus and the Holy Family as the most premier of illegal immigrants. … The temptation to extract politics out of the Nativity account should be resisted.” <extract ignore the politics of> “One recent blogger for the Progressive Christian Alliance even crafted a novelette called “Christmas Undocumented: Anunciación” about a pregnant 14-year-old girl named Ave who is smuggled across the Texas border so she can get to her boyfriend in Alabama.

6. And finally, these gems from Dana Loesch, editor of Andrew Breitbart’s Big Journalism site (ironic that a piece of fiction is being criticized on a “journalism” site):

“The American Spectator does a nice job of deconstructing this ridiculous piece from a progressive blogger over at the Progressive Christian Alliance. The gist of the piece is this: Jesus was an illegal immigrant baby, thus if you are against illegal immigration, you are against Jesus and the entire story of the nativity is one big political story.” <Swing-and-a-miss>

They are situational Christians: they love the Bible when they think they can cherry pick the Word and support leftist beliefs but are suspiciously silent on Scripture where it concerns life, marriage, law, and worship. <Strike two>

If you’re going to condescend to preach to the flock, you must preach all the Bible for consistency, as even the Devil can quote Scripture. A warning from Scripture to these so-called “progressive Christians” and their perversion of His Word. <Strike three>

Yes indeed, we will know them by their fruits. <And yours are rather low-hanging>

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 21, 2011

Christmas, Undocumented, Part Two: A Silencing Night

Next Post

January 3, 2012 The Redemption of Time: The Christian Calendar as Civil Disobedience

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Black Lives Matter Christian Calendar Daily Office Essay Fiction Film homily Humor Lectionary Lenten Meditations Living Faith Meditation Ministry Parable Parenting Poem Politics Pop Culture Reflection Satire Sketch Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the Roman governor who sentenced Jesus to be crucified?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Agrippa Herod Pontius Pilate Felix