A Higher Calling…

Yesterday’s Star Tribune had an editorial written by Ed Murphy regarding how we’re not all in this war together. He squandered a legitimate opportunity to talk about real sacrifice to say that because oil companies are profiting, health care costs are going up, and the burden of this war is unfairly distributed that the rich should pay more taxes. I’d love rip this all apart, but I am not in a particularly good mood and I would be somewhat unfair.

Rather, I’ll just say that perhaps we need to teach the concept of sacrifice to a community that is ripe for such teaching. Mr. Murphy is the child of “the Greatest Generation.” I am the child of Baby-Boomers. My parents happen to be among the finest people on earth, but I’ve had a lot of experience observing other Baby Boomers.

What have been the two of the best sellers in the Christian non-fiction market? A Purpose Driven Life and Your Best Life Now. Both are written by Boomers. There is a desire among Christians and Boomers for more to life then gathering material wealth, working, and the same old pew filling. I think the reason why people are craving more is we have been fed a regular diet of “the power of positive thinking,” “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,” and the oft taken out of context “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” The difference between these three quotes, besides only one being taken from the Bible, is the first two were written by middle class American Christians and the third was written by someone imprisoned by Nero. I am more apt to believe the person imprisoned by Nero.

The books mentioned above do not fill our longing. They re-enforce what we have been taught for the last thirty years. So, Mr. Murphy, taxing the well off is not going to fix the problem that more Americans are not altruistic. To fix a problem, pastors need to return to the fundamentals of Christianity: sin and grace. Then instruct Christians to do a person sized job to serve God and man. The problem is not about taxes, oil, or economic disparity between armed service personnel and the rest of society. It is an attitude problem.

Oh, and as a disclaimer, I’m picking on Christians because I am a Christian, and I already know that those of the Jewish faith and decent know how to sacrifice.