Please excuse me. You see I just read a Gallop poll that suggests the more devout and pious one is, the more one attends church, the more one is likely to favour war. "In general, the more frequently an American attends church, the less likely he or she is to say the (Iraq) war was a mistake.”

So how does this work exactly? A friend sent me Gary Kohl’s recent article, What kind of Christianity is this? It may shed some light on this.

But before I head for the narthex, here’s something: A survey taken by Baylor, published a few months ago in Christianity Today, suggests that frequent bible reading will nudge one toward a more liberal world view. There are a bunch of caveats in the study but I found this possibility refreshing. And of course it makes sense, especially if, as is my position, that the bible must be read through the lens of the gospels. It was however disappointing to scan the 95 comments. Most disagreed with the conclusion; in some cases there was hostility.

I suspect we’re still some distance from Kohl’s contention that,

Jesus of the Gospels was an outspoken, nonviolent leftist who tried to reform his authoritarian conservative, dogmatic church but also refused to shut up with his call for justice for the down-trodden – even when his superiors threatened him with serious consequences if he didn’t.

But let me end with this: It’s lexicon we’re stuck with; but how weary liberal/conservative, right/left. Don’t we—on either side—drag our feet in our attempts at understanding? Don’t we scapegoat the scapegoaters?

We use our doctrine, our concept of God to shield us from undergoing necessary heartbreak, the very thing that could lead us into mercy and love and conversations without agenda, except for a desire to understand.

Like Tim said,

As my friend, the late pastor Dr. Jerry Falwell told me personally, ‘Speaker Newt Gingrich is the most qualified man in America to run as president of the United States.’

You see, this is why USA politics is so darn entertaining, and so hard not to watch, even though later you feel a bit bloated, like you’ve had too many Krispy Kreme donuts.

The supine and gutless Democratic Party, which would have feigned outrage if George W. Bush had put this into law, appears willing, once again, to grant Obama a pass. But I won’t. What he has done is unforgivable, unconstitutional and exceedingly dangerous.

Curiously, even the FBI, the CIA, the director of national intelligence, the Pentagon and the attorney general didn’t support it. They believe it may hinder their ability to investigate terrorism, “because it would be harder to win cooperation from suspects held by the military.”

But it passed anyway. And I suspect it passed because the corporations, seeing the unrest in the streets, knowing that things are about to get much worse, worrying that the Occupy movement will expand, do not trust the police to protect them. They want to be able to call in the Army. And now they can.

The following is taken from the Occupy Advent Facebook page:

“Come participate in the only Christmas service this year that is a political action, performance piece, flash occupation, and act of worship.

Jasper Ave and 102st from 5:45-6:15 every Wednesday from now until Christmas.

The backdrop of a previously occupied and evicted lot will serve to illustrate the current struggle between the forces of oppression and the Force of Justice and the time of our waiting for the Promise of Hope during the season of Christmas.

The short liturgical service will be officiated by Reverend Thomas Brauer, and will include a candle lighting, scripture reading, reflection, prayer, and communion.

This is an outreach event by Occupy to the Christian community of Edmonton. Occupy is an open-faith community, and this segment of that community welcomes anyone to attend and participate to whatever degree they wish.

2000 years ago, Jesus was born to a people oppressed, in exile, occupied by a foreign empire.

During the season of Advent, the month leading up to Christmas, people all over the world remember those people who waited for a Messiah with a message of hope, justice, and life for the poor and oppressed.

Today, we continue to wait for the new earth that Jesus taught about, the just and beautiful earth that will be inherited by the meek.

Occupy invites you to remember with us that change is coming and that a new world is possible in four Advent observances each Wednesday leading up to Christmas.

All people of all faiths are welcome to come and simply attend or participate in any portion of these elements to whatever degree they wish.

So yes, it’s a good thing Peter Kent and Stephen Harper are steering us out of Kyoto, which I suppose didn’t matter anyway as Canada is the only country within the Kyoto Protocol to have cast off our legally binding obligations. Besides I just trust Peter Kent’s face when he says: Kyoto is a failure and Canada can control greenhouse gases through another, non-Kyoto approach.

And finally, just on the off chance that there’s something to our exhaling great quantities of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, halocarbons, and hexafluoride into the air, and the crazy weather, Pope Benedict’s Sunday message for delegates attending this week’s U.N. climate change conference will have brought everyone into harmony:  "I hope that all members of the international community agree on a responsible and credible response to this worrisome and complex phenomenon, taking into account the needs of the poorest and future generations." Clearly this should give us all assurance, especially the poor.

Hearty bunch here in Edmonton:

		Occupy Edmonton VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

And if only we could grasp the truth of metaphor, this wouldn’t be unreasonable language to help describe instances of evil. If we could, imagine.

But this is our modern problem, our hangover: the keg of Scientific Method long tapped, the many draughts of spiritual materialism downed before grey dawn, our Christian heads aching and pounding, now thinking that a literal reading must be the only true reading, a fundamental reading, an inerrant, authoritative, infallible, inspired reading.

And in the empirical fog surrounding our Thomas Nelsons and Scofields, our imagination sputters out leaving us self-condemned by literalism’s stasis. In this exegetical irony we bind ourselves to errancy and ignorance.

Certainly a literal reading, what pre-Enlightenment folk called a "plain reading," is often a true reading. But many times a literal reading is an inferior reading or simply a nonsensical reading.

Biblical writers’ understanding of the nature of reality could not be more removed from our own. And too, our understanding of the purpose of literature is not that of a writer in the first-century. So to adopt a reading without wrestling with this is lazy and dishonest.

Because the problem of literalism is mistaking a flame for the fire. One facet for the whole gem. One colour the whole spectrum. You get my drift.

And so, Satan, is just that volitional metaphysical entity jamming up the works, devouring the undevout and looking for any chance to trip us up. What comes of such a failure is to miss the satanic, the evil, that hides within dehumanizing institutions—systems of domination. That lives at the heart of state repression—from forms of socialism to fascism—that exults in racism and patriarchy, and hides within bureaucracy and capitalism.

“I read your recent article in the Edmonton Journal regarding the Church and Occupy Edmonton. (Novemeber 5, 2011)

I’m very, very pleased to tell you that the church is indeed at Occupy Edmonton. In fact, our church has been given the open door (by consensus) to be a Jesus-following presence at Occupy Edmonton, and to encourage other Christians to do so as well

You can read the proposal I made at two General Assemblies here: weprayforoccupy.blogspot.com.

Four from our church have stayed at the camp, and we intend to begin having a rotation of people who will stay there overnight in prayer and in solidarity.

Besides this, we have been welcomed as we have come and helped at the camp in lots of other practical ways.

I am hoping to begin taking further steps toward engaging the evangelical churches of Edmonton in the next week. My intention is to begin by asking them to pray. This we can do, no matter how much we do or do not agree with or even understand Occupy. I’m also cautious about asking churches to "support" Occupy. Though I am very much for Occupy, and support them far more than most other evangelical Christians I know, I am wary of any attempts to use the influence of the church toward political ends.

Anyway, if you are at all interested in putting some more action to your words regarding the church at Occupy, I’d very much like to help you do so. Would you help me get the word out to churches regarding praying for Occupy Edmonton?”

Thank you Shawn, the word is going out.

It’s a provocative piece that seemingly draws (at least from my sheltered Canadian vantage point) unlikely conclusions. What interested me however, was the exposition of Christian Reconstructionism, or Dominionism. A movement that I’d thought dead, a movement that was very much championed (less some of its more outrageous aspects) in a Baptist Church in rural Alberta, where I used to attend.

Reconstructionism, a neo-Calvinist, theonomist (the state is under God and is therefore commanded to enforce God’s Law, Old and New Testament) ideology is a contagious bit of storying for the zealous. Particularly if they are also among the throngs of dispossessed workers, angry libertarians, Tea Party types and so on. 

Curiously, or not, Rushdooney and Gary North are still reverberating through people like American presidential candidates Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, (Who credits Francis Schaeffer’s, How Shall we then Live, for her entering politics.)

Here then, as well, is a recent interview with ex-evangelical Frank Schaeffer on Democracy Now.