Fostering Hope (November 11, 2006)
Once again I am inspired and deeply moved by this program. Martin Marty's discussion of pluralism was thorough, insightful, and even prayerful. Like Diana Eck's Pluralism Project, these insights lead to an understanding that will be absolutely fundamental if we are ever to co-exist peacefully in this country. It is tempting to pigeonhole people into their own denominational niche, but in the end, we all are threads in this great quilt of religious pluralism. Thank you for yet another wonderful show.
Rebecca Marchand
Santa Barbara, CA (Listens to SOF OnDemand)
Evangelicals — and Other Christians (November 10, 2006)
Ms Stein raises the experience of being "confronted" by Christians seeking to convert her.
There are many Christians who believe they are required to go out and convert all to Christianity; implementing what is known as "The Great Commission" from Matthew 28:18–20, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.'"
In my opinion, implementation of the Great Commission within the strictures of the great commandment of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" becomes a delicate maze which is not easily navigated, and often breached.
Please understand that many Christians do not harbor that degree of evangelical zeal or impulse — but unfortunately, they do not overtly project their presence or impress themselves and their beliefs on others, and thus they tend to go unnoticed. Please be aware that, although we aren't up in your face, many of us embrace what is originally a Hindu concept/greeting: Namaste, meaning, variously:
- I salute the Light of God in you.
- I bow to the divine in you.
- I recognize that within each of us is a place where Divinity dwells, and when we are in that place, we are One.
- the God in me sees and honors the God in you.
- May the God within you, bless you.
Namaste!
RJ Walker
Perrysburg, OK (KWGS, 89.5 FM)
No Room for Jews (November 5, 2006)
Marty says that religion and prayer should be "voluntary," but it's never really voluntary if you are the only Jew in your class in or in your grade. He doesn't seem to have given any thought to what that would be like. My own experience with evangelical and fundamentalist Christians has not been good. Most of them want to "save my soul." Even more dangerous are those who tell me that you can be Jewish and accept Jesus as your savior which is a lie. Trying to get a Jew to accept Jesus is an attempt to reduce the number of Jews. It is spiritual genocide.
Susan Stein
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)
Standing On the Bridge (November 4, 2006)
I've always appreciated reading and listening to Martin Marty's perspectives on religion in America. I especially like how Krista Tippett describes him as standing on the bridge between liberal Protestantism and evangelical Christianity. In my own personal walk with Christ, I am on common ground with Martin Marty. I've been deeply influenced by both strains of theology, and yet don't feel completely comfortable in either sphere as I often take positions that would make both sides mad at me. Fundamentalism too easily generates into legalism (truth without love), and liberal Christianity too easily degenerates into syncretism (love without truth). I personally believe the Bible emphasizes both personal and social morality, and to overemphasize one at the exclusion of the other puts the entire message of Scripture in peril.
Kevin Young
Sheffield, IA (KUNI, 90.9 FM)
The Idea of Predestination (December 12, 2004)
I enjoyed the wonderful discussion with Martin Marty this morning. It was a treat. There was one topic, however, or bucket of topics, that I did not feel he addressed fully. Let me explain.
Professor Marty talked about the difference between personal virtues and social virtues—and noted that the evangelical/fundamentalist groups tended toward the former. Further, he noted that these (abortion, drinking, etc.) are ones that
tend to be within your personal control and are either/or types of issues—either you do X, or you do not—have an abortion, or not, drink, or not, you are righteous, or not.
In my opinion and work (The Catholic Ethic in American Society, The Catholic
Ethic and the Spirit of Communalism, American Values and Social Welfare) I argue that the concept of predestination (and its corollary ideas) is the larger underground river from which these issues and others spring.
First, since in much of Protestantism you can?t "earn" salvation, and the decision about it may have been/has been made by an ahistorical God, you are left wondering about your salvation status. (Will YOU be "left behind?") As Max Weber
pointed out, the idea that while you could not influence your status you might
be able to discover it became powerful. The idea that social "success" and personal "righteousness" in this life would indicate a favorable salvation decision for the next is one of the most powerful ideas in American society (and elsewhere, no doubt). At a stroke it transformed the social ladder into Jacob's ladder and made personal attributes a vital—indeed "fundamental"—proxy for personal reassurance. Too, within the Protestant umbrella, salvation is an either/or matter, much like the others that Professor Marty gave as examples. Either you are "OK" or you are
"not OK."
It may be that as a theological concept, predestination is not a current "bon
mot? or explicitly discussed by many. However, as Professor Marty explained in his comments, concepts have force long after their origin becomes effaced. This salvation anxiety, transmuted into ?values? and ?morals? as a proxy for OK-ness is, in my thinking, a fundamental part of the American character, and helps us understand much of our history and current situation.
John Tropman
Ann Arbor, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)
Treated with Fairness (December 12, 2004)
Tonight I listened to the show for only the second time, and just like last time I was powerfully struck by how much a show like this is needed. I work in administration for a state university and am a Master's student. In my classes and in my workplace, it is still (puzzlingly) perfectly acceptable to speak of Christianity as a backward and hateful faith, an instrument of cultural oppression. It means SO MUCH to me to hear the history of American Christianity and religious life in general treated with integrity and balance as it was tonight in the interview with Martin Marty. I feel that Krista does a fantastic job of treating all religious voices with respect without watering down the conversation to avoid difficult topics.
I particularly valued Marty's statements on fundamentalism as a function of threatened identity and look forward to adding his work to my studies of Hindu nationalism in India. I also was moved to tears by the beautiful and inspiring quotes that were read from the work of a couple of Marty's favorite theologians. What an incredible thing to turn on public radio and walk away so uplifted!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing these topics into the public square and treating them as worthy of careful, thoughtful analysis and not as freak show spectacles or examples of archaic, backward philosophy.
Amy Moffitt
Arlington, VA (WETA, 90.9 FM)
Congrats from an Evangelical (December 12, 2004)
Today I listened attentively to your conversation with Dr. Martin Marty on the nuances of fundamentalism. Bravo to you and your staff! You were able to discuss the topic with compassion and directness that really helps me as an evangelical pastor. Keep up your great work.
Don Johnson
St. Anthony, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
I Reject Your Agenda (December 30, 2004)
I happened to be listening to your program when your guest was Martin Marty. I was astounded to hear you say that the voters indicated in the last election that moral values were a primary concern. Every news source, including NPR, has covered the fact that the exit poll questions were constructed in a fashion that would lead a majority of those questioned to answer as they did. The fact that you made your statement would indicate that, 1) you need to be
better informed, or 2) you are a part of this so-called religious right's agenda.
I would suggest that Noam Chomsky would be a wonderful guest for your show, to, let us say, give it some balance. J Krishnamurti would be even better, but, lucky for him, he is no longer around to witness this disgusting rebirth of nationalism and religious zealotry.
Lawrence Renko
White Bear Lake, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
Biblical Inerrancy (December 12, 2004)
I am bothered by the number of people that interpret the Bible literally, as I see that being so problematic. DNA evidence does not show that all mankind is traceable back a few thousand years to Noah's family, as the Bible asserts.
Harold Kameya
Granada Hills, CA (KPCC, 89.3 FM)
Fundamentalism (December 12, 2004)
It seems that most high profile Evangelicals and/or Fundamentalists are coming from a fear-based belief system, while at least some of what I call more enlightened churches are to a large extent attempting to teach love. My impression of Biblical literalists is much the same, to a large extent due to the fact that their position is very vulnerable. While very few of them would try to re-argue Galileo, many of them are nonetheless trying to get a death grip on evolution in the schools.
Overall, I get the impression that their fear is often expressed as anger, taking the form of a persecution that they would of course call a ministry of love, of many different theologically incorrect groups or individuals. You or your guest said that "their real fear is that the world will end, and they will get left behind." An accompanying fear might be that if the world doesn't end, they will REALLY get left behind.
Bruce Chris Sikkema
Minneapolis, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)
What About Bonhoeffer? (December 12, 2004)
It is interesting that neither you or Mr. Marty thought Dietrich Bonhoeffer worthy of mention as influential in Christian ethical thought in the twentieth
century. Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran theologian and protege of Reinhold Niebuhr, left the safety of the United States to return to Germany stating that he would not have the right to lead German Christianity after the war if he did not share their trials. He was arrested, spent years in prisons and concentration camps. His writings were smuggled out. He was executed in 1945 by special order of Himmler just days before the prison he was in was liberated by the Allies.
Bonhoeffer directly confronted the great evil of the first half of the twentieth
century, following the path of Christian discipleship. He left a body of scholarship and writing. I was disappointed by his omission when Dr. Billy Graham, somewhat smug and
always profitable, was along with the Niebuhrs the only name mentioned.
Marie Anne Gray
New York, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)
Question Gone Unasked (December 12, 2004)
Martin Marty indicated that mainline Protestant denominations "shared the stage" with evangelical denominations. I wish you had inquired of Marty if he felt that evangelical denominations would be accommodating as well.
Robert Kirk
Indianapolis, IN (WFYI, 90.1 FM)
Relevant in Current Politics (December 12, 2004)
This was my first time tuning in to Speaking of Faith, and it was a winner! I was already a "fan" of Martin Marty, but I found his insights especially relevant in the context of our current political landscape. I don't know anyone else who speaks with such depth, clarity, and fairness. I would like to see this program repeated at an hour when more listeners might hear it. Thanks for your good work. I expect to tune in again when I am up at 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday.
Joyce Bowers
Prospect, IL (WBEZ, 91.5 FM)
Evangelism (December 12, 2004)
Thank you so much for the program with Martin Marty. We are liberal
Episcopalians. I have begun to understand the fundamentalists after listening
to Professor Marty.
Douglas Mathieson
Boca Raton, FL (WLRN, 91.3 FM)
Admiration (December 12, 2004)
I love this brilliant historical and sociological interpretation. Martin Marty understands this so clearly, and I would love to listen to more of all he says. How do we educate the Democratic politicians to these facts and evolutions?
Nancy Crane
Annapolis, MD (WYPR, 88.1 FM)
Fundamentalists (December 12, 2004)
Today I was astounded to hear the guest make a totally false, glib statement that went unquestioned by Krista. The statement may have just got by her or maybe she was ignoring it on purpose—but she shouldn't have. What he said was: "the difference is that our fundamentalists don't have machine guns in the basement"!
[Editor's Note: Mr. Wolfe refers to the following statement made by Martin Marty during the program.]
One quick word about fundamentalism. The fundamentalism we studied, to which you're referring, is not your friendly neighborhood
fundamentalist down the block. Our assignment was to study the militancies. When we started this, a historian friend said, "When you're studying American fundamentalism, Marty, remember there are no machine guns in the basement of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago."
It is unbelievable that he would make such a statement without knowing just how false it
is. Perhaps he didn't realize just how many Christian fundamentalists there are in the USA today.
For example, there is/was the now infamous Branch Davidians, who actually had "machine guns in the basement." In fact the raid on his fortified compound was prompted by ATF information/report about these machine guns. Then there is the Christian fundamentalist who was stopped by Canada Customs with enough recin poison to kill an entire city of two or more million. He also had so much ammo in his vehicle that it was "sitting down" so low on its springs that the border guard became suspicious and so had the vehicle searched; and it was a good thing too, as he had a weapon of mass destruction (recin has no antidote, and it's the second strongest poison on earth).
There are many others, and to deny so is to trivialize your program to the point of making it pure propaganda; and I don't think that was your intention. Thanks for considering this.
John Wolfe
Moab, UT (KUER, 90.1 FM)
Public Prayer (December 11, 2004)
When I hear prayer in schools, etc., being promoted, I never hear it pointed out that the fundamental Christians probably mean their own form of prayer. Can you imagine them allowing third graders to be led in a "Hail Mary," or have a prayer rug thrown down while all face Mecca, or a rousing chorus of "OM!"? No way. But they are allowed to get away with making public prayer seem perfectly reasonable and acceptable to all Americans, the founding fathers included.
Mary Morand
Brighton, MI (WUOM, 91.7 FM)
Kudos (December 10, 2004)
Splendid program with Martin Marty! My hats off to Krista and the entire staff! THANK YOU!
George Carden
Minneapolis, MN (Listens via Web Audio)
