A Faith-Producing Culture?

Those of you new to Faulkner and my rambling diatribes will soon become accustomed to my references to Chronicles magazine and its various contributors. Chronicles is a monthly publication that deals with the American (non-)culture from a "paleoconservative" perspective. There is a pronounced Roman Catholic tinge to much of what appears there, but other voices are also present. It is the one magazine to which I would never dream of canceling my subscription.

The most recent issue has education as its theme, and the article "Educated at Home" by Hugh Barbour contains a stimulating passage I wanted to share with everyone:

"The most serious and dangerous challenge for Christians today is not precisely the loss of faith and religious practice among the fallen away, but a more material, basic human threat--namely, the lack among believers of a human cultural foundation capable of disposing them and their offspring to persevere in the Faith. I mean here not a lack of cultural Hochformen, but a lack of culture in its everyday, domestic, and social sense. This deficit produces among devout Christians a "mere" religiosity, a reduction of Christian life to explicit devotion and moral uprightness, and the sense that things suffice, and that culture is at best an accidental thing, harmful if secular and amoral, helpful to the extent that it is or can be made explicitly religious.
"In this case, religious practice either takes the place of culture or is indifferent to it so long as it is not clearly contrary to faith and good--especially sexual--morals."

Before I comment on the passage, I'd like to know what some other folks think about it. Do you think Barbour is on target, or is he overrating the importance of culture?

I'd especially like to know whether Dr. Woods considers American Idol an "accidental thing."

Clowns in the Pulpit

After we mentioned this at our gathering Saturday evening, I couldn't resist posting it here for the students to see. I wonder how soon we'll see this in Montgomery.

Some of my favorite user comments:

"At least they admit they are led by clowns. I can think of a few churches that are still in denial."

"….can’t sleep…clown will eat me…can’t sleep…clown will eat me "

"Notice how Racism is the chief evil nailed to the cross. I’m sure erosion is on there too (perhaps out of view.)"

"One minute later the congregation was shocked when the secret member of the Clue Clucks Clowns set the cross on fire."

The Hiatus Has Ended . . .

Now that the school year is about to begin, it's time for the posting drought on this site to end. The MLA faculty are ready to begin posting again, and we have a bright new crop of students to keep the conversations invigorating.

So look for a lot more action here in the near future . . .