This week Jonathan is joined by the
Rev. Paul Robeson Ford, the pastor of the historic Union Baptist Church of
historic Cambridge in historic Massachusetts. Paul’s presence makes the whole
episode historic.
Paul is
joining Jonathan to talk about education in the church context. Jonathan’s
problem is that he has been reading Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. We should wonder if
maybe he is seeing church work as analogous to prison work… hopefully not. If
Jonathan really wants to know what prison is like he should be watching Orange is the New Black – it is a
true-to-life depiction. Much more than Oz
ever was.
Foucault
goes into great length and detail about how discipline can shape the body;
forming it into the person, worker, etc. that you want it to be. Time and
energy is spent on the minutia of movements, the most basic of thoughts in
order to more greatly shape and influence the whole. Now a religious community
is not a prison (in most cases), but the approach to discipline has some merit.
In worship one is learning how to physically be religious through the
repetition and imitation of others. If you are surrounded by others who raise
their hands during songs then in time you very well may do the same. If you see
everyone bow their heads when they pray you may do the same. You learn the
words that are said, you learn a way of speaking that reflects faith.
Even more
happens in Bible studies, Sunday School, and in other aspects of the life of
the church. In those instances more is spent on the sharing of information, but
still a shaping of the body occurs. It is good and important to be aware of
this and to be deliberate in shaping and helping to form people in good habits
of faith. What that looks like will vary from community to community. It
happens whether people are deliberate or not, so make it deliberate.
Railage
Paul takes
the high road and is angry about the over 200 schoolgirls who were kidnapped in
Nigeria. He is even more angry about the lack of political will in the United
States to get involved. Since the recording of this episode we have seen some
progress, but there is still much that can and should be done. Jonathan just
jumps on the bandwagon – wuss.
Scripture
Job 14:7-9
‘For there is hope for a tree,
if it is cut down, that it will sprout
again,
and that its shoots will not cease.
Though its root grows
old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the ground,
yet at the scent of
water it will bud
and put forth branches like a young plant.
Taken out of context this seems like a very nice and hopeful
passage – not typical for Job. It is good to find a moment of hope when you are
in a place of struggle and suffering. Make sure to read a little before and a
little after to get a sense of the dissonance in Job’s experience.
Watcha’ Into?
Paul is watching the NBA playoffs. Apparently that is a basketball
game that is played again and again and again.
Jonathan watched Les
Miserables and found it long and plodding. What is his problem?
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really need to do that.
Thanks for listening!
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