I mentioned in my Gettysburg post yesterday that I find the appeals to “providence” when referring to events in the war unconvincing. Today I came across a quote that communicates why it is that I feel this way:
The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope.
The above quote was written after the Civil War by Robert E. Lee. From quotes like this I get the feeling that Robert E Lee was a better theologian than most of the pastors in our pulpits today – for he never confused Western individualism (which was coming into its own in post-Civil War America) with the Christian Religion. Providence guided the long life of humanity, rather than blessed the brief life of the individual. It is a sentiment that is antithetical to the self-lusting belief that the “individual” is all that matters (for the record, Robert E. Lee valued both the society and the individual).
So, let’s not be too quick to interpret the acts “providence” we see in the daily news – nor should we be so quick to certainty about the “meaning” of events in history. As the wise theologian said above, it is history that teaches us to hope in the future God’s providence is unfolding – rather than to have certainty that we know it’s path.
OK, I’m technically on vacation – but I’ve been watching the town meeting debacles unfurl from afar and I’m taking some time to comment before I move on to my second week of vacation (suitably enough, to a place where a “new birth of freedom” was proclaimed).
Anyway, what’s been bugging me over all the vitriol being spilled at the town meetings is that the people who have been encouraged to disrupt the town hall meetings don’t have the foggiest clue what they’re talking about. The people who wrote the memo do know how to intimidate the representatives in the name of their cause, but they are doing it via the same tactics that leftist whackos use to get on the news. I thought the right hated these unreasonable zealots, why would they want to act like them?
Look, the current health care bill has issues, it’s from Washington, which means it was made in a committee and will have many unintended consequences – but it’s hard to have a conversation over those problems when ex-governors are talking about “death panels” and “socialist” is being tossed around with a single purpose in mind, to create a climate of fear. What’s worse, you can’t have a conversation with people (pro or con) who have been stoked to a frenzy because they share a similar psychology that says, “If you don’t agree with me you agree with them.” I find the whole thing tiresome, and a good example of why the electoral college is needed – the mobs can never be allowed to rule. We’re too stupid – and the fact that we have people in congress who admit that they vote on bills they haven’t read shows that our stupidity is bringing stupidity to office.
This gets me to my greatest struggle with the whole town meeting insanity. The other day I saw a clip where a woman was proclaiming that we needed to get back to being the country the way the founders intended it to be. When I heard that all I could think was, “You don’t like being able to vote?” Woman, you see, couldn’t vote in the Founder’s world. Restrictions for voting, in fact, were different from state to state – but if you weren’t a white, land-owning, male chances were that you’re opinion would never make it to the ballot box. I’m interested in what the original voting rights were in NJ, as a matter of fact. I might have been able to vote because I’m clergy, but I’d like to make sure.
It’s just weird to me, having read a significant dose US History, that people will blurt out statements calling for a return to the intentions of the founders without realizing that the republican form of government as espoused by the founders was structured such a way as to create an oligarchy that kept the common citizen outside the political process. The founders were by-and-large, after all, freaked out by the idea of “democracy.”
Maybe tomorrow night I can share some thoughts on the Michael Vick thing. The idea that he gets a “second chance” doesn’t bother me at all – given the savior I follow. I am, however, wondering what the football reasons are for signing him – but that’s another day.
The gentleman in this video did a wonderful job explaining why going to Williamsburg is such a joy for me. Frankly, I’m coming to see that the mass of people who are unable to be moved by either history or narrative is not a matter of bad education – it’s an illness of the soul. Vimeo version will be up soon…
My wife and I were discussing why so many of our friends and neighbors don’t understand why it is that we keep coming down to Williamsburg time and again. People tend to star at us in unbelief when we tell them that we’ve never been to Busch Gardens and then ask, “What do you do down there then?” Sadly, I’m not sure that we’ll ever really get to communicate our passion for this place to them – but here’s some thoughts.
First, my wife and I love story. I can literally lose myself in a good story, and I’m frequently composing tales in my head (a trait which my son seems to share). To me, history is the ultimate story, because it tells the story which binds us together as one (even if we, rightly, critique actions and attitudes of the past). The events that took place in Williamsburg in the 1770’s, and the worlds which collided in this place (patriot, loyalist, slave, free, dissenter, and established church) echo through our world. If we don’t know this story, we can never know who we, as a people, are (both our good and bad). My wife and I come here to become immersed in this aspect of the American Story – so we can listen and ask questions, and expand both our appreciation and critique of our forebearers. Two great things I picked up this trip are:
Why it’s called the “Bar” exam: In English courts a rail, called the “Bar of the King/Queen’s justice” separated the “standers-by” from the officers of the court. Only those licensed as officers of the court were allowed to “pass the bar.”
The story of Gowan Pamphlet: I was privileged to sit in a special hall for patrons of the Williamsburg foundation and spend time in conversation with the man who portrays this remarkable historic personage. Where else could I be privileged to do something like this? I’ll actually have some video of this up later in the week.
Look, I feel the need to say that if you don’t find history engaging then you’ve either had teachers who didn’t find it engaging or you’ve been cursed by an educational system that has utterly failed to see story as vital for the human-spirit. Either way, you’ve been woefully ill-served. Do yourself a favor, learn how to appreciate our story in a way that it washes over you. Learn to see how this story resonates in the events of our daily life. Come down to Williamsburg and become part of the tale that’s told here – talk to the re-enactors, artisans, and interpreters. You won’t regret it.
Let me also add that I believe this is infinitately more important for those who claim to be part of Christ’s Church to learn the story of our own struggles to be faithful to that high calling, rejoicing with our over-coming and weeping over our failures. That so many of our seminaries, colleges, and schools are woefully neglegent in passing on our stoy is a sins that must be repented of.
