i’m living in an age whose name I don’t know

still my fear keeps my moving but my heartbeats are slow.

i was sitting on the metro.

I had just left an OWS rally in DC. I was reading an issue of Newsweek, but I wasn’t really reading. Instead I was thinking about who was at the rally, and I was bumming about who wasn’t.

Specifically, my classmates. In general, churches.

i guess i just don’t understand.

To me the OWS movement seems like an explicit movement with many tendrils follows of Jesus can get on board with. This movement is about solidarity among a disenfranchised populace. This movement is incredibly horizontal or democratic. This movement is strikingly non-partisan.

This movement also has its own integrity. I am not interested in OWS being co-opted by institutional Christianity. I am, however, quite interested in how followers of Jesus can support this movement, stand in solidarity with these folks. Basically, I am interested in how followers of Jesus can give a damn.

i want to, though.

I guess I should say my classmates are in Gettysburg. D.C. is a 90 minute trip at least. I understand the hesitancy to make that trip. Graduate school is a huge time-suck. I understand the difficulty with carving out time to go to an action. Also, OWS isn’t really asking for help from churches or followers of Jesus. I understand the hesitancy to support something that isn’t clearly asking for support.

But still, I guess I don’t understand. And that leads me to what I am waiting on…

so often in church the person who isn’t in the pews gets blamed.

Let me say more. Often church leaders, and some church-folk, gripe about the people who aren’t coming to church.

“I guess anything is more important than church.”

Crap like that. You see why that complaint is a red-herring, right?

It is akin to Gucci complaining that not enough poor people are buying their product. That’s an absurd complaint because Gucci unequivocally does not serve poor people.

Not that church is trying to sell a product.

Still, though, the analogy works. It isn’t fair to provide little to nothing to people, and then blame those same people for not being there.

the silence in the face of OWS is demonstrative…

OWS is a middle-class, predominantly white movement. One would have trouble finding churches that represent these people at any OWS actions.

Before I get to the strong words let me say a few things. Church folk, like everyone else, have limited time. I will admit, by attending the OWS rally I missed a church event. Also, there are church folks supporting and attending OWS events. Generally my criticism of churchly silence in the face of OWS applies, in the specifics it doesn’t.

Back to the point. The absence of churches from OWS has something to do with the conceit and judgment implicit within many church-leadership attitudes toward culture outside of the church at large.

I intend for this criticism to cut both ways. Not only are conservative churches, with their overt criticism of culture implied. So are so-called liberal churches, with their apathy in the face of these actions.

It is not young people’s fault they are not at church.

It is ours.

We’ve presented them with a feeble God, a petty faith, a limited range of God’s work. In other words, we’ve shown them in so many ways that, apparently, God is not worth worshiping.

I’m waiting for that new exodus. I’m waiting for churches to shake the dust off themselves. I’m waiting, with other disenfranchised young people, for the churches to get involved with me.

I’m waiting for churches to help me act on this passion for justice.

Fewer and fewer young people are going to church.

Someday we will get wise enough to ask why. Someday someone will be kind enough to answer the question.

“You didn’t show up.”