Crazy for God

I've never been political interested in American politics. In fact, I usually detest anything that even hints of politics popular political propoganda. I can't stand all the labels that are used to define the undefinable - the human person. "Conservative, liberal, pro-lifer, pro-choice, moderate, free market capitalist, socialist, etc." But that's just me.

If you come from a Protestant Christian background, then you owe a lot of your involvement in the political arena to the late Francis Schaeffer. He, more than just about anyone, paved the way for the Moral Majority, the Religious Right, and Conservative Evangelicalism as we now know it. Read up on him; it's a fascinating subject, even if you don't care about politics.

I have a history in evangelicalism that I won't expand on here. As with any cultural heritage, we all have some baggage that weighs us down. When I was in college and learned that some of the things I always took for granted may or may not reflect reality best, I started looking for some mentors, writers who could help me come to grips with some of my spiritual struggles.

That's when I discovered the work of Francis Schaeffer's son, Frank. I found his book Addicted to Mediocrity, a short book that gave me some new categories to think in:

(It) shows how Christians today have sacrificed the artistic prominence they enjoyed for centuries and settled instead for mediocrity. The evidence for this sad state of affairs abounds. We are flooded with "Christian" doodads, trinkets, t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc., that use God's name as an advertising slogan--"Things Go Better with Jesus"--putting the Creator of the universe on the same level as soda pop! Moreover, Schaeffer writes, "Whenever Christians, and evangelicals in particular, have attempted to 'reach the world' through the media--TV, film, publishing and so on--the thinking public gets the firm idea that, like soup in a bad restaurant, Christians' brains are best left unstirred."

Frank Schaeffer is an angry man. But the ideas in his books have helped me come to terms with some of my own "anger" with my cultural background. I laughed (and cringed) all the way through his novels Portofino and Saving Grandma, although they more than hint at his continued anger toward the faith of his father. His latest autobiographical book, Crazy for God, (reviewed here and here) due to be released in a few weeks, is sure to stir the waters. His father is an icon in certain circles, a secular saint.

I'll be the first in line to buy his new book. If you look past all that anger, he does have something important to say. And I think, if we let him, he can help us learn to laugh at ourselves.