i recently came across an excellent article in Harpers regarding the state of Christianity in America. it is definitely worth a read, not so much because it bashes on Christians, but because it’s an eloquently written observation of some troubling trends in our nation’s interpretation of the religion.

i won’t bore anyone with my own thoughts on the matter, and frankly, i find it very uninteresting to even engage in discussion about the topic of whether or not to be Christian. hey, if it works, just do it! if not, find something else. i’ve been in the realm of “something else” for quite a while now.

okay, i won’t let myself off that easy. i did come across two papers from my sophomore year that deal directly with my views on religion. i’m not as passionate about such things anymore, but it was nice to read something from a time when i took many things much more seriously. it even sounds like i followed politics very carefully and hoped for some sort of social changes in the world. well, little has changed in terms of core beliefs, but i guess i’m not so sure i can make all that much of a difference anymore. sharing very liberal pieces of writing is a start:

On Self and Religion – I begin by interviewing my Hindu friend Samir about the impact of religion on his life and then proceed to write about my own dealings with religion, particularly the interaction with my parents, who both attended Christian seminaries and led ministry for a number of years. I think I wrote this one pretty last-second because the quality is second-rate.

The Korean Church Effect – this is a politically charged paper that many of you may find disagreeable. I’ve met many faithful Christians who find ways to balance faith with liberal and socially progressive beliefs, but the conservative ideology still exists among most Korean American Christian groups. And you may find that some of the themes in the Harpers article are also in my paper, such as the idea of Christianity catering to a self-obsessed mindset that obstructs community action.

as a parting note, i just want to mention one song that really struck me when i heard it for the first time several years ago. it was 2pac and Outlawz’s Black Jesus and it talks about the idea of a black Jesus who understands the plight of blacks – “somebody that hurt like we hurt, somebody that smoke like we smoke, drink like we drink.” Imagine that – in America, where the dominant image of Jesus is an Anglo-Saxon hero who happened to live in Israel (and whose teachings supposedly “enlightened” slaves brought over from Africa) – to call out for a dark-skinned Jesus with an affinity for African American culture… it’s nothing new. all ethnicities, cultures, and denominations shape Jesus in their own ways, much like Western Europeans gave Jesus a lighter hue, African Americans decided to make him dark, and Asians…