This little vacation of mine was just what the doctor ordered. I feel refreshed, renewed, invigorated, and ready to get back in to the whole blogging thing. I do hope you haven't wandered far, or if you have, you find your way back. I started missing doing this about Wednesday, but kept to my desire to stay away until today in order to give myself the time needed to get even more clarity and perspective.
I feel a bit like Rod Serling. In his last interview, as reported in Stephen King's Danse Macabre, Serling said of his scripts for The Twilight Zone that about a third of them were good, a third of them were just OK, and a third of them were just awful. I feel that way about what I have written here. There are some pieces I am very proud to have authored. Some seem like place holders. Some . . . I would just as soon forget. Part of this vacation has been a chance to give myself some perspective on these less than admirable achievements of mine. I have decided, in order to reduce the quota of embarrassing posts, to set myself a public agenda, and a set of rules as I go forward. I do this for myself, to put out publicly what I have seen and read privately as constituting my best efforts. I do not promise I shall abide by them %100; but I do promise to be conscious and aware of them. That is why I am setting them out publicly - I make myself accountable not only to myself, but to all who read this as well.
First, some stylistic things. I will refrain from using strong language, including profanity. While I have argued in the past that such self-censorship can be self-defeating, I think it detracts from my own goal of being true to my self-professed identity as a Christian. As a distraction, it plays in to questions of my credibility. I would rather be credible than provocative, so I shall no longer be dropping the "f-bomb" on the world as a way of being rhetorically shocking. Better writing and more thought, as well as clarity of exposition can do that just as well.
Also, I will spend a bit more time on posts. I tend to write quickly, edit only for grammar and spelling, then post. I think I should spend a bit of time editing for clarity of exposition, simplicity, and even elegance. I would rather be a better writer than a quick writer. I have more than once struggled to make a point that, after reflection, could have been made both more easily and with less exposition had I given myself time to think through what I was trying to say.
I think it is important to list my own agenda items as I go forward. These are the main topics of interest and concern for me, and help me to keep from wandering hither and yon, focusing my intellectual energies and interests in a way that is constructive for the larger public dialogue of which this blog is a tiny part.
- Focus attention on the increasing diversity of Christian religious practice in the public realm, especially on the evolving evangelical movement and the changing nature of the mainline churches.
- There is no "natural" or "real" narrative that reveals the inner meaning of our current events; this blog will focus on the liberal/progressive narrative as it encompasses issues of concern and hope for our country and the world.
- The intellectually shallow and dishonest, morally obtuse and impaired commentary of much of our national commentariat is in dire need of correction. The main culprits - Joe Klein, David Broder, Tom Friedman, the network and cable news organizations - are in dire need of change to reflect, not necessarily the "correct" view, but a view that is more reflective of the changed realities we as a nation find ourselves in. I shall continue to criticize the failures (and occasional whopping nonsense) of these and other representatives of our small-minded elite journalists.
- I have an interest in the historical, philosophical, and, yes, theological underpinnings and perspectives on our current world situation, and examining them is a way to present current events in a broader intellectual context. As such, I shall be offering posts that go off in to territories of more intellectual depth (hopefully with a big dose of humility and humor to keep my head from getting too big).
- Various immediate events - a Congressional hearing, a headline, the death of important personage, a church service or sermon that touches me - will be offered when they arise and move me to comment or highlight them in order to point you to them for you own edification, enlightenment, or criticism.
- Music has always been as important to me as breathing. I will continue my Monday and Saturday music posts, with occasional musical offerings when the mood, or perhaps occasion, calls for them.
As we move forward, I hope I have the discipline to keep to this agenda, and that I do not become either boring or predictable. As always, feedback is appreciated, but not always necessary.
Virtual Tin Cup
