I was recently in conversation with a friend about a book title I had come across, finding the contents disturbing, since it is an apparently widely-worldwide embraced tactical manual/playbook for social justice revolutionaries, published in 2012. We talked about how all movements of any sort–from religious to business to political to self-help–have their own how to tactical manifestos, of sorts. I even think of the Dale Carnegie Course which my mother often referred to, or the Emily Post Book of Etiquette.
In the course of this conversation, I recalled how I had been involved in a Christian street theatre group on the University of Delaware campus between 1982 and 1983 or so. This group of about ten college students with associations through Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship would find a place on the campus green during student rush hour, and though my memory is blurry on some aspects, I “think” we started by laying down or lounging in the grass as though asleep, and then the leader had a recorder (flute) on which he would begin playing a melody of a Renaissance-style song called Pastime with good company.
As I browse the lyrics below1 I wonder to myself if I actually sang them correctly at the time…as my recollection now is quite skewed. As the leader began the recorder-flute music we would each slowly rise and join in one-by-one with our voices, in harmonic parts. Yes, I definitely recall now…it’s coming back to me better! We were laying on the grass as though asleep and we would stretch and rise…and begin to sing.
We drew a crowd as we “awoke“…perhaps one could say were were WOKE in some way, or part of some flashmob–even back into the early 80’s. We went on to do a little evangelistic skit (of which I can’t recall an iota of its content…I mainly recall the musical part) in which we all played some role.
(Actually maybe we started the skit by appearing to shove each other around and shout…oh…so many years ago it all fades.)
And then of course, we each had a supply of Christian gospel tracts to give out to bystanders (as quickly as possible) after we finished. There were a few other religious groups on campus at that time (the Moonies and Scientology, as I recall, and perhaps sometimes Jehovah Witnesses) that our group considered to be “Christian cults” with non-biblical understandings. So we were in some type of evangelistic culture war, of sorts.
We attempted to engage other students in conversation, directly asking them if they knew Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The campus group taught us the Four Spiritual Laws2 which were a four-point guide for bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, in hopes of reaching those who did not know of His love and salvation nor their need to personally enter into right relationship with God through Him.
Religious and political theatre and methodologies are nothing new. In the conversation with this friend we talked about how anyone who strongly believes in something and wants to persuade others usually strongly believes that their cause is virtuous and that whatever means used justifies the end results. I was challenged, “Well, what makes what you and your friends were doing on that campus any different from what is going on with those following the tactical playbook on current college campuses?”
I thought a moment and said, “Well, whatever we were doing on the campus at the University of Delaware had various results–from being mocked and laughed at to perhaps a few people being persuaded more closely into following Jesus–but whatever we were doing didn’t cause national and state laws to be changed.”
The friend responded, “Ah…so you are a political animal!”
I paused, backpedaled and made a second attempt:
“Well, whatever we were doing on the campus at the University of Delaware had various results–from being mocked and laughed at to perhaps a few people being persuaded more into following Jesus–but whatever we were doing didn’t help cause young girls all over the nation to have their breasts and/or uterus removed or cause young men to chop off their genitals.”
The friend said…“NOW…you’ve got me. Tell me more.”
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According to various family members on my mother’s side, my grandmother, Mary Effie Carter Linger, was known as a troublemaker. Since I never met my grandmother, who died when my mother was seventeen, nor is there much (known to me) family history/stories of what that meant, it is a matter of curiosity to me.
It could have meant a number of things, including perhaps she was a woman in some type of trouble and her reaching out to others for help was considered within the family as causing trouble.
The late Congressman and Civil Rights Activist John Lewis spoke of getting into good trouble. In my mind, good trouble would be standing up for things in difficult ways and with potential consequences to one’s own safety and comfort–but I would only consider it good trouble to get into trouble for good reason and for the cause of that which is truly good, right and holy in this world and the world to come.
In a sense, Jesus often got Himself into forms of what one might call “good trouble.” And in scripture we are told that if the world hated Him, and we follow Him, it will hate and persecute us in many of the same ways, with the same accusations. I’m going to clip out part of Philipians 3 (below) that comes to mind, concerning being an enemy of the cross…and promoting shameful and death-giving, destructive things as though they are good things. These things should not be considered the basis of getting into good trouble for and especially, not creating a playbook aimed at techniques for the alteration of true morality, and the foundational structure of the family, society and the world, and somehow naming it as ‘beautiful trouble’. There is certainly nothing beautiful about this, as just one example.
The pairing of good and trouble seems understandable to me. The pairing of beautiful and trouble seems more nebulous…and given current agendas–nefarious, insidious, secretive…subversive.
Philippians 3:18-19
The apostle Paul writes:
“For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. “
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1“Past Time With Good Company”(Lyric Find)
Past time with good company
I love, and shall until I die
Grutch who lust, but none deny
So god be pleased thus live will I
For my pastance
Hunt, sing and dance
My heart is set;
All goodly sport
For my comfort
Who shall me let?
Youth must have some dalliance
Of good or ill some pastance
Company methinks then best
All throughts and funcies to digest
For idleness is chief mistress
Of vices all… than who can say
But mirth and play
Is best of all?
Past time with good company
I love, and shall until I die
Grutch who lust, but none deny
So god be pleased thus live will I
For my pastance
Hunt, sing and dance
My heart is set;
All goodly sport
For my comfort
Who shall me let?
Company with honesty
Is virtue, vices to flee;
Company is good and ill
But any man hath his free will
The best ensue
The worst eschew…
My mind shall be
Virtue to use
Vice to refuse
Thus shall I use me…
2The Four Spiritual Laws (Campus Crusade For Christ)
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For Further Thought:
Megyn Kelly Explains Why She Will No Longer Use “Preferred Pronouns” as Trans Ideology Grows
Pronouns: why we should not play along.
Thank You For Reading
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