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Signs of the Times  •  3 March 2016  •  No. 61

¶ Processional. “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

Right: This lavender labyrinth, in Germany, was developed by Christa Wendling in 2005. It is a replica of the one laid in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France in 1220.

¶ Invocation. “We know the road to freedom has always been stalked by death.” —Angela Y. Davis

¶ Call to worship. “Woke Up This Morning,” Fannie Lou Hamer leading group singing.

¶ Lent’s threat is to our self-made delusions. Mixed martial arts fighting (MMA, aka, no-holds-barred cage fighting) is among the most savage sporting phenomena in our culture. Yet a recent comment by former MMA female champion Ronda Rousey after her surprising loss to a competitor, is instructive for understanding Lent’s interrogation of our inventive persona habits:
        “In the medical room, I was sitting in the corner, and I was like, ‘What am I anymore if I’m not this [the champion]?’ And I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself in that exact second. Like what do I do anymore? And no ones gives a sh*t about me anymore without this.” —Rousey speaking on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” reported in USAToday

Good news. “A bipartisan group of governors from 17 states has pledged to accelerate their efforts to create a green economy in the US by boosting renewables, building better electricity grids and cutting emissions from transport.” The states include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. These states are home to around 40% of the US population. —The Guardian

The image at right is a drawing by Gabe Harper a photograph made by William Smith of Fannie Lou Hamer speaking outside the Capitol in Washington DC on September 17, 1965, first printed in "Hospitality," newsletter of the Open Door Community in Atlanta, Georgia.

¶ Born to sharecroppers in 1917 rural Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer grew up in cotton fields. She made a fateful decision, in 1962, to attend a meeting about African American voter registration. That cause became a life commitment, working the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helping found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, among many other involvements. Despite her limited education, she was among the most eloquent voices for freedom within the civil rights movement. And singing was always part of the way she moved in the world.

¶ “Fannie Lou Hamer never recovered from the beating she suffered in the county jail in Winona, Mississippi. A blood clot eliminated vision in one eye. Severe damage to her kidneys shaved decades off her life. The sadistic brutality Hamer and her friends endured in Winona beggars comprehension unless you understand the times.” —continue reading Alan Bean’s  “‘Songs got us through’: Fannie Lou Hamer in Winona.”

¶ Watch this video (3:40) of Hamer testifying on 22 August 1964 before the Democratic National Convention’s credentials committee, challenging the legitimacy of Mississippi’s all-white Democratic delegation to the Convention. —PBS American Experience, “Freedom Summer"
        •You can watch the entire “American Experience Freedom Summer” 2-hour film.
        •President Lyndon Johnson was so threatened by Hamer's testimony that he called an impromptu press conference to preempt news coverage of her testimony. The plan backfired—all three major television networks aired Hamer’s testimony that evening.
        •Engraved on her tombstone is her most memorable refrain: “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

¶ “8 historic women who pioneered the Civil Rights Movement,” photos and brief summaries. —Yohana Desta, mashable.com

¶ Hymn of praise. “This Little Light of Mine,” Fannie Lou Hamer leading singing.

¶ Practicing praise. Neuroscientists know that expressing gratitude is good for your health. “Fad diets aside, we all know the basic formula for greater physical health—eat less junk and exercise more. The same can be said for greater happiness. Sure mental health is hugely complex, but the research on how to promote basic, day-to-day well-being couldn't be clearer—just cultivate gratitude.” —Jessica Stillman, Menu Inc.  (Thanks, James.)

¶ As only McFarrin can do it. “Musician Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic scale to reveal one surprising result of the way our brains are wired. You will be intrigued by how humans process thoughts and think.” (3:05. Thanks Naomi.)

¶ Extraordinarily good news. “My vote for this Lent’s saint of the season is 8-year-old Amelia Meyer (watch this 0:39 video) of Kansas City. Amelia, who’s battling brain cancer, was selected by the Make-a-Wish Foundation to fulfill a dream-come-true desire. But instead of a Disney World escapade, she wanted to “take care of the world” by gathering with her friends to pick up litter in her city’s parks.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “No resurrection by proxy: What 8-year-old Amelia Meyer has to teach us about Lenten arrangements that lead to life’s flourishing”

¶ For the beauty of the earth. National Geographic video (1:51) of “The President,” one of the world’s largest trees. (It has an estimated 2 billion leaves.)

¶ Confession. “Oh Lord, You Know Just How I Feel,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

¶ The state of our disunion. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has never in 10 years spoken a word from the bench during oral arguments of cases before the court. He broke that silence Monday to indicate his discomfort with taking away “the Second Amendment right to own guns” from a man convicted of violent domestic violence. —Laura Clawson, Kaily Kos

¶ History we still don’t know. “In 1958, James Hanover Thompson [then 8 years old] and his friend David Simpson [7 years old]—both African-American—were accused of kissing a girl who was white. They were arrested, and taken to jail. Prosecutors sought a stiff penalty—living in reform school until they were 21.”

¶ “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism.” —Robin Diangelo, The Good Men Project (Thanks, Alan.)

¶ This 2-minute dialogue from TV’s “black-ish” sitcom sums up what needs to be heard if black lives are to matter.

¶ “To survive, you must tell stories.” —renowned Italian novelist, literary critic and philosopher Umberto Eco, who died last week

¶ Satire from The Onion. “According to a report published Thursday in the Journal Of Applied Psychology, the act of getting out of bed in the morning dramatically increases the risk of things becoming even worse.”

¶ Here’s a trend to applaud. “At least 85 of America’s top colleges are now endorsing the idea of emphasizing community involvement over personal success in their admissions policies. A new Harvard Graduate School of Education [‘Turning the Tide’] report is basically saying the best way to succeed for students who are applying to college is to relax, and be nicer to your family and neighbors.” —Terry Turner, GoodNewsNetwork

Left: Ricardo Levins Morales, ©RLM Art Studio.

¶ Powerful spoken word performance. “Indifference,” by Brook van der Linde. (3:08. Thanks, Bruce.)

¶ Words of assurance. “And I’ll rise up / I'll rise like the day / I’ll rise up / I'll rise unafraid / I'll rise up / And I’ll do it a thousand times again / And I’ll rise up / High like the waves / I’ll rise up / In spite of the ache / I'll rise up / And I’ll do it a thousands times again / For you.” —Andra Day, “Rise Up”

¶ Oscars. Chris Rock’s 10-minute opening monologue was widely anticipated, given the controversy over the fact that no African Americans were nominated for an Oscar award. Rock jumped on it right out of the gate—and did a stunningly funny  job (despite a misbegotten swipe at Asian Americans)—proving again that humor’s sharp edge makes for a better scalpel.

¶ More Oscar news. The most poignant moment in the Oscars show was Lady Gaga’s emotively-charged rendition of “Til It Happens to You” (a nominee for Best Original Song, written by Diane Warren) from “Hunting Ground,” the documentary movie about rape on college campuses. (Both Gaga and Warren are sexual assault survivors.)
        Midway through the song, the stage curtain in back lifted and some three dozen survivors of sexual assault joined her on stage, each with a phrase like “not your fault” or “survivor” written on their forearms. As the group exited the stage, Brie Larson, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “Room,” the film about a woman held hostage for seven years, hugged every one of them. 

¶ Sexual assault occurs on average every 107 seconds  in the US, and the vast majority of victims are women. 18.3% of females, and 1.4% of males, are raped at some time in their lives. Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. The good news is that sexual assault has decreased by more than half since 1993.
        •Worldwide, at least one in three women have been beaten or sexually assaulted during their lifetimes, and most of the abusers are family members.
        •Every day in the US more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
        •Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.

¶ Preach it. “In the rule of St. Benedict, the momenta mori [reminder of one’s mortality] . . .  challenged me to incorporate the awareness of death into my daily living, for that is what it really amounts to. It isn’t primarily a practice of thinking of one’s last hour, or of death as a physical phenomenon; it is a seeing of every moment of life against the horizon of death, and a challenge to incorporate that awareness of dying into every moment so as to become more fully alive.” —“Learning to Die,” Bro. David Steindle-Rast (Thanks, Deborah.)

¶ Call to the table. “I’m Going Down to the River of Jordan,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

¶ Good question. “Every notice how journalists always ask how Bernie will pay for free college, but never ask how we will pay for endless war?” —from the internet

¶ Altar call. “Precious Lord,” Fannie Lou Hamer.

¶ Lectionary for Sunday next. “‘Behold, I am doing a new thing, beyond your wildest dreams and favored calculations!’ In forgiving, we do not forget; we remember in a different way. Violation cannot be undone. But with time, wisdom, and care of a Good Shepherd, its poison can be drained, its tear stitched, its trauma calmed, its power annulled.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “Remembering in a different way: A meditation on communion, forgiveness and reconciliation's labor, inspired by Isaiah 43:16-21”

¶ Benediction. "Salvation does not divide. Salvation connects, so that one sees oneself in others and others in oneself. . . .” —novelist James Baldwin

¶ Recessional. “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me,” Marion Williams.

¶ Just for fun. “Simon Beck (2:10 video) has an incredible passion and talent for creating elaborate snow murals by taking one step at a time. What started out as just a fun way to exercise, later became a unique art.” (Thanks, Andrew.)

#  #  #

Right: Linocut art ©Julie Lonneman

Featured this week on prayer&politiks:

• “Remembering in a different way: A meditation on communion, forgiveness and reconciliation's labor, inspired by Isaiah 43:16-21”

• “No resurrection by proxy: What 8-year-old Amelia Meyer has to teach us about Lenten arrangements that lead to life’s flourishing”

Resources for Lent

• “Raucous: God’s mutiny against Lenten tedium and patriotic pablum,” a poem

• “Fasting: Ancient practice, modern relevance”

• “Wilderness: Lenten preparation: A collection of biblical texts that speak of wilderness”

• “Lent is upon us,” a liturgy for Lent

• “Deepening the Call: A wilderness fast opposing a “Desert Storm,” a Lenten essay protesting the 1991 Gulf War

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor. Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.

Your comments are always welcomed. If you have news, views, notes or quotes to add to the list above, please do. If you like what you read, pass this along to your friends. You can reach me directly at klsehested@gmail.com.

 

Signs of the Times  •  25 February 2016  •  No. 60

¶ Processional (and celebrating the rising of the women). The ceremony marks the first aboriginal women—Melanie Mark—elected to British Columbia (Canada) legislature.  (Thanks, Lee.)

¶ Photo at right. Colima Volcano in Mexico shows a powerful night explosion with lightning and incandescent rockfalls. This photo, by Velasco Garcia, took second place in the 2016 World Press Photo Contest.

¶ Invocation. “Fill my heart with song and / Let me sing for ever more / You are all I long for / All I worship and adore.” —7-year-old Angelina Jordan, from Norway, singing “Fly Me to the Moon.”

¶ Call to worship. “Let the lost rejoice in the Lamb who rules, / for the Tendering Day draws near! / When the grumbling accountants of shame / and chagrin trap the erring, / consigned to regret, / When the safeguarding coins are scattered, astray, / and tattered hearts freeze with fear and dismay.” —continue reading Ken’s Sehested “Let the lost rejoice,” a litany for worship inspired by Jesus’ parables of loss in Luke 15

¶ Good news you likely didn’t hear. Susan Dancy Aldrich, a stay-at-home mom and part-time preschool teacher in Charlotte, NC, faced a vocational fork-in-the-road when the last of her children left home. After a coffee shop chance encounter with a friend starting a new non-governmental organization (NGO) in Panama, Susan hatched the idea for what became, in 2010, “One Library at a Time,” a project to establish and strengthen libraries serving young children in underdeveloped regions of the world—mostly in Central America—building on existing linkages with various NGOs to promote sustainability and relational development with communities here in the US. Consider stirring interest in your congregation to “adopt” one of these libraries.

Left: US & Cuban flags on a balcony in Havana. Photo by Yamil Lage, Getty Images.

¶ US-Cuba relations continuing to thaw
        •US President Barack Obama has announced he will visit Cuba on 21 March, the first sitting president to travel there since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
        •Cleber LLC, a US manufacturer of small tractors, is the first business granted permission to establish a manufacturing plant in Cuba. —Melissa Block, NPR
        •On his second day in office in 2008, President Barack Obama issued an executive order mandating the closing within one year of the Guantánamo Bay Prison. Seven years later, Obama—frustrated by Congressional obstruction—has renewed his commitment to dismantle the military prison.      
        •The present cost to US taxpayers is $4 million annually for each of the 91 prisoners at the Guantánamo prison. For more background information, see the ACLU's “Guantánamo by the Numbers.”
        •The US and Cuba signed “a civil aviation agreement in Havana [Tuesday 16 February] re-establishing air service between the two countries,” up to 20 flights per day to Havana and as many as 10 daily flights to other Cuban cities. With 10 international airports in Cuba, that means there could be as many as 110 flights daily. —Laura Wagner, NPR

¶ For more background on Cuba:
        • “Thirty-give interesting facts about Cuba and its US relations,” by Ken Sehested. 
        • “Reflections on Changes in US-Cuba Relations,” by Stan Hastey, guest columnist.

¶ For the beauty of the earth. Aerial video of Multnomah Falls, Oregon. (2:25. Thanks, Michael.) 

¶ Hymn of praise. “Ode to Joy,” James Turner, glass harp virtuoso.

¶ When praise is something else.
        •“We either praise or blame according to whether the one or the other provides the greater opportunity to let our power of judgment shine. —Friedrich Nietzsche
        •“We seldom praise anyone in good earnest, except such as admire us.” —François de La Rochefoucauld

¶ A convenient opportunity for religious literacy. Harvard University, along with its Divinity School and Wellesley College are offering a free online series on world religions.

¶ Left. Mural portrait In Baltimore of Trayvon Martin, killed in February 2012 by George Zimmerman. Martin would have been 21 this year on 5 February.

¶ Suspicion of Lenten piety. “It has been said: Our weakness is our only claim on Jesus. ‘Come to me, you who are weary. . . . For my yoke is light’ (Matthew 11:28, 30).
        “‘Aha!’ you say. ‘Just as I suspected. What God really wants is to keep us subservient and dependent! On our knees, rather than on our own two feet. This religion business is nothing more than a form of social control.’”
        “If that were true, I would say: This ‘God’ is nothing but a pimp and his disciples are but hustlers. But something else is at stake—something so subtle that it cannot be said directly but only ironically. Rather than slavery, this ‘weakness’ is the key to freedom.” —continue reading “Claim on Jesus,” a call to worship and litany inspired by Luke 15:11b-32, the story of the “prodigal son”

¶ War costs in dollars. It’s estimated that the total costs of the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will be between $4-$6 trillion, once you factor in not only the direct costs but also interest on borrowing (virtually all the war costs were put on a credit card), long-term medical care and disability compensation for wounded veterans, and supply and equipment replenishment.
        •The George W. Bush Administration forced Lawrence Lindsey to resign as head of its National Economic Council shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, after he said the cost of a war with Iraq might reach $200 billion. A month later, just before the U.S. invaded Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested the war’s total cost would be “something under $50 billion.” And the US, he added, would share that bill with its allies.

Right: Marine Abrams tank with the words "New Testament" painted on the barrel, Anbar Province, Iraq, 2005.

        •According to the Congressional Research Service, it costs $3.9 million annually for each American soldier in Afghanistan. —Mark Thompson, Time

        •The US war in Afghanistan has cost at least $1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000—that’s one thousand billion dollars) in direct expenses (i.e., not counting things like debt on war-expense borrowing and long-term medical costs for wounded US troops). Which mean the US, instead of invading, could have cut a $33,000 check to each of Afghanistan’s 30 million citizens. In a country where the annual average per capita income is $670, that would last nearly 50 years per citizen. (Life expectancy in Afghanistan is 60.5 years.) —Peter Apps, Reuters

¶ State of our disunion. In August 2015 the Birmingham, Alabama, city council voted to raise in two stages the minimum wage from $7.25 (the federal level—Alabama has no state law for such) to $10.10 in 2017. (Adjusted for inflation, the latter rate would be only about 10¢ higher than the federal minimum wage rate of 1970.)
        Now state Representative David Faulkner, from neighboring Mountain Home, has drafted legislation forbidding Alabama cities from setting their own standard.
        Background. The median household income in Mountain Home is $131,281; median home value is $542,800; poverty rate is 2.6%; population is 97% white. While in Birmingham: median household income is $31,445; median home value, $85,000; poverty rate, 31% (50% for children); population rate, 70% African American. —see Audie Cornish, NPR

¶ On 19 February 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Listen to Japanese Americans—approximately 120,000, two-thirds of them naturalized US citizens—reflect on their time in internment camps during World War II. (4:02. Thanks, Ashlee.)
        •Laws preventing Asian Americans from owning land, voting, and testifying against whites in court, among other things, had already been in effect for decades.
        •“In 1940 and in early 1941, President Roosevelt secretly commissioned studies “to assess the possibility that Japanese Americans would pose a threat to U.S. security.” Both reported no credible threat, but both were ignore.”—Wikipedia
        •Here is a map of the Japanese American internment camps.

¶ Confession. “What a chimera, then, is man! What a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy! Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, repository of truth, sewer of uncertainty and error, the glory and the scum of the universe.” —17th century French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal

¶ Words of assurance. “Even with darkness sealing us in, / We breathe Your name, / And through all the days that follow so fast, / We trust in You; / Endless Your grace, O endless Your grace, / Beyond all mortal dream.” —Stephen Paulus (from his “The Three Hermits” opera), lyrics by Michael Dennis Browne, adapted from a Russian Orthodox prayer.

¶ Preach it (in anticipating Women’s History Month in March). “Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, ‘Oh crap, she's up!’" —bumper sticker

¶ Call to the table. “For with you is the source of life, in your light we see light,” (sung in Hebrew and English), David Zeller.

¶ Altar call. “I can say no to myself, I can say yes to God, and then every single day there are tests to prove whether I meant it. I may have meant it yesterday, but I would like to take it back today. Somebody has said, 'Living sacrifices keep crawling off the altar.'" —Elizabeth Elliott

¶ Lectionary for Sunday next. “Sunday school, like the ministry of reconciliation, has been tamed. In 2004, shortly after the release of gruesome photos of abuse and torture in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, a ranking U.S. Senator responded this way to a reporter’s question: “This is not Sunday school. This is interrogation. This is rough stuff.”  —read Ken Sehested’s “There is a new creation: The Apostle Paul’s vision of the ministry of reconciliation,” commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Right: “Real life” artwork ©Brian Andreas, Storypeople

¶ Benediction. ““I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever . . . though I can’t guarantee there’s nothing scary hiding under your bed.” —Paul Simon, lyrics in “Father and Daughter”

¶ Recessional. “Eies irae” from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem.”

¶ Just for fun. Why do we still have pennies, considering the fact that each penny costs 1.7¢ to make—and the US Mint still produces eight billion new ones each year? Watch John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” hilarious takedown of this phenomenon and learn about, among other things, the “Americans for Common Cents” lobby, the zinc industry, and the Lincoln Library. (9:35)

#  #  #

Featured this week on prayer&politiks:

• “Claim on Jesus,” a call to worship and litany inspired by Luke 15:11b-32, the story of the “prodigal son”

• “Let the lost rejoice,” a litany for worship inspired by Jesus’ parables of loss in Luke 15

• “There is a new creation: The Apostle Paul’s vision of the ministry of reconciliation,” commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Resources for Lent

• “Fasting: Ancient practice, modern relevance”

• “Wilderness: Lenten preparation: A collection of biblical texts that speak of wilderness”

• “Lent is upon us,” a liturgy for Lent

• “Deepening the Call: A wilderness fast opposing a 'Desert Storm,'” a Lenten essay protesting the 1991 Gulf War

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor. Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.

Your comments are always welcomed. If you have news, views, notes or quotes to add to the list above, please do. If you like what you read, pass this along to your friends. You can reach me directly at klsehested@gmail.com.

Signs of the Times  •  18 February 2016  •  No. 59

Special themed issue: “In God We Trust”
God as national mascot
Divine patronage asserted

¶ Processional. “Star Spangled Banner,” Jimi Hendrix.

The Angel Oak Tree (right), on Johns Island near Charleston, SC, is estimated to be 400-500 years old. It is 66.5 feet tall, has a circumference of 28 feet, and its longest branch measures 187 feet in length.

¶ Call to worship. “Star Spangled Banner,” Lady Gaga.

¶ Invocation. “O, Lord, we are about to join battle with a vastly superior number of the enemy, and, Heavenly Father, we would mightily like for you to be on our side and help us. But if You can't do it, for Christ's sake don't go over to the Mexicans, but just lay low and keep in the dark, and You will see one of the dangest fights you've ever seen. Charge!" — Captain Jack Hays of the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War, shortly before leading his troops into battle at Palo Alto, near the modern-day town of Brownsville, Texas.

¶ Intercession—A Lenten love song, from the church to God. “Hug me, squeeze me, love me, tease me / Till I can't, till I can't, till I can't take no more of it / Take me to the water, drop me in the river / Push me in the water, drop me in the river / Washing me down, washing me down.” —“Take Me to the River,” written by Al Green and Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, performed here by Syl Johnson

¶ Confession. “Day of judgment, God is calling / On their knees the war pig's crawling / Begging mercy for their sins / Satan laughing spreads his wings / oh lord yeah!” —“War Pigs,” Black Sabbath, performed by First Aid Kit

¶ Words of assurance. “When I come to die, / When I come to die, / When I come to die, / Give me Jesus.” —“Give Me Jesus,” a cappella rendition by the Apex High School chorus

IN GOD WE TRUST

God-promotion is a recurring theme in US history, both as a response to declining confidence in the state of the nation and as an ideological struggle against enemies. What follows is a bit of background.

¶ Sheriffs in Rutherford County, NC, are but the latest to sport “In God We Trust” bumper stickers on their cruisers—in this case, donated by a local church. “Sheriff Chris Francis wanted to use the decals as a way of showing patriotism.” Similar measures have taken place in several states, and several states now have license plates with "In God We Trust" inscribed. (For more background, see Elahe Izadi’s “Why officers are putting ‘In God We Trust’ bumper stickers on their patrol cars”  and Ken Paulson’s “When police embrace ‘In God We Trust’" commentary.

¶ “In God We Trust” was adapted from the last stanza of Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which says, “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’”

¶ President Theodore Roosevelt disapproved of the motto’s appearance on coins. In The New York Times on 14 November 1907, he wrote, “My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins not only does no good but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege.”

¶ The US Mint stamped selected coins with “In God We Trust” during the Civil War when God’s patronage of the Union was at stake.
        The Reverend M. R. Watkinson, in a letter dated November 13, 1861, petitioned the Treasury Department to add a statement recognizing ‘Almighty God in some form in our coins" in order to "relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism.’ At least part of the motivation was to declare that God was on the Union side in the Civil War. —see Wikipedia for more background

¶ God-promotion got seriously underway in the 1930s as a way of opposing US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” legislation. Following World War II, the movement expanded greatly—with what the courts have ruled “ceremonial deism,” encouraging school children’s “love of country,” and serving “commercial interests”—when the Soviet Union and its officially-atheistic constitution became Enemy No. 1. —See Kevin M. Kruse’s detailed documentation in his book, One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America.

¶ Gott mit uns ("God with us") is a phrase inscribed on German soldiers’ belt buckles in World War II and commonly used on armor in the German military from the German Empire to the end of the Third Reich, although its historical origins are far older. The Imperial Russian motto, "Съ нами Богъ!" ("S nami Bog!"), also translates the same.

¶ "In God we trust. On Marines we rely." —anonymous

¶ Reference to “In God We Trust” was a central element to the plot of the 1994 version of the film Miracle on 34th Street. In the final scenes of the movie, the judge decides that, since the Department of the Treasury can have faith in God with no hard evidence, the State of New York can have faith in Santa Claus with no hard evidence as well.

¶ “In God we trust. All others we virus scan.” —anonymous

¶ “By April 1953 US Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield found his office buried beneath an avalanche of letters and telegrams from citizens demanding the words “In God We Trust” appear on new stamps. . . . “ The phrase “had appeared once before on a 1928 stamp, which celebrated the sesquicentennial of the Valley Forge encampment with an image—quite familiar to cold warriors—of Washington kneeling in prayer. . . .” By 1954 “the Postal Service unveiled a new eight-cent stamp [the price of international postage at the time] bearing the motto in a red arch over an image of the Statue of Liberty. . . . Over 200 million ‘In God We Trust’ stamps would carry letters around the world each year, a ‘beacon of hope and opportunity to oppressed peoples everywhere,’ as Summerfield put it. —Jonathan P. Herzog, The Spiritual-Industrial Complex: America’s Religious Battle Against Communism in the Early Cold War

¶ The phrase “under God” wasn’t added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954. By the way, some interesting history: The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Rev. Francis Bellamy, a Baptist pastor and leading advocate of socialism.

¶ In 1955 Congress approved a second national motto, “In God We Trust,” to stand beside the original, “E Pluribus Unum” (“out of many, one”). Some deny that “E Pluribus Unum” was the nation’s motto since it was not explicitly approved as such by an act of Congress—though Congress did approve the Great Seal of the US, on which the phrase appears.

¶ In 1957 “In God We Trust” was added to all US currency.

¶ The “National Prayer Breakfast” (originally, a "Presidential Prayer Breakfast") tradition of bringing together political leaders began in 1953, by Abraham Vereide, who also founded, in 1935, the secretive “Fellowship” (aka “The Family” and “The International Foundation”) as one form of opposition to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” legislation and, since then, in support of laissez-faire economic policy (which, currently, is the meaning behind most public use of the word freedom).

¶ “In God we trust. All others pay cash.” —anonymous

¶ “In 1962, when the Supreme Court ruled (Engel v. Vitale) that government-directed prayer in public schools was unconstitutional, the Senate Judiciary Committee proposed three constitutional Amendments to protect prayer in the schools. The Cold War setting for the hearings was obvious. Virginia Senator A. Willis Robertson said that, without the Amendments, ‘there will be no material difference between our Government and that imposed upon the Soviet Union by the Politburo.’” —For more information on the use of “so help me God” in oaths of office, see David B. Parker,  “‘So Help Me God’ and the Presidential Oath,” History News Network.

¶ In 1970 the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals (Aronow v. United States, challenging the constitutionality of having “In God We Trust” on US currency) ruled that the phrase “in God we trust” has no “religious significance,” and its meaning is reduced to “spiritual and psychological value” of a certain “inspirational quality.” Citing an earlier court decision (Engel v. Vitale, 1962), the court affirmed that prayer in public schools and other “patriotic and ceremonial” occasions are merely an encouragement of school children “to express love for our country.”

¶ The US Fifth Circuit Court (Madalyn Murray O’Hair v. W. Michael Blumenthal, 1979) claims that the "primary purpose of the slogan [‘In God We Trust’] was secular."

¶ The phrase “ceremonial deism” was first coined by then-dean of Yale Law School Eugene Rostow and first used in a Supreme Court decision by Justice Brennan’s dissenting opinion in Lynch v. Donnelly in 1984, saying that such expressions are “protected from Establishment Clause [referring to the First Amendment to the US Constitution] scrutiny chiefly because they have lost through rote repetition any significant religious content.”

¶ In that same Supreme Court case, which involved the constitutionality of a courthouse Christmas nativity scene in Pawtucket, RI, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote that the practice "engenders a friendly community spirit" and "serves the commercial interests" of the merchants.

¶ “In God we trust. All others will be audited.” —anonymous

¶ Just to be sure, Congress has on three separate occasions in recent years reaffirmed “In God We Trust” as the nation’s motto. In 2002 the House of Representatives approved a new law that said the old law (Section 302, Title 36, US Code) should not be changed! In 2006 the Senate reaffirmed “the concept embodied in the motto.” Then, in 2011, Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) made the motion to reaffirm, again, “In God We Trust” as the nation’s motto and encourage its display in all public schools and government buildings, saying Americans need “that kind of inspiration” in tough economic times.

¶ Default piety. “I couldn’t think of any new prayers, so I just said the Pledge of Allegiance instead.” —“The Family Circus” cartoon character Dolly, to her mother at bedtime

¶ Lenten piety for the impious. “There’s a raucousness to God, in God, of God, by God, / that the orderly mind cannot abide. . . .” —continue reading Ken’s Sehested’s poem, “Raucous: God’s mutiny against Lenten tedium and patriotic pablum,” particularly if Lenten piety gets wearisome or politicians’ God-promotion makes atheism an attractive option

¶ Hymn of praise. “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” the “Navy Hymn,” performed here by the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters.

¶ "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” —British political essayist Samuel Johnson, 1774

¶ Preach it. “This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” —Jesus, repeating a statement from the prophet Isaiah (Mark 7:6, Matt. 15:8; cf. Is. 29:13)

¶ Lectionary for Sunday next. “The Maître D’ of Heaven commands the ’poverished-poor to table: the halt and helpless, lamed and maimed ushered up for honored seating. The Beloved’s steadfast love is like a lip-smacking feast of abundance. But the Market’s squaloring famine sows the seeds of violent harvest.” —continue reading Ken Sehested’s “Maître D’ of Heaven,” a litany for worship

¶ Call to the table—on the now-common habit of politicians’ speech-ending refrain of “God bless America.”
       "Of the 41 appearances [in the New Testament] of the Greek verb eulogeoo (literally 'speaking a good word'), only twice do we find it in the imperative mood. In neither case does it involve God. It does, however, involve us. In Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Plain he invites his disciples to 'Bless those who curse you' (Luke 6:28). These instructions are later echoed by the apostle Paul: 'Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse' (Rom 12:14). —Ched Myers, “Mixed Blessing: A Biblical Inquiry into a ‘Patriotic’ Cant”

¶ Just for fun. “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs,” by Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers.

¶ Benediction. “Tell me where is the road I can call my own, / That I left, that I lost, so long ago. / All these years I have wondered, oh when will I know, / There's a way, there's a road that will lead me home.”  —“The Road Home,” Stephen Paulus, performed by Conspirare (click the “show more” button to see the lyrics)

¶ Recessional. "My country could use a little mercy now.“ —Mercy Now,” Mary Gauthier

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Featured this week on prayer&politiks:

• “Raucous: God’s mutiny against Lenten tedium and patriotic pablum,” particularly if Lenten piety gets wearisome or politician’s God-promotion makes atheism a viable option

• “Maître D’ of Heaven,” a litany for worship

Resources for Lent

• “Fasting: Ancient practice, modern relevance”

• “Wilderness: Lenten preparation: A collection of biblical texts that speak of wilderness”

• “Lent is upon us,” liturgy readings for Lent

• “Deepening the Call: A wilderness fast opposing a “Desert Storm,” a Lenten essay protesting the 1991 Gulf War

Linocut art at right by Julie Lonneman.

©Ken Sehested @ prayerandpolitiks.org. Language not otherwise indicated above is that of the editor. Don’t let the “copyright” notice keep you from circulating material you find here (and elsewhere in this site). Reprint permission is hereby granted in advance for noncommercial purposes.

Your comments are always welcomed. If you have news, views, notes or quotes to add to the list above, please do. If you like what you read, pass this along to your friends. You can reach me directly at klsehested@gmail.com.