Response to "Bad American"

The following blog posting is in response to the "Bad American" http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/the_bad_american/
This response was for a blackboard discussion in Clemson University's Youth Development Leadership Master's Program.

The writer's remarks are characteristic of an ethnocentric viewpoint: "An ethnocentric orientation involves the interpretation of events and behaviors from one's own cultural viewpoint. The ethnocentric stages, based on a predominant monocultural perspective, are viewed as a way to avoid cultural difference by denying the existence of differences, by using defenses against difference, or by minimizing the importance of difference (Bennett, 1993; Van Hook, p. 69).

But the writer's remarks are supported by the Constitution of the United States (Amendment 1 to the constitution) http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html. Although the "Bad American" is protected, I'd suggest that this is not what, at least, Thomas Jefferson supported when he fought for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights: "Rights must be spelled out, carved as it were in stone, and fixed beyond any fainthearted doubt or bureaucratic gibberish" (Gaustad, 1996, p. 82). In other words, he believed in specificity in terms of the right of the citizen, though one could argue his lack of understanding in regard to the rights of all humanity as a slave owner. Jefferson, as well as other founding fathers, were creating a radically, new nation within a context of religious, economic and humanitarian persecution. For example, during this time in history (the 18th century), novelist Daniel Defoe wrote Moll Flanders, which characterized England's depravity as well as the inherent issues with early colonization in the Americas. Defoe's social commentary depicted the lack of justice for citizenry in the law. This was the political and religious backdrop of the founding fathers. Thus, this became their impetus for clarifying the rights of citizens.

But unfortunately in today's society, those rights have been stretched to support xenophobia among those that live and work in the U.S. And more value judgements are made on the internal dimensions of a person (age, race, gender, ethnicity, physical ability, and sexual orientation) rather than one's personality or personhood. The following link is to a story in Paulding County, Georgia that is relevant to this topic of freedom of speech: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21245741/detail.html

Robert Frost's notion of "building good fences makes good neighbors" needs to be reexamined by youth professionals in terms of promoting positive youth development. Although we will acknowledge differences in one another, we can't appreciate a youth's personality unless we move pass those differences and look towards the potential contributions he/she can make in the community. One way of doing that is to leave stereotypes at the front door of our organizations and develop a common language that we all understand--one that's built upon mutual respect and reciprocity. This can only happen when a culture of collaboration with all stakeholders is instilled in our youth-serving organizations. It's more than giving voice; it's advocating for empowerment.

Reference:
Gaustad, E. S. (1996). Sworn on the altar of God: a religious biography of Thomas Jefferson. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing.

School's in Session for Youth Pastors

The work I'm in is called MINISTRY. It can be a strange and bizarre calling at times, but it's the most rewarding thing I've done when it's done right. But for most ministry professionals, youth pastors or youth directors in particular, finding a congregation where one "fits" is exceedingly difficult. And the reason may be that congregations and their leadership still view youth ministry as the business of keeping kids busy and out of trouble. But for most of us, we want so much more for our ministries. Just like other ministry departments, we want transformation of spirit, mind, and soul to happen before our very eyes. Unfortunately, that won't happen if the church tries to sanitize its kids. Youth need to be active participants in the life of the church and view other adults in the congregation as their very own "cloud of witnesses." What this boils down to is that youth workers must use great discernment before "jumping" into a ministry position.

For example, when looking for church work, a youth worker can feel like being caught up in a crap shoot--wondering if committees and sessions are truly praying about potential candidates or if they're waiting to see who can woo them the most. Unfortunately, it's usually the latter because search committees feel that the most radical-talking-in-your-face-guitar-hero-playing youth worker will do the best job ever. But in fact, most churches are "lucky" if that sort of youth worker stays longer than 18 months (the average tenure of most youth workers).

Princeton's Youth Institute did a study called the Bridges Project that looked at burnout and unsuccessful first calls for youth pastors. You can go to http://www.ptsem.edu/iym/research/bridges/index.php for more information about the project's findings. But at least this research demonstrated that youth workers are not alone in terms of feeling inadequate, dealing with high stress levels, and struggling with financial burdens. And it does point to the fact that when we are looking for work in congregations, we must be vigilant in researching the congregation's culture to see if we are going to "fit." For most of us lifers, we know that trying to fit doesn't cut it. It will drive you insane! So, instead of becoming a hireling in ministry, you gotta do your homework.