21.2.18

the death of spirituality in america

today, the rev. billy graham entered eternal life with our father in heaven.

i believe this marks the death of spirituality in america.
spirituality has been dying in the past few decades, aging slowly, hanging onto life, clinging in the last few years.
today, though, spirituality expires. 
usonians have been placing our spirituality in the hands of others.  we expect someone else to take care of it for us.  if we tithe, the pastor can handle the church.  if we pledge, the priest will pray long enough, hard enough to keep the parish right with God.  if the priest says the right words, we'll all be forgiven. 
on a related note, it's funny that usonians tend not to believe in the sacramentality that scores sacred orders and we tend to place our spirituality not in an office or a person, but rather in a corporate entity like a denomination or a brand (like rev. billy graham).

without a face or voice like rev. graham's, what will usonians do?  how will usonians react?  how will we manage our own christian spiritualities? 
will we realize we must take charge of our own spiritualities, realizing the full impact and potential of the personal aspects of the christian faith?  or, will we find the next best thing - the next loudest voice on the radio, the next pretty face on the tv, the next cool pastor on social media - and see how long that rides out for me, never mind my communities, my family, my children, the generations of human beings to come? 

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