You didn’t know this, but I’ve been known to abuse ink. In fact, every pastor is an ink junkie. Have you ever seen an empty bookshelf in the Pastor’s Study? Haven’t there always been more books at the parsonage? Yes, we’re all hooked on the fresh smell of ink and paper. The younger ones among us hide it better with eBooks, but they still go to the Library or a bookstore occasionally just to get that “smell of ink” fix.
Right now I’m getting some books I’ve been lacking for a while. There are some prayer books I’ve missed out on that I picked up. I also got the books for the Confirmation Class, even though I do hate that half of the copies are on back order. I even received the books for the Advent Study I’ll be teaching when the temperature makes us long for the days we’re cursing now... at 40% off thank you very much!
Currently I’m reading “Peaceful Neighbor, Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers” by Michael G. Long. His basic premise is that just because “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was targeted at 3 and 4-year old’s, doesn’t mean it’s as deep as a puddle. The show’s pace is slow. The tone is soothing. But that may be all that’s benign in the neighborhood.
Fred Rogers’ is a Presbyterian Minister and it informed everything he did. One of his professors at Western Theological Seminary (Now Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) was Dr. William Orr. Orr taught him the most basic tenet of the faith that “Jesus reveals the character of God. Not altogether unconventional in his theology, Rogers believed Jesus is the second person in the Holy Trinity, the one who reveals the innermost character of God the creator. But far from conventional, Rogers also held that God, as revealed by Jesus, affirms exactly what the advocate embodies (and the accuser rejects); that every human is good, valuable and lovable.” (page 30)
I must admit, this is not at the core of most theological understandings of sin. Luther and Calvin emphasized the sin of humanity. Reinhold Niebuhr emphasized the sin of the society and structures humans develop. But while saying every human is good, valuable, and lovable, Rogers isn’t saying people misbehave, people act badly, even cruelly.
Instead he often said, “There’s a good guy and a bad guy in all of us.” One of his songs went like this, “the very same people who are good sometimes / are the very same people who are bad sometimes.”
Jesus teaches us to inherit eternal life we must, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Mr. Rogers wants us to take that a step further. He knows that not only do we treat one another badly sometimes; we treat ourselves badly too. He wants us to love our neighbor as we love God. God already loves us no matter what.
Let’s face it, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood never seemed very realistic to adults. This is probably one reason why. Nobody loves anybody like they love God… but wouldn’t it be nice to live in that neighborhood? There’s one place to start…
See you in church, Paul
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