Inspiring Integrationalist - Chris Hedges

American journalist Chris Hedges gets added to Secular Faith's list of Inspiring Integrationalists as the sole author of these books with seemingly opposing views:

America's Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America

America's New Fundamentalists, When Atheism Becomes Religion

The Empire of Illusion - The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

Hedges, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and journalist with over 20 years of exposure to war, has the rare talent of being able to draw upon, and critique, all three forms of knowledge. Consequently, Hedges is able to simultaneously convey the moral conviction of a Baptist preacher, the sobriety of War veteran and the "get to the point" rationality of a newspaper editor. 

Hedges is not dogmatic, but he has the knack of drawing the reader in with his titles. A cynic would conclude that Hedges is just seeking to sell more books by being a sensationalist. I choose to believe that Hedges' experiences as a war correspondent cause him to speak out vehemently against all injustices whatever their angle, because he has witnessed so much death. He understands rationally, theologically and first hand that if people fail to speak about the small injustices they mushroom into war.

What is unique about Hedges' writing is the passion with which he is able to express a plea for boring, common sense. Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation, wherein someone said "there is no more common sense - there is no agreement on anything, anymore." Hedges is making a passionate plea in The Empire of Illusion that if we don't find our "common sense", then our liberty is at stake. And he argues it is reason that has fallen behind and is being railroaded by the sensationalists and their spectacles, as well as the fundamentalists of both the religious and atheist varieties.

Finding common sense in pluralistic societies means having difficult conversations about faith, beliefs, and personal differences. It means developing strong enough relationships to risk offending people by asking them why they believe certain things. It means learning to ask, and answer, the question with open minds and hearts. It means appreciating such questions as an attempt to build community and genuine understanding and respect. Defining common sense will allow us to move beyond our addiction to war and mere tolerance, and balanced state of objective and subjective truths. 

The Beatles over Jesus - no. The Beatles over the Catholic Church - ?

Last Sunday, L'Osservatore Romano, a newspaper closely associated with the Vatican, ran a front-page article praising the legacy of the Beatles. The article reversed decades of Church condemnation originally sparked by John Lennon's claim that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus and that rock and roll would outlive Christianity.

Consider how the Trinity of Truth plays out in this ongoing story. Note how both parties first exaggerate the power of their preferred form of knowledge (sensation versus religion) then come to a healthier balance once they are held accountable to objective reasoning.

Lennon's controversial comments were made to a journalist at the Evening Standard in 1966: “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first — rock and roll or Christianity." 

The comments were later explained by Lennon that he had no quarrel with Jesus or even with Christianity, so while coming short of a retraction, he implied that he should have differentiated between the Church and Jesus.

The Beatles' success is obviously due to their expression of a truth that resonates with millions around the globe, and continues to do so with new generations today. The most popular and long-standing of musicians share a marked disregard for both religion and reason because success is the ablility to bypass both the mind and the soul and immediately win the heart through sound. Alcohol and drug use play a role in facilitating that disregard.

Last week's article acknowledges the validity of this form of truth despite the Beatles disregard for other religious values: "It's true, they took drugs; swept up by their success, they lived dissolute and uninhibited lives". "They even said they were more famous than Jesus and put out mysterious messages that were possibly even Satanic. But, listening to their songs, all of this seems distant and meaningless. Their beautiful melodies, which changed forever pop music and still give us emotions, live on like precious jewels."

Some are suggesting that the Catholic Church's semi-official blessing is just a distraction from the sexual abuse scandals that are seriously challenging the Church's moral authority. A more hopeful way to look at it is that the Church is showing signs of acknowledging that the truth of the body needs to be balanced with religious truth.

Both sides need reminding of the need for balance. Since 1966 there has been no shortage of evidence suggesting that excessive reliance on the truth of bodily sensations may also lead to obesity, pedophilia, sexual addiction and drug abuse. Ten years after Lennon's comment the King of Rock and Roll died of an overdose. Thirty three years after that, the King of Pop died in a similar manner. Neither one were able to control the tyranny of his bodily appetites.

Freedom and power are often used to seek shelter from one form of truth and not to become fully conscious. Clear bias towards one form of truth is maintained by focusing on, and exaggerating, the faults of your opponents - who usually have a different preferred form of knowledge. Rationalization is the denial of the legitimacy of one form of knowledge so the Church's acknowlegment of value of the Beatles' music is a step forward.

Much of society remains stuck in this falsely, competitive dichotomy between reason and religion - making exaggerated truth claims as proof of allegiance to one's gender or politics. Conservatives prefer religion, liberals personal experiences - both claim reason and slip into rationalizations. Men often dismiss the validity of feelings and religion, while women more often dismiss rational argument and other people's experiences.

Praying helps to find the balance, not because God puts plagues on your opponents, but because the concept of being accountable to an all-knowing God quickly deflates our self-serving exaggerations or claims of ignorance when dismissing the evidence generated by other forms of knowledge.  When rationalizing we hold tight to our narrow versions of the truth.

Whether the Catholic Church will survive or not will depend upon its ability to face the plethora of objective evidence suggesting that its version of truth is out of balance. The narrower, but better balanced versions of truth, expressed by the Beatles and Jesus are good places to look for inspiration.

Where Passion comes from

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love - Mother Teresa

Is it even possible to do something great without love as the motivator?

Why are the most beautiful buildings churches?

Is not love the source of all passion and vision?

Fuzzy words cause wars

Depressed about the state of politics? If not—wakeup—you aren’t paying attention. If you’re in bed—get up—it’s not as hopeless as it seems.

So, the world is going to hell in a hand basket. That is true. But that good news is that it’s only because of some poorly defined words. Yes words. You can make a difference by perking up when you hear them.

They are secularism, secularization and monotheism. Don’t feel stupid — there is no common understanding of these words, despite the fact that they are used to justify wars. Think of them like chunky abstract paintings made with 5-inch paint brushes. Fuzzy, obscure words, just like bad abstract art, just make most feel excluded because everyone assumes everyone else gets it but them.

What we need to do is add some dimension using 2-inch brushes. Enough detail to ensure we are all talking about the same thing, but still big enough to be inspiring.

Here is my attempt at using a 2-inch brush. Use my definitions, come up with your own, but please stop using the fuzzy 5-inch words. 


5-inch Secularism — anti-religious and modern.

2-inch Secularism — the belief that the social sciences sufficiently understand human nature to justify eliminating religion and personal experiences, as legitimate forms of knowledge in moral debates.


5-inch Secularization — the progressive demise of religious beliefs that occurs in all educated societies.

2-inch Secularization —the belief that reason, religion, and personal experiences are different, but valid forms of knowledge that can eventually be reconciled into one moral truth that is universally confirmed.


5-inch Monotheism — the dogmatic belief in one God.

2-inch Monotheism — the belief that one creator made all human beings therefore we should seek to understand human nature so that we can treat each other morally.


Thanks for considering how poorly defined words can shut down conversation. I hope these definitions inspire more meaningful dialogue between secularists and believers. 

Spring is a fantastic season for opening up the heart and the mind to new possibilites.