Rod Dreher over at Beliefnet wrote an interesting column about the role of and interplay between doctrine and community in his religious life. Dreher's column resonated with me. For context, Dreher took as his starting point this quote from Peter Steinfels at the New York Times (not, ordinarily, a publication which I bother to notice):
Second, religions encompass claims about truth and rules of conduct but cannot be reduced to doctrinal propositions or ethics. Religions involve orientations toward reality handed on in stories, rituals and paradigmatic figures as well as in creeds. Religions are embodied in communities and shape distinct ways of life.
Why does it resonate with me? As I've blogged before, I abandoned my Lutheran roots when the national church organization failed to stand up for and adhere to 2,000 years of Christian history, tradition, teaching, and doctrine on the subject of homosexuality, Christian marriage, and how these are addressed in both Scripture and tradition.
It struck me, though, after reading Dreher's column that I also left Lutheranism because the life and faith taught and demonstrated in the creeds, doctrines, stories, and paradigmatic figures were no longer present in the church teaching them. My own local congregation, Zion Lutheran Church in Brentwood, Pennsylvania, certainly had the deeds to match the creeds, but the larger church of which Zion was part no longer did. As my pastor remarked on more than one occasion, "My church left me behind."
I burnt out as a Lutheran because my church sold me out for cultural relevance. When that happened some of the fire of my faith burnt out, too. Or, to put it another way, my zeal for Lutheranism consumed some part of my faith. I've struggled since then to find the heart to jump back into a religious community. I just realized this while reading Dreher's article.
This is actually a good thing insofar as it also threw me back on faith and faith alone, removing the trappings of religion which might have served as a crutch and to obscure That Which is Really Important ©. I remain convinced that faith grows in community and that a mature faith is one that evolves while retaining a strong connection to its fundamental roots. If I don't live out my faith and beliefs in the presence of and company of others, that "faith" is merely intellectual assent.
At least that particular mystery is solved. Now to do something about it…
Posted by Kurt Wall at 10:23 2009-12-20 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Liberty and Tyranny (Politics)
We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other mean, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name—liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names—liberty and tyranny.Abraham Lincoln, address in Baltimore, Maryland, April 18, 1864. From The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Roy P. Basler, vol. 7, pp. 301–2 (1953).
Posted by Kurt Wall at 12:44 2009-12-06 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Debit Card Fraud (General)
I came home from work Friday, checked my email, and saw I had two messages from Bank of American about "irregular activity" on my debit card and to contact them immediately. I quickly checked my account and saw a $600 charge from Sears.com, a $110 charge from Fandango.com, and a few other charges I know weren't mine. I also see that the charges have overdrawn my checking account by about $300. S**t!
I call the debit card fraud line, identify the charges that were not mine, and they stop activity on the account. No, they can't reverse the charges because they haven't posted yet (they're merely "pending"). The person to whom I spoke told me to go to a branch and get a new debit card.
So, I go a branch Saturday morning and they issue me a temporary card pending arrival of the new one next week. Maria Etemada is very helpful on that point. The charges won't post until Monday, so they still can't reverse them. "What if I have outstanding checks? Will they bounce?" Yes, they'll bounce. "Why?" Because your account is overdrawn. "If you credit the fraudulent charges back to my account, I won't be overdrawn." We can't do that because they haven't posted. O M F G ! Me⇐head explodes. So the temporary card they've issued me is 100% useless.
To get the charges reversed, I have to open a claim. Maria gave me the number to the claims department. I called the number when I got home. Turns out I have to fill out an affidavit and send it back in before they can start investigating the claims. First person I talk to, a man named Kelly, says that it takes 7-10 days to complete an investigation. In the meantime, they can't issue an "instant credit" to which Maria referred because the charges haven't posted. In any event, says he, he's not in the claims department but will transfer me to it, giving me the number in case the transfer doesn't work.
I get transferred, navigate the same menu I did the first time, and wind up talking to a woman named Kelly who says the same thing as the man named Kelly. Including that she doesn't work in the claims department but will transfer me there after giving me the number to call, a different one from the first number. She did elaborate that as soon as the charges post (Monday), the claims department can issue a credit (after I call, again, to file a claim) effectively reversing them until they complete their investigation.
I still need to file a police report, contact the FTC, and inquire at Sears, Fandango, Audible, MVQ*Clubsave, and some joint named Strawberry Cosmetics. The score so far? Bank of America gets high marks for detecting the fraudulent activity and contacting me promptly. They get failing marks for the manner in which they've dropped the ball on the follow-up, basically pushing all of the work onto me to start an investigation, reverse the charges, contact the authorities, and clean up the mess.
When this is all over, I'm going to be a former Bank of America customer.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 11:22 2009-12-06 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)