Inactive Angels

As part of a larger examination into young people and their split from one sect of the political world to the other, I’ve been doing a lot of research into the youth evangelical movement.

I am – as a Kansan, always curious about this ultra-right group of people, what they are up to, how they are organizing, and how they are essentially doing what What’s the Matter with Kansas claims the poor sell themselves out for values votes. I would argue that evangelicals do the same thing. While we have a community of people who believe that it is their holy destiny to vote in the interest of their God – I see so many who sell out their own beliefs for a narrow agenda.

I mention that but, honestly my post has nothing to do with that – the larger piece I’m working on for Wiretap will. I don’t even want to address the irony that I’m watching the X-Files episode Signs and Wonders which is all about a Pentecostal minister that uses snake handling in his church but it turns out he’s actually Satan…

So, I started reading Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement by Lauren Sandler as part of this bigger project. I’m honestly not very far into it but what I’ve read thus far, just of Sandler’s interviews and questions, exploration, and the like of those who are intensely involved in this movement – has given me more of an understanding of the type and structure of organization and political organizing that is going on.

This seems particularly fitting given Mark's stellar interview with The Dude yesterday.

The Introduction of Sandler’s book follows a young woman who became a believer at a mega rock concert for evangelicals called Acquire the Fire. At this stadium filled rock concert she describes a world where children are made to feel like they are evil doers and need only accept Christ to be forgiven for their transgressions – all of which include things like ignoring their parents, drinking, smoking, having sex, or whatever normal kids do now a days.

Once this young girl is reduced to a pile of guilt and sin she bursts into tears prepared to repent. She rushes the concert stage where a young goth kid – about her age- prays with her. And then recruits her to join in their movement by deferring college for a year to attend the one year HoliRoller Bootcamp run by evangelical activist Ron Luce who essentially teaches kids how to become the next generation of worriers in Christ.

We’ve seen this before - I’m remembering a phrase “This Means WAR” being chanted with 8-12 year olds.

If the rock concerts and the bootcamps aren’t enough – chapter two of Sandler’s book brings the Life Festivals. A Woodstock style bring your tent and party all night and all day for Jesus hates choice movement where kids learn how to go into women’s clinics and sneak pamphlets in and learn about what time the should be there to protest and pray.

I talked a little bit about this book with Matt Singer of Forward Montana (particularly after the release of their new t-shirt featuring God, Guns, and Gays we LOVE them all ). And I spoke with two friends who are organizers – one who works in the district office of an ultra progressive Congresswoman out in California and a friend who is a strong progressive from North Carolina.

When I talked about these programs and these things that Evangers are doing to empower their numbers, develop their movement, and spread their message not only far outweigh our efforts they are things that go on every year, every season, non-stop – I noticed the common thread of concern, acceptance, and powerlessness.

It makes me wonder if our model of Rock the Vote even Oregon Bus issue centric and election only organizing is a little flawed. Why don’t we indoctrinate our children? Why don’t we have liberal camps for our high school students to teach them how to organize within their high schools and colleges? Why don’t we have rock concerts with JayZ and the Dixie Chicks and preach a message of no war, helping the poor, dedicating your life in public service, etc … and arm our side from a very early age?

It isn’t that we aren’t communicating our message or conveying our positions or addressing issues – its that we aren’t even talking at all, recruiting at all, engaging at all, or working within their level of understanding.

When I grew up you had to actively work at not being a right wing evanger. The number of times I went home sobbing to my mother at 8 and 9 years old because my friends were telling me I was evil unless I got saved are numerous. Where were my democrats then? Where were my democrats when the right wing was handing out pamphlets at the airport? Just absent better angels?

And years later – now that we have learned the mistakes and been brought to a better more proactive world of organizing – where are they now? Why aren’t they outside the grocery stores asking people “Want more out of life?” and bringing them into the monthly meetings. Where are the concerts, the connections, the communities? Where is the Demo-love?

I’m still watching the X-Files and Mulder just said it better than I’ve ever heard it:

“Someone offering you all the answers can be a very powerful thing.”

And Lauren Sandler says it too:

“Sam sparkles with compassion and intelligence, all street fashion and wit, her fierce spirit cut with stunning vulnerability – qualities I would have searched for in a best friend ten years ago, or would hope for in a daughter twenty years from now. She’s the type of person who seems capable of leading a small battle if not a large war, if she can only get her demons locked safely away behind her. She’d make a formidable feminist, and maybe would have, if only a secular group, and not a network of religious right activists, had held the sort of events she would want to check out with friends; if only the phone numbers of women’s rights organizations had begged to be called in times of crisis; if only leftists had offered the promise of love articulated within a genuine expression of youth culture.”

I don’t have any answers or clever wit or snarky comments to make like usual. I’m at a complete loss of action or ideas or do this to implore of us.

I guess my questions are – Where are we? What are we doing? Where are we going?