Good afternoon, and Happy Wednesday. I hope you all had safe holidays and are off to a Happy New Year! I’m certainly enjoying a little downtime here in Memphis while I await the start of another semester. Let’s get right into it, shall we, with this week’s look at what’s happening in the world of religious comm.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby stepped down from his post on ____, after an independent commission found that Welby had protected (by opting not to report to police) a perpetrator of sexual abuse of children in the Anglican Church. Aleem Maqbool of the BBC reports:
Mr Welby resigned over the Church's handling of the sadistic abuser, John Smyth, who a recently published report said perpetrated brutal sexual, physical and mental abuse against more than 120 boys and young men since the late 1970s.
The report said Mr Welby had "personal and moral responsibility" and that he "could and should have done more" in the case.
After initially resisting calls to step down, he resigned on 12 November saying he did so "in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse".
But in early December, abuse victims reacted with "disgust" at a short farewell speech Mr Welby gave at the House of Lords, in which he made jokes. Mr Welby apologised the following day.
I don’t take prison lightly, having worked in one for a decade. However, it needs to be said and repeated: to enable child abuse is a form of committing child abuse. I’m not a lawyer, and I certainly know nothing about the laws of the United Kingdom. But why this situation is a question of whether Welby can “maintain his position as Archbishop” rather than a question of for how long he should be imprisoned for using his position of religious authority to allow the perpetuation of sexual abuse of children is beyond my capacity to comprehend.
While we were all worried about Facebook, did you know that an earthquake killed 126 people in Tibet yesterday? Leah Sarnav with ABC reports:
At least 126 people were killed and more than 188 others were injured as a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Tibet's holy city on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.
The earthquake occurred in Dingri County, Shigatse City, Tibet, just after 9 a.m. local time with a focal depth of 10 kilometers, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. More than 3,600 houses had collapsed, state media said.
Many are now also without shelter among freezing winter temperatures in the region. It’s not clear to me from initial media reports what damage may or may not have been sustained at the Tashilhunpo Monastary, a cite of intense religious significance within Buddhism, as emphasis has appropriately been on loss of life.
I’ve done some searching, but been unable to locate, a link through which one can donate directly to relief efforts for the survivors of this horrible earthquake. If you are aware of where this can be done, please note it in the comments. I will edit this post and include the link here.
So, a little behind the scenes on my selection process here: I’m now entering Year 2 writing this ‘Stack. It’s been my habit most weeks to devote Point 3 occasionally to important anniversaries, birthdays, and commemorations of events and people who have played an important role in the history of religious communication. This begs the questions whether I ought to repeat these commemorations or choose something else upon which to focus. This week is a great case-in-point. There is no doubt that the most significant commemoration for this week in religious communication would be the violent massacre of the Charlie Hebdo offices in retaliation for a satirical cartoon featuring a depiction of the prophet Mohammed,1 which I discussed last year. Read that discussion here.
Instead, I will focus in a different direction: Elvis Presley, one of the great star musicians of the 20th century, was born on January 8, 1935. Today would have been his 90th birthday. As you are probably aware, Presley transcended genres: rock n’ roll, country, rockabilly, and his early career incorporated a lot of gospel and hymn. Despite his personal efforts to appreciate the black songwriters and artists his career continuously drew upon, cultural appropriation is a reality of Presley’s career and is a part of his legacy. Any discussion of his musical contribution must acknowledge that.
Why bring up Presley in this space? Because the lines between pop culture and religious culture are thinner than is sometimes understood, and Elvis is an important example. The official Graceland blog discusses the role of Christianity, including gospel and church music, in the formation of Presley as a person and artist. And while Presley might be a particularly conspicuous example of how religious background inevitably plays a role in forming definitive cultural artists, it illustrates that ever-present reality writ large. Just as one would have no trouble writing a volume of essays on Presley as a religious communicator, the same could be said about innumerable pop culture artists today. An easy few who come to mind are Florence Welch, Beyonce Knowles, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Chance the Rapper. Country music is an important vehicle for the fairly overt communication of various theologies. One could write about them, if only one has the capacity to listen to large amounts of country music.
And now a poem for this week. For me, as a fan of poetry, I have three major favorite contemporary poets: the late Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, and Nikki Giovanni, who just passed away on December 9, 2024. Because of my inattention to this space, we have yet to note and pay tribute to her passing. Giovanni composed a lot that is beautiful about black joy, struggle, and triumph, and had a very real prophetic voice. As with a lot of poets, though, sometimes what I find most affecting is the ability to find beauty in the supposedly mundane.
“Bay Leaves” by Nikki Giovanni
I watched Mommy Cook Though I cooked With Grandmother With Grandmother I learned To pluck chickens Peel carrots Turn chittlins inside out Scrub pig feet With Mommy I watched leftovers for stew Or vegetable soup Great northern beans Mixed collards turnips and mustard greens Garlic cloves Bay Leaves Very beautifully green Stiff so fresh With just a pinch of salt Not everything together All the time but all the time Keeping everything I make my own Frontier soup in a crock pot I make my own ice cream with a pinch of salt And everything else With garlic But fresh Bay Leaves Are only for very special Ox Tails
Those are Three Points and a Poem for January 8, 2025. I’ll look forward to connecting with you again next Wednesday, January 15. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks for the good you bring into the world.
One might argue, of course, that the religious rhetoric connected with January 6, 2020 is, second to the Charlie Hebdo violence, the next most significant commemoration we could focus on. I am not going to do that, however, as remembering January 6, 2020 is all over the American news, and I doubt you need a reminder of it here.
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