Whitebread Protestants : A Book Review

"Protestants like to think religion is not materialistic. Its theology, spirituality, and liturgy are rooted in concepts and words and any religious practice that involves material objects or invokes the senses is suspect -- dismissed as papist or shunned idolatrous. But the place of food within American Protestant church life calls this anti-materialism into question. There is nothing more material than food ..." (Back Cover) 

Daniel Sack's "Whitebread Protestants: Food and Religion in American Culture" has been sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me to dust it off and give it a proper review. I bought the book several several years ago for an undergraduate Religion course. The first time I sat to read it I had a difficult time reading the text as the more I learned about American Protestantism the more I realized just how off base it is with true Christianity. I've since reread it many times and I now find it to be a wonderful resource for any Catholic (especially those in regular communication with Protestants). 

The book itself is not that long, hovering somewhere around 220 pages or so, but it tackles the hows and whys of American Protestantism better than most books on the subject. "Whitebread Protestants" is broken into five chapters entitled: (1) Liturgical Food:Communion Elements and Conflict, (2) Social Food: Potlucks and Coffee Hours, (3) Emergency Food: The Development of Soup Kitchens, (4) Global Food: Hunger Politics, and (5) Moral Food: Eating as a Christian Should.  

The whole thing begins with an excellent examination of the history of Protestant involvement with the Temperance Movement and their subsequent changes and reinterpretations of the Bible in order to fit their new concerns over alcohol.Sacks explains the origins of contemporary Protestant "Communion" trends that had previously baffled me (such as using grape juice) and some that I was unaware of (like the use of individual paper cups and prepackaged "Communion" products). Sacks continues on to paint us a vivid picture of mainline American Protestantism and culture all through their relationship to food.   

     

Throughout the book it is apparent that American Protestantism has been (and continues to be) committed to ignoring tradition and changing theological interpretations in order to justify preconceived notions and social anxieties. And, again and again, we see case after case of American Protestants not only changing their own minds, but expecting the rest of the world to fall in line with their new personal revelations.

We see the story of a people banishing doctrine in favor of "community" (perhaps to validate their "personal interpretations") that ironically uses church practices like Communion to separate the community and emphasize personal worship. It probably shouldn't be surprising then that they feel the need to augment their desire for "community" and "fellowship" with shallow attempts to forge ties through Potlucks and "community" events. While these things are always nice to have in a community, it's best to keep in mind that religion is delicate. It is not unlike a house of cards. If you start removing a piece here and a piece there it will either collapse or need to be rebuilt to accommodate the changes. Sacks does a wonderful job putting this into perspective as he traces the struggles and changes of "Whitebread Protestant" religion and culture. For as much as we hear their religions are supposedly based on a "deep personal relationships with Jesus Christ" it was intriguing to learn that the focus is more accurately about "relationships" with one another than the Big Guy Upstairs. 

After reading this book you'll have gained deeper insight into the hows and whys of "Whitebread Protestants" and, if you're like me, with every page you'll see just how much they miss the mark. While frustrating at times (through no fault of the author), this book has helped me to grow deeper in love with Catholicism and to more clearly see the necessity of stability and tradition in Christianity.  

Checking Your Connection

Image comes from Creative Commons.

It’s important to build our relationship with God in many ways - through forms of prayer and service. Prayer is like communication. There are many different ways to communicate (written letters, email, Social Media, texting, Skype etc. and face to face conversation) and in the same way there are many forms of prayer (repetition, reading scripture, contemplative, expressive praise and worship, charismatic etc.).

 A lot of people have developed an annoying habit of constantly checking their connection, worried they might have lost a call or missed a message from a friend. Our connection to God does not depend on a tower or a satellite. Our connection to God is constant. He always has a new message waiting for us, we just have to take some time each day to check it.

We don’t need to ask him “Can you hear me” because the answer is always yes. He can hear you and He’s listening. I don’t want to discourage you from using technology. It really is a marvelous modern miracle. But we need to be careful with the way we use it. We need to find some balance in our life and remember our connection to God is more important than our WiFi.

“And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [your] mind, that ye may prove what [is] the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

Romans 12:2 

It can be easy for us to get lost in documenting life and forget to actually live it.

The Bible is full of people well-connected to God. It would be hard to imagine Noah or Ezekiel stopping to talk on the phone. The thought of Jesus playing Candy Crush is ridiculous and not just because it is anachronistic. The only connection they worried about was God.

Growing up, my mother always had a rule, no technology on the Sabbath. We could have chosen any day but with homework and daily life, Sunday seemed to work the best. We quickly found that without the television or radio or phones and pagers, we were forced to actually spend time with one another. Our cabinet of board games was soon overflowing and we can now boast of library with literally more than a thousand books. But more than anything, our No-Tech days gave us hours of all that time that you think you “don’t have”. It gave us time to sit together and pray or read scripture or even just impress each other with political and philosophical debates.

When we removed ourselves from the world, we found a whole new world of opportunities presented themselves. We learned how to connect with one another and more importantly, we strengthened our connection to God.

You don’t have to completely cut technology out of your life in order to be a good Christian but you should be mindful of how much you use it and how you use it.

 Especially during Holy Week we should all take a little bit of time to focus on our connection with God. Your signal is strong and constant. He’s just waiting for you to check in.

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Catholic Fantasy Fiction:MY NEW BOOK!

Hey! I'm in the middle of writing a Catholic Historical Fantasy novel (series). I'm a strong believer in creating a thoroughly Catholic culture. It's the only way we will be able to overcome the evils of our current Culture of Death.

Here's a quick view of my map! For a better look
visit me at The Catholic Crow

I am trying to write it all in a way that mimics other fantasy classics (like The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings) which are not overwhelmingly religious/political (any audience can enjoy it) but Christians are likely to find it extra appealing for its subtle implications. Though I want it to be open to a wide audience, I believe my conservative Catholic views are highly integrated into the complex story which centers around the need for Religious Freedom, Family Values, and (my favorite) TRADITION!
The West is essentially a land rife with Paganism while the Easterners are more or less allegorical for Protestants. The mystical people following the "Ancient" religion (who even pray in the "Ancient" language) are the heroic Catholics of the tale.

Beyond this there are political struggles of ambitious men (young and old alike) as well as ethnic and religious tensions between the different groups and competing cultures. Of course no Fantasy Fiction is complete without fantastical creatures- for which I am incorporating my own elements in addition to using many older Medieval creatures [which those well versed in Medieval Literature are sure to appreciate]. Oh! And there's sibling rivalries, love triangles, betrayal, death, magic, and a pretty strong statement about finding fulfillment in parenthood (without birth control). This is not to say that it is all in-your-face, there are selfish Feminist characters just the same but they are honestly not intended to be the characters one identifies with. Here it is the Radical-Feminist which is portrayed for what she really is- hypocritical and self-serving, to the point of even exploiting other women for the sake of her own "independence". This should hopefully be a breath of fresh air for those that are used to the genre as well as for those that do not typically read Fantasy. (To be honest, though I love fantasy film, I read WAY more Historical Fiction than I do Fantasy so I'll hopefully avoid some of the same old tired conventions- perhaps including just a few for comfort. I'm not sure yet, we'll see.)    
 
I have been posting a few updates and even a preview (don't worry- it was a VERY rough draft). You can read all about it at The Catholic Crow. I would very greatly appreciate your support. Thanks! - Peace and Blessings!

Father Who [Catholic Comic]

As promised, here are a few pages of the first issue ... [yes, it is intentionally black and white]. I'll try to scan it in a higher resolution next time. Don't worry! It gets better! 

Many countries set their comics up differently depending on their direction of writing ... As a native English speaker, I have set the pages up in the standard American comic method. In case you're used to Manga or are just unfamiliar with comics ... it is almost like reading a book - you read the frames from left to right (beginning at the top and progressing downward) speech & thought bubbles are read in order from highest to lowest in a frame - also generally left to right (important to know when there are multiple responses). I hope this helps!

Cover Page!

Eventually I will find a webcomic host and use that to post (perhaps in addition to posting here?) ... I'm posting these here without any real editing to the images. I didn't notice until afterwards that there was a long hair on the scanner (thus the line across the top of the pages). The first issue is already done - I was experimenting with a few different styles of comic art and I sometimes switch back and forth between them.

I prefer the darker pages with less white but my brother likes comics to be bright and colorful so I tried to find a middle ground by leaving thick white gutters. The next issue will hopefully be a tad more consistent in character representation. If you're having a hard time telling the characters apart ... the priest(s) have glasses, Al does not (he also has a square jaw). As the pages continue, my art improves - stick around to see the rest. 

Please feel free to share this with others! 

A quick explanation (just in case) ... Aloysius (our young companion) is a bit of a punk. He's featured most frequently in a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up (to hide himself from the world) ... he's hiding himself from the light too :( 

He stands in line waiting... while the monks use the time to reflect, examine conscience, and pray, he just waits.  Enter flashback ... Yep ... Al's parents are dead. 

What do you think so far? I would REALLY appreciate some feedback! 

- God Bless & have an awesome day!

Saint Gertrude Chaplet- release 50,000 souls from Purgatory!

Print this & share it with others!

  I have had many requests to redo my St Gertrude Chaplet (video on YouTube). It is a surprisingly difficult chaplet to get ahold of... 1 of St Gertrude's prayers releases 1,000 souls from Purgatory (it may also confer special graces and indulgences for living souls). . . This chaplet has what I like to think of as a Spiritual Multiplier Effect. If prayed faithfully, this chaplet releases (up to) 50,000 souls from Purgatory! (What happens to souls released from Purgatory?...) Those 50,000 souls are able to go to Heaven and pray for us (for our soul & the world)! God literally gave us a prayer to increase the number of souls in Heaven- and it's so easy too! Why is this prayer (and chaplet) so difficult to find? Satan tries to hide things like this from us in order to keep us from living a faithful life... and to prevent the release of souls into Heaven. This means its up to us to share it with others! You can try printing a few & leaving them in the back of your Church [it might be a good idea to ask your priest first]... or share it with the your church's youth group & (CCD) Faith Formation classes... you can even repost it on Facebook, leave it in Catholic books at your library (for some lucky person to find in the future), share it with your family, friends, and Catholic neighbors... the possibilities are endless!

So...I only had one class today, "The Devil in Film" and it was cancelled so I came back home, researched a guide for the Saint Gertrude Chaplet (so I could redo my video & post this with it) ... but I couldn't find any that were very useful. (There were a few but they were poorly written and difficult to follow so after struggling to figure out their instructions... I believe I have put it into an easy to use guide by reformatting a standard 5-decade Rosary guide.) ... I have a 2 page paper to write tonight (I'm analyzing the concepts of soul, sin, sexuality, and Protestant thought in the 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - I chose both topic & film so- yay! This should be interesting). I also have some Philosophy articles to read on the ethics of war but if all goes as planned, I should hopefully find some more time today to rerecord my Saint Gertrude Chaplet video & post it tonight - or maybe sometime later this week... Oh! I almost forgot... it might be a little hard to see but the Immaculate & Sacred Heart prayers come before the Glory Be.
 ... Pray on!