[Vision2020] the amusement of southern slaveyr

Mon Jun 5 13:09:05 PDT 2006

You raise some points, Austin, that purport to show where you "disagree" 
with Doug Wilson or Christ Church -- but while I value your opinion, the 
issues are so minor and peripheral to the Kirk commuity that they hardly, in 
themselves, demonstrate a willingness to take a stand that is in opposition 
to Wilson's.

What really astonishes me, though, is how you could find the concern over 
"Southern Slavery" something to be "glad" for because you found it 
"amusing."  Really?  The destruction of any remaining shred of Christian 
testimony from your church because of its indefensible portrayal of slavery 
is "amusing"?  The fouling of the Gospel that comes from self-described 
Christians defending the institution of slavery in America and proclaiming 
that the antebellum South was the last bastion of true Christianity in the 
United States -- that's something you're glad for?  It pleases you that 
thousands of people who read this piece of trash, largely plagiarized as it 
was, came to believe that Jesus Christ affirmed the owning of another human 
being and the permanent social structure of bigotry and hate that made it 
possible?  It made you glad that people saw the Gospel as a permission slip 
granting the viciousness, violence, brokenness and injustice of slavery?

Austin, I hope you were just careless.  Because if not, I'd have to ask, as 
kindly as possible, just what the hell is wrong with you.

I doubt that you've read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass.  In fact, 
I would imagine that you've not been offered the opportunity to ever hear of 
him in Logos and NSA, if you've attended those Robert E. Lee-saluting halls 
of faux academia.  So let me enlighten you a bit.  You may consider my doing 
so a privilege of my age and life experience as well as a product of my 
disbelief and anger.

"I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ; I 
therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, 
partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land . . . I am filled with 
unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, 
together with the horrible inconsistencies, which everywhere surround me.  
We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and 
cradle-plunderers for church members.  The man who wields the blood-clotted 
cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday and claims to be a 
minister of the meek and lowly Jesus . . . The slave auctioneer's bell and 
the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the 
heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master . 
. . "  (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, 
copyright 1845).

There are likely as many reasons for leaving Chirst Church, etc., as there 
are members left in good standing, Austin, and there are as many Kirkers as 
there are adjectives to describe the booklet and the fallout around it.  But 
that your pastor would write (sort of) and publish, defend, distribute and 
affirm a booklet that calls slavery a "harmonious" existence between the 
races should be enough.  The damage he wrought to the Gospel is 
incalculable.  The lies he told about the character of our Lord Jesus Christ 
are despicable, and his defense of white male privilege, both in the South 
and here, is as dangerous as it is stupid.  I could go on, but I'll leave 
you with this:  it wasn't amusing.  It was appalling, and if you care one 
whit about the Gospel, you'll confess your indifference as sin.

And then you can meet me with as many buddies as you want at the One World.  
Deal?

keely

From: "Austin Storm" <austinstorm at gmail.com>
To: "keely emerinemix" <kjajmix1 at msn.com>
CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] a tutorial for Austin
Date: Sun, 4 Jun 2006 22:54:30 -0700

keely,

Thanks so much for responding. I was aware that the e-mail was about the
IBTA decision, but I thought Mr. Ferris' jab was about the boarding houses,
trying to point out a larger pattern of harassment?

If any of my friends says something like the apportionment thing or the
boarding house thing is harassment, I'm pretty inclined to believe them.
When I started my online business (www.skycowbooks.com) I was warned by a
friend to have everything in order, because I might be targeted for
harassment. At the time I thought that was ridiculous, but it only took a
month before I got a letter from City Hall telling me I had to get a CUP for
something that I know many in Moscow do (and without a CUP).

Regarding the IBTA decisions, I read them and they seem reasonable to me.
I've been following the tax thing and think I have the whole picture. If you
have anything that I'm missing, please post it on the list or explain
off-list why you can't.

I don't know how the gambling thing could've offended Moscow in the way that
you suggest. I don't find it to be the huge thing that everyone does. Young
men have a great capacity for foolish and unloving behavior that starts
small and quickly escalates and I'm glad that my church cared for those
young men in such a way that brought them out of that behavior while it was
still a pretty little thing.

I think the church was still pretty new to the handling of stuff like this,
and as such surely could have done better. By handling I don't mean
*handling*, I mean confronting all of the involved persons sins and
restoring them all to fellowship with the church and with each other. But,
if I had any questions about the thing, I can still get first-person
accounts from at least 3 of the guys that were involved (I think, off the
top of my head).

It seems like the charge of intolerance or bigotry is often leveraged
against the certain. I'm pretty certain about lots of things, and I find it
works better than doubting myself all the time.

I have never been told to hold the Intoleristas in disdain. I don't think
you're rag-tag _or_ organized. By myself I came to regard individual
Intoleristas individually... some I feel bad for, others I find amusing, and
others are completely bewildering. I am not bewildered about the existence
of Intoleristas, though.

I read an awful lot. In fact, I own a bookstore. =)  My first job was in a
library (I applied the day I could get my worker's permit) and I worked in a
Barnes & Noble for awhile. Barnes & Noble broadened my horizons
considerably, as I was one of maybe 3 conservatives in the whole store, and
the other outspoken one was all crochety. I've read lots of books from a
broader spectrum of Christian thought, and will no doubt carry some in my
bookstore. Brian McClaren is out, because his writing style annoys me.

I feel quite free to disagree with my pastor, and will do so now by way of
demonstration. I agree with the arguments John Frame puts forth in his two
books about worship regarding the legitimacy of so-called "contemporary
worship music" in contemporary worship. This is a hot-button issue, and
Credenda magazine ran a small debate between pastor and someone else a few
issues back. I found myself very sympathetic to the other chap. (sorry, I
don't have time to find the link). I don't buy the high/low/folk culture
distinctions put forth by this year's Ministerical Conference speaker, Ken
Myers, and I think they muddle the worship debate.

I wish I had written Reforming Marriage. I also wish that I had written
Critique of Modern Youth Ministry. It put into words something I had long
felt. I probably wouldn't have written Southern Slavery, but am glad for it
because now because of the whole thing we get kinists mad, and that's
amusing. Also amusing is how Mr. Metzler is willing to quote the kinists
when they say something bad about us.

What I'd really really like to know is the answer to the questions in the
first e-mail. Do you think the boarding house complaint was harassment? I
can find plenty of other boarding houses that aren't run by Christ Church,
starting with (I'm guessing) the people throwing the party across the
street. The difference is that they are all college-aged, and are not great
neighbors.

I would love to take you up on the beer thing, if we can both invite
buddies. Many of my peer-friends know more about the local goings-on then I
do, and 4 is more fun than 2 (you can bring a buddy, too). You can just buy
my beer. =)

Thanks,

-Austin

"It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be
unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong." --G.K. Chesterton

--
Austin Storm
Sky Cow Books
P.O. Box 9128 Moscow, Idaho 83843
208.596.5752 work | 678.550.5503 fax

_____________________________________________________
  List services made available by First Step Internet,
  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
                http://www.fsr.net
           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! 
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/