The End of Politics

     "That religion should be relegated to solitude in such an age is, then, paradoxical.  But it is aldo dangerous for two reasons.  In the first place, when the modern world says to us aloud, 'You may be religious when you are alone,' it adds under its breath, 'and I will see to it that you never are alone.'  To make Christianity a private affair while banishing all privacy is to relegate it to the rainbow's end or the Greek calends.  That is one of the enemy's stratagems.  In the second place, there is the danger that real Christians who know that Christianity is not a solitary affair may react against that error by simply transporting into our spiritual life that same collectivism which has already conquered our secular life.  That is the enemy's other stratagem.  Like a good chess player, he is always trying to manoeuvre you into a position where you can save your castle only by losing your bishop.  In order to avoid the trap we must insist that though the private conception of Christianity is an error, it is a profoundly natural one and is clumsily attempting to guard a great truth.  Behind it is the obvious feeling that our modern collectivism is an outrage upon human nature and that from this, as from all other evils, God will be our shield and buckler.
     "This feeling is just.  As personal and private life is lower than participation in the Body of Christ, so the collective life is lower than the personal life and has no value save in its service.  The secular community, since it exists for our natural good and not for our supernatural, has no higher end than to facilitate and safeguard the family, and friendship, and solitude.  To be happy at home, said Johnson, is the end of all human endeavour.  As long as we are thinking only of natural values we must say that the sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal, or two friends talking over a pint of beer, or a man alone reading a book that interests him; and that all economies, politics, laws, armies, and institutions, save insofar as they prolong and multiply such scenes, are a mere ploughing the sand and sowing the ocean, a meaningless vanity and vexation of spirit."  (C. S. Lewis, from "Membership," in The Weight of Glory; emphasis mine)

     It's a law of idolatry that the stark staring idol fails to deliver not only the salvation promised by the living God, but also the paltry earthly substitute for which you have carved it in the first place.  The libertine grows bored in his lust.  The miser so desperately fears the loss of his money that a thief would do him a great grace by unloading him of the burden.  What about the worshiper of politics -- or, since thus is the idolatry manifest among us now, the devotee who subjects family life, education, associations of formerly free people, and even speech and thought, to the power of the state?  What of somebody who must make his vices public, and publicly celebrated, calling upon the power of the state and its courts to redefine the family to suit his predilections?  What of somebody whose idea of education is to inculcate in the young the approved secularist attitudes -- not citizenship broadly conceived, with its basis in the natural virtues of temperance, courage, prudence, and justice, but partisanship?

     What will Americans lose as they burn incense at the idol "politics"?  The family, and free association, and solitude, as Lewis noted; and then they will lose politics too, the life of a free community sometimes meeting to decide on where the water main should go, but more often not meeting officially at all, but living a common life, with common holidays, a common pantheon of heroes that transcend the partisan and ephemeral, and a common sense of good and evil, of decent and brutish, of the beautiful and the tawdry.  When Hillary Clinton signed her name to It Takes a Village, she was not wise enough to see past the grim idol; she could not see that the first thing that such a collectivism would destroy would be the village.  I'm not saying that hers is the only politics that destroys the polis; one might venture to suggest that a worship of business for business' sake is a quick way to destroy true industry and thrift among a people.

     Still, the choice these days is not between Henry Ford and Hillary Clinton; and indeed, the Henry Fords and Hillary Clintons have learned to get along quite well with one another, and maybe their opposition was long a masquerade anyway.  The choice is between those who understand, even if they are poor specimens of Christian devotion, that the very existence of the Christian God must relegate politics to the status of a temporary and at best secondary good, and those who do not understand this, those for whom politics or sex or material status or some poisonous chimera amalgamated from them all -- a creature with the head of a CEO, the claws of a bond trader, and the groin of a streetwalker -- has rushed in to fill the empty niche above the altar.

Comments

[Bobby Winters]

>>>The choice is between those who understand, even if they are poor specimens of Christian devotion, that the very existence of the Christian God must relegate politics to the status of a temporary and at best secondary good, and those who do not understand this, those for whom politics or sex or material status or some poisonous chimera amalgamated from them all -- a creature with the head of a CEO, the claws of a bond trader, and the groin of a streetwalker -- has rushed in to fill the empty niche above the altar.<<<

This is very, very good.

[DGP]

As long as I've been reading him, Dr. Esolen has never been less than very, very good.

[Robin]

DGP, AMEN!

[Chris]

Dr. Escolen's point is of critical importance. The proclamation of the kingdom of heaven will always have political implications, since people are intrinsically political in the broad sense. But the politics of this world are inherently provisional. Despite the good that well-founded policy can indeed do, it must never be confused with the kingdom. Though the church is indeed "God's polis," her life is always fundamentally eschatological.
As citizens of the enduring kingdom, we have the right to speak to the issues of this world, certainly. Yet, it is always to give voice (sometime by words) to the higher and deeper truths that transcend "mere politics.". Too often, the priest or pastor who becomes enmeshed in partisan politics trades this heavenly birthrite for a mess of pottage. To be in, but not of the world, is to give creation its proper place without descending to idolatry -- which is possible only if we count all things but refuse for the sake of serving Him.

[Chris]

A thousand pardons for misspelling Dr. Esolen's name -- made, as usual, in haste. Having read his comments and articles for quite some time (far too long to make such an error), I -- like DGP -- have his writing eloquent, his insights invaluable and his judgment unerring.

[Bill Gall]

Yes, politics can be an idol. And so can mammon; I take it that's what "business" refers to. America is not Israel, where the constitution was a covenant given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Neverthless the mandate from Proverbs to speak up for the poor and needy and those who have no voice belongs not only in our churches but in the public square.
But again, it is important to remember that "the Kingdom is in our midst" in the Church and not in the secular state. In this way, our hope is sure.
Perhaps if Christians would stop making alliances with the rich and powerful who have clearly exerted disproportionate influence to make "the rules" work in their favor, our voices would heard on the key issues more widely.
Or perhaps we would be all the more scorned, so as to suffer, as Christ did, or rather, with Him. So be it. Thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15

[Judy Warner]

By the "public square," Bill Gall, do you mean the government? And what do you mean by "speak up for"? To whom should we speak? I thought we were supposed to feed and clothe the poor; where does speaking up for them come into it, unless you are referring to lobbying the government, which I don't think is a Biblical mandate?

[eric]

Typo alert:

The End of Politics

"That religion should be relegated to solitude in such an age is, then, paradoxical. But it is aldo (should be "also") dangerous for two reasons...."

[DGP]

"Perhaps if Christians would stop making alliances with the rich and powerful who have clearly exerted disproportionate influence...."

Following the example of our Lord with Zacchaeus, I'll make alliances with anyone so long as it seems to serve God's reign.

[GL]

It's a law of idolatry that the stark staring idol fails to deliver not only the salvation promised by the living God, but also the paltry earthly substitute for which you have carved it in the first place. . . . What about the worshiper of politics . . . ?

I am less concerned about secularists who worship the god Politics than I am about "conservative" Christians who do. For years now, the so-called religious right has viewed politics as the means by which American is to be "saved." They have sacrificed to this false god by means of both their money and their time. And what has it delivered to them? Are we a more or less moral society than we were on the day when the Moral Majority was organized? Are we more or less committed as a nation to a culture of life than we were on the day the Christian Coalition began operations?

We have placed our trust in princes, in direct violation of the Scriptural injunction, and the result promised in Scripture from such misplaced trust has been delivered. In what (or whom) will we place our hope when the ones in whom we placed our hope go down to defeat or fail to deliver on their campaign promises or are exposed as hypocrites who have committed the most heinous of sins? It is well pass the time when we should ask ourselves whether we worship the One True God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, or whether we worship the false god Politics.

[Bobby Winters]

>>>Following the example of our Lord with Zacchaeus, I'll make alliances with anyone so long as it seems to serve God's reign.<<<

Was it Zaccheus (up in than sycamore tree) who gave back 4 times his ill-gotten gain?

[Dcn. Michael D. Harmon]

Forgive me for saying this if I am wrong in this instance, but almost every time someone says that Christians should not dirty their hands by making alliances with worldly political figures, a check beneath the surface finds not revulsion at such alliances, but dissatisfaction with the particular worldly figures. Those who want to use the agencies of government to offer worldly succor to the poor (there is nothing very spiritual about a welfare agency) use this to criticize those who want to use the agencies of government to protect the unborn. The same can be said for the supporters and opponents of ''gay rights,'' or military withdrawal from the instant conflict (whichever one it is), or a whole host of other issues. It is true that politicians will use religion for their purposes. That probably started with Constantine, or at least Constantius. But to say that the unborn do not deserve the protections of law, or that marriage should be redefined in law to apply to anyone, deserves not only moral but organized political opposition. That such opposition is the province of Christian politicians, not Christian clergy, is perhaps true. But if the clergy are silent, where will the politicians find their inspiration?

[GL]

Dcn, Harmon,

If that is directed at my last post, you misunderstand my point. I am not opposed to voting for pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage candidates. I just voted for the passage of the marriage amendment to my state's constitution. I held my nose and voted for a Republican for the U.S. Senate about whom I have grave doubts because I have no doubts about his opponent and have some hope that the President will get one more chance at appointing a Supreme Court justice before his term is out.

What concerns me is the priority we have and the implicit message that if we just put our trust in (the right) princes we will save America. Only our Lord Jesus Christ can save America. We must first submit ourselves, individually, to Him and live one life and one household at a time the life which He calls us to lead and repent when we fail. As important as it is to work for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it is more important that we don't abort our children. (The rate of abortions among Southern Baptists and Catholics is alarmingly high.) As important as it is that we defend heterosexual marriage between one man and one woman, it is more important that we not engage in homosexual relationships ourselves. (The headlines of the past few days are a sad case in point and I pray for Pastor Haggard, his wife, his family and his church.) As important as it is that we work to restrict access to obscenity and graphic violence, it is more important that we not consume such material ourselves. Just because the law permits something that is sinful does not mean that we as Christians may do it. Yet statistics show that evangelical and Catholic Christians do not vary much in their behavior from the society at large. It is not either/or, but it is first/then. By first/then, I am not speaking of a chronological sequence, but of priority. I believe that some of the "religious right" (whose ends I support, if not always their means) have a misplaced priority which elevates Politics over God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."

[GL]

Let me add, that I believe that if our lives were more countercultural rather than mirror images of the popular culture, we would have a far greater impact on society than any success at the ballot box could have. That is one important lesson we should learn from the first three centuries of Christians, who had no political power but, by living radically countercultural lives changed their world and ultimately the laws which governed the entire society in which they lived. But it took three centuries of individuals living radically countercultural lives before the political climate changed to favor their positions.

[Tony Esolen]

GL,

I agree with you. Ten most countercultural things we Christians can do:

1. Keep the Sabbath -- and I mean really keep it.
2. Have children.
3. Stay married.
4. Dump the television.
5. Teach your children at home.
6. Read old books.
7. Prefer local businesses to national chains.
8. Dress decently.
9. Join or assist the Boy Scouts.
10. Go fishing (or bake cookies, or whatever else is human and without apparent profit).

[GL]

Tony,

Based on your list, it looks like I have some changing to do myself. ;-)

[Gene Godbold]

Dear Tony,
A good list, but I'm not sure about 7 and 9.

Dear GL,
I'm with you, but I'm not sure that Jesus needs (or wants) to save America...or Germany, China, Venezuela or whatever. I'm not saying Christians don't need to honor their motherlands and serve them appropriately, but when the red, white, and blue is only a memory we're going to be part of the re-embodied communion of saints in a land with a much more plausible government. (I will, of course, still be living in Virginia--newly uncursed--since I am convinced that God's plan involves saving the Commonwealth almost entirely intact. But you folks in Memphis and other, similarly ungodly, places are going to have to relocate. Don't say I didn't warn you :-)

[maria horvath]

An excellent list, Tony.

May I add two more good rules to follow, to make it an even dozen?

11. Watch your language -- avoid obscenities and politically correct weasel words.

12. Do everything you can personally to prevent abortions. The woman with the problem pregnancy needs your love, help and support both before and after the birth.

[GL]

Gene,

I agreed with almost everything you said, except that I thought I lived in the land of the remnant. ;-)

I know, of course, that God is no respecter of any nation, even the good ole US of A. My point, which I keep failing to articulate very well (poor John Kerry and I seem to suffer from that problem -- I hope that is our only point of commonality), is that too many on the Christian "right" spend too much time and money on politics as if it could bring salvation to a lost people. Only Jesus Christ can do that. Put your trust in princes and you will be disappointed everytime.

Now, taking Imus' words to Kerry to heart, I think I'll shut up before I muck this up even more (which I probably already have). ;-)

[Rob Grano]

Dr. Esolen: an excellent list. Maria's two additions are great as well, and I will add one more that meshes with your #6:

13. Listen to classical music.

[Tony Esolen]

Maria, thanks!

Gene,

I wonder about that eternal effacement of nations. Lewis seemed to think, from what he says about the matter in That Hideous Strength, that there's a role in salvation history, including the eschaton, for nations as such: when China really will obey the Order of Heaven, and France will worship Reason, and America will hold the banner for Liberty. We are told in Scripture that all nations -- I know, all the ethnoi, all races of people -- will come to Mount Sion. Scripture also suggests that God has placed angels as tutelary governors of peoples. I wonder who the protector of Belgium is ...

[Gene Godbold]

When I'm feeling whimsical, I sometimes speculate about the bureaucracy of Heaven. Every good Monarch needs good ministers. Will we see Daniel exercising authority again (or even Nebuchadnezzar? Solomon? David?) under the Messiah? Where will the apostles be? I think we'll still need subsidiary levels of governance: even though we'll be "perfect" we'll still be finite--though getting better/wiser/more knowledgeable all the time. Where there is finitude the capability for error (not sin) exists and so governors are needed. (Or maybe I'm wrong and the we'll be infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost.)

I also suppose that we'll be travelling to other worlds and colonizing different galaxies. Whether the whole light-speed boundary will still obtain in the Kingdom of God is an open question, but however it works out, I don't think the People of God will be stationary. (Like CSL, I think the vastness of space combined with death serves as a quarantine on the fallen human species.)

In regards to the "nations" conception: maybe. We'd have to be temporally segregated nations, though, since different countries have occupied the same "land" over time. I'm open to the idea of guardian angels for nations as well as for people, though we aren't working on as much Biblical evidence at this point. Does each state have its own tutelary spirit? Each county? Each tree or maybe groups of trees? Are there "dark archons" associated with each as well? We'll find out one day, I suppose.

[James A. Altena]

AMEN! to #13, Brother Grano!

[Rob Grano]

James Altena: we may disagree on the Civil War but at least we agree on something REALLY important! ;-)

[James A. Altena]

Agreed, Rob. Now we can fight over something REALLY important!!! Who's your favorite composer? Conductor? Pianist? Violinist? Opera singer(s)? (Living or dead for all categories) :-)

[Judy Warner]

I like Tony's list too, but I also question 7 and 9. I'd substitute Maria's for those.

I know all the reasons to support local businesses, but my own experience sours me on those. In our little local town there were no chain business at all until a Subway set up shop a few years ago. There was a small locally owned food market that had pretty good meat and otherwise had nothing to recommend it. The people who worked there were quite unfriendly compared to the employees at the supermarkets in the larger town nearby. I don't think a cashier looked me in the eye once. There didn't seem to be much effort to make the place attractive or bring in special products that would make the high prices worthwhile. I learned that the owners had pressured the town council several times to keep other grocery stores out of the town through zoning. Finally a chain supermarket managed to open up and the local place closed two weeks later. I was happy to have a place to shop that seemed to care about its customers. It's probably employing more local people than the other store, too, and it anchors a tiny shopping center that rents space to a couple of local businesses. So I think the subject is more complex than can be covered by a rule.

[Judy Warner]

And in addition to classical music, I'd add: Teach your children the songs of our country and your local area. The folk songs (the real ones, not the Peter, Paul and Mary ones) and the patriotic songs. Also teach them the dances of your locality and your ethnic group (and other ethnic groups for that matter). That way they will know what real music and real dance are like.

[Rob Grano]

Judy -- agree with you on folk/ethnic music, dance, etc.

James -- I don't really have favorite performers in classical music; I guess I haven't been at it long enough to judge yet. Composers: for symphonies, Bruckner's my favorite. For chamber music, probably Faure. Choral--Palestrina and Josquin. Of contemporary composers I like Peteris Vasks and Arvo Part. Sorry, but I don't do opera! I'm not a big fan of the solo voice, whether in opera, lieder, or whatever.

[Tony Esolen]

I should have added, to my number 7: "all other things being equal." All other things are not usually equal. I know, I have done a lot of purchasing at the Home Despot in the last couple of months, as I'm turning our basement into a workshop for my son. But there's something to be said for supporting the local restaurant, not that chain that peddles Scottish cuisine, McDougald's or McDonnell's or something ...

[Judy Warner]

Agreed about the restaurants, unless you're on the road, in a hurry to get somewhere, and not sure whether Dick'n'Doris's Home Cooking Corner will give you decent food quickly. That Scottish place can look pretty good in those circumstances. (Not to mention that it has proved to be a far better job-training program for the disadvantaged than anything the government has ever managed.) Oy, I'm just full of shades of gray today.

[GL]

I actually am happy to support one of those national restaurant chains, Chick-Fil-A. They honor the Christian Sabbath by closing all day on Sunday so that their workers can worship and spend time with their families. And, at least in my part of the country, they make an effort to employ disabled workers, such as people with Down's Syndrome. Closing all day Sunday and providing employment opportunities to the disabled: now that is countercultural.

[Ethan Cordray]

I suppose this is part of #5, but I would include, "Know and teach your children about the history, geography and culture of your own local area, in addition to the grand national/civilizational story."

[Stuart Koehl]

>>>That Scottish place can look pretty good in those circumstances. <<<

Now that the kids are past the point where food has to come in a bag with a toy, we're much more willing to take chances dining out. That the kids are pretty catholic in their tastes. Sometimes you're disappointed, but more often, you get a pleasant surprise.

By the way, SATURDAY is the Sabbath (nobody ever repealed that one). Sunday is the Lord's Day, the First and Eighth Day. This very ancient typology is found throughout the Fathers, but seems to have gotten lost somewhere along the way. Just because Constantine decided that Sunday would be an official day of rest doesn't mean that God shifted his day of rest from the seventh to the first.

[David Gray]

>By the way, SATURDAY is the Sabbath (nobody ever repealed that one). Sunday is the Lord's Day

Thanks for your opinion.

"As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath."

[James A. Altena]

Dear Rob,

You're off to a good start with Bruckner and Josquin in particular! We'll have to cultivate your tastes in vocal music. It took me almost ten years after first getting into classical music to break the operatic barrier, and another decade after that to really appreciate lieder, but it has paid immensely rich dividends.

But I'm afraid I'll leave you with Arvo Part (I'm not familiar with Vasks). My favorite living composer is Penderecki, whose "Polish Requiem" and Sym. #2 are truly immortal masterworks.

[Stuart Koehl]

>>>Thanks for your opinion.<<<

It's not an opinion, it's a canon. And it's the lectionary of the Byzantine liturgy.

[David Gray]

>It's not an opinion, it's a canon. And it's the lectionary of the Byzantine liturgy.

That's good to know. I wouldn't have minded knowing that when you shared it earlier.

[DGP]

"By the way, SATURDAY is the Sabbath (nobody ever repealed that one). Sunday is the Lord's Day, the First and Eighth Day."

Despite the fact that the Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states that Sunday is not the Sabbath, the penultimate draft of the recent US national adult catechism included just such an identification. Of course, those of us living in the new creation are entitled to replace the *observance* of the Sabbath with our Sunday observance, but that's a slightly different matter.

[DGP]

I should have added to my previous post: It's a good thing the error was corrected, or we'd have had directly contradictory catechisms. Imagine the fun certain people would have had!

[Rob Grano]

GL -- I'm a vegetarian of sorts, but I like and respect Chick-Fil-A's "closed on Sunday" policy very much. Now if only they served free-range, organic chicken...

James -- I've listened to classical music intermittently since I was a kid, but I've been a serious listener for only three or four years. I have managed to accumulate over 150 CD's in that time though. I don't have an aversion to vocal music, I just don't like it as much as the others. There are exceptions: Gorecki's 3rd Symphony, for one. Elgar's 'Sea Pictures' as sung by Janet Baker is another. And some of Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi's vocal music is marvellous.

[Bill R]

"I wonder who the protector of Belgium is ..."--Tony Esolen

Tony, ever been to Belgium? Remember that their national "symbol" is the little boy who is, hmmm, how do I put this delicately? "Renewing" the water supply to the fountain? I'm not sure how good he is at "protection," however.

[Dcn. Michael D. Harmon]

I know I run a great risk of disagreeing with my betters, but I really must point out that you can read all the old books you want, and listen to all the classical music ever recorded, but when the Sturmtruppen bash down the door and drag your kids off to join the Hitlerjugend, you may well wish you had paid more attention to politics, not only in whom you voted for but whom you actively supported, gave money to, attended his/her rallies, spoke to your friends about, and wrote letters to the editor in defense of.

As was said of war, you may not be interested in politics (it makes my hands so DIRTY...), but politics is interested in you. And your kids. And your grandkids.

[DGP]

Oh, good grief, Mr. Harmon. The day's troubles are sufficient unto themselves. Let's deal with the political challenges at hand, without turning them either into gods or, for that matter, devils.

[Kamilla]

I'll jump into the musical fray for a moment, if you'll allow.

Currently, in my cheesy little 3-disc changer stereo I have Part's Passio and Dmitry Hvorostovsky's Credo (Russian Sacred Choral music) and another CD of Russian Choral music.

For vocals I do enjoy Hvorostovsky, although I haven't been able to listen to "Russia Cast Adrift" since I last listened in January two years ago the day I came down with a case of influenza. My bones still ache when I hear it!

I also recommend Cecilia Bartoli and Andrea Bocelli. Although Bochelli isn't an opera singer, his Nessun Dorma is achingly beautiful.

And, when I'm in a particularly quiet mood, it is always Albinoni's Adagio. On that, I would appreciate a recommendation for which recording I should purchase as a replacement for the one that I have now managed to scratch.

Kamilla

[Stuart Koehl]

>>>Of course, those of us living in the new creation are entitled to replace the *observance* of the Sabbath with our Sunday observance, but that's a slightly different matter.<<<

Not a matter of either/or but both/and. I believe it was Chrysostom again who said, "How can you observe the Lord's Day who does not also keep the Sabbath?" For early Christians, the symbolism of both days was succinct: Saturday, the Sabbath, the day of rest, symbolizes the completion of God's first creation; Sunday, the Lord's Day, is the Eighth Day that fulfills creation and the first day of a new creation. The liturgies for Saturday and Sunday reflect this symbolism, too.

[Kamilla]

I'm learning to keep my Sabbath on Thursday. Like so many in healthcare, I work a weekend rotation. I appreciate Stuart's distinction regarding the symbolism of the two days, but in practice I think what grows out of the heart is much more important than a legalism about which day is the day of reast.

Kamilla

[Stuart Koehl]

>>>I'm learning to keep my Sabbath on Thursday. Like so many in healthcare, I work a weekend rotation. I appreciate Stuart's distinction regarding the symbolism of the two days, but in practice I think what grows out of the heart is much more important than a legalism about which day is the day of reast.<<<

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. As Christ healed the sick on the Sabbath, I see nothing wrong with those who labor on behalf of the sick on either the Sabbath or the Lord's Day.

Which, by the way, was NOT a day of rest for Christians before Constantine made it so. The faithful gathered at dawn to sing hymns of praise, then celebrated the Eucharist, then went off to their daily jobs. Only later did Sunday become a day of rest--something some people take far too literally, since they spend most of Sunday lying in bed with the New York Times. Meanwhile, those of us who go to Church are actually "working", the leitourgia of the Church being the "work of the people".

[Judy Warner]

As was said of war, you may not be interested in politics (it makes my hands so DIRTY...), but politics is interested in you. And your kids. And your grandkids.

Yes, and that brings to mind another addition to Tony's list: Firearms training for the whole family.

[Tony Esolen]

Judy,

I like that one! Have a couple of Big Macs for me next time you go to the Golden Arches. Yes, I go there, too, sometimes even on the same day when I visit the Home Despot. Not sure it's a good idea, though.

Kamilla,

"Nessun dorma" is my favorite aria -- not that I'm an opera afficionado. There's something about schmaltzy Italian opera that stabs me right to the heart.

Everybody,

Could we add another to the list?

14. Teach your son how to use power tools.

I can't do that last one, with my son. But I see strapping kids all the time who ought to know how to build a garage by age 16, and who instead are stuck interpreting Sarah Plain and Tall or The Joy Luck Club or something of that sort. Can you say "languish"?

[Kamilla]

Ah, but #14 goes for girls as well. I know of a Benedictine Oblate whose nickname is "Our Lady of Power Tools". Myself, I prefer an axe to chop my firewood (ok, so it's been high school since I did that, but the sentiment remains!). And I have been recently complimented by a carpenter who said to me, "You really know how to swing a hammer!" (this on a church sponsored charity house renovation project)

Kamilla

[Bill R]

15. Teach your sons to open doors for the ladies. (As an added bonus, it will drive the feminists nuts...)

[GL]

16. Teach your children to say "please," "thank you," "you're welcome," "yes, sir," "no, sir," "yes ma'am," and "no ma'am." It takes a lot of work and a lot of reminding, but I have had any number of adults comment on how polite our children are. What was taken for granted when I was a kid is now counterculture.

17. Pray at home and in restaurants.

[Bill R]

If we go off on classical music, this thread may never end. But I must add an appreciation for choral music. One of the joys in my life is being a member of our church choir (sort of a church within the church). I know the old jokes about how boring heaven must be if all we do is sing all day, but that prospect excites me! Can you imagine what Palestrina must know now about choral music? Or the hymns that Charles Wesley can now compose? Yes, at the end of the day I like to grab my headphones and listen to Dvorak's "Seranades," but what really stirs the blood is to contemplate how quickly Advent shall be upon us and then "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" as we contemplate Him "Of the Father's Love Begotten."

[Tony Esolen]

And "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending," to the tune Helmsley.

#17 is really a great idea. So little, so crucial. When Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men," sometimes that light was going to be just a little flicker of devotion, at the right place, at the right time.

We could go on forever like this:

18. Study military history.
19. Ditch all video games.
20. Play outside -- without official organization.
21. Let people know that your house is open for stopping by on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, without warning ....
22. Eat meals together at table.
23. Go for a walk, but never for a power walk. Do not count the miles.....

[Stuart Koehl]

>>>We could go on forever like this<<<

Or we could follow the wisdom of Bill and Ted: "Be excellent to each other".

[Judy Warner]

17. Pray at home and in restaurants.

One of the many reasons I love the Book of Common Prayer is its beautiful section of family prayers at the end, with long and short morning and evening prayers. We don't do it as often as we should, but there is nothing so good as kneeling down together as a family to worship God at home.

[Kamilla]

Hello Tony,

Schmaltzy - what a great and appropriate word!

Personally, I had to add replacements or caveats for #2 and #3 on your list.

2) If you are single, remain celibate and devote your life to something other than alcohol, sex and things.

3) Gather singles into your church fellowship and help teach them the things of adulthood which children are teaching the rest of you - don't treat them as if they'll get married when they "grow up".

Kamilla