Our Apocalypse
I had a little breakthrough in my Understanding The Bible class a little more than a year ago when an especially avid student asked me if it was the end of the world. If memory serves, we’d covered some of Micah, Amos, and Isaiah and we were headed for Jesus of Nazareth as attested to in the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I was profoundly moved and struck anew by the strange, fragile space of allegedly higher education, the hope and expectation we still bring to it, and the tender spot much-younger-than-me people in America find themselves in. I wrote out a long response which I ended up sharing in class. I shared a version of the response with the people on Facebook who’ve been designated as my friends, and, in time, it became clear that I had something America: A Jesuit Monthly might be willing to publish. Some of it sounds/feels a little naive to me now, but I’m still happy with it. Here’s Me On Our Apocalypse.
That’s almost all I have for this post, but I’ll note why the tweet featured above felt appropriate as an image. That’s Bill Lee trying on and buying boots. The last time I spoke to him in-person was in the Tennessee Prison for Women where we noted aloud that three of his kids (who are and were amazing) had been in my class when I taught high school and how interesting it was that he was dropping in on my alleged students in a different kind of classroom now. I was pleased to see him, and I had no idea he would run for governor.
From what I can tell, what we have in the above image is a tale of moral injury in three panels. Governor Lee is dropping in on a local business and violating our city’s mask mandate. The young man who’s serving him is wearing a mask until the photo signifying the completion of sale is taken. I can imagine myself in the same boat, not wanting to create a problem for the governor or my employer, but I’m still saddened by it. And of course, the young man didn’t create the problem. Governor Lee did when he refused to honor Nashville’s boundaries, documented the fact, and posted it on Twitter.
It’s fine for Governor Lee to differ with our Mayor Cooper, but I wish he would conduct himself with more self-respect and a deeper determination to be a good example to his constituents by honoring local laws. That he didn’t is, like so much these days, something of an apocalypse. It’s surprising, but it’s also instructive.
Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe he’ll apologize. Without repentance, no economy can be saved. But blessedly, within an apocalypse, all manner of moral realization becomes possible. We live in clarifying times. We also live in hope.
Stay safe, everyone.
I agree with you, David. I wish that Bill Lee was as good a Governor as the man I heard wonderful things about when he was just Bill Lee.
Terrible behavior and terrible legislature wrapped in a Christianity says little good about his faith. I am reminded of a Bob Dylan quote:
“But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency.” from Slow Train Coming
Just one of many inconsistencies in a man who says he lives by a moral center dictated by his religious beliefs. Our pro-life governor is pushing a Permitless Carry bill thru the legislature that he is committed to sign as soon as it hits his desk, giving anyone the opportunity to carry a concealed weapon in public without a permit which the conservative republicans declare is dictated by the 2nd amendment and all-mighty God. This means that they could fall thru one of the many loopholes regarding a background check and indeed have gun without any confirmation of criminal background or mental illness, and be able to carry this weapon without any training or safety education. All law enforcement agencies in the state as well as local authorities, business owners, gun instructors, military, 90% of Tennesseans which includes republicans and gun owners. Statistically this will mean more gun violence, more gun deaths, more police in harms way. It makes no sense at all why this is somehow deemed such an emergency to pass when we have people in food lines, being thrown out of housing, and our jails filled with unjust incarcerations and a vast majority do not want it. This bill could actually pass the entire assembly this week and be signed by our pro-life governor, so please get on the phone and make your voices heard!