College students across the nation are gathering in church basements to release pent up energy through rock and hip-hop music, the Chicago Tribune reported. In 2006 New York Franciscan Friars of the Renewal started Catholic Underground, a faith and worship based showcase if musicians, actors, dancers and other rising artists. Since the overnight popularity of the Bronx location, parishes in eight cities across the U.S. and two in Europe have installed Catholic Underground locations, each with their own flavor.
Chicago Tribune reporter Margaret Ramirez visited the Chicago location, which has the feel of a worship-based night club, featuring local rap artists. Catholc Underground was started in Chicago by UIC’s chaplain, Rev. Pat Marshall, who enlisted Rob Kaczmark, director for Spirit Juice Studios, to combine spiritual and social life with an edge. Kaczmark expressed that he observed hesitation among church leaders to implementing contemporary music and advanced multimedia technology in the Catholic Church. The article seems to present the Catholic Church, at least its older and more conservative members, as viewing rap and rock music with a stigma. And while it cannot be argued that the Catholic Church in general in the U.S. has been slower to implement more contemporary styles of worship than many Evangelical traditions, there is no supporting evidence of this negative attitude expect that given by Kaczmark.
The official websites for Catholic Underground in both NY and Chicago are run by leaders of the Church and a simple Google search reveals many articles of Catholic leaders eager to open new locations and continue to grow those already in existence. The Tribune article feeds the widespread connotation with the Catholic Church as being highly conservative and close-minded to popular music, without giving any evidence of this view being actively voiced.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Church and AIDS
The Chicago Tribune devotes a section of its publication to spreading awareness of the religious occurrences of local faith communities in the Chicago area and across the nation, especially where they intersect with other areas of life including politics and social activism. Manya Brachear, one of the Tribune’s religion reporters, heads up articles for The Seeker, a professional blog supplement to the paper with articles pertaining to spiritual life.
Brachear refers to The Seeker “a personal and professional quest for truth”. It strays from the detached, third person journalistic style of writing, Brachear often speaking directly to readers in first person. Readers are encouraged to post comments about the articles, though they are reviewed by Tribune staff before becoming visible on the site. This and the fact that all of The Seeker articles are written by one reporter may invite biases into the writing, and the comments that are chosen to be posted for public viewing can be selected to create a sense of a general trend in reader reactions. However, the posted comments thus far appear diverse in their perspectives both politically and religiously.
In an article released on Friday, Brachear opened the dialogue about the association of the Church with the AIDS pandemic in America, if an association does exist. (Go to http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/03/should-churches-make-aids-a-priority.html to read the full story.) Rather than explain the role of the Church in addressing the AIDS problem, Brachear seeks only to raise the question and inspire readers to seek out the answer for themselves. She does, however, give the opinion of key sources who feel strongly about this topic.
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are getting tested for HIV to show their congregations that it is necessary to address the existence of AIDS. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson explains that he hopes to raise awareness among members of ELCA of the reality of AIDS in our society, as opposed to a far-off pandemic, and to make people feel comfortable discussing the topic of HIV so that those who need treatment will not hide from it.
The information presented in the article leaves me with several questions. For those in a church community trying to rid the Church of the negative stigma surrounding AIDS, what other actions should and will be taken to address the issue in addition to being tested to help those who are HIV positive? Should the Church leave treatment completely in the hands of doctors, or should they reach out and offer assistance to those dealing with aids through counseling and/or financial support for treatment?
The perspectives of members of Lutheran and other large Christian denominations were well-represented in the articles, but I wonder if the views of other minority religions in the U.S. differ in any way. The question is raised as to who “the Church” consists of in the twenty-first century United States. The focus of publicized discussions of religion in the U.S., particularly religion and politics, is largely on the Evangelical Christian denominations. Christian language and references are infused the founding documents of our nation, and continue to be heard in political speeches today. However, with the increasing religious diversity in our nation, it is imperative that we inform ourselves of the many religious atmospheres and perspectives around us.
Brachear refers to The Seeker “a personal and professional quest for truth”. It strays from the detached, third person journalistic style of writing, Brachear often speaking directly to readers in first person. Readers are encouraged to post comments about the articles, though they are reviewed by Tribune staff before becoming visible on the site. This and the fact that all of The Seeker articles are written by one reporter may invite biases into the writing, and the comments that are chosen to be posted for public viewing can be selected to create a sense of a general trend in reader reactions. However, the posted comments thus far appear diverse in their perspectives both politically and religiously.
In an article released on Friday, Brachear opened the dialogue about the association of the Church with the AIDS pandemic in America, if an association does exist. (Go to http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/03/should-churches-make-aids-a-priority.html to read the full story.) Rather than explain the role of the Church in addressing the AIDS problem, Brachear seeks only to raise the question and inspire readers to seek out the answer for themselves. She does, however, give the opinion of key sources who feel strongly about this topic.
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are getting tested for HIV to show their congregations that it is necessary to address the existence of AIDS. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson explains that he hopes to raise awareness among members of ELCA of the reality of AIDS in our society, as opposed to a far-off pandemic, and to make people feel comfortable discussing the topic of HIV so that those who need treatment will not hide from it.
The information presented in the article leaves me with several questions. For those in a church community trying to rid the Church of the negative stigma surrounding AIDS, what other actions should and will be taken to address the issue in addition to being tested to help those who are HIV positive? Should the Church leave treatment completely in the hands of doctors, or should they reach out and offer assistance to those dealing with aids through counseling and/or financial support for treatment?
The perspectives of members of Lutheran and other large Christian denominations were well-represented in the articles, but I wonder if the views of other minority religions in the U.S. differ in any way. The question is raised as to who “the Church” consists of in the twenty-first century United States. The focus of publicized discussions of religion in the U.S., particularly religion and politics, is largely on the Evangelical Christian denominations. Christian language and references are infused the founding documents of our nation, and continue to be heard in political speeches today. However, with the increasing religious diversity in our nation, it is imperative that we inform ourselves of the many religious atmospheres and perspectives around us.
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