Warren’s narrative of the U.S. economy, and the banking industry in particular, was very clarifying. For most of U.S. history, our country went through repeated periods of boom and bust, with all the consequences of those cycles. But after the Great Depression, a number of new financial regulations — rules for the road — were put into place that were designed to protect average Americans in particular from the continued abuses of the big banks and the often terrible results in bad times for ordinary people. Two important examples were the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) to protect people’s savings and the Glass Steagall Act of 1933 to prevent banks from speculating with depositors’ money. And the new rules worked for several decades, creating both prosperity and security for many American families and an emerging middle class. But starting in 1980, the rules were first watered down and gradually removed, and banks were free again to engage in both the abusive and very risky speculative behavior that helped to bring on the Great Depression, and resulted again in the current Great Recession.

She explained how credit card and mortgage application forms used to be only a page or two and were both clear and understandable to the average person — even allowing people to easily compare and contrast the deals offered. But now, as all of us know, these forms have expanded to 30 pages or more with lots of complications, hard to comprehend provisions, and “fine print” that cleverly hides a long list or traps, tricks, and a myriad of both exploitive arrangements and outright abuses that greatly benefit banks at the expense of borrowers and card holders. In clear moral terms, Warren described the current behavior of our biggest banks as deliberately deceiving, entrapping, and cheating unsuspecting customers into very precarious and ultimately disastrous financial positions. And with no more rules of the road, the banks were leading their customers into the financial ditch. An economic crisis has been the result with massive suffering and pain for millions of Americans.

We are now living in a “lawless” economic environment, according to Warren, where our biggest banks have become our most dangerous predators — and with no protections for the rest of us against the “law of the jungle,” as she puts it. The consequences for our economy, our culture, our families, and even our souls have been disastrous. This is not the way we should want to live, Warren says, and it is creating a world which we should not want our children to grow up in. She makes the urgent case for reform with the compelling analysis of a top economist, the family values of a grandmother, and the moral arguments of a person of faith. The sins of the financial world have become both a moral, and even religious, issue from the perspective of the Methodist tradition “which still shapes me.”

Warren is the “mother” of the idea for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA),which is in the current financial reform bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, and is now slowly making its way through the U.S. Senate. But the big banks are aggressively fighting back, trying to prevent their own regulation only one year after the financial meltdown for which they were in large part responsible. There seems to be no remorse, let alone repentance, from the big banks — only record new profits enabled by their taxpayer-funded bailouts, and enormous bonuses to the executives who made the very decisions that brought the economic system down on the heads and hearts of so many Americans. The biggest banks in America are giving shame a bad name.

Why are new rules, regulations, and protections necessary? Because of the human condition, the realities of human nature, and a biblically orthodox understanding of human sinfulness. Yes, the reasons we need the protections offered by a Consumer Financial Protection Agency are as theological as economic. And it is amazing to me how many of those who oppose any regulation of Wall Street also claim to be religious conservatives. They subscribe to what I label in my new book, Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street — A Moral Compass for the New Economy, “the myth of the sinless market.” I am a conservative Christian too, conservative enough to have a healthy appreciation for human sins, human failings, and fallen-ness, and after witnessing the behavior of America’s biggest banks during this economic crisis, an old theological term called human depravity. It is simply bad theology to trust large corporations not to pollute our waters, poison our air, or cheat their unsuspecting customers. They have to be prevented from doing so for the sake of the common good. Good financial and economic rules reflect, not only good economics, but also good theology. And the free market fundamentalism of Wall Street’s defenders is, among other things, bad theology.

But as Elizabeth Warren, a good Methodist, warns, the banks are trying everything they can think of to kill financial reform. And we must not let them do that. In the name of a fairer economy, of family values, of moral values, and of sound biblical theology, the faith community must now make itself heard on the urgent issue of financial regulatory reform. We must hold our biggest banks accountable to the common good.

So let our Senators not just hear from the bankers, but now also from pastors who see what such abusive banking behavior has done to their families and parishioners, to devastated communities with shuttered houses, to the prison of debt that more Americans find themselves in.

People of faith across the land must now tell their elected representatives that we will be “watching and praying” to see what they will do about necessary financial reform. We don’t have the money in our financial coffers that the banks do to finance their political campaigns, but we do have our voice and our votes which will be turned against them if they vote against the best interests of our people and for the greed of the bankers. Jesus said it well — choose this day who you will serve, God or Mammon (Money). Let’s now put that choice to our Senators, who need to hear from us this next week while they are in their district offices during the Presidents’ Day recess. Critical decisions are being made for or against critical financial reform right now.

Jim Wallis is the author of Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street — A Moral Compass for the New Economy. He is CEO of Sojourners and blogs at <www.godspolitics.com>

Criticize the latter three, and one of them, Mr. Thomas, will label you a member of “the secular left” or a “self-described Christian.”  I am a self-described Bible-believing, born again (daily) Christian, so Thomas’s deliberate mischaracterization amounts to persecution of me.  (“Me” and “I,” here, are stand-ins for millions.)  Thomas complains that Hume is criticized for his “hubris” on television for “presuming the Christian faith is superior to other faiths.”  Andree Seu assumes that Hume’s critics “sound like they would prefer his beheading,” and that his “e-mail is dripping with venom” but, adds Seu, he will find that “there is life after persecution.”  Here come the personal pronouns by Seu:  Thanks to Hume’s witness, “the rest of us are made braver.  We see that persecution is survivable.  We find ourselves envying…a man who has done the thing, and is free.”

“The Jeremiah Project” website also logs persecutions, and decrees that “the most sinister battlefield in the war on Christianity take place in the classroom.”  Take that, persecuted Christians in Myanmar!  From Jeremiah: “The City council in Oceanside, CA banned public prayers that begin or end with the phrase ‘in the name of Christ,’” thus the Christians there are being persecuted by “the secular left” and “self-described Christians” in their town.

Time to sum up:  1) There really is persecution of Christians, and it has to be reported on and faced.  2) There really are legitimate issues to be faced by both or all sides in the matter of public (governmental, as in schools) or non-governmental (as in media) preachments.  3) The issues won’t be well faced if all sides bring out the worst in each other, as the American contenders so regularly do.  And I must add number four:  My implicit – or maybe explicit – whining about whiners, griping about gripers, and moaning about moaning, self-described persecuted Christians will not help the cause.  So: “No whining,” from any of us!

What we need are better forums for interpreting how particular faiths should relate in a crowded and tense world; Christians like Mr. Hume are not the only full citizens who believe that their faith is superior; non-Christians, whose faiths are not held by as many, may believe it too.  One hopes that more Christians, in an empathy exercise, will picture themselves as devotees of minority faiths, having to listen to people like Hume downgrade and demean them.  What is striking is that the American Christians who most readily criticize Muslims or Hindus for using the “superiority” of their faith as a basis for penalizing Christians, often do the best job of imitating these others.

The hundred million and more strong who pray “in the name of Jesus Christ” have plenty of opportunities to do so in private, semi-public, and, with thoughtful formulas, in public; and they include millions who do not believe that doing so means forcing second-class citizenship, insult, or stigma on others.

References:

www.jeremiahproject.com/prophecy/warxian/html

www.persecution.org/suffering/index.php

http://online.worldmag.com/2010/01/07/a-personal-thanks-to-mr-hume/

http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/wo/story/1773377.html

Martin E. Marty’s biography, current projects, publications, and contact information can be found at www.illuminos.com.

———-

In 2010’s first edition of the Religion and Culture Web Forum (“The Uses and Misuses of Polytheism and Monotheism in Hinduism”), Wendy Doniger explores the complex nature of Hindu theology and its relationship to historical and political
issues by focusing on a simple question: “Is Hinduism monotheistic or polytheistic?”  Her answer offers intriguing implications for the distinction between theological identities of “one” and “many” in Hinduism and–as respondents with expertise in
other theological traditions reflect–beyond.  With invited responses from Martin Marty, Willemien Otten, Katherine E. Ulrich, and Ananya Vajpeyi.  http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/webforum/index.shtml
———-
Sightings comes from the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

On Monday morning, IT finally happened. Santa’s only fear (or actually one of several). After 2 and 4/5 seasons as Santa, I was, er, ah, em, christened. Not just dampness upon Santa’s knee, but yellow runny poop!  I understand from some in the know that this one must have been breastfed due to it’s consistency!  I quickly got up and went back to put on the just cleaned suit which was actually waiting for Tuesday, after pet night tonight.

Only yesterday did I hear about the grief the mother of the child got while she, totally mortified and embarrassed, profusely apologizing to the crew, was cleaning up the spill left on the seat I was on. What made this scene worse was that some parents in line (These are adults, no?) were deriding this young woman. If I had been present at the time I would have laughed and told her that this one will now have a life story for her child. She will be able one day to point to her child and proudly say “…and on the first visit with Santa…she pooped on him!” A great story in my mind… Maybe she will come to that, I dearly hope!

I texted out the news of my baptism from my phone to several in my phonebook…. best response from David Reed, and I quote: “If you work for someone long enough, it was bound to happen literally or figuratively.” Also got several funny responses… “Merry Poopmas”..’welcome to the club.” among others…

Santa’s wrap up… coming home this weekend

More languages overheard by Santa: French, Russian, Korean, Ethiopian, Italian.

If averaging 3 minutes per visit, 2 kids/adults per visit (sometimes way more), 9 hour day…hmm…I think I am seeing about 400 kids per day on average.  And how many days? 33 days = 13,200?!  Less my short sundays…so minus 800 equals about 12, 400…and maybe that’s a conservative estimate?!

Observations of Santa….. kids with dry skin on arms and hands… Mason…. a big bunch of Hayden…. Ayden, …a lot of Sophias (my mother’s middle name and my grandmother’s first name)…although sometimes different spellings…Many more multicultural marriages and adoptive parents as well here in Durham, than in Chattanooga…Lots of Chinese children adopted by western parents…must be some contacts here not available readily in Tennessee?

Sensing a change…a little desperation setting in as Christmas day approaches…parents getting tempers getting shorter as the line gets longer…

Another compliment on different radio station from a listener singing praises of the Southpoint Santa…I am humbled by such kind words…

Some contingent of teens from Tennessee…came by just after I had gotten off on Saturday night…disappointed not there…I was wandering the mall actually, but just missed them by 15-20 minutes according to security guard (the Irish one)…Looked around, called Jeff, called Maddie, no, didn’t know of anyone from UUCC…Couldn’t think of who might be? Maybe I will find out later.

3rd graders in the Durham school system go to Chapel Hill to the observatory/planetarium…apparently good field trip! thanks to Diane Davison for the lead on that one. Answers the question about the binoculars and telescopes…also told the cartoon Curious George sometimes includes visits to same…or use of scope and “noculars”!

ORCHIDS: new friends… interesting times… blues… the kids… the adults… ferrets… Mel Melton’s Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse…an extended stay at a different location I didn’t catch a cold! or the flu! (knock on wood)

ONIONS: 30th day yellow poop… pushy parents…long lines…dog days..parents who blame the Cherry Hill Staff due to their own lack of planning …when the line is closed…sore posterior 40 days on the road….

Santa Rich

Santa’s Shorts

Stories, that is! Or should that be, “are”?

Mom came in with toddler on hip, put child down to get camera out of her purse. By the time she looked back up, child had run out of the set, under the guide ropes and about 30 yards on the way to Nordstrum’s! Not screaming or crying, just getting out of there!

Oldest kid on my lap: 94 year old girl. Youngest, 4 days.  That’s not a typo—a 4–day–old child.  Too swaddled up to tell what kind!  Of course younger ones in the oven as well.

Languages I have heard: Portugese, Hebrew, Albanian, Swedish, Japanese, German, The Queen’s English, Indian dialects, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Nigerian, Vietnamese, New York Bronx.

A little girl didn’t want to be on my lap, but her parents kept cajoling her to stay. “One more picture! Then we’ll be done!”  She kept squirming and trying to get away, then settled down for a microsecond when the shot was taken.  Then she shrieked, “I’m done! I’m done!”  Jumped away and left the set!

Another little girl was vacillating between abject fear and overly–excited joyousness and thrills.  Just like you had taken your hand in front of your face and going up revealed a smile, going down revealed a frown.  Literally moment by moment switching.  Talk about schizophrenic… So funny watching her facial expression.

Two weeks ago, I waved at little girl outside of set with her parents, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with Santa.  Last night, she came on set with parents holding both her hands.  Then she broke away from parents, jumped up into Santa’s lap, just hugged and snuggled for minutes to the dropped jaws of her parents!

There has some talk of snow this Sunday.  I’ve been asking around about how reliable that is in Durham.  After all, if snow is mentioned in Chattanooga, we all know it will rain.  If we get snow we are usually blindsided by it through Birmingham or Atlanta.  Well here most people think it is pretty accurate—not that there will be much, but I am looking forward to seeing it snow from my 4th floor window. We shall see.

Another strange phenomenon are the kids who are barely able to pronounce the words (K-2?) asking for binoculars and telescopes… I am happy to hear the requests, but easily have received about 10 or so requests.  Makes me wonder where the marketing is coming from, or iof there are programs pushing them.  Maybe there is a planetarium in the area and recent field trips.  I have asked the kids, but they don’t seem to know where they have heard about it. Inquiring minds want to know…

Books read by Santa so far in Durham: The Shack by William Paul Young, a kind of a Celestine Prophecy for Christians, The Great Santa Search by Jeff Guinn.

Santa Rich Dwyer

What Child Is This?

This morning I ate breakfast “as Santa” at the Hilton where I am staying. We worked out an arrangement so I could stay an extra night (Christmas Eve) as my job ends that evening at 6pm.  (“Next year my employer will take care of that night as well,” I think to my self) but I digress.

As I finished a delicious freshly made omelet with cheese, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and bacon, I notice a man and woman in the lobby looking like they were waiting. He had gone outside to check again, and I motioned for the woman to come over to my table. We chatted for awhile.  She said that her friend’s daughter was graduating from Nursing School at Duke, and they were there for the ceremony.  She, too, was a nurse and apparently this was a good relationship going.  She asked me about my Santa work and I was telling her of some of my experiences.

Some children had come through the lobby, and I joked that the kids probably thought she might be Mrs. Claus!  I mention this chance meeting because she helped me to describe a feeling I got the other day and have had several times.

Here’s the scene.  I am holding an infant; don’t remember if boy or girl, doesn’t matter anyway, but after the pictures have been taken the parents will often leave me holding their little bundle while they look to approve the pictures, etc.  Well, this little one had been looking toward the camera and had been quiet and content sitting on my lap. Then she laid back against my chest, turned her/his little head up toward me and just looked.  I looked down at the child and we just looked into each other’s eyes. The child was not speaking or moving, just content to look into this Santa’s eyes for a considerable time.

And I had such an emotional reaction to that; almost brought to tears.  I thought to myself, “What’s up with this?”  Why this strong emotion? I mentioned this to my acquaintance at breakfast, and she came up with a quote which perfectly answered my feelings.

She wasn’t sure if this was verbatim, but goes something like this: “It is no small thing to be close to one so recently from God.”  The author may be someone named Stowe?  But that was it.  that put my feelings into words for me—Of course!

Finally the daughter did arrive, and her friend came to pick her back up. Thanking me as he had been working on a little speech he was going to giving at the graduation, and she didn’t have to wait alone while he was working on it. Talk about serendipity. Sometimes it is just too much!

Santa Rich Dwyer

Bull Durham & a Hindi Santa

Bright and early on Tuesday morning, I met Steve Locklear, of the Renaissance Barber Shop.  He opened up early to accommodate Santa to get his roots done. (Don’t laugh.)  He is of Lumbee Indian tribe, and lifelong resident of this area in North Carolina. The tribe was recognized but not fully “notarized” due to some dilution of the line since they had mixed with some early settlers from Virginia. The Lumbee River gets its name from the tribe; it means “black water.”

No casino for them—it was just denied. It was opposed by the Cherokee casino not far away. By the way, United States Census lists prominent Lumbee family names, including Locklear, Oxendine, Chavis, Lowry, Hammonds, Brooks, Brayboy, Cumbo, Revels, Carter and Kersey, as “all other free persons.” So if you know of anyone with these last names, they may descend from the Lumbee tribe in North Carolina..

A little about Durham. Of course, it’s right in the thick of Chapel Hill, Duke, the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Central University, Wake Forest University just down the road at Winston-Salem.

This town is home to Durham Bulls, whose park has 10000 seats.  It was designed by the architects of Baltimore’s Camden Yards, capturing Durham’s unique brick texture. Founded in 1902, the Bulls are a Tampa Bay Devil Rays farm team. They are probably the nation’s most famous minor-league team, since the movie, Bull Durham, with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon first played in 1988.  The Bulls play in the Triple-A International League, drawing nearly 500,000 fans each year.

Bull Durham was the world’s most famous trademark in the early 1900s, inspiring the present-day terms, “bullpen” and “shooting the bull.”  Durham was home to the “Black Wall Street” due to it’s African American prospering business here in the early 1900s.

Durhamite Richard Harvey Wright mechanized the production of tea bags. Also home to the Lucky Strike cigarette company,  and the site of the first Woolworth lunch counter sit-in 1960 attended by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Such diversity here. I have seen so many people coming across the Santa set, from so many different countries, languages, cultures—Japanese, Vietnamese, Albanian, Swedish, German, Indian, Chinese (seems like a lot of Chinese children have been adopted by Western parents here), Hispanics, Hebrew, just to name a handful!

On Tuesday evening, just before the closing down the set for the evening, two young children came, escaping their parents, and both hopped up on my knees, gleefully chattering away in what I thought might be an Indian dialect.  I asked them if they knew what they wanted for Christmas and they were able to tell me. Then Dad came to gather them up again. I then tried what little Hindi I had picked up and said to them (phonetically that is) “Apko maza ata hay?” Which loosely means are you having fun or a good time?  The kids’ eyes opened wide, and Dad said “A Santa who speaks Hindi!”

I quickly added “Now, that’s all I know!” But then he said “Cam cho?” How are you?  I had learned the answer to that was “Majama.” I am fine.  This was such a connection. I put my hands together, and we both exchanged “Namaste.”  ’Twas such a thrill to be able to connect with this family like this! Smiles all around!

Santa Rich