I have lived in the Deep South since 2000. I also lived in the Deep South during most of my Army service. As a result, I have gained a deep appreciation for Southern spirituality. I have come to fully enjoy being wished to have a “blessed day” when I finish having an encounter in Alabama. It does not matter whether I am shopping at Walmart or Home Depot or Winn Dixie. The refrain of “have a blessed day” rings out more often than not here in Alabama. It reminds me of the deep strains of spirituality that are present here in the South.
Some of you will comment on the politics of the South. But, you are missing that all are not the way you imagine in the South. As a chaplain, I have seen the deep faith that is present among many African-Americans and many Anglo-Saxons. The new immigrants, the Latinos, are equally filled with spirituality. You may ask what I am talking about, and you would be right to do so. But, let me tell you that there are many many people in the South who have a deep love for the Lord. There are many in the South who do reach out to others in love. Mind you, there are many times when that deep spirituality does not work out into a practical Christianity. Thus, the same Deep South that has revivals and a spirituality that runs through the culture is the same Deep South that was-and-is able to countenance the deepest sins against their fellow man or woman with no shame whatsoever. As the connections to a practical Christianity are lost, so are the reasons why we should care for the other.
But, I have also lived in the North. There you can find a deep concern for taking care of the other while ignoring some of the most basic principles of traditional Christianity. Thus, there can be a concern in the North to take care of the other, while having little sense of spirituality or deep connection with God. In many areas of the North, it is sufficient to espouse Biblically-based principles of concern for the other while utterly ignoring the moral framework within which those principles were formed. Thus, the dignity of human beings is emphasized while completely ignoring the strictures that come from a human being having been created in the Image of God. At the end of the process, instead of spirituality, one encounters a practical agnosticism or even a type of practical atheism. As the connection to God is lost, so are the reasons why we should uphold certain standards of morality.
We are in a situation in this country in which we have managed to split Christianity into two equally competing and equally heretical fragments. One concentrates on personal spirituality, the opposite fragment concentrates on service to the other. Once concentrates on personal redemption (while neatly ignoring the other), while the opposite fragment concentrates on serving the other while redefining personal redemption into something that needs not be in accord with many of the ancient writings.
I suspect that Screwtape is a very happy devil. If you do not know who Screwtape is, I recommend that you read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. They were published nearly 100 years ago and are still as relevant as when they were written in 1942 during World War II.
But, that does not negate what I said. There is a very deep spirituality in the Deep South that is not present in the North. It is incredibly flawed. It ignores the neighbor while concentrating on oneself. But, it does recognize that there must be a rather personal relationship with the Lord that must be expressed in some outer viable way. I only regret that the part about the care for the other has been so lost. As I listen to the old hymns from the Deep South, I regret what could have been had they followed through on what they sang. The practical atheism of the North gives little hope for repentance. The spirituality of the Deep South at least acknowledges the presence of God and gives the hope that someday change might come. It reminds me somewhat of the difference between the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Both Kingdoms were wrong and sinful. But, only one of the kingdoms ended up giving a hope for true change. It might be that this is what is also true today. Just do not press me on that conclusion.
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