Where does God belong?

Traverse City has an incredible tradition of excellence in choral music. Mel Larimer, one of the godfathers of TC choirs in the public schools, died a few years back. His son and others created an annual choral festival in his honor. This year that festival blew up.

We have a deep divide in our country. I refer not to the conservative/liberal divide, but to the Christian/Not Church divide. Like the political divide, people do not communicate across the Christian/Not Church divide. They get their information from different sources with different slants. Each side mystifies other. Like in the political divide, each side in this one cannot believe THOSE PEOPLE think/believe/act the way they do.

This year, the Mel Larimer choral festival featured a work that included elements from different religions. Among these was an Islamic call to prayer that mentioned Allah by name. The composer wanted to create a piece that would advocate for peace. It caused a local war. A Christian church hosted the event. When the church's leaders learned of the call to Allah they asked the conductor to delete it from the performance. He argued to keep it, but eventually agreed not to. Then, out of concern that he not upset his students, he did not tell them. Finally, shortly before the opening performance, he announced the change. A Muslim girl in the choir became upset. Her family contacted a reporter. The local paper, always happy to rouse the rabble, put it on the front page with a totally misleading, incendiary headline.

Now we have almost daily letters to the editor from people on the Not Church side of the divide. Without exception they take a superior tone, scolding the church for being prejudiced, closed-minded, haters. The idea that a Christian church might choose not to permit the name of Allah to be extolled in its sanctuary does not strike these people as permissible. Christians must submit these days to progressive cultural values, among them the idea that all religions have equal value. (Of course, for many of these people the “equal value” is zero.) Truth is whatever works for you. Judgment can flow only in one direction: from culture to religion, never vice versa.

I have followed this story closely. The problem is not that the church asked not to have Allah mentioned, but that the choir director failed to handle their request in a timely fashion. I know him. He's a great guy. He's smart. He genuinely cares for his students and for the music. But he probably just wished the whole thing would go away. When it didn't and the clock ran out, he had a “Houston, we have a problem” moment.

But in the aftermath the Not Church folks are using this as yet another lever to get Christianity pried out of our communal life. It would be sad, unconstitutional and even tragic should they succeed. I ask not, “Can't we all just get along?” but, “Did I miss the meeting where we all decided together to boot Christianity from our civic life?”

God knows, we Christians are not perfect. Many of us defended slavery. Some of us are busy killing Muslims in Africa (and the Muslims are busily returning the favor). We're all hypocrites, Christians included. But we Christians have given deeply and foundationally to our society. Had we never allowed Christianity in we would have half as many hospitals and colleges, and an even coarser culture. We have the right to be Christians, particularly within our sanctuaries.

Christians: stand up for your beliefs but respect others and their beliefs. Others: please reciprocate.