c. 2006 Religion News Service

NEW YORK _ Just when I thought I knew Manhattan, I climbed to the roof of my sons’ apartment building and viewed the glowing towers of Midtown from a new vantage point.

Searchlights danced merrily, skyscrapers bearing huge message boards seemed touchable, the crowd in Times Square counted down to 2006, and fireworks filled the sky.

The sight took my breath away. So much for thinking I had fully explored Hell’s Kitchen, where my sons live. I had discovered interesting shops, caught the rhythm of traffic and noise, and felt comfortable in this Thai-restaurant fringe of the Theater District. Tonight, from a fresh vantage point, Midtown felt new.

A new year, a new vantage point. This is what we need in the world of religion.

American Christianity seems trapped in stale, bitter and ultimately pointless arguments, in which people stake out extravagant positions on second-tier issues, while political leanings outweigh Scripture, tradition and reason.

Some congregations cater to the self-help instincts of anxious moderns, offering what one meta-brand calls “religion for the irreligious.” Some proceed with traditional fare as if nothing had changed or required fresh ideas. Historic denominations brace for conventions dominated by topics Jesus never addressed _ homosexuality, ordination rules and church doctrine _ while studiously ignoring what he did say about wealth, power and living without fear. Conservative megachurches lobby for Republican candidates. Liberal Christians belatedly forge a comparable alliance with Democrats.

Congregations of all stripes study megachurch success stories. With better production values and a message tuned to the superficial side of angst, they wonder if maybe they can prosper, too.

It’s time to seek a new vantage point. If ever a nation needed the prophetic boldness of Amos and Isaiah and the transformational boldness of what Jesus actually said and did, it is America 2006.

Leave aside partisan issues on which reasonable people might disagree. Leave aside second-tier religious issues, which contribute little to the common good. Some fundamentals require our attention.

First, basic ethics. The wealthy are far advanced in turning federal and corporate coffers to their advantage. Retirement funds are being looted. The middle class is shrinking. Health care and home ownership are increasingly beyond reach. Cheating and predatory commerce are commonplace. The only sin is getting caught. Now is the time for Christians to be engaged in basic ethical matters like pension funds, health care, housing, corporate ethics and tax policies.

Second, honesty and transparency. Leaders believe they can lie with impunity and use people’s personal lives against them. Privacy is considered a pre-Sept. 11 luxury. The rules of spin accomplish more than the rule of law. As a result, democracy suffers, as does accountability in the marketplace.

Third, community. People have come to believe the only safe place is indoors, where entertainment, leisure and even the news can be tailored to self-pleasure. Jesus worked the marketplace, not the lounge. We need to draw the wired and wary outside and teach them the joys of real community.

Fourth, wasted lives. Too many people are eating their way to early death, goofing off in school, marketing sex while avoiding intimacy, squandering time, and trivializing love and marriage as casual consumables. We need to promote true Christian ethics, not homophobia and anti-modern nostalgia.

We need to look with fresh eyes at what difference the Christian enterprise should be making in our society.

What would a new vantage point look like? Start with truly engaging Scripture, instead of finding stray quotes to justify cultural preference. See reality: Be informed about decisions that impact people’s lives, scrutinize our leaders, see where people are hurting from injustice and cultural shifts. It isn’t “patriotic” to ignore suffering. Teach complete Christian ethics, not just 1950s “family values.”

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, consultant and leader of workshops. His book, “Just Wondering, Jesus: 100 Questions People Want to Ask,” was published by Morehouse Publishing. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. His Web site is http://www.onajourney.org.)

KRE/PH END EHRICH

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