Pop Culture Fridays: Springsteen Takes Tampa

Hang around this blog long enough and you will get a sense of my bordering-on-ridiculous admiration for Bruce Springsteen. It's not a huge logical jump, then, from that statement to my excitement that he will be headlining the halftime show at Super Bowl 43. Not every Springsteen fan feels the same, however.

In a Sports Illustrated piece that came out this week, Joe Posnanski discusses the reactions of a few confused Springsteen devotees. Some point to the feelings of discomfort with stadiums The Boss has historically expressed. They wonder why someone who hated playing stadiums because of the inherent disconnect (due to venue scope and size) between audience and performer would play on the biggest stage of all...

I, on the other hand, am unconcerned. For one thing, I am never bothered by the chance for a real artist to display his skill on a platform usually reserved for lowest common denominator-type performers (think of the N'Sync/Spears halftime show of a few years ago or the infamous Timberlake/Janet Jackson experience).

And, while it might be a bit more awkward and histrionic a setting, I'm not worried about Springsteen's ability to connect. On stage, Springsteen is a populist preacher, a true man of the people and I have every confidence that his ability to make disciples won't be hindered by the pyrotechniques or dance squads the NFL is likely to toss into the mix.

"Living Just Enough for the City..."

The Pew Research Center released a new study today, finding that 46% of those surveyed "would rather live in a different type of community from the one they're living in now." The study found that attitude most popular among those who live in cities.

Other interesting findings/conclusions include the following:

• "Even though the survey shows that many Americans have a bit of wanderlust, it also finds that most are satisfied with where they live now. More than eight-in-ten rate their current communities as excellent, very good or good."
• 23% of those surveyed "say the place in their heart they consider home isn't where they are living now."
• "...most city dwellers think the grass would be greener in a suburb, small town or rural area."
• "...most young urbanites consider cities the place to be, while most middle-aged urbanites would like to live elsewhere."

Also, only 23% of those polled see the city as their ideal community type (the most popular answer was found in the 30% who idealize the small town).

I find this all so fascinating because it relates directly to issues with which my wife and I have been wrestling. As I prepare to graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism in May, we've been tossing around options for the future. We eventually decided to stay here in Columbia because we're interested in working for the good of this city and investing heart and soul into it. We're tired of watching well-intentioned people flee to the suburbs in the name of "safety" and "space," abandoning urban, cultural centers and leaving them to atrophy.

I am definitely intrigued by the idea of "new urbanism" and the trend (which this research supports) that sees young, hip professionals moving back to the city in droves. I will unpack these ideas more in future posts; you can be sure this is a topic I'll return to faithfully. For now, let me just say that I have grown to love where I live (I took the Pew survey and found that 94% of people rated their communities lower than I did mine!). And while I appreciate the culture and enterprise here, it's more than a love of eateries, bars and concert venues. It's seeing people I recognize downtown and stopping to talk; It's getting to know the specific needs of my community and seeing how I can help; it's visualizing the potential my city has to become an even better place to live.

The Pew study found that by a 3-1 margin, most people prefer living somewhere with a slower pace and that a majority want to live somewhere "where neighbors know each other well." I'm saying that the two don't have to go together---we can know our neighbors, know our community in a more urban setting. At least, I believe we can---I wouldn't be staying here if I thought otherwise.

The Economic Crisis, Vox Populi

Over at The Nation's website is a new feature entitled "Jobless in America." There, the magazine is compiling the stories of unemployed readers, in their own words. More stories will be shared as they are submitted. Some express anger, others frustration, others a deep, pervading sense of despair. These stories are a must-read for anyone trying to make greater sense of this economic crisis.

The more media study I do and the more I work on my Master's thesis (an analysis of stories both pre- and post-subprime mortgage collapse), the more concerned I grow that our shared experience is told from the (ad)vantage points of the powerful and elite (for more on this see Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States or Clifford Christians' Good News). This series is important, then, as it tells the crisis not from the perspective of CEOs, regulators or legislators but through the words of average people like you and me. Check it out.

An open letter to the NAE

Last summer, I had the privilege of interning at Faith In Public Life, a D.C. nonprofit. I have continued my partnership with FPL in a consulting role, often contributing to their blog. Today, I posted an entry entitled "A Young Evangelical's Plea to the NAE" --- a call for the National Association of Evangelicals to consider the broadening social justice agenda of young evangelicals as they seek to hire a new government liasion. Visit the FPL site and join the discussion!

What's in a label?

As I revive and renew this badly-crippled, once left-for-dead blog, I have been struggling to find definition. Purpose. Direction. What am I doing here (on this site, not in a greater/more universal sense)? How could this one little corner of my existence best express a vision for life, justice, progress, spirituality?

Looking for guidance, I began to examine the labels which seem to suit me best. Theological conservative. Political progressive. Pop-culture enthusiast. I realized I couldn't point this blog exclusively in any of these directions as none of these labels ultimately define me. In fact, on an almost daily basis, a current event or hot-button issue exposes the points of tension between these labels, calling into question their very validity. What's in a label, anyway? Far too often, we label ourselves and others in an effort to set up clear-cut boundaries. Who's acceptable and who's not? Who's right and who's wrong? Who will I associate with and who will I cast aside?

My hope, then, for this blog is a casting off of labels or, at the very least, a refining of them. A chance to speak plainly and honestly. An opportunity to embrace the tension I see and submit that tension to the light shed by a greater Truth. The person of Truth. Because, ultimately, it is my hope to take any of the labels I could ever wear and make them subservient to the Gospel which has shaped and ultimately defined my life.

Part of me hopes that upon first reading, this blog will be too conservative for my progressive friends and too progressive for my conservative comrades. But, I hope to keep each side coming back so that, together, we can wrestle with greater questions and more expansive divides than liberal/conservative, etc. Those old debates are boring and lead us nowhere. Let's instead ask questions that get us closer to truer purposes and allow us to discuss models for moving forward.

One final thought...really, a promise to you, dear reader. This thing won't be quite as existential from here on out! By exploring the inherent tensions in tangible matters of theology, culture, politics, etc., I think we can all learn something (especially me)...