David Dark’s The Gospel According to America, which I just finished reading (for at least the first time), is a work of art. I like how he often returns to the folly of claims to “see undarkly”; (kind of a pun, actually, a guy named Dark imploring us to strive toward, but warning against our claiming to have reached the place where we see anything that is not “in a mirror darkly”—as testified in I Corinthians 13:12). Dark reminds us in his work that it is our obedience, not our ability to “win arguments” or make the “other side” look bad, that is the ultimate accounting of our worthiness (including our “unworthiness”). His calling upon Will Campbell and his controversial statement that he is “pro-Klansmen” without being pro-Klan is testimony that even those sickened by the intoxicating counterfeit truths are “redeemable” , struggling human beings.
It will, hopefully help me seek more of God’s wisdom outside of my chosen categories of discourse; and to analyze (however darkly) how the gospel might scandalize my pfofessions of faith; or better yet (or worse) , my living out of what I claim to be my faith.
One can easily tell that Dark is sounding a warning about “God is on our side”, and that the Kingdom of God is much larger than National Interests.
I will be posting a few quotes over the next several days, for Dark is a wonderful writer, and articulates so many things that I have been thinking about, as well as offering some discoveries/hunches about how badly we often think, or allow ourselves to be persuaded.
The following is not actually Dark, but from Wendell Berry, but accurately captures a lot of the theme of The Gospel According to America. As I said, I will be offering some of Dark’s own identifications of what Paul might classify as “through a mirror darkly” in his own words shortly.
Heaven in Henry County, Sojourners Magazine/July 2004
The serious question is whether you’re going to become a warrior community and live by piracy, by taking what you need from other people. I think the only antidote to that is imagination. You have to develop your imagination to the point that permits sympathy to happen. You have to be able to imagine lives that are not yours or the lives of your loved ones or the lives of your neighbors. You have to have at least enough imagination to understand that if you want the benefits of compassion, you must be compassionate. If you want forgiveness you must be for giving. It’s a difficult business, being human.