The lost art of compromise and peace-making

We’re not even two months into the year 2011, and I can already predict that the folks at Lake Superior State University will banish either the words shutdown or lockout for this year.  So many things could either go on strike, be locked on, or shutdown that I think Las Vegas has the over/under on major shutdowns (sports, federal government, and state governments) at 5.  It’s clear all sides in the various disputes are not just trying to get most of what they want, they’re trying to get everything they want.  In a day and age of a 24/7 media coverage and everyone expressing their ideas on the Internet (mostly vile comments if you have ever seen CNN.com or yahoo.com), the art of compromising on just one single part of an issue is seen as weakness and is blasted by allies and opponents alike.  And don’t think your one-side is better at compromising than the other, because you aren’t (sorry, I’ve proving my own point).  We’re human beings, we have sinful pride, and we’re not perfect.  That shows in the fact we want what we deserve and that the other side is wrong.

Right now let’s take a quick look at what things are heading for a shutdown.  In sports, all four major North American Sports organizations (the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL) have expiring contracts this year.  The issues are simple (owners are going broke in their eyes, while the players think they should get either more money and benefits or they should keep what they have already bargained for).  Right now it appears that hockey is safe, though with Don Fehr now heading the NHLPA, there’s no guarantee there will be a full 2011-12 season.  Baseball is a sport that I thought would be safe in 2012, but the way the owners are talking, I’m not sure.  The “c” word has begun to crop up again—contraction.  The NFL situation is well known, and there is a growing risk of the 2011 season not occurring.  (Personal note:  The sad part is that player safety is not high on the list of demands.)  As for the NBA, that’s the worst situation of the four, and my guess is that the 2011-12 season is already lost with the 2012-13 season being in serious jeopardy.

As for state and federal governments situation, we are heading for budget showdowns in Madison, Columbus, Indianapolis, Lansing, Harrisburg, and Washington D.C.  Union and tea party anger is brewing on opposite side, and the politicians are playing to their bases.  The situation has gotten more partisan over the years from the tax increase in 1993, to the Texas redistricting in 2003, to the health care debate last year, to Democrats fleeing across state lines (again!) this year to avoid their base (unions) getting cut off at the knees.  The new era of civility bipartisanship supposedly called upon in the wake of the Giffords shooting in Tucson only lasted about 4 weeks, with labor unions once again starting the name calling and violent rhetoric (did you hear about the Massachusetts congressman calling on unions to “get bloody”?) and tea party activists re-engaging as well.  In Washington, attempts to stop spending too much money has risked shutting the government down one day after the NFL deadline.  State governments are on the verge of shutting down and laying off state workers.

Even social issues such as gay marriage has splintered the country, though this issue is more based on generations than politics.  Everyone is trying to get what they want without addressing opposition concerns.  Instead, they denigrate the opposition or anyone that fails to completely agree with them.  I have seen it happen too many times on Facebook with my friends (don’t make me start naming names).  People do it without even thinking. 

The worst part is both sides want to take out the moderates who could find a path to negotiations.  Negotiations are seen as being weak and a coward.  Even though a strong amount of people believe in moderation and negotiation, they are drowned out by the shouting and name-calling.  Many have just decided to get out of negotiating and finding a new way—at a time when voices of compromise and rational discussions are desperately needed.  There are no Daniel Patrick Moynihans in Washington or DLCs or enough moderate Republicans to make a difference.  There are no Fay Vincents in baseball or in other sports.  We are now inundated with Rush Limbaughs and Keith Olbermans and Bill O’Reillys and Bill Mahers.  Even the independents, such as Jesse Venturas, are a little over the top.

Peacemakers are desperately needed and not just alleged peacemakers like these no-party types that have sprung up.  (Personal note:  if you have to say that you are non-partisan, YOU ARE LYING!).  We need “adults” to come in and begin cleaning up the mess.  Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio recently suggested to begin charging much more for the internet per use to get rid of the “firebombers” and “porn addicts” living in mom and dad’s basement.  Although radical and taking a cheap-shot, I’m beginning to think it’s a good idea.  A common sense test on anyone running for political office is not a bad idea, especially on how to NOT grandstand in front of the media.  I think it’s also time to end political gerrymandering that has kept many members in Congress in their seats (state and national) since 1980.  It’s also time to bring back some common sense to the news media and just report the facts, relegating editorial points of view to the back pages or last 2 minutes of a newscast.  Actors, athletes, and musicians will always have their opinions, but it’s time to mostly ignore their sound bites which makes them think they are experts on anything other than their profession and focus on real experts.  The reason that many of these folks are actor and athletes and musicians are because they would never make it in other professions.  I never want to see Stephen Colbert ever again called to Washington to testify, unless he is either talking about actors or is under federal investigation, and then only behind closed-doors.

Also, let’s begin to be realistic in our views.  We have to identify where there is a broad agreement on areas and work from there to try and find positive solutions.  No one should ever come out as an ultimate winner, except true fans and player’s safety in sports, and the state and American people in politics.  The compromisers may not always be considered great leaders, but they find a way to bring great leaders together.

Over 2000 years ago, a Jewish teacher said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God.”  Of course, the leaders of the Jewish state (a mixture of Pharisee, Sadducees, and Zealots-their version of Democrats, Republicans, Unions, and Tea Partiers) sentenced this teacher to death and let the Romans crucify him on a cross.  Just goes to show we haven’t learned much in the art of compromise.  Maybe one day, we’ll awaken to a world where the peace-makers are celebrated.  Until then, we are going to be in for some rough times—and this year is a perfect example.

The incredible shrinking Lutheran church

A common joke around the Walker household:  Q:  What do you call Adult Lutherans?  A:  United Methodists.  It may sound a little funny, except when you consider I know at least four people who started their lives as Lutherans only to join the United Methodist Church (including one of my two sisters).  Of course, the Lutheran Church is not the only the only church in the United States that is experiencing a decline in its membership.  But, the reasons for the decline is to a large extent the fault of the Lutheran Denominations themselves to either fail to open their minds or open their minds so much that they lose the core message of God’s Word in the process of being more inclusive.  I have been a member in the 2 largest Lutheran denominations in the U.S., so I have somewhat of an intimate knowledge of the problems of each denomination.  Here’s my take on the problems: 

ELCA (or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America):  I know a fellow Christ College classmate at Valparaiso refer to the ELCA as the Evil Lutheran Church in America (yes, the guy was LC-MS at the time).  But while the ELCA is not Evil, it has been going through an identity crisis from the moment it was first formed in the 1980s as a merger primarily between the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the American Lutheran Church (ALC).  And they have never been able to resolve the larger issues of that merger. 

It has led to ever increasing problems as the ELCA has sought closer ties with other denominations, particularly a semi-merger with the Episcopalian church in the late 1990s.  Also, the strain of addressing social issues has affected the churches of the ELCA as well.  Last year, the fractures were exposed as several churches left the ELCA to form their own denomination.  From personal experience, I know several churches in the mid-Atlantic who would jump over to the rival LC-MS if the LC-MS would soften their stance on just a couple of social issues (one of which I agree with).  Their thought is the ELCA has lost their way.  And while the head of the ELCA preaches wisely about the Word of God, those below him are not.  Many seminarians are trying to re-interpret God’s Word to suit their own desires (also a problem in many Protestant denominations).  I know this from personal experience as a member at 2 ELCA churches.  In fact, I think the ELCA may have one of the best preachers in Dr. Walter Wangerin, but these preachers are few and far between.

LC-MS (or the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod):  The LC-MS is the church of my baptism, confirmation, marriage, and where my son was baptized.  It is also the home of the Lutheran Layman’s League, which sponsors the Lutheran Hour and an annual float in the Tournament of Roses Parade (the last Christian organization to have a Rose Parade float).  Aside from the Catholic Church, the LC-MS is one of the few church denominations that maintain a strong desire to educate its children from pre-school up through college through churches that also double as schools.  My alma mater, Valparaiso University, was bought in 1925 by the LC-MS from the Methodist Church, saving the University from potentially being sold to the Ku Klux Klan.  But despite my close ties to the LC-MS, the church has suffered three major missteps since my birth:

(1) Seminex:  The controversy of the 1970s about seminarians trying to interpret the Word of God in their own way caused grave damage to the LC-MS that still affects it to this day.  When my dad asked a close pastoral friend about the controversy back in the mid 1970s, the answer led to my family leaving the LC-MS for many years (which is how I discovered the problems in the ELCA).

(2) The Lack of Women Ministers:  This issue is personal to me, because I can see the need of women pastors in the LC-MS.  At my wedding, I had a female pastor read the Gospel for two reasons:  (a) She was a family friend, and (b) I believe in the cause.  It won’t happen in my lifetime because of the closed-mindedness of the rural Midwestern LC-MS churches, but I will also hope for the LC-MS to open their mind up to the idea.  I believe female ministers can spread the Word of God to all just as effectively as male ministers and not using female ministers will hamper the efforts of the LC-MS to preach the good news.

(3) The 9/11 Service Controversies:  The biggest issue in the LC-MS since the Seminex debate began after 9/11 when Oprah Winfrey had an interfaith service at Yankee Stadium and the Head of the Atlantic District of the LC-MS decided to attend.  Instead of embracing the opportunity to share the LC-MS faith, many leaders of the LC-MS asked for the head of the Atlantic District’s leader.  A similar protest occurred a year later at Valparaiso when President Haare, Dean Cunningham, and the Chapel of the Resurrection held an Interfaith service.  Of course, the roots of the protest were in the rural Midwest (mainly Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas), while many LC-MS churches in the East, South, and West did not protest.  My position is this:  We have an opportunity to preach the good news to all.  Why are we so worried about getting corrupted in an interfaith environment?  We already preach in a interfaith forum in the LC-MS.  It’s called The Lutheran Hour.  Remember them, Dr. Wallace Schultz?

Well, since the two big Lutheran churches are having problems, why not join #3, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)?  That won’t happen, primarily because I’ve been tainted by the other two denominations.  I know the WELS has a Web site, but there are two rules about the WELS.  The first rule about WELS is you do not talk about the WELS.  The second rule about WELS is… YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE WELS!!  Seriously, the WELS is so mysterious that they are either more conservative than the LC-MS or they are in-between the ELCA and LC-MS.  No one knows…

I don’t plan to leave the Lutheran church anytime soon.  Neither of the two biggest Lutheran denominations are perfect, but the LC-MS has brought me the greatest joy and my current LC-MS church has two solid pastors.  And the ELCA still has some good churches.  But all Lutheran denominations (and all Christian denominations) must understand one thing: Christianity at its core is about preaching the Good News of the Word of God to all.  Love, mercy, and yes, faith and good works, are only pieces of the overall message and should NEVER supplant the Word of God. 

Still, I say this to my United Methodist friends:  Save me and my family a spot in the pews.  You never know when the Walkers might get fed up with the Lutheran politics.

The Childhood Fame Monster

Three years ago, my wife and I were vacationing at Walt Disney World when we ran across the High School Musical Show at Hollywood Studios.  This was after Vanessa Hudgens was exposed (literally) to the world when she thought she was sending private picture messages to boyfriend Zac Efron.  After watching the performance, I famously said to my wife that “Today’s Disney Stars become Tomorrow’s Tabloid Stars” and that I predicted Miley Cyrus would be next on the Tabloid list.  Three years later, and darn if I didn’t nail that prediction.

Of course, Disney is not the only place that has brought up young talent only to see that wholesome talent fall into sex, drugs, and crime and they are not the first.  Exploiting childhood actors has gone on for years, and it seems that for every success story (see Shirley Temple, Ron Howard, and Leonardo DiCaprio) there are train wrecks (see Dana Plato, Wil Wheaton, and Todd Bridges) and others who have been to hell and back (see Drew Barrymore).  But the list of Disney talent that has gone through the tabloid ringer over the last 15 years is incredible.  Christina Agulara, Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, and The Olson twins are just some of the Disney talent to experience trouble as young adults.  Add in Nickelodeon’s Jamie Lynn Spears plus if you consider Michael Jackson was a kid prodigy that turned into tabloid fodder and you have an incredible list of casualties in my lifetime.

Amazingly, some of the childhood talent has either escaped the trappings of the fame monster.  I think it has more to do with the people they surround themselves with more than anything else.  If you have a parent or advisor that will lay the law down, you tend to survive childhood stardom and go on to have a successful life.  It doesn’t matter if you continue in Hollywood (like Ron Howard or Jennifer Love Hewitt), go on to Broadway (like Keri Russell) or leave Hollywood for a different life (like “Winnie” from the Wonder Years).  As long as your advisors or parents can make sure you stick to acting, do your schoolwork, and not fall into the trappings of fame, your childhood fame can carry you to whatever your dreams desire.

The problem is that the parents in many instances drive the kids to embrace the fame in order to fatten their own bank accounts.  The most obvious example is Joe Simpson, who pushed his girls, Jessica and Ashley, into the musical spotlight.  Both have since fallen off the landscape, with Ashley now a mom, and Jessica a Cowboy-wrecker.  Another example is the Lohan parents, who basically allowed Lindsey to rise up to stardom and whose fall may be one of the most tragic.  And you have to put Billy Ray Cyrus in that mix as well.  Billy knew about the problems of stardom, and he still let Miley get caught up in it.  Sorry Billy, but you can’t blame Disney for your Achy-Breaky Heart with regards to Miley and your soon-to-be ex-wife.  You knew better.

Even those manage to dodge the trappings of fame as youngsters are forever changed from dealing with the stress.  For example, consider the New Kids on the Block, the dominant boy band of the late 1980s and early 1990s.  During that time, the band members were inundated by young girls and their moms who basically wanted to “meet” the band.  It was even known that Jonathan Knight was dating pop star, Tiffany.  Now, we come to find out that Jonathan Knight no longer likes girls, but has instead come out of the closet, joining such past music heartthrobs as George Michael from Wham, Ricky Martin, and Lance Bass from N’ Sync. 

That brings me to the current flavor of the moment, Justin Beiber.  Does anybody really believe that Justin and his driving parents can manage the wave that is the fame monster any better than past victims?  No chance.  The question is not if Justin’s star will crash but when as far as I’m concerned.  I give him five years at most before he enters the dark side of the fame monster.  And even he can survive and dodge the fame monster, how much do you want to bet that Justin’s overexposure to young girls and their moms will lead him to come out of the closet at some point later in life?

The sad part is that as long as Hollywood exist, there will always be childhood stars that will become superstars and young sex symbols.  And we will continue to see the childhood fame monster chew up and spit out some of these stars.  Who's next?  Selena Gomez?  Demi Lovato?  Maybe one of these young children doing casting calls for Disney and Nickelodeon?  Enjoy riding the wave, but always beware of the fall.

A Chink in the Armor

In my bio, I have this quote:  “To this day, I am still an enigma to many who know me.  Perhaps one day, I will sit down and tell the full story to all.”  It is not meant to be a insult to anyone.  It actually is something that exists in all of us.  We wear different masks to different people.  For example, I’m sure some people from my past life are shocked to see me with a little bit of an attitude (primarily when it comes to sports).  But, to be fair, the attitude has always been there as some who really know me can attest seeing me in private moments.  I have kept up more of armor when it comes to things such as the attitude—not because of any embarrassing reasons, but just because it would be difficult to explain why I have my attitude.

Having lived in three different areas (Atlanta, Chicago, and Baltimore), it’s easy to keep that armor on and guard the different phases of my life—something that is perfect for my job.  Still, I have often wandered what would happen if some of my friends in one area met friends in another area and shared some of the stories about me.  What would happen if Brian Lenz met Justin Ellis?  Or if Beth Smith would happen to meet either of the Baltimore Michelles (Simpson or Yeager)?  What if cousin Brian met brother-in-law Mike?  Or how about some of the Band of Stars members meeting my Sinfonian brothers?  I’m sure some interesting stories would be exchanged.  But for now, the two people who have the closest complete read on me are my wife Liz and the friend I consider my brother, Brian Lenz.  And even they don’t know the full story on me.

Recently, Liz asked me a question about why I don’t discuss certain aspects of my high school days in Snellville, GA.  For whatever reason, I opened one of the windows to my past and told a story to her, exposing a chink in the armor.  Now, Liz knows very little about my Snellville life and what she knows, she’s learned from my parents, old neighbors, and a precious few old friends.  I haven’t spoken much about the past (she doesn’t even know much about my academic history in high school).  It isn’t because I want to distance myself from the Snellville days.  I will always go to bat for the friends I grew up with in Snellville, particularly my ‘92 classmates. 

Still, the side I exposed to Liz was a humbling experience of the Snellville days from about 20 years ago.  She understood why I don’t speak of that subject much.  It’s a shame I cannot not explain the story to all, but bringing up the subject again could re-open some old scars and wounds that appear closed.  At the end of the day, it’s one story I may eventually tell.

Until then, hope you enjoy my sports attitude, particularly when it comes to all professional sports and Valparaiso Crusaders College Basketball.