KO’d by Love! Thoughts on Do The Right Thing, 20 years later

1989 was a good year for movies, though I was 12 years old at the time and more interested in baseball cards than great film.  This summer we wiill celebrate the 20th anniversary of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing and do the same for Michael Moore’s Roger and Me.

We will screen Do The Right Thing tonight at Earth House and show Roger and Me this fall. Anyway, here is a nice take on 1989 as a landmark year for film.

When comparing then and now, Spike Lee had this to say:

In 1989, you still had affordable housing in New York City,” he told us. Then his outlook became more positive. “The racial polarization you had, when this film was made, is not in the New York City I know today.

The biggest difference between ‘89 and ‘09 though is the politics.  The economy sucked in ‘89 and it really sucks in ‘09.   Both times, the economy had been wrecked by years of supply-side economics.  Though Jesse Jackson had run a transcendent presidential campaign in ‘84 and ‘88, the nation overwhelmingly voted for Reagan and Bush I.   Remarkably enough, a young Chicago lawyer/former community organizer named Barack Obama and another young Chicago laywer, Michelle Robinson, went on their first date that summer of 1989.  They saw Do The Right Thing.

Here in the summer of 2009, I am constantly reminded by the Martin Luther King qoute that “the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice.”  It took way too long and it isn’t quite dead, but the “southern strategy” of winning elections by exploiting and inflaming white racism is mostly over.

And maybe it goes all the way back to Radio Raheem and Do The Right Thing.  Radio Raheem preaches a message of peace–or atleast blares it on his radio and shows it off in his knuckle rings, “…Hate K.O.ed by Love.”

Let me tell you the story of “Right Hand, Left Hand.” It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: It was with this hand that Cane iced his brother. Love: These five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: Static. One hand is always fighting the other hand; and the left hand is kicking much ass. I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But, hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that’s right. Ooh, it’s the devastating right and Hate is hurt, he’s down. Left-Hand Hate K.O.ed by Love.

Filed under: Barack Obama, Earth House, New York, Thursday Night Film Festival, chicago, community, community organizing, economy, film, gentrification, movie reviews, progressive , George Bush, martin luther king, Earth House, michael moore, Barack Obama, chicago, economics, film, community organizing, ronald reagan, economy, racism, race, New York, film reviews, lockerbie central umc, Spike Lee, Do The Right thing, 20th anniversary, 1989, 1989 film, 1989 films, Roger and Me, Radio Raheem, K.0.d by love, supply side economics, moral arc of the universe is long, Michelle Robinson, Michelle Obama, southern strategy, cain and abel, genesis

Vision Community Church: A faith community that is truly rethinking church

Today I had the opportunity to worship at Vision Community Church in Warwick, New York.  The United Methodist Church is led by Rev. Don and Pam Heatley.  Be sure to check out Don’s blog

I heard about this unique faith community because Don will be coming to the Emerging UMC conference that will be held at my church, Lockerbie Central UMC, in November.  

Vision has a very interesting history.  The church was planted in 2000 and is now one of the largest churches in the district (about 200 people).  Don joked though, “nobody goes to church in the northeast!”  It was also the first church started by the New York Annual Conference in nearly fifty years.  

The congregation just moved into the above church building a few months ago.  A Presbyterian Church had disbanded and the people at Vision were looking for a new space as they had been meeting at a small community center.  Where there was once a dying and struggling church, this church building, founded in 1796, will have new life.  

 

 

I laughed when Don said that he wanted to make Vision a “B.S. free zone.”   Good stuff because there is a bunch of B.S. when it comes to the contemporary church.  Anyways, it was a nice sermon and people seemed engaged.  I talked to Don for a few minutes after church and they have some great plans for this old church building.  They have already started a music series and will be hosting an art gallery there.  In a place where the church has become irrelevant, Vision is offering a powerful vision to the community.  

But, Vision should be a model for all United Methodists.  Within eight years, they have gone from church plant to one of the biggest churches in the area.  They have opened their doors to the community and are growing where about everyone else has failed.  

Vision is definitely rethinking church.  With the huge number of small UMC churches with old buildings, places like Vision should give us hope.  

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: New York, church , Amity, community, don Heatley, emerging, emerging church, lockerbie central, lockerbie central umc, New York, postmodern church, united methodist, Vision, Vision community Church, Warwick