Be Thou My Vision

So I spent 11 hours in a strategic planning meeting for Chapel Rock at the Diocese. A lot of time was spent talking about relatively meaningless stuff, but some of it was probably useful.

Here's what's really grinding my gears, though.

There was some discussion about building a bar at camp. Yep, a bar. At church camp. Granted, people were mostly joking, but there was some discussion about how it would help camp create community, simply by keeping people together. It doesn't bother me that it could have been interpreted as a pretty scathing criticism of some very serious issues we've had with drinking there (in fact, I may have been a little less bothered by it if they were being ironic). It doesn't bother me that we wasted that time in the meeting by talking about something that will never happen. It's infuriating for the following reasons:

1. There's been this relatively quiet but persistent gripe that the summer camp staff isn't "Christian" enough. This is used to refer to the way some counselors conduct themselves outside of camp. So we've got a bunch of priests sitting around at a meeting to address the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats at camp shooting their mouths off about drinking. Maybe they think it makes them sound cool to the one person under 30 in the room (it doesn't). I know they aren't referring to getting completely drunk or anything, but they never make that clarification. The counselors that do elect to drink during their time off keep their mouths shut about it rather than bragging (at least, in front of campers).

2. Theology on Tap has been one of my favorite things to savage for a while now, and I think it's another product of the drinking culture in the Church. It's obnoxious because it romanticizes something that doesn't need to be made any more attractive. Worse, though, it's this ministry to young adults that excludes 18, 19, and 20 year-olds. That's really stupid and really exclusive.

3. People in the Church pay a ton of lip service to youth and young adult ministry, and we get crappy contemporary music and Theology on Tap. By the way, our Canterbury budget is probably going to be reduced by 50%. Maybe they figured we would think they were so cool for talking about Jesus over a couple of pints and Christian pop that we wouldn't miss the money. So, uh, thanks but no thanks on the All in All and the booze.

I could actually go on for longer, but I'll spare you the details. I should also mention that the people at the meetings I was at are very good people, and that there is no harm intended or anything. Furthermore, I should note that I'm not completely beyond reproach -- I've gone out for a beer with some of my church friends quite a few times. But it's always a beer. And I never advertise it.

It's just that the double standard with regards to alcohol is starting to get under my skin. There are a bunch of alcoholic priests, scads of alcoholic parishioners, and I doubt I have to mention that the 18-25 crowd already gets a bit too much positive reinforcement when it comes to hanging out with their good buddy weiser. At some point, you've gotta be the change you wish to see in the world, right?

So, you there in the front with the white collar -- show a little restraint when you hit the bar after work. And maybe be a little less proud of it.