Christian Piatt Blog

Denial hides pain that never goes away

By Christian Piatt

Denial is defined as a defense mechanism which is used to shield someone from a situation that is deemed too painful to face, even when evidence stands overwhelmingly in opposition to their personal views. Such behavior is documented throughout the Bible, the most famous instance of which is Peter’s denial of Jesus. It’s still a powerful precept in the modern world.

On the global level, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the most recent – and most outspoken – Holocaust denialist. How can someone who seems articulate, well-read and charismatic enough to lead a nation hold such an apparently distorted opinion?

Because it fits with the way he wants to see the world.

There are varying degrees of Holocaust denial, varying from outright rejection of the entire concept as a tool of Jewish conspiracy to historical revisionism. Historian Donald Niewyk of Southern Methodist University says, “With the main features of the Holocaust clearly visible to all but the willfully blind, historians have turned their attention to aspects of the story for which the evidence is incomplete or ambiguous.” Basically, those who would have the story change nitpick at inconsistencies or information vacuums to insert their own agenda.

How much effect does this ultimately have? Not much. Most Holocaust deniers are considered to be loonies, as evidenced by Ahmadinejad’s eroding base of support within his own country.

Perhaps a more powerful example is the pervasive AIDS denial taking place throughout many countries in Africa. It has been deemed by many African leaders, from presidents on down, that antiretroviral drugs created by western drug companies are only tools of extermination meant to poison Africans on a massive scale.

Press secretaries and cabinet members claim in public that HIV has no relationship to AIDS. Meanwhile they advocate for herbal folk remedies, sold out of storefronts for $100 a liter. None of these has been scientifically tested, yet the president of South Africa, as only one example, claims the real solution to AIDS will come from such homemade cures.

Domestically, denial about the environmental impacts of our own consumption-driven lifestyles caused us to abandon the international Kyoto Accord. Though the theory was that its goals were not progressive enough, we continue to be surpassed by a majority of developed nations with respect to CO2 emissions and other pollutants. Only recently has our administration conceded that any problems related to global warming exist, acknowledging at least that polar bears are losing their native habitat.

Who was the President’s foremost consultant on global warming, the one who claims it still does not exist? Fiction author Michael Crichton.

On a more personal note, we choose regularly not to acknowledge the impact of our own behaviors. From the cars we drive to the clothes and groceries we buy and the entertainment we devour, we willfully occlude the obvious oppression to which we contribute. Theologian Fred Craddock, whom I have quoted before, says we can’t put a quarter in a soft drink machine without contributing to oppression.

Do we really want to know the full impact of our existence on the rest of the world, or do we choose to live in denial? If indeed there is a day of judgment, I expect we’ll experience a profound moment of clarity, at which point we’ll become harshly aware of the ripple effect of every choice we’ve made in our lives. Gross misconduct like murders and theft are given, but there will be much more subtlety to the transgressions for which we’ll be held accountable.

It’s easy enough to point fingers at leaders such as Bush or Ahmadinejad, because their laundry is hung up for all to see. But the evidence of our own wrongdoing is evident enough for anyone who chooses to see it. Will we choose to acknowledge it, or is it just too painful?

Disciples couple’s latest venture: a book on young adult spirituality

By David Matthews, DisciplesWorld contributing writer

PUEBLO, Colo. (3/19/07) —

After the recent success of Lost: A Search for Meaning, a theological look at the hit TV series LOST, author and DisciplesWorld columnist Christian Piatt is excited about the release of a new book which tackles the topic of young adult spirituality.

MySpace to Sacred Space: God for a New Generation, to be released in July by Chalice Press, was a fun experience for Piatt, who co-wrote the book with his wife, Amy, pastor of Milagro Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Pueblo, Colo.

In order to get the “practical” information needed, the Piatts sent out a 57-question survey to contacts across North America and Europe, and used research from a similar study done by Baylor University. They heard back from 765 young adults — defined as being between 18 and 40 years of age. The Piatts also sent video cameras to couples and groups to record their faith stories.

“We wanted to, roughly, cover a generation,” said Christian. “And we found some of the greatest diversity in that age range than any demographic in the history of the United States.” The survey asked a variety of questions about Generation Y’s attitudes towards organized religion, both past and present, and how to address any mentioned criticisms.

The Piatts said that coming up with the questions was a crucial process towards writing the book. “I think that’s where any good book starts,” Amy said. “With good questions.” The book’s subject matter came from the survey results. Those interviewed include a gay minister, and a recovering meth addict going to seminary.

“People were very generous in sharing their faith journeys, life lessons and opinions,” Amy said. “There is a deep honesty in what they told us.”

Another challenge the Piatts faced was relating their personal experiences with organized Christianity to the survey results. Amy, an ordained minister, is a sixth generation Disciple. Christian had left the church for 10 years before meeting his wife.

Christian found similar types of people in their survey pool. Fifty percent of respondents mentioned a negative experience with church. He described this phenomenon as “cultural mitosis.”

“Right now there is the largest contingency of people in the United States who aren’t affiliated with church, yet we also have the most evangelicals at same time,” he said. “There is a cultural mitosis of the two extremes between evangelicals and the unchurched.”

The reason for this split is mostly attributed to an individual’s perception of God, Christian said. “According to the Baylor study, the greatest predictor of a person’s religious values is his or her God-image,” he said. “An angry vs. loving God, etc . . . priests think people show up agreeing on same page and that’s increasingly untrue.”

The Piatts’ main focus with MySpace to Sacred Space is to re-evaluate how people look at the church, and how to educate young people. “This book was written for church leaders, and to give an opportunity for young adults to step up and speak with some authority,” Christian said.

The book’s ultimate goal is to change how church leaders educate their parishes, and young adults in particular, he said. “There’s a misconception that youth only like contemporary worship. Untrue. Music styles and services preferred are very broad,” he said.

The idea that young people don’t think about faith is also incorrect, Christian said, noting “a lot of institutional suspicion, but also a lot of interest in theology.” Understanding this group means addressing certain topics. “The bonding issues are social issues like poverty, HIV/AIDS, global warming, and our social responsibility not only as Christians but as human beings . . . this is not the quick fix church leaders want to hear, but it is the solution,” Christian said.

Despite his recent successes, Christian Piatt’s career as an author started when his original suggestion to Chalice Press was rejected.

“We had already a series of books where we were commenting on media, like The Da Vinci Code, The Secret Life of Bees, The Matrix, with Christian critiques,” said Pablo Jimenez, consultant editor for Chalice Press. “Christian sent a proposal that we didn’t accept, but I called him, liked his writing style, and [asked] him to do something on LOST.”

Christian was intrigued by the new idea. “LOST provided more rich opportunities to engage people,” he said. “Kind of like Star Wars, it presents lots of universal questions and issues people can relate to.”

The book was received well, according to Jimenez. His editor feels that honesty is Piatt’s greatest strength as an author. “He’s a person who can share his doubts as well as he can share his convictions,” Jimenez said.

For those who may follow my column and think I am slacking, my column just did not run this Saturday. Fortunately it was due to editor oversight, and not because I’ve been canned or anything.

My next column will run as regularly planned next Saturday.

Also, I have recently signed with a literary agent who is helping shop my stuff around to various publishing houses.  She has one publisher meeting to discuss a compilation of my spoken word work, which I am hopeful would also include a CD recording of many of them being read. She’s also exploring the possibility of publishing a collection of my columns as a book. We’ll see if there’s any interest.

At this point, it looks like my new book, co-authored with my wife, Amy, titled “MySpace to Sacred Space: God for a New Generation,” will be out at the end of July.  It’s already listed on several online retail sites for sale, which is a little strange since it’s still being edited by the publisher. I have some results from our research posted on my website, www.christianpiatt.com, and I expect to have a free chapter posted once it’s officially complete.

Finally, I’m working on a new novel! The working title is “Blood Doctrine,” and I can’t talk a lot about the plot at this time. However, it definitely is in the genre of “biblical historical fiction,” if there’s such a genre. My agent is eager to begin shopping it as soon as I have complete drafts of the first three chapters, of which I have two complete so far.  More about this as things develop.

That’s all for now. Thanks for keeping up with my weekly ramblings.

Having watched James Cameron’s “Lost Tomb of Jesus” special on the Discovery Channel, and having followed some of the subsequent discussion online, I believe it’s worth dedicating a second week to this significant find.

Certainly, there was some compelling evidence presented in the two-hour show, and questions raised have sparked vigorous debate, not only about the historical basis of Scripture, but also the basis and context of what we claim as Christians to believe today.

Some reflexively condemn the show as an attack on Christianity based on the premises that they even suggest Jesus’ physical remains were left behind, and that he may have married and had a son. Others see this as an opportunity to learn more about the family of Jesus and the movement he sparked two millennia ago.

One interesting point that is discussed throughout the show deals with the names on the ossuaries found in the tomb, which is a fancy name for “bone boxes.” Though all of the names on the ossuaries were quite common at the time of Jesus’ life, the particular combination of names, all found in the same family tomb, is much less likely when the numbers are crunched.

The way in which the statistics were presented, however, were misleading. A statistician figured that the likelihood of this particular combination of family names, from which producers of the special claimed this meant the likelihood that this wasn’t the family of Jesus of Nazareth, was one in 30,000. However, the numbers actually tell a different story.

We should consider that the official population of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ death was anywhere between 60,000 and 90,000. If there is a one in 30,000 chance of this sequence of family names occurring, there should have been two or three other families in Jerusalem at the time with exactly the same names.

Therefore, rather than suggesting such dramatically low odds against this not being Jesus from Scripture, it’s more appropriate to say that there’s a 50 to 33 percent chance that it actually is. While these are still compelling odds, it’s hardly undeniable proof.

On the other side of the coin, some contend that Jesus would not have been buried in Jerusalem, but rather in Nazareth, based on his name, “Jesus of Nazareth.” However, the legal residence of Jesus’ family arguably is Bethlehem, based on their return there for the census, prior to Jesus’ birth. Talpiot, the location of the discovered tomb, is a little more than 2 miles north of Bethlehem.

Another claim is that Jesus’ family, being of modest means, would not be buried in such a nice family tomb. But one consideration is that Jesus is a descendant of the line of David, both by Mary and Joseph, according to the Gospel texts. Such a bloodline was considered highly venerable at this time, which could justify such a distinction at burial.

In addition, Jesus’ brother, James, is described as having some followers who are of financial means. It’s entirely possible that part of the support the family received from their faithful was a tomb commissioned in their honor. This would align well with prophecy in Isaiah, Chapter 53, which states that the Messiah will be buried among the wealthy.

The debate has only begun around this issue, which is interesting considering that the tomb and ossuaries were discovered more than 25 years ago.

Granted, the producers of the film do seem compelled to buttress the hypotheses they already hold, which is why the scientific method should be applied to such research. To date, this has not happened, and the participants recorded in the show are not formally trained in archaeology, paleontology, genetics or biblical history.

On the other hand, opponents of the claims made are not basing their dismissals upon scientific principles, either. In general, they have beliefs, and they’re sticking to them. Truth be told, there’s likely no evidence compelling enough to dissuade some people, period.

At least we’re talking. It’s better for us to debate than to draw blood over such ideological differences. And who knows? Maybe we’ll all come out on the other end of the discussion having learned something, at least about ourselves, if not the mysterious figure many of us call Jesus, the Christ.