interview w/Miroslav Volf

interview w/Miroslav Volf:

Q. Since you bring up 9/11 I would like to hear what you think some of
the lessons have been from that tragedy. Your book, Exclusion and
Embrace, which won the Grawemeyer Award, was obviously written
before 9/11, but what you say in the book has such meaning in light of
those events.

A. One of the things I point out in the book is that we all seem to like our
identities pure and so we push out others who disturb the way that we have
our world organized. And of course, competition for goods is an issue that
enters into this discussion. When we look at the terrorists who were
responsible for the 9/11 tragedy we see people who see American culture as
threatening to a form of Islam that they want to keep pure. Various
fundamentalist ways of thinking are dominated by desire for purity, although
most do not act in a violent manner.

Of course, boundaries that mark our identities are important. The world would
be a swamp without boundaries and we need to nurture those boundaries in
order to preserve our own identities. With that said, however, we then need to
ensure that there are gates in those boundaries that can open and close in a
way that we can control but also in a way that is hospitable to the others. Our
personal identities need to be so structured, and so strong, that we can
appreciate the fact that the gifts to us from persons who exist outside of our
boundaries will enrich us. As a metaphor, I think for example of my home. I
have artwork and books from numerous cultures, and I welcome to my home
many items and individuals that are foreign to my own identity. These
openings into my home by others enrich my family and me; in return I pray
that my hospitality enriches them.

Q. As you look back at the last couple of decades here in America, what
are the trends in American religion that you see as holding the most
promise for the future?


A. I think the most promising feature is something that has been part of the
American religious scene for centuries. And that is the incredible ability of
American religion to reinvent itself. This is something that is unique in western
cultures. Certainly we do not see this in Europe, at least not on the same
scale. All over this country we see people with religious motivation from all
walks of life setting up their own little shop so to speak. Churches and
denominations pop up all over. This shows immense vitality and it is a way
that religion is passed on from generation to generation in this fast-paced
culture. We academics tend to look down on this aspect of American religion.
Many academics are fearful of such new religious beginnings – which
admittedly can be theologically unformed and sometimes even weird. The
positive side of this, however, is that religion is being transmitted within the
cultural medium within which specific groups of people speak and live. It is a
phenomenon that is in keeping with the American way of life and its market
economy. The flexibility that is a characteristic of economic life transfers to
religious life and the result is constant innovation, as a blessing and as a
curse.

Q. What is the downside of this?

A. A possible consequence is the cultural captivity of religion. Religion is
sold; it becomes just another commodity. When this happens it can be empty
of content and religious personages can simply peddle what people want.
The customer cannot be king when it comes to religion. When the content of
religion is hi-jacked the symbols and narratives of religion are emptied of their
genuine meaning.
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