All posts by Charlotte Vaughan Coyle

About Charlotte Vaughan Coyle

Charlotte Vaughan Coyle lives in Paris TX and blogs about intersections of faith, culture and politics on her website and her Intersections Facebook page. She is a retired minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and past president for Coffee Party USA. Charlotte also blogs about Scripture from a progressive Christian approach at her Living in The Story website.

It’s None of Your Business. Except When It Is

General, ,

Some years ago, a speaker at my seminary told us bluntly: “What God is doing is none of your business.”

I was appalled. And my reaction reveals that (yes, I admit) I do have some control issues.

Sometimes we religious folks are tempted to think we know who God does and doesn’t love, what God is up to and what God thinks about every situation. It’s an idolatrous temptation that Anne Lamott warns us against:

You can safely assume you have created god in your own image when your god hates all the same people you do.

Of all people, religious people ought to acknowledge divine mystery. We should have learned by now that God never has and never will fit into any of our boxes. What God is doing really is none of our business.

I admit I also tend to think other people’s business ought to be my business. I think I should know something about what everyone else is doing and I am quick to have pretty strong opinions about other people’s lives.

Purple hair. Tattoos that creep up necks and studs pierced through tongues. Saggy pants that expose what used to be underwear, not outerwear. Shorts that are so short I can see bouncy cheeks. “Don’t tread on me” bumper stickers and confederate flags. Preachers and politicians pontificating with a deep Southern drawl.

There.

I said it.

See what I mean?

I admit I can be pretty judgmental.

But these people don’t deserve my judgment. Most of them don’t really have anything to do with me. I’m not related to them. I’m not responsible for them. They function in another entire sphere that only barely bumps into mine. So why on earth do I think I need to judge their clothes or their hair or whatever?

Some wise teachers are trying to help me learn to notice without judging. To stay awake, be alert and aware; to observe the people and situations around me without feeling any responsibility to assess value. To see clearly.

I am trying to learn – since I can’t change what other people wear or what kinds of bumper stickers they choose to put on their pickup trucks – I don’t even need to waste my time having an opinion about them. It’s not about me. It’s none of my business.

But then, on the other hand, there are plenty of things going on in the world that must become my business, for example, attitudes and actions that, when anointed with power, can cause immense damage, not only to me but to my fellow human beings.

Opulence, arrogance and hubris.

Oppression, injustice and hatred.

Negligence, carelessness and greed.

I want to learn to see these things clearly and rightly. To look evil full in the face without fear, to keep my center and stand my ground. And then, whenever I am able, do something.

“Seeing” has another aspect: looking at my fellow human beings and recognizing our shared humanity. Acknowledging their suffering and honoring their pain. I want to learn to look at every other person and to see their innate value. I want to be able to look misery full in the face without despair or hopelessness, to find my compassion and to love with courage. And then whenever I am able, do something.

But choosing what is mine to do can be tricky. It’s not always easy to discern my way forward within this society rife with madness; within a world that is filled with chaos.

What IS my business? How do I discern?

When my children were coming of age, some of the mother wisdom I offered them included this little formula:

What do you love to do?

What do you do well?

What needs doing in the world that is within your reach?

Somewhere in the intersection of these questions lies an answer to: What is MY business?

The current political realities in America can feel overwhelming these days. There are so many various problems that challenge us on so many fronts that it can be hard to figure out where any of us needs to spend our time and energy.

But the current grassroots efforts that have sprung up across our nation give me hope. More and more people ARE figuring out how and where to become more involved. More and more people are making it THEIR business to step up and speak out.

With so much going on in our country, with so many needs around the world, I want to remember that judging someone else’s appearance is a complete waste of energy. (Not to mention: none of my business.) But critiquing the work our politicians are doing, assessing the effects of corporate actions, evaluating the quality of candidates and then making judgments with our votes should be the business of every citizen.

So I’m going to continue to work on my unhelpful, unhealthy judgmental tendencies. Some of those folks with purple hair and saggy pants may well become my allies in this multi-fronted resistance.

I’m going to continue to work on the idolatrous temptation to think I can control what God is doing in the world. But I will always believe the God of my understanding is somehow working for justice and goodness in the world. As many wise prophets before have taught us:

The arc of the universe is long

but it bends towards justice.

But exactly what that mysterious divine work is and where it might show up next? God only knows. It’s none of my business.

So I’m also going to continue to do my part. What I love to do. What I’m good at. What needs to be done that is available and accessible to me.

One of my heroes, Helen Keller, used to quote her friend, Edward Everett Hale.

I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;

and because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

There.

My business.

Your business.

Our business.

Charlotte Vaughan Coyle lives in Paris TX and blogs about intersections of faith, culture and politics on her website and Intersections Facebook page. You also follow her on Twitter @cvcoyle.

Charlotte is national president for Coffee Party USA and contributes regularly to the Join the Coffee Party Movement Facebook page.

Charlotte is an ordained minister within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and also blogs about Scripture from a progressive Christian approach in her Living in The Story Musings.

Charlotte and Janie talk about the Affordable Care Act: How Can We Make it Better?

General, , , , , , ,

Janie and Charlotte were best friends in college. They still maintain a good friendship even though Janie grew to the “Right” while Charlotte grew to the “Left” and now have some very different perspectives on politics, culture and theology. Charlotte and Janie have begun talking about their differences in a shared blog. You can find their earlier conversations here.

Charlotte:

You and I wound our way through a couple of discussions that brought us to a shared conclusion that Americans should have access to affordable medical insurance and health care. Now we are considering our differences of opinion on the role of government; should federal and state funds be used to provide health care and subsidize insurance plans? Is that a proper function of government? I say yes. Continue reading Charlotte and Janie talk about the Affordable Care Act: How Can We Make it Better? →

Charlotte’s Letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick

General, , , , , ,

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick

Austin, Texas

Dear Mr. Patrick,

I am a woman who was in a compromising situation recently. I really really needed to go, and the women’s bathroom was locked so I used the men’s restroom instead. Would your proposal for a “bathroom bill” here in Texas require me to be arrested?

I find it strange that you and too many other Texas lawmakers are fixated on this issue. When I went into the men’s restroom, I knocked first, went in to use a stall and closed the door behind me. There was plenty of privacy; I didn’t threaten anyone and I didn’t feel threatened. I just did my business, washed my hands and went on my way. Isn’t this what most Texans do? Why on earth has using the bathroom become a political issue?

Requiring folks to use the gendered bathroom in line with their birth certificate is bizarre in so many ways.

Who is going to be there to check birth certificates? What do you propose they should do about me, pressured and stymied by a locked door? What about all the non-Texans who know very well this is a non-issue but come here to find themselves accosted by bathroom police? Will our businesses suffer? (Besides I thought Republicans liked business! Why aren’t you respecting their voices in this debate?) What about the numerous law enforcement officials who have come out against this bill? (I thought Republicans like law and order!)

Your effort to police our bathrooms failed in the regular session and now you and Gov. Abbott are forcing this issue down our Texas throats once again in a special session. There are definitely some issues our legislators need to deal with in Texas; which bathroom a law-abiding person uses is not even on the list of real issues.

I have to Wonder if your Christian values are truly Christian

I assume you must be proud of your highly touted Operation One Million Voices campaign. I suppose you think this is in line with “Christian” values: preserving purity and all that.

But as a Christian minister, I believe this effort of yours is wrong headed, unkind and unchristian.

I get that you don’t understand the experience of transgendered people, but just because you are Lt. Governor doesn’t mean you get to name their experience for them.

In fact, your legal, moral, ethical and Christian obligation is to protect these misunderstood people from those who would persecute and harm them.

They are the fragile ones in this scenario; not you.

Kimberly Shappley’s Christianity Shows Us Grace

Have you met Kai Shappley or heard her story? She is a kindergartener, a beautiful little girl, one of God’s precious children. Her mom, Kimberly, is a very conservative Republican and a pious Christian. Even so, Kai has taught her mom – and many more of us – that some life experiences do not fit into our cookie cutter expectations. When that happens, our Christianity calls us to offer grace. When that happens, our humanity demands that we live in love.

Remember these core Christian values?

Love others as you love yourself?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

Surely you learned this in Sunday School. Have you forgotten such deep and obvious truth?

Mr. Patrick, please leave these poor people alone. They have enough to deal with already.

Please return to authentic Conservative values and allow people to live their lives without government interference.

You too have enough to deal with. Please get back to governing and stop using governmental powers to persecute some of our most vulnerable citizens. Texas has plenty of other issues you need to be working on. With all due respect, get to it.

Sincerely yours,

Rev. Charlotte Vaughan Coyle

 

Charlotte Vaughan Coyle lives in Paris TX and blogs about intersections of faith, culture and politics on her website and Intersections Facebook page. She is national secretary for Coffee Party USA and contributes regularly to the Join the Coffee Party Movement Facebook page.

Charlotte is an ordained minister within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and also blogs about Scripture from a progressive Christian approach in her Living in The Story Musings.

Applauding Violence

General

The media stars were gushing. 59 missiles ripped into Syria and the media pronounced the president “presidential.” Praise burbled from both sides of the aisle in spite of the fact that the president scorned Congress’s required consent. The “mother of all bombs” caved in a mountain in Afghanistan; popularity polls jumped and the Western world applauded.

We’ve been down this road before. Fourteen years ago, a media desperate for readers, a Congress desperate for voters and an administration desperate for approval manipulated the American public’s support for invasion and war. But US policy in Afghanistan and Iraq did not bring security and peace; rather we are the ones who created this current enemy, feeding their hatred and fueling the passion of ideological recruits.

The spiral continues.

This insatiable thirst for war and a voracious hunger for conquest have nothing to do with honor; this is the deep shame of humanity. Continue reading Applauding Violence →

The Problem with Unity is Uniformity

General, , , ,

Our garden is looking really good. In this little corner of Texas, we’ve had just the right amount of rain and sun so our enthusiastic plants have been pretty happy.

I call it our “garden” as if it is one thing; and it is. But our tomatoes, okra and beans; our lilies, marigolds and daisies; our oregano, thyme and basil are obviously very different elements of our one garden. We planted for diversity on purpose.

Diversity is the whole point of a garden.

Our garden is one whole thing – and all the very different plants make up the unified whole. Like our bodies – arms and legs and hearts and kidneys: one body with all its parts. Like our families – moms and dads and babies and teens and grandparents: one family with all its members.

Like our nation.

One nation.

Under God.

Indivisible.

Over the years since our founding, America’s diversity has mushroomed. Not surprisingly. Here is a land of opportunity. Here is a nation of welcome. Here is a people who have benefited immensely from the gifts and gratitude of those who have been folded into this American community. No wonder people across the globe find their way to America. No wonder the face of America has changed dramatically from its early days.

But this growing diversity has created tension again and again throughout our history and the sharp outcries we hear today shouldn’t surprise us. Resisting diversity and resenting those who are “different” has long been a shadow side of this nation of welcome.

I’m thinking one reason we humans have trouble with this is because we sometimes work out of a mistaken definition of “unity.” If I define this “one nation” as a united people just because they look and think and speak like I do, then I am not describing unity. Rather what I am actually describing is  “uniformity.”

Uniformity is quite comfortable and there is nothing inherently wrong with it. Throughout human history, we tend to find others who are like us and so we create homogeneous groups for ourselves. Clubs, churches, political parties… This shouldn’t surprise us either. Our tribal instincts run deep.

But there is another way.

We can find comfort with like-minded people at the same time we appreciate the stimulation of people who look and think and speak differently. We can enjoy both the security of a uniform group and realize the value of a diverse group.

Homogeneous groups can help affirm who we are.

Diverse groups can help us grow to be better than we are.

What a boring world this would be if uniformity were the natural pattern! Instead, nature itself teaches us that unity-in-diversity is the norm. My beautiful garden. Our remarkable bodies. Oceans and ecosystems and galaxies. Our precious sometimes crazy, mixed up families.

“Unity” is not “uniformity.”

So too, our “one nation under God indivisible” is not a uniform, homogeneous nation. It is not supposed to be, and we never have, never can find our unity in any sort of cookie-cutter uniformity. Instead our unity has always, will always arise out of our shared values and our common dreams: liberty and justice for all.

“We the people…” our founding document declares; “in order to form a more perfect union…”

It is a union our Fathers birthed for us; all of us – the people. These fifty wildly different states. Our precious sometimes crazy, mixed up nation.

It was a union the Founders conceived in the midst of the creative diversity of their day and it is a union still being perfected here in the ethnic, religious and intellectual diversity of our own day.

And it is here – only here – in our differences; right here in all our wild and amazing diversity that we will ever find our true unity.

Old and Young. Rich and Poor. Gay and Straight. Religious and Humanist. Black and White and Brown.

E pluribus unum. From many, one.

When we move out of our uniform, homogeneous tribes and recognize the shared humanity inherent within our wide-ranging diversity, that’s when we will discover a glimpse of a true unity that is far better than any sort of uniformity.

Like in my garden, our mothers and fathers planted the seeds and then passed on to us the task of tending, nourishing and relishing the vibrancy of this rich estate. If we are wise, cultivating the founding vision of this great nation, then we will be able to reap an abundant harvest of peace and prosperity, fairness and security, liberty and justice for all.

 

The above photo isn’t really our garden although it’s similar. This is a James Quinn photo from the University of Missouri Extension.

Charlotte Vaughan Coyle lives in Paris TX and blogs about intersections of faith, culture and politics on her website and Intersections Facebook page. She is national secretary for Coffee Party USA and contributes regularly to the Join the Coffee Party Movement Facebook page.

Charlotte is an ordained minister within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and also blogs about Scripture from a progressive Christian approach in her Living in The Story Musings.

The Center of the Universe

General

Remember Copernicus? In 1543, he published his theory of a heliocentric solar system, positing that the earth was not, in fact, the center of the universe. Rather against all conventional wisdom, Copernicus insisted the sun was at the center while the earth, just like all the other planets, rotated in its ordered sphere.

Not surprisingly, his work was highly controversial. Not only by other scientists but also by the religious leaders of his day. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformers rejected the idea that the earth was not the center of the universe.

Fast forward to 2017 and see the dramatic difference in our conventional wisdom about space, and watch how even what we think we know keeps shifting as new planets continue to be discovered across the galaxy. Quite recently, we earthlings pondered the significance of seven new earth-like planets that have been found orbiting a nearby star.

So now we know, we are not the center of the universe.

So why do we keep acting as though we are?

Continue reading The Center of the Universe →

Charlotte and Janie Talk about Government: What is it and what is it for?

General, , , , , ,

Janie and Charlotte were best friends in college. They still maintain a good friendship even though they have some different perspectives on politics, culture and theology: Janie grew to the “Right” while Charlotte grew to the “Left.” They have maintained their friendship and now talk about their differences in a shared blog. Charlotte and Janie published four conversations on religious liberty.

Recently they have been exploring their different expectations for health care and education in America. You can find their earlier conversation here. The current conversation seeks to lay some foundation about how they understand the fundamental nature of government.
 Continue reading Charlotte and Janie Talk about Government: What is it and what is it for? →

Charlotte and Janie Talk about Health Care, Education and NASA

General, , , ,

Janie and Charlotte were best friends in college. They still maintain a good friendship even though they have some different perspectives on politics, culture and theology: Janie grew to the “Right” while Charlotte grew to the “Left.” They have maintained their friendship and now talk about their differences in a shared blog. Charlotte and Janie published four conversations on religious liberty and now they are exploring their different expectations for health care in America. You can find their earlier conversation here.

Charlotte: I’m pleasantly surprised and grateful to see that you and I agree that there should be a basic right to health care in America. I think this is a growing belief for more and more people and probably the Affordable Care Act contributed to that expectation. Continue reading Charlotte and Janie Talk about Health Care, Education and NASA →

When Nature becomes Un-Natural

General, ,

Whenever it’s time to get our gardens ready, we Texans know well the temperamental temperament of our Texas climate. We know not to put our tomatoes out too early, but we can risk spinach and lettuce. In February, when I wrote this, it was 80 degrees during the day followed by a frost that hit us overnight. Texas gardeners are used to the swinging cycles of weather and we adjust and adapt.

All of us understand that weather cycles over the years of our lives. Some years are too hot, some are too wet, some are too dry. But many of us are noticing swings that are not typical in nature. Natural rhythms seem un-natural these days.

The questions keep coming and the debates rage: Is the climate changing? Why is the climate changing? What might be the human influences for climate change?

For centuries, within my own religious tradition, Christian contemplatives have envisioned an intimate connection between the health of the earth and the health of humanity. Religious people from within the three Abrahamic faiths carry forward ancient understandings of earth not as “nature” or “the environment” but rather as creation. We humans are charged by the Creator to be stewards and caretakers of that precious gift. Other spiritualities have long regarded earth as our Mother, a lovely metaphor this Christian embraces wholeheartedly.

But over our long Christian history, there have been alternative readings of our sacred texts. Western Christianity in particular has read the biblical creation stories as charge and blessing for the plundering of the earth. This dominionist approach within the dominant religion of the West has been seeping into the attitudes and contaminating the actions of policy makers and power brokers since before America became a nation.

Instead of honoring creation as a gift from our Creator, our precious earth became a warehouse of resources, a depository of commodities, an assembly line of raw material just waiting for humans to transform it all into something “useful.” Human beings are seen to be the end, the goal, the apex of nature and the earth as nothing more than the means to make us human consumers comfortable and our lives more convenient.

A few years ago, Rex Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon, assured his shareholders that fossil fuels are here to stay. “What good is it to save the planet,” he asked rhetorically, “if humanity suffers?” My guess is the unspoken, more truthful subtext of Tillerson’s question is: “what good is it to save the planet if our profits suffer.” Because surely he has to know that humanity will indeed suffer from this continued commodification of the earth. (I admit I may be too hard on Mr. Tillerson here. I am grateful to learn that ExxonMobil did urge the president to remain committed to the Paris climate accord.)

As a Christian, I challenge my fellow Christians to re-think our role as caretakers and stewards of God’s creation since it is our own tradition that has perverted our Scriptures and contributed to this contaminated belief that permeates our society. Even my Evangelical sisters and brothers can agree with me here: The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

The earth is not ours to use and misuse.

Rather it is ours to serve and protect.

Of all people, Christians of all stripes ought to be able to come together on this issue of Creation Care. And then, united in our Christian witness, we can join all our other fellow Americans to stand united against the plundering of God’s good earth. We can stand together for this earth that is our home, our womb, our Mother and our legacy for all our children for all the generations to come.

 

For my Evangelical Christian friends…

The Evangelical Environmental Network includes care of the earth within its pro-life commitment

For my religious friends of various faith traditions…

Here is a description of numerous faith based environmental organizations

For my non-religious friends…

PBS lists America’s 20 largest environmental organizations

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Powerful words of uncertain origin

Charlotte Vaughan Coyle lives in Paris TX and blogs about intersections of faith, culture and politics on her website and Intersections Facebook page. She is national secretary for Coffee Party USA and contributes regularly to the Join the Coffee Party Movement Facebook page.

Charlotte is an ordained minister within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and also blogs about Scripture from a progressive Christian approach in her Living in The Story Musings.

 

Charlotte and Janie Talk About Health Care

General

Janie and Charlotte were best friends in college. They still maintain a good friendship even though they have some different perspectives on politics, culture and theology: Janie grew to the “Right” while Charlotte grew to the “Left.” They have maintained their friendship and now talk about their differences in a shared blog. Charlotte and Janie published four conversations on religious liberty and now they are exploring their different expectations for health care in America.

Introduction

One of President Obama’s most significant achievements was the Affordable Care Act, which expands medical coverage to several million previously-uninsured Americans. But it’s also one of his most controversial acts, and soon to be much more so when the Republican congress, with the backing of a Republican president, tries to make good on their long-standing promise (or threat!) to “Repeal and Replace.”

Rather than try to parse out the pros and cons of every detail of the ACA and the proposed replacement (whenever we get to see it), we’re going to start with the basics:

Do we agree there is, or should be, a basic right to healthcare?
 Continue reading Charlotte and Janie Talk About Health Care →