FAQ

Now that we've started sharing about the book in different venues, I thought I'd post some of the frequently asked questions.

What's up with the title?
Here's my dad's answer from the Preface:

The first part of the title of this collection of reflections, Un-American Activities, comes from a US House of Representatives Committee (1938-1975) with the same name. That committee’s charter required it to investigate and rein in activities that it viewed as being counter to the interests of America. It did so, often with excessive, embarrassing, and destructive zeal.

I mean something quite different. I hold that there are some countercultural motifs in Christianity that imply — indeed oblige — resistance to certain ideas, values, and practices widely approved in our society. As I reviewed my work of the past quarter of a century, it became evident that this was one of the most recurrent thoughts. Kim concurs that this notion is central to her own emerging understanding of Christian life and faith. It is not, it should be noted, the only issue. But it is pervasive enough to add Countercultural Themes in Christianity to the title of our book. Our list of conflicts with culture, you will discover, differs markedly from lists utilized by many American Christians in recent decades.

The book’s subtitle, A modern father and a postmodern daughter reflect on their pilgrimages of life and faith, assumes two truths about parents and adult children of today. First, often there is a profound difference in point of view between them that must be taken into account if significant communication is to take place. This entails more than the perennial generation gap. It involves a sea change in perspective from post-enlightenment modernism to postmodernism. Another Weltanshauung, or worldview, is sweeping western culture. I grieve a loss; my daughter celebrates a gain.

Why is the flag on the cover upside down?
The first several passes we got of the cover design was with the flag right-side-up. Being a visual person, this didn't seem to fit the countercultural theme of the book, so I suggested we try a design with the flag upside down. As I did some research about the United States flag, especially flag etiquette, I found out that the flag should only be displayed upside down as a signal of distress. I think that's an appropriate metaphor for our book as we wrestle with being followers of Jesus in an often consumer-addicted, fear-stricken, credit-crunched, media-saturated, climate-challenged, greed-infected country.

What does it mean to be de-churched?
This term is usually used in reference to someone who grew up with a church home and/or attended church regularly, but then for whatever reason, stopped going to church. There are a wide range of reasons for leaving church, but many can be traced back to some sort of disillusionment. Sarah Cunningham in her book, Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation, does a good job of describing why many 20-somethings may be de-churched.