Sandwich Diversity
I had lunch with a friend yesterday at this cool little cafe type of place and ate a portabella sandwich. I had never heard of a portabella sandwich before, and was trying to figure out what kind of meat would be on a portabella sandwich without having to look stupid and ask, but couldn't figure it out. So I really didn't know what a portabella sandwich was when I ordered it, but the girl I was with suggested it and she's a pretty healthy eater and I'm probably not so I figured I would give it a try. I'm not sure if I ordered it to try and have this girl think that I'm healthy and eat portabella sandwiches on a regular basis or if it was because I have this secret longing to be more healthy or if it was the adventurous side in me coming out and wanting to try something new, but whatever was going on deep down inside of my psyche, there was a force that led me to order the portabella sandwich.
Well, when the portabella sandwich came out it didn't have any meat on it at all; no slabs of beef, or ham, or pork, or chicken, or turkey, or spam, or even a few slices of bacon. Really, believe me, I'm being serious here; there was no meat at all on the entire sandwich. Apparently a portabella sandwiches main ingredient is portabella mushrooms. Quite a fascinating concept.
So I got a bottle of hot sauce and poured some on my mushroom sandwich and sat across the table from my friend (she had a salad and a bowl of chili) and tried to eat it without looking like a slob and spilling mushroom and hot sauce mix all over myself. I did a pretty good job I think, because when I woke up this morning I decided to put the same clothes back on that I was wearing yesterday which means that there wasn't any noticeable amount of portabella mushroom and hot sauce mix on them.
It's pretty cool though; I actually liked the mushroom sandwich quite a bit. It was definitely my first experience in eating a meatless sandwich, but it was pretty good. While I was sitting there eating this meatless sandwich, I got to thinking about how different people are, and how that really is a wonderful thing that we should encourage and embrace in one another. Diversity can be such a beautiful thing.
For instance I have some Christian friends who think that the war in Iraq is a wonderful God-ordained thing that is bringing freedom and liberation not only to the Iraqi people but to an entire region of people for the first time ever since Adam and Eve were running around without any clothes on and not feeling ashamed that their privates were showing. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.
Then I have some Christian friends who are so far on the other side of the spectrum that they would never even take the life of a severely injured butterfly that smashed against the windshield of their car and was obviously in a lot of pain and might be better off dead so there is no way that these people are supportive of the war in Iraq, or any war for that matter. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.
Then I have some Christian friends who admit that they are just confused and don't know what to think and believe about war because they know that any type of war and violence is awful and ugly but that sometimes it might be necessary to kill 100,000 people in order to save the lives of 1,000,000 people. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.
I learn so much from all three groups, and I really do love them all. So I'm glad that for whatever reason it was that led me to order a portabella sandwich without any meat on it, that I did. It reminded me once again about the importance of and the beauty that is found in diversity.
Peace friends.
Matthew Pascal
Well, when the portabella sandwich came out it didn't have any meat on it at all; no slabs of beef, or ham, or pork, or chicken, or turkey, or spam, or even a few slices of bacon. Really, believe me, I'm being serious here; there was no meat at all on the entire sandwich. Apparently a portabella sandwiches main ingredient is portabella mushrooms. Quite a fascinating concept.
So I got a bottle of hot sauce and poured some on my mushroom sandwich and sat across the table from my friend (she had a salad and a bowl of chili) and tried to eat it without looking like a slob and spilling mushroom and hot sauce mix all over myself. I did a pretty good job I think, because when I woke up this morning I decided to put the same clothes back on that I was wearing yesterday which means that there wasn't any noticeable amount of portabella mushroom and hot sauce mix on them.
It's pretty cool though; I actually liked the mushroom sandwich quite a bit. It was definitely my first experience in eating a meatless sandwich, but it was pretty good. While I was sitting there eating this meatless sandwich, I got to thinking about how different people are, and how that really is a wonderful thing that we should encourage and embrace in one another. Diversity can be such a beautiful thing.
For instance I have some Christian friends who think that the war in Iraq is a wonderful God-ordained thing that is bringing freedom and liberation not only to the Iraqi people but to an entire region of people for the first time ever since Adam and Eve were running around without any clothes on and not feeling ashamed that their privates were showing. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.
Then I have some Christian friends who are so far on the other side of the spectrum that they would never even take the life of a severely injured butterfly that smashed against the windshield of their car and was obviously in a lot of pain and might be better off dead so there is no way that these people are supportive of the war in Iraq, or any war for that matter. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.
Then I have some Christian friends who admit that they are just confused and don't know what to think and believe about war because they know that any type of war and violence is awful and ugly but that sometimes it might be necessary to kill 100,000 people in order to save the lives of 1,000,000 people. And these people are extremely beautiful, loving and caring people in so many ways.
I learn so much from all three groups, and I really do love them all. So I'm glad that for whatever reason it was that led me to order a portabella sandwich without any meat on it, that I did. It reminded me once again about the importance of and the beauty that is found in diversity.
Peace friends.
Matthew Pascal
posted by Matthew Pascal @ 9:03 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
I notice a theme of you doing something you wouldn't normally do possibly hoping that a girl will think something about you that is not really true, and then God showing you a way in which that thing is actually very good in a way you definitely did not expect. I think the next story should be about you doing something you normally would do even though you know the girl will be unimpressed, and then she finds out that maybe actually Johnny Cash could be kind of cool, for example. And happily ever after... :)
Sounds good Anhomily but I've pretty much already exhausted my list of stories involving me and girls. Maybe it's because I usually do the things I normally do and they just run and hide from the beginning! I guess that goes to show that the gals I have stories about are pretty adventureous, hardcore, risk-takin' gals! And my stories about black ninja suit wearing Muslim women are few and far between as well.
But I do love Johnny Cash - what kind of East Tennessean would I be if I didn't! "Walk the Line" baby... In theatres [almost] everywhere November 16th.
Yeah, eating portabella sandwiches is a pretty hard-core, risk-takin' sort of thing to do. :P
Anyway, I appreciate what you do in recognizing the ways that a diversity of opinion, particularly about such divisive issues as war, allows for many varied expressions of beauty and creativity and God's un-box-able character. But I wonder, how would you respond to the concept that all Christians should be unified in our voting and political ideology because we are all (in theory) operating from the same Christ-centered moral code as we make our decisions? This is a discussion I've had numerous times, mostly with people from my church, regarding unity and uniformity and how we distinguish between the two, and how to have diversity without division.
Really, I think the question we are wrestling with is: what are things that it's okay (maybe even necessary) to be divided on and how do we determine that?
Heidi,
I think that because we are living in a fallen world, that we can't in actuality be completely unified in our voting and political ideology. None of us has all of the right answers, or a completely "biblical worldview." As much as we would like to think that our worldview is in complete accordance to Christ-centered moral codes, it isn't. We are fallen, imperfect human beings.
So, I guess the thing that we should strive for is a humility that will enable us to admit that our views and opinions are simply that - views and opinions - and that they could be skewed. And that other people, who have different views then we do (on issues such as war, responses to poverty, women in leadership, and the list can go on and on and on and on) also have something to teach us.
As a fairly opinionated person, I struggle with this a lot. But I'm learning, how much I really do have too learn from others, and to see beauty in other's opinions. We have so much to learn from one another, from being in community with others, and I believe it would be a disservice to ourselves to not try and always learn from those around us, whether or not we competely agree with them.
Just some initial thoughts.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you get off the back of Pablo's moped in Florence. :)
i have noticed a shift in your blogs toward a more loving tone and attempt to understand the views of others. it's very commendable. it takes courage to confront your flaws. i like your portabella story. i have recently given up meat and find myself enjoying a lot more foods than i ever used to.
-L Mahoney
I love the moments in life where we can truely appreciate each other for our unique beauty. It's kind of interesting and amazing because we are all created in the image of God and maybe one of the best pictures of God we will have on earth is the diversity of a community of faith. It's almost overwhleming, but overwhelmingly beautiful. I also think it's funny that all these thoughts and discussions could come from ordering a portobella sandwich in error. I love that about life.
Nice metaphor MP. No need to abandon a more prophetic stance, but it's always important to recognize that many Christians are trying their best to be faithful in their thinking. Current evangelical political thinking is so extreme and imbalanced that we can use any attempts to be fair and honest.
Wordcat,
I agree that current evangelical political thinking is very extreme and imbalanced, and would love it if you could elaborate on the last part of your last sentence, ("... we can use any attempts to be fair and honest.") a bit. Can you think of any practical examples of how this is happening in the midst of this extreme evangelical political thinking, and if not, some ways in which you think this could (and should) happen?
Sorry I'm so late with a response!
There aren't many current examples of what I'd consider fairness and honesty among evangelicals from a political or cultural point of view. It's almost all extremism. We've sort of lost our collective minds temporarily. That happens with some regularity among Christians, so no big surprise.
I appreciate you're comments about people from various political and cultural perspectives, but I think at this point the vast majority of evangelicals have bought into a right wing, very politically conservative approach. So I think the first task in restoring some biblical and prophetic credibility to evangelicalism is to help our movement to examine why it has become so politically and culturally biased. I'd say the same thing if the current bias was toward the left.
The best example I can think of right now is Jim Wallis' book "God's Politics: A New Vision for Faith and Politics in America" The subtitle is "Why the Right Gets in Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It."
Basically, Wallis is coming from what I'd call an integrated perspective on the practical application of the faith in the political and cultural world.
He thinks traditional values go with a deep concern for the poor in the gospel. He thinks a concern for the sanctity of the unborn goes with a resistance to the uses of coercion and violence. Basically, he's trying to recover something that more closely resembles the biblical message.
Right now the best way Christians could make a positive change would be to honestly gather together around the Scripture and do their best to try to hold both left and right to biblical accountability. That would mean seeking to understand the basics of conservative and progressive political and cultural thought and then examining the Scriptures to see where both fall short of the glory of God.
Right now there is an almost uncritical acceptance of anything that is conservative and Republican, as if that very wordly perspective somehow represents the gospel. It does not.
Evangelicals who are more progressive also need to examine their political and cultural thinking in a more honest way, though there are so few people in that category right now that it might only take a few small groups :^)
What I'm suggesting is no pipe dream. Evangelicals have had a more balanced and healthy perspective through a lot our our national history.
Basically, our goal is to be a prophetic force in politics and culture that holds all truth claims and political perspectives to the biblical fire. At the same time we're to try to understand the basic humaness and frailty of people in every "camp" and extend them understanding and love.
Right now that's not happening. The church has become almost completely co-opted by right wing thinking and culture. That makes me very sad. We've temporarily abandoned our prophetic vocation and abandoned our true role as peacemakers and honest brokers between the various camps of political and cultural true believers.
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