This American Life consistently makes excellent radio shows.  Their podcast is at the top of iTunes popularity, and their journalism is awesome.  The episode called, Social Contract,  got my attention.  It deals with the budget crisis in New York state, a crisis also happening in 48 of the 50 United States.  Tax revenue is down drastically and spending keeps going up.  This is a dead end road.  Unfortunately there is much fighting between political camps during these times of crisis, and that is definitely the case in New York.

But the second half of the show tells the story of the Island of Barbados in the Caribbean.  They faced an economic crises in the 80′s and managed to work their way through it.  The solution was simple but difficult: trust.  The leaders of government, business, and unions came together and saw things from each others perspectives.  Then, they all went to their constituents and made the concessions and sacrifices they needed to get through the crisis.  These three sectors continue to get together to go beyond mere negotiations to consensus building and solidarity.  Could we do this in America?

What can theology, religious folks, and the church do to help build consensus and collaboration?  It is disastrous for religion to get too far enmeshed into partisan politics, but can the church bring people of different political persuasions together to talk and build consensus?  What kind of an ecclesiology (theology of church)  is needed to bring such people together?

I have a decidedly un-trendy suggestion: Denominationalsim.  What I mean is fidelity, partnership, and participation with one’s denomination.  I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  I am in the candidacy process, in fact, to become an ordained pastor in the ELCA.  And although there are moments in which I have to be a part of something I disagree with, I believe it is worth it, to be in this denomination.  I do not think that other denominations are heretical or anything of the sort.  Rather, I believe that in standing in solidarity in my tradition, I am able to reach out in the spirit of ecuminism, inter-religious dialogue, and across political lines.  This is the beauty of the denomination.

“The God Gap” is a fascinating study reviewed by Martin Marty, and posted by Bob Cornwall, that delves into the huge gap between what is reportedly the “Christian” political standpoint, and the deep diversity that actualy exists within: White Evangelical Protestants (WEP, African American Protestants (AAP), and White Mainline Protestants(WMP).  Each group is diverse in their own right, and the three groups combined represent a huge range of political positions.  And this is why the denomination is so important.  I know that in the ELCA one could easily find people who would identify as WEP, AAP, and WMP.  If pressed, the ELCA would probably fit the WMP category by and large.  But the beauty of a “big tent” religion is that there is room for variety within, and there is the challenge to learn how to get along with one another.

In my anecdotal experience, the denomination hasn’t been getting much love lately.  Any theology/ecclesiology worth its salt won’t lazily dismiss the profound worth of the denomination.  The big tents of Mainline Protestant churches might be a little tattered these days.  But this isn’t cause to hack them down or declare their end.  Rather, it might be time to call for a revival under the imperfect tents we already have.  Then, we might prove useful to a world in crisis, a world that needs to learn how to live with one another, to make it through the tough times.