Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

Christina Krost

What I Learned from Arguing with a Pig Farmer

by Christina Krost in Uncategorized

I was recently invited to preach at a church near me about the importance of creation care. I carefully crafted a sermon that I thought was equal parts faithful, educational, and challenging. Though I was terrified of my first preaching experience, I thought it went well. At the very least, I didn’t die of embarrassment or pass out from nerves. I received positive feedback on my appearance (that’s a blog post for another day), my speaking voice, and my message. I was thanked for my work and for teaching the congregation something new. Several people pledged to increase their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. It was an encouraging day.

A few days went by and I received a phone call from one of the pastors. It seems one of the members of the congregation, who happened to be a pig farmer, was enraged by my message and the pastor thought he was in need of a follow-up–so I gave him a call.

What happened next was perhaps the most formative experience I’ve had to date about how to have a difficult or emotionally-charged conversation with someone you disagree with. Here’s what I learned:

Listening to understand and listening to formulate a response are not the same thing.
I like to debate, and I like to win. But when you’re trying to form or maintain relationships with people, you need to suspend this desire. The best thing I could do in this situation was to make sure the person felt heard. So I listened. This can be disarming to the person you’re… [Read more…] about What I Learned from Arguing with a Pig Farmer

Things We Don't Talk About: DAPL and the Doctrine of Discovery

by Christina Krost in Current Events

I recently heard Mark Charles, a Navajo speaker, writer, and advocate, give a lecture on the Doctrine of Discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery was when the Church in Europe, through a series of Papal Bulls from 1452-1493, instructed the nations of Europe to go and conquer lands and people not ruled by Christian rulers. These indigenous people were considered less than human, and their sacred lands were for the taking.

This attitude extends through our nation’s history as reflected in the treatment of Native Americans from Columbus to the present day, and is hiding in plain sight in our revered historical documents like The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. And its modern-day effects are being seen in the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) opposition in North Dakota.

If this is news to you, I am sorry. I am sorry our educational system has not undertaken this difficult topic, and instead of using it as a starting point for healing it’s been buried and forbidden. Many would prefer not to talk or think about it, proclaiming, “What does the past have to do with me? What am I supposed to do about it?” Many are ashamed of this part of our history, but by not working through it we may be doomed to repeat it. What we need is lament and reconciliation to our land and our native peoples.

One could argue that we live in a time where the question is not whether we are racist or not, but whether our racism is explicit or implicit. We are all racist, some of us are just… [Read more…] about Things We Don't Talk About: DAPL and the Doctrine of Discovery

Lost in Translation

by Christina Krost in Current Events

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg–I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Luke 16:1-9

I was asked to prepare a children’s message on the above scripture recently. I realized it would be a tough and nuanced concept to try to explain to kids (and maybe even adults) in a 10-minute time slot. As I got down to business, I realized there was a major… [Read more…] about Lost in Translation

Sundown Town

by Christina Krost in Christian Issues

Embed from Getty Images

I live in a sundown town.

I’ll admit, I’d never heard that term until college. But it’s stuck with me since my husband attended a talk by author James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism.

The gist is that though northern states were not as overt in racial segregation as the southern states, there were still places that, if you were black, you were not welcome. Some towns posted signs to the effect of “Don’t let the sun set on you here,” meaning those “unwanted” folks had better clear out before dark, or else.

The spread of this rule relied heavily on oral tradition, though some towns had official ordinances on their books. Consequences included threats of physical violence, damage to property, and/or police action to those in noncompliance.

I read that the sundown town sign in my small, rural, southern Illinois town was up until the past decade or so, when it was removed to accommodate a public works project and was not replaced after the work was completed. And I recently heard a story retold by a member of our church about a former pastor in the 1950s bringing home a black friend from seminary and the pastor’s experience of having to explain to his guest why he had to stay inside his host’s home after dark.

As a point of fact, there are not many African-American residents in my town or surrounding towns to this day. That a sign like this could exist for so long in… [Read more…] about Sundown Town

We're Not The First

by Christina Krost in Christian Spirituality

It’s a rough time to work for the church and her people.

In the past few weeks I’ve been riding waves of emotion while following the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, which took place last month in Portland, Oregon. It nearly ripped the church apart and deferred work on LGBTQI inclusion to a committee which will convene at a later date.

My heart broke as it also voted down measures to divest from fossil fuels and severed a relationship with an organization that was integral to maternal health care around the world. It ran out of time to take up other important legislation from United Methodist Women that would have helped elevate women and children globally.

This church, my church, which has nurtured and affirmed my husband’s call to ministry and has literally sheltered my family through the roughest time in our lives, is weighing heavy on my spirit.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Real life happened in these last weeks, too:

The check engine light came on in the van. Thankfully, tightening the gas cap did the trick.
My daughter Ava turned 7 and was celebrated with birthday treats for her class and a butterfly-themed party with her friends.
The girls finished up first- and fifth-grade and recognized their teachers for their steadfast care and guidance.
My moms group at church decided to move in another direction this fall, which is part relief and part challenge.
My youngest daughter Harper began full-time daycare this week. We’re wrestling with… [Read more…] about We're Not The First