November 5th, 1995
Walt and George open their conversation talking about “where do I belong?, “who am I?” Walt talks about that biblical directive that we don’t belong to anyone – the quest of discovery of connections is the point. As opposed to any other religion or ideology, Christianity (especially organized religion) does exactly the opposite of what we are called to do. Walt recounts listening to “religious” channels to hear what people are saying and about attending his church; it is all about “belonging” but nothing about the quest. And often “belonging” is equated with giving money. Institutions are not the gospel; they are necessary but that’s all. There are two segments of organizational Christianity that are not freedom – the focus on origin or the focus on end times. The Christian Right is focused on both. Both are about rules, not freedom. To walk away from bull in the world is not the way to demythologize it. How to confront it is the constant struggle. Thought must be connected to action and that has to work the other way as well.
Walt talks about how he is always trying to figure out how to have real conversations even when they are uncomfortable, without harming relationships.
