Yesterday was Joan Rivers’ funeral. She could be funny but she could also say things that went too far, even for non-religious people. Interviewed after the funeral, Geraldo Rivera, a friend of Ms. Rivers, said, “It was exactly the irreverent show that Joan would have wanted.”
I’ve been ill at ease ever since hearing that. What he said demonstrates why many of us feel alienated from the popular culture of the today’s America. What the glitterati and the pundits celebrate, irreverence, is exactly the opposite of how we were raised. Our parents raised us with Sunday School, maybe parochial school, took us to church. They weren’t going against culture because back then the culture favored the church and synagogue and public mention of God. It was a reverent culture. My goodness, how do you come through a Depression and World War and not fear God? Many Americans, maybe most, haven’t changed that much in our personal piety but certainly the tone of those who dominate popular culture has changed, deteriorated we’d say. You have to wonder how much the irreverence is seeping into our quiet, uncelebrated lives.
It’s increasingly clear that following Jesus means leaving the crowd. We are aliens, pilgrims. We love our lives in this wonderful, God-blessed nation but we aren’t totally at home here. “Guide us when perplexed” prays the line in a hymn of thanks. It’s the kind of line that only comes from reverence.
Comments