The reader will immediately recognize that I have only a cursory knowledge of what I am writing about. I am good at bluffing but privately I make no pretence to being a credible intellectual. I have met a few of these folks here or there so I know what they are. I hear something once and I’m off and running with it.
Perhaps twenty years ago I heard preacher, sociologist and “comedian” Dr. Tony Campolo discuss the concept of “totemism.” I had taken both cultural anthropology and sociology in university and had heard the term but paid little attention to the concept at that time. Campolo referred to anthropologist Margaret Mead as one of those who studied the phenomena and went on to explain some of her observations.
Though the word seemed ponderous the concept did not. Campolo handily explained that the idea came from the totem. He went on to use the totem pole as a way of unraveling how the concept works.
Mead, pointed out that almost all cultures, though centuries and miles apart, are notable in that they are incurably religious and have totems of one kind or another as a way of expressing their mystical beliefs. Whether it happens to be the enormous stone and lava heads of the Easter Islands in Rapa Nui National Park or the totem poles of the northwestern American aboriginals, the Nootka, Haida, T’simshian, Tlingit to name but a few, totems appear almost everywhere in the world. Sometimes they show up as glyphs rather than something made of stone or wood. Nevertheless, various mascots universally occur.
Campolo made the following application: every culture adopts totems of one kind or another. It might be, as in the case of American Indians, a Thunderbird. This bird doesn’t exist in reality, but the idea sums up all of the cultural values of the tribe(s) so they build a tribute to it. What existentially follows is the interesting idea. They worship or pay homage to the pole. We might refer to this practice as idolatry.
In primitive societies this plays itself out in thousand ways throughout the history of man. The image might have been a scarab, owl, cat, cow, frog or turtle. In more sophisticated cultures these might be a bear, lion, dragon, beaver, eagle but you get the idea. The animal or some other thing, whether real or imagined, embodies the qualities the culture wants to project regarding its own perceived strengths, character and qualities. Of course, we should expect this from primitive societies. What should we expect? They don’t know any better until we reach them with the Mustang, Cougar, Viper, Ram, or the gospel, right?
About a year ago I happened to be in an American denominational church in the south on Independence Day. They made quite a thing out of this special national holiday by recognizing those who had served in the military, to which there was much-deserved applause. Next, however, they struck out to sing “America the Beautiful,” a song to which, without prompting, people all around began to stand to their feet with hands over their hearts and sang at the top of their lungs. In fact, I made note that I had not heard this sort of worship all the while I have attended there. I’m afraid that in the same way, the Jesus of Roman Catholicism plays second fiddle to Mary. While “American Jesus” plays second fiddle to Caesar and his agenda. It was theologian, Francis Schaeffer who said, “Caesar and God cannot both be God. One must make up his or her mind.”
Are we guilty of pagan “Totemism?”
It occurred to me, have we dressed Jesus up to look like us so we might actually worship ourselves? I think so. This isn’t just true of Americans. It’s equally true of the Chinese, Guatemalans, Kenyans, Tutsi, and Massai, Southern Baptists or members of the Assembly of God. In some circles we have imagined a “Reformed,” holiness, charismatic or Pentecostal Jesus. The great challenge of every believer is coming to terms with the authentic Jesus. This becomes a lifetime of re-calibration. Whatever we have gathered up about Jesus probably isn’t Him.
It’s election time again and some Americans are trying to figure out how they might turn Jesus into a Republican. In many minds he’s certainly not a Democrat! Jesus doesn’t live downtown. He’s not black. You won’t find him with “nappy” hair, low pants or sporting a tattoo. He lives in the suburbs. He graduated from university, drives a SUV and several other late model cars. He has a Jacuzzi and a hot tub. For some he might be a cool Jesus or a “Gap Jesus” in the same way Central America had fashioned a “Liberation” Jesus with a bandoleer and Uzi machine gun.
You see, we have all done this to Him. We have invented a Jesus that embraces our cultural values so that we can indirectly worship ourselves and our values. This is classic narcissism. We fail to honestly examine Him and take Him as He really is. We have laid our grid over Him rather than His grid over us. We have turned Jesus into the culture learner.
