Authenticity
By Michael Fagans
You never know where you may run into the Creator in your daily life.
The most recent time for myself was recently on a trip down to Los Angeles.
I serve on the national Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Self-Development of People Committee (SDOP). Groups who have come together to work to escape poverty, seek justice for their community or want to change systems that perpetuate oppression can apply for microgrants from the national church and local presbytery SDOP committee. Part of the process of applying for funding is for a committee member to visit a group that we might want to support. That was what brought me to a small industrial park in Los Angeles.
The group I was visiting is a collection of local artists interested in creating a public art project that combines sculpture, painting and mural work with street art and read graffiti. One of the founders of the group confessed that he never expected to live past 28, so when he turned 30 he realized that he needed to find steady work to support his family. That statement alone is enough to challenge how many of us perceive the “invisible” part of LA, but that wasn’t the moment that caused me to really think.
Later in the meeting, when I asked the group if there were questions for me, one of the street artists asked me very directly if I could understand the lives many of the people in the group lived. He wanted to know if I just “talked the talk” or if I also “walked the walk.’ In short, he wanted to know if I was authentic. He wanted to know if my story was true before he invested anything in what might be hope.
How many times in our faith lives are we challenged on the question of authenticity?
Wearing my SDOP “hat” I knew this was a critical moment both for the church and for this group. It told me many important things about this group that this artist wanted to know if I had any idea of the life he had lived to that point. He wanted to know if I understood any of the obstacles he had to overcome to get to our meeting. But more importantly, he wanted to know how authentic I was.
One of the recent influences in my life is the marketing and business guru Seth Godin who asks three very important questions about authenticity, “What's your story?” “Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?” And, “Is it true?” People in our day and age can tell when businesses, groups or even churches are not authentic in what they say and how they act. I would argue that this is one of the primary reasons that many denominations are struggling today; there is a disconnect between words and action that is obvious to those outside organized religion.
So what is to be done as a person of faith in a world that yearns for authenticity, that hungers for truth? I would advocate, step out into faith, and walk the walk.
So what did I do?
I told the truth. There was no way I could know what he had been through. I did tell him I have been to jail numerous times, visiting people and working as a journalist, but I have never been incarcerated. I told him I have photographed dead bodies, accidents and victims families, but I don’t enjoy it. In fact the worst part of the job for me is going to someone’s house after they have suffered a tragedy and taking their picture as they relive the horrors of an accident. I tell myself I do this to save other people from making the same mistake, but I still feel like I need a shower after an assignment like that. I am worried that some day I will not feel anything in those situations, that I will become emotionally numb. I am worried that I will lose my humanity.
That is what I told Joseph that Saturday. I have witnessed enough humanity to have an idea of what he as gone through, I have lived enough of life to bear witness to his story and I am authentic enough in my faith that I believe it is important for me to meet with him and his group.
More often than not I read Micah 6:8 to groups at the end of our meetings.
“And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” To paraphrase a rabbi I admire, this is faith in a nutshell, the rest of the book is just commentary. That is why I am visiting. That is the authentic expression of my faith.
So where are you or where have you been authentic in the practice of your faith? Has it been in your church, your temple or your mosque or was it out in the world? The world is hungry for people of faith to talk the talk and walk the walk. They have seen enough of the failures to know when it is inauthentic.
My hope for you would be when the challenge is delivered that you are ready to answer the call.
NOTE: We are not currently accepting applications from individual groups outside the United States. For more information, contact the SDOP staff.