The Office: Season 7 Episode 23 · “Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager”
Dwight: So I expect you to be on your best behavior, which means none of you will be insubordinate, nor will you foment insurrection.
Jim: Question, if we already fomented insurrection, may we be grandfathered in?
Dwight: Define foment.
Jim: You define foment.
Recently I attended a meeting that was so paternalistic and offensive that it took me 5 days not to get worked up at the thought of the meeting! Not to mention I still get worked up telling the story of the meeting…
The committee gathered was seemingly useless in the face of a highly debated issue that has literal life and death outcomes for some people. With the ideas I brought to the committee, I expected some pushback, but what I got was…so much more! I felt like I was hit by bulldozers with all the pushback headed towards me.
Where we could have done (or at least started) so much for the good of people and justice for God’s children, instead we talked about things, patted ourselves on the back for showing up to a quarterly meeting, and said see you in June. I wanted to dissolve the committee or at least put all harm done to people and families on the hands of the committee members, but instead I have resolved to turn what is barren and dried up into something new and exciting that works for good.
Leaving this meeting, and in following a quote from a favorite TV Show, The Office, I committed myself to fomenting insurrection. Fomenting insurrection in this committee to put fire under them and to do God’s justice work like their name implies. Fomenting insurrection in the church so that it may repent of its sin, remove the painful and dark stains of the wrong done in the name of Christianity in the past and present; so that it may more closely reflect Christ’s love for humanity, the world, and the whole cosmos.
And so comes the name of this blog. A name I’ve been waiting to come up with for at least 5-6 years. So my hopes and dreams for this blog is that it reflects its name. Fomenting insurrection by reflecting on the struggles and joys of life, of the church and in the world. Bringing a word of hope and a call for re-creation and re-newal, a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Fomenting Insurrection 