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After years of deconstructing and reconstructing from evangelicalism and religious trauma, hear where I find myself now on the biggie questions of life.

Mom and I - circa mid 1970’s

It’s about as important of a question as they come. Who is my family? It seems synonymous to another question: Where do I belong? Apparently Jesus instinctively paired them together as recorded in the twelfth chapter of Mathew, verses forty-six through fifty.

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.  Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

I’ve written elsewhere about my close connection with my mother. While it is not universally true, there does seem to be a special connection between mothers and their sons just as there often is between fathers and their daughters. I can certainly attest to both. When it comes to the former, that is what makes these supposed words of Jesus all the more shocking. Certainly by all biblical accounts, Mary and Jesus did not have a cold and distant relationship. Mary is portrayed as having both a warm affection and subtle reverence for her son as a young child (Luke 2:19). And Jesus, even while in the deepest of agony while he hung on the cross, was so committed to his mother that he took time to appoint a disciple to care for her in view of his immanent death (John 19:25-27).

And yet on another occasion when informed that his mom, along with his brothers, were waiting outside and wanted to speak to him, Jesus basically told the crowd that his gang of often clueless disciples were more family than the woman who gave birth to him and raised him! I mean, damn, Jesus, that’s cold! He goes on to clarify that what qualifies someone as a member of his family is if they do “the will of the Father”. But wasn’t the very fact that she was his mother based on an angelic declaration of God’s favor on her life (Luke 1:30)? Isn’t it fair to assume that said favor is based, at least in part, on a fair amount of effort on Mary’s part to follow a righteous path? But none of that mattered now in this moment for Jesus and Mary. On that day, Mary and her other children wouldn’t receive from Jesus even the attention commonly provided to distant relatives.

What caused Jesus to be so harsh? Well we get a hint in another passage in the book of Mark (3:21), where we learn that apparently the fever pitch of Jesus’ self-ascribing Messianic talk had gotten too extreme for the family, even though Mary was given plenty of advance warning about Jesus’ unique, God-ordained mission (Luke 1:32-33). According to Mark, Mary and Jesus’ brothers thought he was “out of his mind”.

Well I am NO Jesus, believe you me! But in this story I find some sense of a shared experience and therefore some fellowship with this man from nearly 2,000 years ago. The last few years have been very hard because I have grieved the loss of so many loved ones, not from physical death but by a separation of conscience and will. This has included literal blood relatives along with those who I had thought were fellow ‘brothers and sisters’ in God’s family, the Church. Having grown up in a devout Christian home, these two families were very intertwined. I recall singing both in my house and at church on Sundays the Bill and Gloria Gaither contemporary hymn, Family of God. The chorus goes like this…

I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God,
I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I'm part of the family,
The Family of God.

But now many in both my literal and my supposedly spiritual family seem estranged. I look at them and think, ‘I don’t even know who you are!’ And to be fair, I know they are thinking the same. The cause of this divorce? We have a shockingly different understanding of ‘the will of the Father’. I am convinced that many of them think that God’s will is synonymous with the idols of which I have previously written about. Their patriarch and prophet is now Donald Trump. In contrast, I had one of my former pastors say that my conclusions about evangelicalism were either “brilliant or crazy”, and it was clear by the tone of the conversation that he was strongly leaning towards crazy. Either way, the end result is the same: we’ve drifted apart as we pursue two diametrically opposed agendas.

And yet among the loss, I have much to celebrate! For I have found new family members I never knew existed. Or perhaps I knew they existed but they were, you know, ‘those people’ that needed the saving. Curiously it turns out that they are more eagerly practicing the kind of unconditional love I was told was supposed to be a central conviction and way of life with my former family. So my new ‘brothers and sisters’ are the likes of liberal atheists, members of the LGBT community, and Muslim refugees, whether they live next door or half a world away. To them I say thank you. I am cherishing our new fellowship and growing every day as I am inspired by your courage and strength. And above all, I am exceedingly honored to be called your ‘brother’.

Holding a ‘nephew’, a precious Syrian baby in a refugee camp in Lebanon (2015)

So we've looked at why evangelicals might consider a financial boycott of their church (Part 1) along with certain 'Christian' media companies and schools (Part 2).  In the conclusion of this series, we turn our attention to two more evangelical industries that you might want to take a second look at when it comes to doling out your dollars.

You've got to love the not-so-secretive code sign: the Jesus fish!  Ah yes, just subtlety slap that baby on your company truck, business card, or website, and your prospective evangelical customer is sure to get the message. "Have us mow your lawn, do that kitchen remodel, or cater that wedding (so long as your not gay!), and you can be sure that your money isn't going to support some pagan business that is probably operating unethically because the owner doesn't have Jesus in his or her heart."

But don't make the mistake of assuming that the sell of religiously superior ethics is the only thing in mind when it comes to most evangelical leaders in the market place.  No, there is a far greater cause that has been cemented into the psyche of many Christian business men and women.  Make sure you check out a previous article I wrote that looks at the evangelical idol of power.  The piece includes an especially revealing video made to inspire Christians to "take back" the seven mountains of culture.  In it, there is a particular emphasis on Christians reclaiming leadership in the domain of business so as to effectively resource the effort to return America to its Christian heritage.  Whether stated explicitly or not, this is one of the chief visions fueling this call to join the cadre of Christian capitalists, perhaps only eclipsed by stories of saving lost souls through a God-style economy.  You can find 'fellowship' in this effort through one of any number of Christian business associations, like The Christian Business Network, Christian Business Fellowship, or Convene.  The fact that the old religious right's culture war narrative is lurking not to far below the surface of these networks of success-hungry crusaders is made pretty obvious when the home page of the Northern Californian Christian Business Directory features a video promoting the Genesis Apologetics App.  This mobile tool will equip your good Christian teens to pretend like they know what they are talking about in the fight against public school teachers and their evil doctrine of evolution.  

Our mobile app includes dozens of videos that debunk evolution theory taught in public schools.

But let's get back to ethics, where I am sure that the Bible has something to say about things like fair wages (Jeremiah 22:13 and James 5:4) or that Jesus taught his disciples to not embrace violence (Matthew 5:38-45).  Among a list of household name companies that are owned by the devout, most of them evangelical Christians, there are some interesting practices that makes you wonder if the Scriptures are their 'final rule for faith and practice'.

Like Chick-Fil-A Chairman and CEO, Dan Cathy, who has a net worth of 3.8 billion dollars.  And yet according to Glassdoor, his average entry level employee makes eight to nine dollars an hour and a store general manager pulls in just $49,500 annually!  That's paycheck to paycheck and public benefits territory.

Or take the maker of rifle scopes, Trijicon, whose revenue, by the way, comes in part from supplying the U.S. military.  It made some news awhile back when it came out that Bible verses were subtly inscribed on their products.  Yes, now you can "love your enemies" by blowing a whole in their head through the sight of your high-quality, Scripture-emblazoned Trijicon scope.

These, and a myriad of other hypocrisy ridden companies that are supposed to be built on the bedrock principles of God's Word, are in my opinion not worthy of your business.

Lets turn to safer territory, literally.  What about Evangelical humanitarian organizations who are often seeking to undue the effects of greed and war?  As most of you are aware, I previously worked for World Relief, an organization that serves as the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals.  They, along with many other evangelical relief and development organizations, are chalked full of amazingly compassionate and creative people who are daily evidencing a true love of neighbors.  But that doesn't mean these institutions are not infected with the idols of evangelicalism and therefore in need of substantial reform.  And as we said in part one, economic withdrawal is the most effective way to achieve this kind of change.  So I suggest that evangelical Christians who are grieved by the same things that I am may want to reconsider their generous contributions to some of these organizations.

I'll give two examples of grievous practices that warrant a retraction of financial support.

• Proselytizing: Among many if not all of these organizations is some level of exploitation of uniquely vulnerable people for the purpose of winning converts. This is something I previously covered in a piece entitled Evangelical Ambulance Chasing.

• Intolerant Hiring Practices: It was indeed a sad day when one of the largest global evangelical humanitarian organizations, World Vision, folded under the threat of economic withdrawal by the religious right and reversed what would have been a morally courageous decision to openly hire members of the LGBTQ community. Or in my time at World Relief, I found it to be a violation of the Character of Christ and an embrace of the paranoia of conservative evangelicals to, as a matter of policy, deny Muslims the opportunity to work with the organization even though it was tasked with serving predominantly Muslim refugees. I also feel that while currently legally allowable, this is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. You can find more of my thoughts on this in the two-part series on The Public Subsidization of Religion.

As you consider supporting humanitarian organizations with an evangelical affiliation, you have every right to investigate whether these and other policies and practices born of ignorance or bigotry are present before you write that next check. 

As we conclude, remember that just because you have chosen to not personally support a local, national, or international evangelical non-profit, whether humanitarian or educational, you may be indirectly resourcing them through your church.  So make sure your congregation has thoroughly vetted it's ministry partners.  You may find that you are indirectly resourcing an organization that is violating values that are important to you.  For example, if you are here in Sacramento you may be attending one of the over one-hundred churches that financially support William Jessup University, which as we discussed previously is a school whose leadership is blatantly embracing the idols of power and superiority.  If that is the case, it's yet another reason to reduce or withhold your tithe.

In the end, the congregation, like Congress, holds the 'power of the purse'.  Individually and collectively, exercise your rights and responsibilities as true principled disciples.  Give only to that in which you truly believe.

In Part 1 of Boycotting Bad Religion, we talked about the justification for evangelicals to withhold their 'tithes and offerings' from their local church.  Again, if you are a part of another Christian denomination or an entirely different faith all together, I leave it up to you to decide whether this is necessary.  But for those who are choosing to stick with the evangelical tribe and who want to employ economic withdrawal as an instrument of reform within evangelical institutions, you will have to focus on more than your local church.  There is the world of so-called 'para-church ministries' that I would argue have in some ways caused even more damage to true faith as they aligned with the religious right's despotic march towards the gospel of America.  So put on your Robin Hood hats as we look at the first two of four evangelical industries that should be starved of our 'offerings' until they fully reject their idols or perhaps more ideally just go away (we will cover the last two in Part 3).

As Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, (and) even when he is old he will not depart from it."  Well that's all good...unless you are training them to embrace ignorance and intolerance.  And so goes the first golden calf of conservative evangelicalism--that being, private Christian education.  Aside from taking over the Supreme Court, evangelical schools is their most cherished bulwark against the liberal hordes who dare threaten their ethno-religious dominance.

Fighting against the LGBTQ community has been a particular hallmark of their bellwether educational institutions, the term 'bellwether' being oh so fitting given that it originates with the image of a castrated ram leading a bunch of sheep.  Their 'stand' on 'the sanctity of marriage' and 'biblical sexuality' is a great way to narrow down your list of where NOT to send your children and your money.  Simply locate a list of schools claiming Title IX exemption and you'll find my alma mater, Multnomah University, or a college just a short drive from my house, William Jessup University, among many, MANY others.  The majority of the list is a veritable who's who of evangelical academia.

What is particularly maddening is that even if you choose to not support these schools by contributing to your son's or daughter's tuition or through other charitable gifts, you are still supporting them through paying taxes, thanks again to that wonderful legal loophole of Title IX exemptions.  If you would like to learn more about that injustice and what public policies would set things right, make sure to check out my two-part series, Church $ State: The Public Subsidization of Religion.

In the meantime, let's make sure they don't have one more penny than that which we are legally required to give them.

In the same way that Billy Graham had previously figured out that television and radio would be essential tools in his evangelistic efforts, the religious right knew they needed to leverage these modern mediums to indoctrinate the evangelical masses on their paranoid and politically power-hungry world view.  And so was born outlets like the Christian Broadcast Network, started in 1960 by a godfather of the religious right, Pat Robertson, followed in the 70's by the Trinity Broadcasting Network.  The latter has become notorious for controversies.  Staying in the charismatic wing of the evangelical mad house, there is print media like Charisma Magazine, which I once heard described as 'Breitbart in Pentecostal drag' as it continues to spew out one Trump puff piece after another.

Then you have massive media conglomerates like the Salem Media Group.  Print, web, radio...hey, there is no tool they won't use to vomit up either lies or hypocrisies!  Their 'Christian News and Talk'  stations, most of them either called "The Answer" or "The Patriot", are my personal favorites (sarcasm!).

And here is the thing my evangelical friends: when it comes to so-called 'Christian' TV and radio, you don't have to even send them money to pay for their idol-making machines.  All you have to do is listen.  That's all it takes to get their ratings up which in turn attracts more advertising dollars which begets more lies and hypocrisies.   

Now what is really fun is when these two--Christian media and education--team up!  I'll use a local example to make my case--that being the glorious marriage of 1380 The Answer and William Jessup University.  It was the height of hypocrisy when in 2017 John Jackson, the President of William Jessup University, gave a cowardly back-door rebuke of myself and other local evangelical leaders.  In a video calling for 'unity' in the Church, he claimed without conveniently naming names that me and my friends were placing our Democratic or progressive causes ahead of the cause of Christ.  "If you are not a Christian first and a Republican" or "Democrat" or "progressive second, third, fourth or tenth," then we are entering into demonic "deception".   Meanwhile, both before and after the video was made, his University, in partnership with 1380 The Answer, was trodding out one partisan event after the other, such as...

• a Republican rally held a few weeks before the 2016 election called "Doomsday or Redemption Day" with an image of Hillary Clinton under 'Doomsday' and Donald Trump under 'Redemption Day'.

• or in October 2017 they joined forces to host a stop on "The Fake News Tour" featuring conservative talk show hosts Larry Elder and former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, with the event description declaring, "President Trump and Conservative talk radio have outed the liberal biased media and their fake news!"

• or more recently they co-hosted former Press Secretary Sean Spicer's book tour!

Yes sure John, you certainly have moral credibility on your ability to stay above the political fray!

Well, that's enough for this installment of Faith v Religion.  Do you have other examples of specific Christian media and educational organizations that you think should be boycotted?  Make sure to share them in the comments below.

In the conclusion of this series (Part 3), I'll share with those remaining on the evangelical Titanic two more classes of institutions that you should consider denying access to your bank account.

In this edition of Profiles in Courage, we conclude our 4 part series on education inequality with an interview with Dr. Herrera-Evans of The Language Institute in Modesto, CA.  If you haven't already, I would encourage you to read or listen to the previous installments: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

To stay informed on The Language Institute, I recommend liking their Facebook page.  You can also follow Dr. Herrera-Evens on Twitter at @ameliahereva.

The book that is referenced in the interview will be released in September 2019 by Corwin and Sage.  It will be entitled: Community Equity Audits: Communities and Schools Working Together to Eliminate the Opportunity Gap    Authored By: Drs. Kathryn Bell McKenzie, John Martyn Gunn, Talitha Agan, Campbell Bullock, and Amelia Herrera-Evans

Her dissertation, Beyond the Classroom, A descriptive social epidemiological study comparing two school sites in Modesto, California  By investigating the relationship, among place, health, and education, can be found at this link.

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - Jesus (Matthew 6:24)

If power is a hallmark of religion, then the institution of the Church is the means by which religion executes it's so-called 'God-ordained' dominion over the earth.  But one key component is missing in this simple equation: money.  The faithful's 'tithes and offerings', and the Church's Divinely mandated responsibility to receive these 'gifts to God', is the economic engine of religion.  If such is the case, it is high time to financially boycott the Church.

Let me preface the rest of what I share here by saying that I'm going to focus on the religion I am most familiar with, that being American Evangelicalism.  Some of you come from other traditions under the broader umbrella of Christianity or entirely different religions all-together.  I leave it to you to apply this to your own context.  I'm going to pick on the community I know best.

Like a classic shell game, champions of preserving and expanding religious institutions love to use a little rhetorical sleight of hand wherein giving to the Church becomes synonymous with giving to God.  "But Kirt, are you suggesting we 'rob God'!?  What about Malachi 3:8-10?"  Well first of all, proof-texting the Bible to emotionally manipulate ordinary people of faith is just going to piss me off, so don't go there.

Secondly, if you have been following my writings on 'Faith versus Religion' you have likely picked up on the fact that the old saying that, 'The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!", doesn't hold any authority over me anymore.  Even with that said, for the sake of those who still hold conservative views of the Bible and who are active members in an Evangelical church, let's look at a Scripture and apply a little common moral sense.

I have written previously about how the Evangelical Church in America is overrun with worshipping the false idols of nationalism and consumerism, just to name a few.  This has led to a sickening apathy where evangelicals, particularly of the white and suburban kind, can carry on their Sunday dog and pony shows while providing, for example, blanket political support to a President who is advancing greed and abusing the poor and suffering on an unprecedented scale.

Then enters the first chapter of the book of Isaiah, where God, to borrow from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in his WWE days, lays the smack-down on the candy-ass of God's people.  Here I quote at length (1:10-17):

Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers of Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
“When you come to appear before Me,
Who requires of you this trampling of My courts?
“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
“I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
“So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.

It should be abundantly clear from the theme of this passage, which is repeatedly driven home by the prophets throughout Scripture, that the mere idea of receiving an offering on Sunday morning while a church cowardly turns a blind eye to injustice, is of the highest offense to the God of the Bible.

So let's assume your church has embraced hypocrisy as bliss, but for whatever reason you have chosen to keep attending.  Let me share two reasons on why you should stop tithing.  For one, if I'm faced with a choice between a) giving a portion of my paycheck to 'keep the church lights on' and pay the salary of church staff who have chosen to preserve their job over actually spiritually leading their people versus b) contributing to an established and effective charity that is actually advancing justice and providing critical relief to those suffering in this world, well...it's kind of a no-brainer.  Sometimes I feel deep pangs of regret, like Liam Neeson depicted in Schindler's List, as I ponder how many people might have received life-saving aid through an organization that was partially resourced by the tens of thousands of dollars that I instead gave to sustaining a religious club called 'the local church'.

Liam Neeson, depicting Oscar Schindler, in 1993's Schindler's List.

Secondly, if you are still holding out hope for some reform and revival in your church, then you need to understand and apply the principle of what Martin Luther King Jr. called 'economic withdrawal'.  While it might not be the highest motivation for change, the quickest way to effect reform within the institution of the Church is to inflict a little pain at the plate.  Churches that were all about standing on their conservative 'biblical' values and principles get mighty pragmatic when the money stops rolling in.  Hopefully their heart will follow later.  Important note: Make sure you connect with others who are choosing to financially boycott your church and then collectively let your lead pastor know of your decision.  It will help expedite to church leadership's decision to 'reflect' upon how God uses 'new wine-skins' (Mark 2:22).  

Ralph Waldo Emerson once famously said that, "Money often costs too much."  This is so true when money becomes the end or the means to the wrong end.  I would argue that tithing to a church that has lost sight of the true end of faith is to enable its journey to a spiritual dead-end.  And so we might give a new twist to an old question that Jesus asked: And what is the benefit if you give to a church that has lost its own soul?  (Mark 8:36)  Though viewed as being disobedient to the Bible and disrespectful of those leaders God has placed 'over' you, withholding your tithes and offerings might end up being one of the most compassionate things you can do for your fellow congregants and a world in genuine need.

In Part 2, we turn to address the whole universe of ancillary institutions or 'para-church' organizations of the evangelical world and conclude with my recommendations on which ones I think evangelicals should financially cut off.

For those of us who were there, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remember what Disney California Adventure looked like when it first opened in 2001.  With each passing year since Disney launched its massive, multi-billion dollar effort to redeem itself from the failed launch of the much anticipated 'second gate' at the Disneyland Resort, entire swaths of the park have been completely gutted and redone.  Much to Disney's pleasure, the changes have been very successful, from the perfectly recreated Buena Vista Street of Walt's early years in the City of Angeles to the wildly successful Cars Land.  As we discussed in the previous Armchair Imagineering post, the early 2000's bandaid of A Bug's Land is soon to fade away with the coming Marvel-themed Super Hero Land.  And we're a mere weeks away from the re-opening of the newly minted Pixar Pier.   With these and other changes and additions, it feels like we're on the home stretch of finally creating a worthy neighbor to the iconic theme park masterpiece next door.

But there is one last part of the park that continues to beg for attention, pleading to be saved from the formerly mentioned stalled start for DCA, and that would be Hollywood Land.  Here is how it is presently described on the Disneyland Resort's website:

Welcome to Hollywood Land, where the Golden Age of Hollywood and the magic of Disney movies are celebrated with attractions, shows and entertainment that conjure the romance, glamour and sentimentality of the silver screen. Walk down Hollywood Boulevard, visit a backlot of Hollywood Studios and take a dark turn down Sunset Boulevard.

Well, the reality is that Hollywood Boulevard is basically a long, glorified walkway to The Hyperion Theater and The Guardian's of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, and that the section dubbed the 'backlot' features the bustling activity of a graveyard, aside from the modestly popular Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! attraction.  This dark ride itself is an example of the early patchwork approach to fixing DCA, as it mercifully put to death the short-lived dud, Superstar Limo.  Muppet Vision 3D hung on for a good thirteen years, but grew stale fairly quickly as evidenced by the mostly empty theater.  Since its close in 2014, the space has been used mostly for preview screenings of the newest Disney movies.  They have attempted to breathe some life into the northeast corner of DCA with various live entertainment, from ElecTRONica and the Mad T Party to the more recent Avengers Training Initiative.  But once the musicians and meet-and-greet look-a-likes have packed up and left, so go the park-goers, leaving behind a mostly vacant significant chunk of Disney real-estate.   And with it now appearing that the once rumored expansion of the Marvel franchise into this area is dead along with the Eastern Gateway infrastructure project, that means that all ideas are back on the table for what to do with this sad corner of the park.

Now as far as Hollywood Boulevard, I've already suggested in the previously mentioned Marvel expansion piece that the buildings that line the south side of the street should be mostly facade so that the space inside could be used for a major Black Panther or Doctor Strange dark ride.  But what would happen to the Animation Academy?  This is, in my opinion, one of the most enjoyable but often over-looked attractions in DCA and I would hate to see it completely go away.  The solution is found in a completely re-imagined 'backlot' that would directly tie in to Walt's journey by replicating the historic parts of the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank.

Many hardcore Disney fans enjoyed the back story to the making of Mary Poppins as it was portrayed in the film, Saving Mr. Banks.   One of the highlights was the on-site filming at several iconic Walt Disney Studio locations.  I think that a highly interactive and expertly crafted experience on the 'making of the magic' would draw a decent crowd and make for a charming addition to DCA.  USA Today did a nice piece on the studio's campus that I would encourage you to check out, and I'm going to embed a few pictures featured from this article here to help stir the imagination.  (Here are also a couple of links to blog articles written by people who took tours of the Studio that I found pretty interesting as well: Magical Moments Vacations and Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy.)

The old Muppet Vision 3D Theater would be remodeled to look like Burbank's screening 'theatre', which would continue to feature extended previews of soon to be released Disney films, something that I am sure the marketing department will appreciate.  But a redesigned lobby would include images from historic premiers and would symbolically represent the payoff from all of the hard work that we learn about in the rest of this new land.

New interactive presentations and walk-throughs would be created that focus on the following elements of film-making: crafting the story (script, story-boarding, etc.), animation, set design, music, and sound editing. 

A facade drawing upon the style of the Animation Building would go in front of the Monorail track so that the elevated train would never be seen.  Four entryways at certain points alongside the facade--one each for 'Story', 'Animation', 'Music', and 'Sound'--would take you into what are presently called Stage 16 (current home to Mike and Sulley to the Rescue!) and 17.  'Animation' would basically be a relocation of the Animation Academy and the Magic Mirror Realm in The Sorcerer's Workshop.  A 'Music' interactive attraction and presentation would pay tribute to the Sherman brothers and other Disney composers and the creative process they went through to score the films.  A 'Sound' attraction could include an interactive feature along the lines of Ursula's Grotto, which used to be a part of The Sorcerer's Workshop, along with hands on experiences related to other components of sound editing.  'Story' would include an indoor replica of the Hyperion Studio which inside could feature a presentation on the process of story development along with historical displays of story boarding. 

Like a museum, exhibits can be regularly updated in each of these areas to focus on particular films, which encourages return visits.  And an interior hallway would link each together for ease of access.

https://www.magicalmomentsbymichael.com/blog/a-magical-visit-to-the-walt-disney-studios

At the very north-east corner, the building that once hosted Flynn's Arcade during the ElecTRONica days would be demoed and a new building constructed to look like one of the famous stage buildings in Burbank.  Inside would be perfect replicas of sets from some of Disney's most iconic live action films.  Along with learning about the process, park goers could pay an additional cost to get into costume for a personal photo session in which they take center stage in one of their favorite Disney moments.

https://d23.com/this-day/disney-studio-commissary-opens/

And if people get hungry and want to take a break before jumping back into one of these exhibits, in the center of the new backlot area will be a recreation of the 1940's Disney Studio Commissary.  This would replace Schmoozies and the Fairfax Market.

Every thing I am talking about could be done extremely well AND at a bargain price in comparison to their other major projects and their E-ticket attractions (i.e. Galaxy's Edge).  So come on Disney, pull the trigger on this!  Complete Walt's journey and bring a little bit of Burbank to Anaheim.

Now before I sign off, I know a good number of you have been screaming at the screen, "What about Turtle Talk with Crush!?"  Relax!  I share a bit more on a much improved location for this crowd-pleaser in my next article.  Until then, there you have it fellow Armchair Imagineers!  What do you think about my ideas and what does your imagination come up with for the future of this slice of DCA?  Share your thoughts below!

Material possessions often become a metaphor for our personal metaphysics.  They reveal intimate truths in tactile form.  Our personalities.  Our ambitions.  Our noblest values.  Our lowest vices.  They are loyal companions in our wide-eyed pursuit of the future.  They are at times fond reminders of our favorite moments in our story so far.  At other times they represent demons from our darkest days that we simply cannot let go, often for no perceptible reason. 

Maybe this is why we have a hard time saying goodbye to these temporal things and why we genuinely grieve when they are lost forever.

I met a nice young lady named Scotty in a small coffee shop in Denver.  Her brother had recently totaled her car.  Her head bowed and shoulders lowered as she pulled out her cell and invited me to look at her lost loved one, almost like an open casket funeral.  I don't think her heart was heavy because metal was twisted and glass was broken--it had deeper meaning.  I never got a chance to ask her about its sacredness.  I wish I had.

I have an old pair of New Balance sneakers.  I guess more accurately they are running shoes, although I have never used them expressly for that purpose.  I think they are four, maybe five years old.  Outside of a couple of business casual work shoes, these are what I wear the vast majority of the time.  I got a new pair a couple of years ago, but for some reason I rarely put them on.

My shoes, including this pair, say some things about who I am and my life.  Most practically, they say that I've never made enough money to routinely get new ones when they begin to evidence the slightest bit of wear.  Related to that, they also say that I don't seem to value impressing people with a clean and modern appearance.  I've never been gripped by shame and embarrassment for donning my frayed and scuffed foot-hugging friends.

But the number one thing I associate with these shoes is the death of my mom.  It will be three years in less than a few weeks.  These are the shoes I wore every day when it became clear that she would not be able to beat cancer a sixth time and that her time with all of us was coming to an end.  They were now the shoes of a care provider, except that in my case the one I was serving in preperation for death was the one who literally gave me life.

She had horrible bowel complications.  One time the tip of one of my shoes was splashed with unspeakable fluids.  I think I tried to clean it off.  Even then I would occasionally smell the odor.  It took several weeks to fade away, maybe longer.  Perhaps I blocked it out.

Material possessions often become a metaphor for our personal metaphysics.  They reveal intimate truths in tactile form. 

These shoes haunt me.  I'll probably wear them tomorow. 

I abhor over-simplifying complex issues.  And as I noted in Part 1, there are plenty of politicians who will intentionally do just that so they can rally their base and solidify their position of power.  In contrast to these politically convenient narratives, any meaningful discussion on inequality in the education of our nation's children must begin with recognizing these complexities.  This is especially true when applied to a central issue in this overall debate, and that is school funding.  Bill Gates produced a short video that serves as an excellent introduction to the multifaceted nature of school funding formulas, or what the narrator called the perfect example of a "wicked problem".  With that said, something else that I despise is when people use complexity as an excuse for not recognizing the obvious.  Some degree of clarity is possible as we work our way through complex issues.  And clarity is precisely what we find when we look at the roots of educational inequality, especially as it pertains to funding.

Racism and ethnocentrism run deep in the American DNA, even if they seem so obviously antithetical to our stated values and ideals.  This toxic psychology has certainly been stronger and more explicit at times in our history.  We have made progress against these demons, though unfortunately they seem to be on the rise yet again as evidenced by the fearful, anti-immigrant rhetoric spewing from our current President's mouth and Twitter account.  But no matter what your opinion is on the present state of our society and these dehumanizing ideologies, there can be no doubt that many racial and ethnic minorities are still living with systemic disadvantages which trace their origins back to our more explicitly bigoted policies of the past.  More on this in a minute.  But first, let's go back and master the basics.

How do we pay for public education?  Funding for public education comes from essentially three sources: Federal, state, and local government.  The break down is that the Federal government covers 10%, with state and local governments splitting the rest of the cost at 45% each.  In a state like California, the State and Federal government contribute slightly higher percentages.  Now when it comes to local funding, we need to understand that the vast majority of this money comes from property taxes.  When you have a minute, check out this short video produced by Kansas City Public Television as an excellent crash course on the subject.

The responsibility of the community to fund education goes back hundreds of years. Fast forward to present day, when school funding and whose responsbility it is is constantly in the news. There's a lot to wade through, and the Take Note team is here to simplify some of the confusion that is school funding.

The problem, of course, is that there is not relative economic equality when it comes to property values.  According to a piece in The Atlantic, "Nationally, high-poverty districts spend 15.6 percent less per student than low-poverty districts do, according to U.S. Department of Education. Lower spending can irreparably damage a child’s future, especially for kids from poor families."  It then went on to paint a bleak picture of the consequences of this form of economic favoritism as seen in public schools in Connecticut:

Testimony...bears out the differences between poor areas like New Britain, Danbury, Bridgeport, and East Hartford, and wealthier areas like New Canaan, Greenwich, and Darien. Electives, field trips, arts classes, and gifted and talented programs available in wealthier districts have been cut in poorer ones. New Britain, where 80 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, receives half as much funding per special-education student as Darien. In Bridgeport, where class sizes hover near the contractual maximum of 29, students use 15-to 20-year-old textbooks; in New London, high-school teachers must duct tape windows shut to keep out the wind and snow and station trash cans in the hallways to collect rain. Where Greenwich’s elementary school library budget is $12,500 per year (not including staffing), East Hartford’s is zero.

This especially impacts racial and ethnic minorities, who are far more likely to live in poorer communities in comparison to their white counterparts.  Then we take a step back in time and ask another question: Why are they more likely to live in poorer communities?  This leads us to the practice of 'redlining', which was implemented in the 1930's.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, it was another tool of racial and ethnic segregation in which surveyors would mark out with a red line certain neighborhoods that were deemed least desirable and therefore of lesser value.  They just so happened to be where black people, Jews, or Irish Catholics used to live.  Among many other harmful results to the populations who lived in these areas, it tended to make home ownership and upward mobility a near impossibility.  The level of credit that would be required for them to live on the nicer side of the tracks was unattainable due to their low income and the dismal value of their current residence.  Of course, it was highly unlikely that they were given the kind of quality education that would have prepared them for higher earning jobs in the first place since white communities continued to hold most of the wealth.  Therein lies the viscous cycle of poverty.  (Check out when you can this NPR video on redlining.)

It would take the blood, sweat, tears, and even lives of the Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's to end, among other injustices, the physical segregation of black students from white students (1954's Brown vs Board of Education).  Redlining wasn't made explicitly illegal until the Fair Housing Act of 1968, six years before I was born.  Many would argue that it still persists to this day.

As discussed in the original Stanford University report that I shared in Part 1, there is some positive news to report.  "Academic performance for all students improved between 1990 and 2015, and black and Hispanic students experienced the fastest improvement."  This can be credited in part to targeted Federal assistance through the Department of Education's Title I designation or through the Department of Health and Human Service's Head Start program.  Still the same report admits that progress is slow if not stalled when it comes to other desired academic outcomes.  And in the end, Federal funding will still continue to constitute the lowest percentage of funding for our children's education.  So what can be done to accelerate the improvements we have seen while addressing the underlying causes of systemic disparity in funding of public education?  We will dive into some possible answers to these and other questions in next month's Profiles in Courage.