Kinship at the Curve

When Nathan and I named our firstborn Thomas, we had in mind the apostle. We didn’t think for a minute about a blue steam engine that talked with a British accent. But folks who know us at all know about Thomas and his trains. Railroad enthusiast would not be a strong enough description.

As a parent, I’ve wondered about his infatuation a lot. His dad loved trains, so his interest makes sense, but I wonder about whether this train passion will flourish as he grows. Is it a phase? It’s hard to tell, but today I had a glimpse of what could become of his love of all things train.

We began the tradition of "adventure days" today. A friend shared with me this great idea of planning an adventure and not telling the kids where we were going ahead of time. When we arrived in Altoona, Pennsylvania at the Railroad Museum, Thomas leapt out of the car. No doubt… he was thrilled. Even better, a trip to the famous Horseshoe Curve.

When we arrived at the curve, there was a teenage boy next to the fence where you can watch the trains. He had a tripod set up, a camera around his neck. Though he was dressed  in shorts and a t-shirt like an “ordinary” teenager, I could tell this guy meant business. After a train came by, he started up a conversation with us and I was mesmerized. It was like time travel, perhaps a glimpse of a teenage Thomas. This young man was talking about paint schemes on locomotives, what engines were retired and when, when the next mixed freight should come around the curve. Wow… this guy was really into trains. And yes, that’s what he does on the weekends, especially in the summer. He goes around and watches trains, takes videos and pictures. I overheard his grandparents talking at the picnic table nearby and they, too, are into trains. They seemed very proud of their grandson’s passion.

I don’t know much about heritage units and 4-4-0s and the like, but I was moved at the ease with which Thomas talked with this stranger. Although  he struggles with meeting new people some of the time, a common interest encouraged him to share. The older and younger boy had a common passion, much I like I have with other church musicians. It’s about being with others who get you, who understand what makes you tick.

I don’t know where Thomas’s train passion will take him. He mentioned before bedtime that he wants to go back to the curve and pack breakfast, lunch and dinner and watch trains all day. “Sure, “ I said. “We’ll go back.” 

Alma Mater

These past few days I have been attending the biennial conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, held this year at my alma mater, Valparaiso University. I consider myself a proud alumnus. It is refreshing to walk the campus, to greet former teachers, to worship and sing in its grand chapel.

Such pride was tempered by a stroll through the campus bookstore. As deeply as I respect this institution and so many people connected with it, I have to be honest: I cannot purchase many of the items in their bookstore.

I was looking for a t-shirt to bring home for my youngest daughter. And sure, there were a few that had simply had the name “Valparaiso University” printed on the front. But the majority of them also had the imprinted symbol of the university’s sports, the crusader. This is what I cannot purchase.

One of the topics being addressed in the plenary sessions this week is the issue of the “religious nones” or the “religious alls” as one presenter phrased it more positively. A refrain we kept hearing is that many young people cannot associate with some segments of Christianity regarded as exclusionary. Bearing that in mind, I am back in that bookstore. Here this institution continues to brand itself with an image most exclusionary, a part of Christianity’s past that seems too violent to be promoted on a shirt, mug or bumper sticker.

Valparaiso is not the only home of the crusaders, of course.  I live less than ten miles from Susquehanna University, another liberal arts university with roots in the Lutheran church. Their sports players are also crusaders. And there are more .

I confess that I am not a historian professing detailed knowledge about the crusades. Any war takes two parties (at least) and some have proposed that those medieval Christians were acting in defense. Yet no matter the circumstances, when we endorse the crusader we are, in part, endorsing holy war. No swords becoming plow shares here.

If we are to seriously wrestle with Christianity and how it is perceived in our culture, perhaps starting with our college’s mascots wouldn’t be a bad idea. Because if our Christian colleges sports teams are battling with one another under the name of a holy war, it cannot help but shape us, even if it’s just by buying a shirt in a bookstore.