Sometimes, things just happen at the right time. I was trying to figure out how to write my review of This Beautiful City currently on stage at the Kirk Douglas Theatre when I came across a letter to the editor at TFPO. It was one of those expressions of religious condescension towards atheists, the ol 'atheists-have-nothing-on-which-to-build-meaning in-life schtick. Since This Beautiful City is all about Evangelical Christianity in the larger context of American society, that letter to the editor gave me just what I needed to get at the heart of the play.
...I lumped faith and ignorance together. Without all the necessary philosophical and theological qualifications that would normally accompany that kind of statement, this particular lumping could come across as insulting. That’s how atheists feel when people like Danny Bental presumes to tell them they can’t really find meaning in their lives without God, beauty, or anything worthwhile... ...The disconnect I illustrated above arises from a simple letter to the editor, yet it hints at a greater disconnect like the one that exists between Evangelical Christianity and not only atheism, but other religions as well. This Beautiful City, based on actual interviews conducted by theatrical production group The Civilians, looks at the Evangelical movement through an exploration of Colorado Springs prior to the 2006 mid-term elections...It is arguably the best production put on by the Kirk Douglas in recent memory.Read the rest in Take an Impassioned Stroll...in This Beautiful City