Bonehead Blame Game

The Cubbies are all the rage in Chicago as the team plays toward a playoff berth - if the can stop the current losing streak. The Cubs haven't won a World Series for 90 years. And they almost lost that one.

Most people blame a 19 year old New York Giants rookie named Fred Merkel. The Cubs were playing the Giants and a win that day would put them in the World Series. Merkel singled and drove a team mate to third. The next hit brought in the winning run for the Giants. Nearly10,000 Giants fans streamed onto the field and Merkel, instead of tagging second, headed for the safety of the dugout as the fans overran him. In the middle of the chaos a blame game got underway. The Cubs convinced the umpires to call Merkel "out". They declared the game a tie. They played again, the Cubs won and went on to a World Series win.

I heard this story on NPR today and the commentator reported a week of blaming, hearings, and more blaming of Merkel. Poor Fred became known as Bonehead for life. The blame syndrome caught my attention. Mostly because I've been a "designated blamee" most of my life. The role began with three younger sister (I was the oldest) and it seemed (at the time) that I was always being blamed for something. The experience stood me in good stead when I was ordained. Pastors are often designated blamees. Denominational govening body leadership is a natural "lightning rod" role. I'm wondering if I should order the phrase for my tombstone? Here lies...

Well, anyway, I pondered blame on the way home. Traffic was slow and I blamed the rain. I can't control the rain, so why not? Blame is a great way to feel in control when you are not. Peter Senge calls blame, "shifting the burden." When we want to escape the anxiety of a situation we blame another or some event (like rain) and it bleeds off the anxiety. Sort of.

In this case blaming is a way of avoiding my responsibility in some anxious encounter. Who, me? We all know that blame is deserved. If it wasn't the legal profession would be out of business, right? Someone is always to blame for something so it is important to name that person. This is the way of our world, today, it seems.

A friend of mine is a pastor in another state. We got together for a visit because his church Session had turnd against him and wanted to "fire" him. He told me how all the "old guard" was being replaced with new business and professional types who were moving into the formerly rural area. He blamed them because they weren't from Presbyterian backgrounds. I askd him what he did for Elder (officer) orientation and education. He stumbled on his words and said he hadn't done anything like that for ten years. We talked. He finally admitted complicity in his own demise.

Liberals blame conservatives, Presbyterian conservatives blame the new progressive crowd. Members blame the seminary professors. New Wineskin folks blame Cliff Kirkpatrick or General Assembly staffers for rigging General Assembly meetings to get their own liberal way. General Assembly blames lack of idenitity, and new Council leadership. Presbytery commissioners blame the presbytery staff. Or the way meetings are run. Or, the lack of vision. You can add anything here that you'd like. The sessions blame the presbytery thinking that they are General Assembly and in the end, I am the one who gets the phone calls. Or blamed by The Layman for locking down a poor country church (which I never did or would do). So I'm wondering what burden we are shifting. I wonder what complicity we deny when we point fingers across the pews?

There are days I want to skip second base and head for the safety of the dugout like Bonehead Merkel. Because if I don't, I have to ask the tough question, "what's my role in causing this mess?"

So far, I've come up with one answer - "I stopped acting in love when the blame hit me." Step aside, Fred Merkel. Bonehead Bob now joins you!

Bob Anderson

Interim Pastor to Pittsburgh Presbytery

churchdoc@gmail.com