American Apocalypse II

The other day, I wrote a piece about the current state of the city of Detroit. The news , as the Time Magazine essay and pictures point out, isn't good, and it likely won't get better for some time. In reality, the situation that Detroit faces is decades in the making. There are a lot of reasons for this -- one of which is that much of the leading edges of society fled the city for Oakland County (which is where I live and minister). Indeed, the church I serve once was a major force in the city of Detroit. The congregation's neo-Gothic cathedral sat prominently on Piety Row, and it's pastor a leading force locally and nationally. The church tried to hang on, but as Detroit changed, it decided to move north into Oakland County -- a decade after the Detroit Riots of 1967.

We could debate whether this was the right choice, but that's not the point. What is afflicting Detroit could afflict other cities. Indeed, my sense is that the urban sprawl of such cities as Atlanta and Los Angeles could lead to similar situations. One of the mistakes Detroit made was similar to that of LA -- it embraced the car culture (after all this is MoTown) and failed to create an effective rapid transit system. The only way to get down town is to drive. In fact, the city's train station lies abandoned and in decay. Only now is the region looking at developing the kind of transit systems that could lead to renewal of the city -- as it has in places like Portland, San Francisco, and Chicago (to name a few).

The suburbanization of America (something I've participated in) has led to the diminishment of our urban areas. I believe that Detroit can come back to life -- but as a very different city than the one that once existed. Detroit will never again be 1.5 million in population. It will likely have to reinvent itself -- especially since the auto industry (which I think will survive) will be much smaller than before. Our economy (here I am a recent transplant from California, using the word "our") will diversify. It must or it will fail.

Now, as to why one would want to come to Michigan or any other northern tier state, well it won't be for the winter weather! But I've discovered that southeast Michigan has much to offer. It's not prone to drought -- lots of water around here! It has great medical facilities (some of the best in the country). It has excellent public universities. I've not seen much of the state, but I hear that there's great beauty nearby. Oh, and housing is affordable!!

But, if we are to raise up our cities, we must invest in infrastructure, in job training, in good education. And we in the faith community, we must do our part. As a congregation, we are again asking the question: what does God require of us? What should our ministry be -- here and beyond?

Ultimately I don't believe that the apocalyptic scenes described will have the last word. I am, after all, an optimist!