New city equals a new blog.

Julie and I landed in Portland last week, completing our personal Oregon Trail from Boston. The trip included visits to both sides of the family, terrible Mexican food establishments across the Great Plains and Mountain West, narrowly averting a tornadic experience, and a lackluster arrival at our destination.

 

When we settled the “wagon” in the place where we were planning to live, we discovered that the landlord and the Craigslist ad had failed to mention the sheer ghettoness factor of it all. After walking around the block for a few hours to make sure we were digesting everything properly – was everything truly as run-down as it seemed? – we strutted on over to the police station to get their expertise, to find out if this neighborhood plays out like an episode of Cops. The officer went as far as to giggle when we mentioned the intersection where we’d planned to settle, and told us this was not a smart decision.

 

We didn’t move across the country to be bystanders (or victims, for that matter) in an episode of Cops. There’s a difference between gentrification and being an idiot.

 

So we crashed in a hotel for yet another night, and scouted some places the next morning. We found a good place with low rent (and it’s on a month-to-month basis, so we can bounce whenever it seems right). And the new place is super close to the seminary, which will be good news come September (when classes start).

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Observations on Portland to this point:

The people are crazy nice, reaching out to us in the gas station, grocery store, parking lots, etc. Traffic is a total non-factor out here, which is a breath of fresh air after Boston’s crowded ways. Much more of a mellow demeanor out here. (It’s funny, actually, because now I feel like the intense one and the aggressive driver (though I was extremely passive and defensive by Boston standards).

 

The people are also abnormally apologetic. Mind you, this is a really great place out here. But the locals constantly apologize to us for things like weather, cost of living, and traffic – even though those are the areas where we’re sensing the most significant improvement from Boston. 

 

Also, we were told that the area is somewhat liberal/progressive. In Julie’s seminary interview, the interviewing professor was warning her about the “secular” ways of Portland. After being here, I have to laugh. Maybe that professor needs to go out East to learn what secular looks like. Not that I like this, but in Portland they are rocking the Christian radio stations, Christian bookstores, Christian coffee shops, Christian bumper stickers, etc.

 

Sure, Portland might seem progressive because of green causes or gay rights stuff, but it’s totally different than out East. There’s resentment to Jesus out East that I don’t sense here. It’s like “tolerate… or I’ll kill you” there. It’s a different intensity.

 

Portland seems like a good place for a moderate – even the Right-leaning ones. I am excited about all of the green efforts out here.

 

From a theological standpoint, the Christian landscape seems quite different than what we left. New England loves the small mainline churches, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Anglican really draw the bulk of the crowd. Out this way, Christianity seems to come in two main forms – hyper-Evangelical and emergent (or at least sort of emergent).

 

The Evangelical community, as we’re picking up on it, seems very reactionary to the so-called secular culture in Portland, hence all of the Christian-as-adjective products planted throughout the area. The emergent churches are very prominent out here, though some of them are probably casual Evangelical churches dressed in the aesthetics usually associated with emergent communities. When it boils down to theology, Statements of Faith, and whatnot, the churches are still saying, “Women in ministry? Yeah, sure, as long as it’s only toward women and children.” Circular, hyperbolic theologies about Scripture are still present in the doctrinal statements. So while I don’t care to be overtly critical of my Evangelical friends in Christ, I must say that it is difficult to locate a truly emerging community of faith.

 

That said, I am impressed by this one: http://evergreenlife.org

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Julie and I don’t miss the crowdedness or the ambition-to-the-point-of-sheer-rage nature of life out East, but we do miss the people. For being broke students who scratch to get by, we know that we are wealthy in every way that matters. To move across the country, we had to wave good-bye to some caring, warm, generous, and lifeful friends. We wish we could have just filled the moving truck with them. (We joked about it: “Immigration Vacation.”) It’s not like we won’t see our Boston friends again, but it won’t be often enough. We’re excited to make friends in Portland, and we’re praying that our Boston relationships survive the distance.