"I have no concrete idea how
Christianity will wrestle free of its current crisis, of its distractions and
temptations, and above all its enmeshment with the things of this world. But I
do know it won't happen by even more furious denunciations of others, by
focusing on politics rather than prayer, by concerning ourselves with the sex
lives and heretical thoughts of others rather than with the constant struggle
to liberate ourselves from what keeps us from God." -Andrew Sullivan (in
the cover story of Newsweek: Forget the church. Follow Jesus.)
In a comment she asked several friends to reply, me among
them. I posted a small comment
quickly: “When I was in trouble as a
child, I would always want to point out how my brother was an even worse
offender than I was. My mom always replied, ‘You better get your own house in
order before you start tending to someone else's house.’ At first glance, I
think he is on to something. I will ponder this article for the next few days
and get back to you and your loyal following.”
A day later a favorite author, Diana Butler Bass, posted a
response to Sullivan’s article: “A
Resurrected Christianity?” Here is the
most helpful paragraph from her article for me.
Three deceptively simple questions
are at the heart of a spiritually vibrant Christianity--questions of believing,
behaving, and belonging.
Religion always entails the
"3B's" of believing, behaving, and belonging. Over the centuries,
Christianity has engaged the 3B's in different ways, with different
interrogators and emphases. For the last 300 years or so, the questions were
asked as follows:
1) What do I believe? (What
does my church say I should think about God?)
2) How should I behave? (What are the rules my church asks me to follow?)
3) Who am I? (What does it mean to be a faithful church member?)
2) How should I behave? (What are the rules my church asks me to follow?)
3) Who am I? (What does it mean to be a faithful church member?)
But the questions have changed.
Contemporary people care less about what to believe than howthey
might believe; less about rules for behavior than in what they
should do with their lives; and less about church membership than in whose company
they find themselves. The questions have become:
1) How do I believe? (How
do I understand faith that seems to conflict with science and pluralism?)
2) What should I do? (How do my actions make a difference in the world?)
3) Whose am I? (How do my relationships shape my self-understanding?)
2) What should I do? (How do my actions make a difference in the world?)
3) Whose am I? (How do my relationships shape my self-understanding?)
The foci of religion have not
changed--believing, behaving, and belonging still matter. But the ways in which
people engage each area have undergone a revolution. (www.huffingtonpost.com)
After reading both articles, I thought about how their questions intersect my own life. My experience of community has been greatly shaped by the frequency of our moves and the variety of communities where we have lived. Sure, I expected to move a lot, but we are rapidly approaching our 11th move in our 22nd year since my husband joined the Air Force and I graduated from seminary. In the last 20 years I have been a part of 15 congregations,
most of them United Methodist, but also base chapels and wonderful
Presbyterian, Episcopal, United Church of Christ and American Baptist
congregations from my campus ministry work in North Dakota. I think by now I have had hundreds, maybe
thousands, of conversations about the intersection of Christianity, faith and
life. These are some of the lessons I have
learned about diversity of thought and practice.
I am confused and saddened when Christians seek to have
"the Christian walk" conform to a specific path, and that "Christian
thought" should conform to particular
beliefs which define who is in and who is out of the Kingdom. Yes, there are boundaries, but unkind rigidity can certainly be the death of community, which forms the canvas on
which we live out our faith. I need a
group of people that helps me stay within the bounds of faith, not so much in adherence
to doctrine as helping me to conform to the commandments that Christ
left us as a pattern for living. “Love
God”, “Love Self” and “Love Others” – well, that’s a lifetime of work right
there.
How do I live those commandments out? How do I know when I have gone off the
track? Who will keep me pointed in the
right direction? Those are the reasons
that I need a community of faith… those are the reasons I need Church. This often comes in the form of congregations
and denominations, which through their structure and connectedness help me to
do more with my resources than I could by myself. Also in worship, singing praises and praying
with others, or even having them sing or pray for me when I cannot myself. But sometimes “Church” comes in quiet
conversations as two or three gather for support or friendship or
questions. Or in classes that gather
where people can share a real part of themselves without the fear being shunned
or turned away because their experience of God or Jesus is something that no
one else has ever had.
Perhaps this is the greatest gift that my “other” identity
gives me… the privilege of making a life with people who are not carbon copies
of me, but who bring to the table different experiences of life and faith and
sometimes even non-faith. I have found that I can't afford to write off, revile or ridicule people just because they think differently than I do. In fact, I love what they bring to the party. All I ask is that we come ready to learn from
one another and not judge based on our differences.
Wherever I go, I want to be associated with people who are willing to
grow and change in unexpected ways.
I love what I have learned from people with different
perspectives. And I pray that God will
continue to bless me with new lessons to learn and to share. “Love God” – “Love Self” – “Love Others” – that’s
where I’m putting my efforts today.
I love this article from Murray Richmond on Salon.com: "Reformation of An Evangelical". His experience speaks to my heart and helps me remember to live out my faith in kindness and love.
Peace, Deb
