I read this article on the SOJO blog this am and thought I would share it. The blog is a response to a Newsweek article about the end of American Christianity that appeared over Easter. Its interesting how the powerful tell the story of their loss of power as a universal sign of demise without acknowledging that something else is emerging to replace them. White, wealthy evangelicalism is declining. But a new evangelicalism is emerging, among non-english speakers and amond urbanites. It is also emerging in Gen X and Millenials, who have not been granted authority and credibility by our baby boomer predecessors yet. So as a new way emerges the old way continues to define Christianity by its own terms. And by its own terms, Christianity is dying.
But a new minority Christianity is emerging too. They just refuse to acknowledge it. This is what happens during these great cultural upheavals. There is a sifting out of authorities and a realignment of values and a decline of majoritarian hegemony in favor of looser, more fluid minority cultures that emerge to establish new ways of living. and enacting faith. When the minority opinion becomes truth, the system has moved.
Again, the powerful tell the story of their own demise as if it is the end of the world. Instead, it is part of the cyclical ebb and flow of life. Dying and rising is something Christians should be familiar with. It is our one theological claim that we ascribe to the GOD who created the heavens and the earth. GOD revealed to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus an organic reality that has vast implications on how we understand human community, nations, and struggles for power and control. The church will die. And it will rise anew. How long will the process take before what was will no longer be and what will be will be?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Ascension and Church and Confronting the World
Jesus left. Jesus went away. Both Luke's and John's gospels express this strange reality. The situation we are in as a church is related to Jesus' absence. It is true now that Jesus' presence is a bit more dodgy and a bit more slippery than we might like or need. There are sacramentalists and spiritualists out there who claim to have an understanding of how Jesus continues to operate as an incarnate presence despite His 2000 year absence from the earth. He is in the bread and wine, in the Word and water. He is Spiritually present in the unified fellowship of a body of believers. He is present in one's heart, or in mystical vision, or in prayer. Somehow Jesus is still with us. He promised he would be at the end of Matthew's gospel. The first Christians believed that He would come again, that he would return as a fulfillment of Scripture and divine promises that He himself made. The delayed perusia is the church's current situation, as we live in Advent time all the time. In between the first and next coming.
Jesus goes away "and is seated at the right hand of the father", states the Nicene creed. And it seems that the result of His absence has been the formation of ecclesia:church. Chapter one of Acts and John 17, the high priestly prayer of Jesus, complement each other on the 7th sunday of Easter. In John Jesus prays for the disciples, the believers. He prays for their protection from the evil one and that they might remain in the world as those sent from GOD to bear the truth. Jesus prays, not for their isolation from evil, but that they might endure it with God's help. Interestingly enough, Luke tells us in Acts 1 that the first order of business directed by Peter for the believers and witnesses of the resurrection is to replace Judas Iscariot. Judas, he says, had a place in this ministry and apostleship. He went his own way to his own demise, but the ministry and apostleship in which he was called by Jesus must remain. I wonder about this scene and about Jesus' long absence and about Jesus'prayer. I wonder because I know a lot of American Christians who have isolated themselves from evil, injustice, and sin. I know whole communities of Christians that have created their own cultural enclave of holy and happy Christians. All of their time is spent among other like-minded Christians, reading Christian books,listening to Christian music. I know Christians on perpetual retreat from the suffering of the world. Some have even justified the suffering of others as punishment for immorality. How comforting. Wait for Jesus to come back and wait among friends. Stay clean and safe and avoid the messy world. Withdrawal from the world, however, seems to be inconsistent with Jesus' prayer and with Acts 1. Peter ostensibly says, we need to have room at this table for the 12th man. Even though last month the 12th man betrayed us, was instrumental to Jesus' death, and committed suicide. He's not saying to look for another Judas, but to make room for the bad and the ugly at the table. Even Judas had fellowship with Jesus, and a part in the divine salvation drama. And jesus was known in the gospels as one who came not for the righteousw but for sinners. And he came to seek ands save the lost. And he instructed believers not to resist evil doers, but to go with those who force you to march, to give generously when someone is demanding of you, to offer your shirt to someone who steals your coat. Jesus expects his followers to mix it up, to tarry among the weeds, to eat with unclean hands. And hear we sit. In safety and comfort. In isolation and retreat.
So here's the question: Who have we shut out of our churches in order to remain safe, comfortable, and good? What necessary conflict do we avoid in order to keep the peace and maintain the status quo? What ought we to let in to our lives, into our communities, into our churches, so that we bear the gospel authentically? God so loved the world. Are we not called to do the same by letting the world in?
Some would argue that this is too dangerous. But what is the result of church avoidance of global problems and sysemic evil? What hope do we have to offer a world that is drowning in Sin and death? I suspect many abandoned the church when the church abandoned the world for security and a future.
Jesus left us. And when he did, we defaulted to a place of fear, judgment, and separation. What if we trust that Jesus has prayed for our protection and has sent us like lambs among wolves to bring hope and help where it is needed: to people who have been rejected and isolated; people with illnesses, mental and physical; people in the criminal justice system, people who are homeless, people who are addicted, people who are angry, abusers and their victims. Maybe if we did this we would not be so concerned about Jesus' absence and begin to reflect His presence in our own bodies.
Jesus goes away "and is seated at the right hand of the father", states the Nicene creed. And it seems that the result of His absence has been the formation of ecclesia:church. Chapter one of Acts and John 17, the high priestly prayer of Jesus, complement each other on the 7th sunday of Easter. In John Jesus prays for the disciples, the believers. He prays for their protection from the evil one and that they might remain in the world as those sent from GOD to bear the truth. Jesus prays, not for their isolation from evil, but that they might endure it with God's help. Interestingly enough, Luke tells us in Acts 1 that the first order of business directed by Peter for the believers and witnesses of the resurrection is to replace Judas Iscariot. Judas, he says, had a place in this ministry and apostleship. He went his own way to his own demise, but the ministry and apostleship in which he was called by Jesus must remain. I wonder about this scene and about Jesus' long absence and about Jesus'prayer. I wonder because I know a lot of American Christians who have isolated themselves from evil, injustice, and sin. I know whole communities of Christians that have created their own cultural enclave of holy and happy Christians. All of their time is spent among other like-minded Christians, reading Christian books,listening to Christian music. I know Christians on perpetual retreat from the suffering of the world. Some have even justified the suffering of others as punishment for immorality. How comforting. Wait for Jesus to come back and wait among friends. Stay clean and safe and avoid the messy world. Withdrawal from the world, however, seems to be inconsistent with Jesus' prayer and with Acts 1. Peter ostensibly says, we need to have room at this table for the 12th man. Even though last month the 12th man betrayed us, was instrumental to Jesus' death, and committed suicide. He's not saying to look for another Judas, but to make room for the bad and the ugly at the table. Even Judas had fellowship with Jesus, and a part in the divine salvation drama. And jesus was known in the gospels as one who came not for the righteousw but for sinners. And he came to seek ands save the lost. And he instructed believers not to resist evil doers, but to go with those who force you to march, to give generously when someone is demanding of you, to offer your shirt to someone who steals your coat. Jesus expects his followers to mix it up, to tarry among the weeds, to eat with unclean hands. And hear we sit. In safety and comfort. In isolation and retreat.
So here's the question: Who have we shut out of our churches in order to remain safe, comfortable, and good? What necessary conflict do we avoid in order to keep the peace and maintain the status quo? What ought we to let in to our lives, into our communities, into our churches, so that we bear the gospel authentically? God so loved the world. Are we not called to do the same by letting the world in?
Some would argue that this is too dangerous. But what is the result of church avoidance of global problems and sysemic evil? What hope do we have to offer a world that is drowning in Sin and death? I suspect many abandoned the church when the church abandoned the world for security and a future.
Jesus left us. And when he did, we defaulted to a place of fear, judgment, and separation. What if we trust that Jesus has prayed for our protection and has sent us like lambs among wolves to bring hope and help where it is needed: to people who have been rejected and isolated; people with illnesses, mental and physical; people in the criminal justice system, people who are homeless, people who are addicted, people who are angry, abusers and their victims. Maybe if we did this we would not be so concerned about Jesus' absence and begin to reflect His presence in our own bodies.
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