1. Diana tells the story of Ellen and her journey to and from mainline churches and evangelical churches. In each instance, Ellen finds the church lacking in “living out the love of God”. Diana says:”…Ellen criticized churches for being too inner- directed and institutionally absorbed. Religion, she contended, fails when it forgets the oppressed, the marginalized, the poor, and the dispirited. Although she eventually found herself on an individual spiritual path, Ellen is still reaching for connection” (p. 25)
How are we as a denomination and as
congregations providing ways for people to make connections with their
faith? In other words, how is a
transition taking place from being an institution to a faith community?
2. Diana suggests that we are in a time of paradigm
change. But the change is not one of
endings but of awakenings. What signs of
awakenings do you see in your congregation?
3. "We live in a time of momentous historical change that is both exhilarating and frightening" (p. 31). Does the prospect of momentous change exhilarate or frighten you? Why?
4. Did you find yourself going back to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's quote? In the context of this book, did "religionless Christianity" startle you?
Add your comments, your own questions, and your observations below. If you are commenting without your identity, please add your name to your comment. Let the discussion begin!
Last Wednesday and Thursday our 8th graders shared their Faith Expressions which is a practice of the congregation before they affirm their faith. These 48 young people were amazing in the ways they shared how their story and God's story connected. Many stories were real and raw. This weekend we begin a six week sermon series in Luke where we have video taped adults sharing their story as it relates to the text (this coming weekend is the younger of the prodigal sons, next weekend is the older). I think the change I see in my context is that we are moving from engaging the Word for information to engaging both for information and transformation.
ReplyDeleteRobert Mulholland in his book "Shaped by the Word" writes, “We tend to look for some piece of information, some technique or method of spiritual formation that will take us from where we are to where we want to be with a minimum of inconvenience, pain, or suffering. We have so emphasized the Life dimensions of the New Testament that we have avoided coming to grips with its death dimension. We have avoided the fact that in the gospel, Life comes out of death, not out of life. Trying to bring Life out of life attempts to escape the necessity of dying to the old parameters of our existence, the necessity of relinquishing the brokenness of our being, the necessity of letting go of those things that warp and misshape and distort who we are.” P.104-105
What I see happening around me is the getting in touch with our brokenness in a more relational versus former primarily intellectual way and a reaching out to God for healing and wholeness for the sake not only of oneself but of the world.
Change for change sake is not a good thing. Phyllis Tickle writes it "The Great Emergence" that massive transitions in the church happen about every 500 years, and that we live in such a time right now. She compares the Great Emergence to other "Greats" in the history of Christianity, including the Great Transformation (when God walked among us), the time of Gregory the Great, the Great Schism, and the Great Reformation. The change we are in gives me hope for new ways the Good News of God in Christ will be communicated for the sake of all people.
I find this "time of momentous historical change" that Bass describes to be exhilarating as I currently stand upon the threshold between seminary and ordination. As a lay leader in the church for many years and a "regular jo" in the world for my entire life, I have been frustrated with the strong sense of individualism that our culture promotes which implies that we can each stand, survive, and succeed on our own, without any sense of community or relationship that's not based upon personal gain. Bass's description of the religion of "Sheilaism" has been common, but I agree that times are changing. The reward for living for self, by one's self, may work in times of economic growth and health, but is not supportive when past failure and future doubt become prominent worries and experiences.
ReplyDeleteIn today's climate, people are challenging patterns of living over the past 10 - 15 years (or more) and are realizing the benefits of community and relationship again. Human beings are created to be in community and whenever one realizes the deep need for personal and communal healing and fulfillment, relationship is inevitably sought with other humans and the divine.
Combined with the free and open dialogue that our society encourages and technology makes possible today, the Church is well positioned for the next "awakening" IF members ready themselves to respond to this change by taking critiques seriously to walk the talk and to create a place of welcome that offers a radical sense of hospitality to people who have previously been rejected by the Church or other social cliques of society (or who have rejected the Church because of their disappointment in it for these reasons).
People of the Church need to be willing to challenge their own patterns to evaluate why they continue in the ways of mission and ministry as they do, and to imaginatively and creatively consider new ways of relating to others and publicly living out their faith.
Robin Caldwell
While there are, hopefully, congregations that are ‘awakening’, most of the ones that I am familiar with, including the one I served, are not. More to the point - they are living in the past - wanting what used to be - and not understanding why it can’t be so.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many things that struck me was the author’s comments on pg 17 about people in the congregations being bored. I’ve been calling it apathy - just going through the motions because that’s what we’ve always done. These are good and faithful people, but there is no ‘spark’.
If “awakenings begin when old systems break down…”(pg29) then we are in for a wild ride because old systems are not working. This could be an exciting time for the church… but what will that look like? Maybe what Bonhoeffer is referring to is that time before ‘The Way’got organized to within an inch of it’s life. Maybe the direction that the church seems to be headed in is what Jesus had in mind in the first place……….
Lie a snake shedding it’s skin, growth requires some discomfort, tgher is tenderness and maybe the realization that it is not a process that can be stopped indefinitely.. Growth and change will happen in spite of those who may be fearful and resistant…
Vicki Sauter
5-27-12
I'm not sure that anyone rightly understands what Bonhoeffer meant by "religionless Christianity." I'm sure that I don't. I suspect that the key to understanding this tantalizing concept lies in the context of a German prison at the time of the collapse of the Nazi regime.
ReplyDeleteI do think that we stand at the cusp of a new era in the life of the Church. Institutions are dying, but I am hopeful that the Church--the people of God gathered around Word and Sacrament--will go on.
I have observed since the time of my ordination that the Church no longer enjoys the prestige of place at the center of our culture. This, in fact, is a good thing. The Church does not belong at the center of culture, but at its fringes.
I am sad to see cherished structures falling. I am disappointed to see some churches resorting to reactionary posturing where forward looking faithfulness is called for. But most of all, I am hopeful. As a Christian how can I be anything other?