Open Path

Big Tent Christianity thoughts

Fred--

I've been a quiet observer of PXnty, while also being engaged  in a cool

start-up ministry of a local, Episcopal Parish.  I first heard Brian

McClaren speak while attending an annual youth pastors conference--and sort

of witnessed the birthing of the EC.  This was 1999 in San Diego.  What

struck me then was the role liturgy and ritual were playing in this new

reformation, and the interesting awareness that these were 2nd and 3rd

generation evangelicals learning to light candles, honor silence, accept

ambiguity, while still being passionate--and expecting some kick-ass music

and big screen visuals.  Today, these folk still inspire me.  The next step

for reformation is for those of us with life-long commitments to mainline

life to let go of our traditions, our rituals, even our pensions, and

realize that every age and expression needs reform.  This is all really

hard--and amazingly interesting.  Check in with Rob Bell--and see the s***

he takes.  Look up Eugene Cho.  Unbelievable pastor--who also has founded a

global movement fighting extreme poverty. What these guys have--and what I

wish for--is the freedom that comes when you let go of trying to defend

whatever "orthodoxy" you have inherited.  That freedom is worth pursuing.  

 

Bill,

Thanks for your email last week. Because of a busy travel schedule and a huge response from our readers on the last eBulletin I have spent the last week just trying to catch up. We really hit some kind of nerve or generated some kind of excitement (depending on the reader) with this publication. Our reader response was nearly 3 times the highest we have ever received in the last five years.

Thanks for the tip on Rob Bell and Cho. I did look them up and I find it very interesting and seems to reflect one of the challenges I believe that EC movement must someday face. I noted that in Bell's website that there was no mention of substitutionary salvation or even that Jesus was God. I only read the first page of the church’s website and one of his articles, but clearly that is not the agenda for the church or for him. Cho on the other hand is still sticking with the basic story, albeit spoken with some new metaphors and illustrations. From Cho’s blog:

" God has descended. God has come to us. God, through his Son, Jesus, has moved into our neighborhood and into our hearts. Jesus who was fully God – yet chose to become fully human and in great love, chooses obedience – even unto death – so that we might be reconciled."

I think that same split may be one of the major challenges of the EC movement and it will be interesting to watch. I have been doing that more since the Phoenix event. After several conversations with some of the attendees and after following up on some of their blogs, it is not clear to me that they see themselves as part of one group. The divide seems to foster (or fester) around: 1. the belief that Jesus was God, died for our sins as part of God’s design or 2. Jesus was a prophetic teacher (with degrees of uniqueness) who was teaching us by words and example how to experience the Kingdom of God here on earth, in our lives. Or as one person put it to experience salvation (to be made whole) in the present.

It appears to me the Brian McLaren and of course Borg have moved to the second story and there were still plenty in the room (tent) who were hanging on to the first story. Can they all be part of one movement?  Can they live happily in one “tent?”  How much will these former evangelicals let go or can they agree to disagree and just live happily ever after? It appears to me to be a rebirth of the Arius/Athanasius  battle even though most of the attendees would have no idea what that means since few of them were schooled in graduate seminaries, not that this means anything.

I would like to chat with people like Rob Bell about this. I don’t want to debate or get into theological B.S. I just want to know how he looks at this or if it is important. How big is the tent and would I, for example be included.

I know you must be frustrated as are many clergy across the country tied to their denominations, their health care, pensions and church buildings. Episcopalians have a particularly difficult situations with Bishops who vary from wide open to ultra traditional. It is clear to me that the institutional/corporate model is collapsing, however. I just hope my meager UCC pension will last for a couple more decades.

Thanks for writing. I hope to hear back from you.

Warmly, Fred

Q and A on A Joyful Path Children's Curriculum

What is a Wisdom Path"? What is inter-spiritual language?" How can anyone "see God within everyone" when God is not defined? Why teach Jesus's "teachings" if there is not some connection with God? ~Marie

Marie,

Thanks for writing. You ask important questions that most people just ignore but that does not stop them from talking as if they do know. First let’s be clear that no one can define "God." God is just one of the words we humans created to try and make sense out of the great mystery of creation. We can no more define god with accuracy then a horse can define humans, or for that matter a bug can define humans. We really do not understand Black Holes and multiple universes, although scientist tell us that they exist. And scientist actually cannot fully explain gravity but we "experience it" every moment of our lives unless we happen to be an astronaut.

Wisdom teaching is intended to guide someone into an "experience" the Great Mystery we chose to call God. You will find Wisdom Teaching in all of the ancient religious traditions which should be no surprise since they all started with a life transforming experience by their respective founder. Wisdom is sometimes known as Sophia perennis, it is concerned with the transformation of the whole human being. Not everyone wants transformation but most humans at some point in their lives, start wondering if this is all there is, start feeling like they are missing something. How do I live my life so that I see and hear and feel all that there is? For the Christian contemplatives, transformation is about moving past our egocentric, fearful, judging ways. It is about learning to live more compassionate, more loving lives. It is about going from a dualistic world view to a non-dualistic perspective; it is ultimately about having an experience of complete unity and oneness with all creation. I might suggest that this is an experience of that mystery we call “God.” This was the primary objective of Jesus teaching before his teachings were turned into religious debates. When we talk about a non-dualistic perspective, we are referring to the concept that we are all one creation and there is no separation between all living things, including the Creative One, except those our ego has created. We may not be able to define it but for those who have had such an experience of Unity or Sacred Unity as the early Christians may have defined it, there are no boundaries, no boarders, there are no separations, just oneness as part of that Great Mystery you might choose to call God.

Inter-spiritual language is when we look at the wisdom teachings of other traditions in order to garner a better understanding of our own traditions. We believe that in so doing, we come to realize that most of these ancient traditions have much in common in their original  teachings. For us that means that we must be on the right track. For many the wisdom path had led to an experience of the Holy Unity but for them it does not end in a definition, but rather it leads to Wonder and Awe. May it be for you.

I hope this is helpful.

 

Thanks for writing,

Fred