Growing Up The Church
Is church relevant? Can it help us grow to face the personal, societal and ecological challenges that we face?
In his talk at IEC, Ken Wilber argued that religion could be one of the greatest allies of evolution and the transformation of our future. I think many people agree with the potentiality of the church but assessment but are often discouraged by the entrenched dogmatism and complacency of the church.
Wilber argues that many religions, including Christianity got stuck in their development. That they latched on to certainty, power and rules and stopped inviting in Divine mystery and encounter with the Holy. They see themselves as God instead of seeking God as God.
William Sloane Coffin writes,
“Too many Christians seek an all powerful God so that we might be weak when God Himself in Christ became weak that we might be strong. Still others – fundamentalists, for example – longing to be spared the insecurity of uncertainty, engage in what psychiatrists call ‘premature closure.’ They misuse faith as a substitute for thought, when faith, In fact, is what makes good thinking possible.”
In calcifying doctrine and cowering from engagement with life’s wondrous and painful questions, Christianity has shamed its believers away from growth.
Of course this is not always the case, but it is happening on a large scale. It is rare to find a church that is interested in having “grown up” members and in doing the work itself to continue to grow (besides in number). The development of the Church will determine if the church can stay relevant.
Christianity needs to get in touch with its deep roots of wisdom, revelation and sacred service if it is to help us get ready for the next chapters and challenges.
Here are a few ideas about how the church can grow up:
1. Understand that Doubt is a Part of the Faith Journey – Too many Christians and churches shame and exile those who experience doubt. Doubt is not a failure. It is not even the opposite of faith – it is a friend of faith and leads us into new questions and deeper searching.
2. Embrace Uncertainty and Practice Faithful Responsiveness – The Church does not know how everything will unfold. They do not know all the secrets to life. They only know they way to respond to the unfolding. They know that we are supposed to care for one another, speak peace, build community and look for God in the face of the stranger. This will not take away all your anxiety or sell a million books – but it will help equip us to respond to our world in love and compassion as well as enable us to help build the reign of God.
3. Mine the Wisdom of the Past – The Christian Church’s history is full of contemplatives, seekers, mystics, teachers and holy fools. There is so much history that is not taught or discarded. We need to practice our faith and our spiritual ancestors have a lot to teach us.
4. Encourage Holy Encounter – We can be so afraid of our Living God – a God who is still speaking. We try to clamp down on revelation and sacred encounter because it might cause messiness and might empower people to develop their own relationship with the faith that is not tied to whether they are a “good” or “bad” Christian.
5. Love the World and Her Problems – I do not mean love the World and her problems to practice idolatry and schadenfreude. The Church needs to engage with the world and her people and her challenges and avoid from hiding out in the false safety of Heaven. The Church can grow up by being present to the world and her needs just as Jesus told us to do. This will encourage better questions, better response and more encounter with the ways that Jesus shows up in the world – as the other, the stranger and in the blessing of the unexpected.