The Boiler Plate
During this first weeks of Sabbatical, I’m spending time reflecting on the growing places within the church. In May 2023, Convergence (formerly the Center for Progressive Renewal) hosted a summit of ten Progressive Christian Magi, asking each to respond to the question:
“Can the Church Change?”
These are my reflections on the summit sessions. I give thanks to Spirit-guidance, and the squirrel-thoughts and butterfly-flights that caused me to pause and write, and pause and seek, and pause and ponder. And I trust that the Spirit will do the same for you as you have time and desire to share in the Summit.
I’ll also offer a “And So…” section at the end of each reflection titled Enter/Depart. It will look to connect the five Sabbatical themes to the reflection.
I think it’s important to understand how we embrace change and embody our growth as people of faith. Change is, by its nature, disruptive and cause fear and doubt to rise in us. Change is also, as Heraclitus noted, the only constant in the universe. The question that returned from our Magi is this:
As much as we have agency, what is it that we want the church to change into?
Today’s wisdom is shared by Diana Butler Bass, author, speaker, and historian. A word of thanks to Cameron Trimble for her interlocution in the summit: great questions, and wise insights through the conversations.
Diana Butler Bass
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., is an award-winning author, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America’s most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality. You can learn more about Diana’s work at her website, dianabutlerbass.com.
Diana’s answer to the core question, “Can the church change?” was this:
Tell me a time when the church hasn’t changed. That’s a historian’s answer…
The church always changes. Why don’t we start there?
I love this perspective, and what history can teach us about the ways the church has grown and rarified and slowed and re-birthed.
Diana and Camron had a long conversation talking about “post-normal times,” the changes in Christian community life, and the need for aspirational visions and experimental communities.
What caught my heart and my attention came at the 37ish minute mark. Diana shared deeply on the fearful impact of Christian Nationalism’s heresy, blasphemy and idolatry on our society. Her challenge to us all is to accept the imperative to “get noisy” in its face.
Let’s see what history can teach us about that ‘unholy’ trinity of words.
Can the Church Change: A Trinity (but not that one)
Heresy, Blasphemy, and Idolatry.
These aren’t typical words used in discussing Progressive-leaning Christianity–in a positive light. In fact on a quick search of “Progressive+Heresy,” every hit was titled something like “Is being a progressive Christian actually heresy?” Or “Progressive Christianity is the best pathway to heresy and progressive pastors are the modern day false prophets.” “Progressive+Blasphemy” and “Progressive+Idolatry” return similar results. No surprises.
So let’s take a philological moment here. In the immortal words of Indigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Heresy is “a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine.” Blasphemy is “impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.” Idolatry is “idol worship.”
But the word heresy derives from the Greek word αἵρεσις (hairesis): ‘choice.’ The word blasphemy is also Greek βλασφημέω (blasphemeō): ‘to blame.’ And round it out with Idolatry, still Greek εἰδωλολατρία (eidōlolatreia): ‘worshiping idols” (saw that one coming, eh?). *Thanks to dictionary.com and perseus.uchicago.edu for the research tools!
So celebrating someone exercising God’s gift of free will is bad. And calling out someone for acting like they’re God’s gift (or God themselves) is bad. And selectively selecting something from the sacred, elevating it to the utmost, and rendering unto it what should be celebrated with God is bad.
Can the Church Change: “Do not judge…”
Here lies the question: Who’s to judge? Who gets to pick what’s heretical, or blasphemous, or idolatrous?
Luther’s ‘heresy’ of questioning authority is the backbone for the Reformation. Many continuing reformers, like the Quakers, Anabaptists, and Unitarians ‘blasphemed’ for offering a different understanding of God’s revelation (including believer’s baptism, the liberty of conscience, and non-conformity to the world). William of Ockham’s (and others) idolatry of sola scriptura is the razor-edge on which all modern Biblical scholarship is derived.
All three of these charges require us to agree to something: a single, immutable definition of Christian faith. They assume that we’re not experiencing the gift of life in unique ways. They assume that sacred wisdom only comes in a tightly defined box. And they assume that there’s something other than God that deserves our lauds and praise: the single, immutable definition.
Can the Church Change: Being Who We Are
I claim my religious heritage in the United Church of Christ and my upbringing in the church as defining parts of who I am. And this means that I have a definition of what Christian faith looks like from that perspective. Over time, my definition has changed as life lessons and other’s wisdom have shared revelation on that “better way.” And that way is Progressive, and inclusive, and ecumenical and inter-faith.
Living a life worthy of being called Christian challenges me to read the sacred stories with eyes looking for the change that needs to happen around me. Seeing with heaven’s eyes that there are many paths to the sacred enhances my faith, as I can see that its truths stretch beyond one community’s teachings. And with both of these working together, I’m challenged to parse that idol of a “single immutable definition” into its divisive and traumatic parts of specks and logs (à la Matthew 7:1-5). I’m stretched to embrace Christ’s way of justice, healing, and love more fully for the healing of creation..
Enter / Depart
Follow this link to look back on the five Sabbatical Themes
Diana urges us all to “Get Noisy” about what matters. She says with passion:
Fear is not an option. What is our only option: Courage.
We have to continue pressing into love and justice in every way possible…
We teach our children: “Use your words.” And we have faith that our second Sabbatical focus, Language tunes our Love, challenges us to breathe inclusion and expanding love into the world.
Allowing an ‘orthodoxy’ like Christian Nationalism to dictate the religious dialogue is a blasphemy (active or passive). Not speaking against its oppression and allowing it to impiously shape our common living is a heresy. Its presence in the world itself is an idolatry of hate and division.
I am a strong advocate for keeping the church out of politics, and politics out of the church (and thanks to Americans United for shaping my words and witness). It is of the utmost importance to remember the intent of the authors of the United States Constitution and Amendments on this. When ideologies seek to break the separation down, we all need to rise up and ask who is benefitting. I cannot find an example in history of religious nationalism benefitting the majority (or the nation itself).
In a later post, I’ll be reflecting on Jim Wallis’ latest (2024) book, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy. I expect that his work will better shape my words on this. For now, I’ll leave this topic here. And I will celebrate that we can share our diverse and unique opinions in respectful conversation.
-HEF
Note: The Can the Church Change? Summit hosted by Convergence took place over the week of May 22-26, 2023. The sessions are available for viewing through subscription at https://convergencesummit.online/can_the_church_change/
