Category Archives: Theology

A Progressive Call to Conscience

One of my spiritual heroes, Fr. Richard Rohr, posted this quote on his blog yesterday:

“Despite a certain trend towards conservatism in parts of the church and society, I am convinced that we have moved into a new era that will be determined by people who live by their own conscience and are particularly qualified to act as discerning members of community and society…the era in which almost everyone was content to be born and to live as a member of a certain church or ‘organized religion’ is over. The people who will shape the future of believers of all religions are those who have the courage to make their own choice, whatever pain may be involved, and to do so with personal responsibility.”
– Fr. Bernard Haring, German Redemptorist priest

The “certain trend towards conservatism” that Haring writes of has been on my mind a lot lately, and I love how he describes it.

I appreciate his description of “conservatives” as simply being content to be born into and live as a member of a particular kind of system, because that has been my working definition of this stream of the faith for quite a while. The truth is that, for a lot of Christians, the historic ways of thinking about and enacting our faith works, and works well. To hold this particular doctrinal understanding or that one makes a lot of sense. Given the way that their worldview is constructed, one cannot fault someone for professing the particular theology that they do (remember: knowing determines understanding determines meaning).

But Haring names something important, I think. What will shape the future of faith is whether or not we have the courage to make our own choices. I do not understand him to say that all of those choices are going to be good ones that will lead to the Abundant Life, but I do understand him to say that this will be the norm (and this comes from Catholic moral theology, which, according to Rohr, has as its first principle, “Follow your conscience”). However, the interesting point that Haring’s thought raises for me is not regarding the future of religion, but about the reaction of those living out that “certain trend towards conservatism.”

I can say from experience that persons who want to preserve the particular system that has defined Christendom raise loud, vocal opposition whenever someone dares to explore the “adjacent possible” of our common faith. I find it interesting that, at almost every turn, what we have discovered to be a true expression of God’s love for creation was once thought to be in direct violation of scripture and theological tradition (ie – equality of races and genders, etc). I am grateful for those who naturally want to preserve the best of our faith, but I am not willing to let them rule the roost. And yet, that is what is happening.

As I observe it, Progressives (those who seek to explore the adjacent possible) do one of two things in response to loud, vocal opposition. We either cower in the corner, constantly on the defensive, and allowing the opposition to set the agenda; or we segregate ourselves, trying to ignore fray, telling ourselves that this “certain trend towards conservatism” is not a serious issue. In both cases we fail.

This “trend towards conservatism” cannot be allow to set the agenda for the future of the Christian faith, for, indeed, its agenda is not about the future, but about the past. This conservatism is often little more than a romanticizing of times gone by, and as Melissa Harris-Perry recently said of a similar kind of USAmerican nostalgia, there is no time in the American past that one would want to go back to as a black woman. If we allow the agenda of the Christian faith be “Back to the Future” we are all destined for a limited and limiting existence.

However, more often than not, what Progressive Christians do is sit smugly in the corner and decline to engage in the debate at all. The reason we can be accused of snobbery is because, well, we practice it. Rather than cower in the corner, we (instead) sit there smugly, waiting for others to “catch up” to a more inclusive, holistic, and complex way of engaging the world. We do this because we don’t like to argue and fight; we don’t think that anyone’s mind will be changed.

I disagree. Minds can be and are changed. I trace my own “journey to Progressivism” to my freshman year of college, when my friend Todd rhetorically dismantled my conservative theological worldview. I returned to my room after that very civil debate and cried for about an hour because, for the first time in my life, I did not have all the answers.

I believe it is time for those who identify as Progressive Christians to begin proclaiming what my New Testament professor calls ” a confident counter-proclamation.” I believe it is time for us to cease being afraid. I believe it is time for us to cease allowing the recent “trend towards conservatism” to be the agenda setting narrative. We must not be haughty, but we must be firm, clear, and respectful.

I would call this a call to arms, but it is not a war. So, instead, I take a cue from Haring and issue this Progressive Call to Conscience. Sisters and brothers, let’s once again be willing to make bold choices to explore the adjacent possible of the Christian faith, and be willing to endure whatever pain may come as a result.

10 Indicators of an Authoritarian Church Leader

Scot McKinght at Jesus Creed offers ten indicators to look for to determine if your community of faith is suffering from authoritarian leadership:

(1). There is never any freedom to question the leader.
(2). The leader often makes claims of having special insights from God, insights that the laity are unable to possess.
(3). Disagreement with the leader is deemed a sign of the devil’s influence in one’s life.
(4). Events are designed to bring attention and praise to the leader rather than equipping others to do the work of the ministry.
(5). Any concept of equality is immediately labeled rebellion or the end result of a “liberal” denial of the Bible.
(6) Authoritarian leaders are only comfortable around like-minded leaders; thus, there is an unoffical ‘speaking tour’ where only imperial, authoritarian leaders share the platform with each other.
(7). The measure of success becomes the number of people who follow the leader (“It must be of God! Look at how many come to hear me speak!“)
(8). If a person leaves the community or church, the problem is always in the person who leaves, not the leadership.
(9). Leaders who wrongly perceive themselves as those “with authority” insulate their lives by demanding absolute loyalty through giving large financial benefits to their closest ‘advisors.’
(10). The ultimate end of this kind of Christian leadership is always more; more money, more power, more followers, more publicity, more, more, more…

My “stump sermon” as I travel and speak on Open Source Church is rooted in Mark 10:35-45. My take is that we have a wrong view of God as a “top down, command and control ruler” and we want to be just like that. I think that’s why James and John wanted to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. But Jesus says, “It will not be so among you.” We are called to be servants and slaves to one another, living our lives for the sake of the other and expecting nothing in return. Isn’t this what Jesus meant when he said “love one another as I have loved you”? At least in my tradition, this is the requirement for leaders.

We’re not “bosses,” we’re servants. And, currently, we suck at that.

So, I buy Scot’s list. I saw these tendencies in the Fundegelical churches I was a part of growing up. I see them in many Mainline contexts I am in. I see them in myself.

You?

10 Indicators of an Authoritarian Church Leader

Scot McKinght at Jesus Creed offers ten indicators to look for to determine if your community of faith is suffering from authoritarian leadership:

(1). There is never any freedom to question the leader.
(2). The leader often makes claims of having special insights from God, insights that the laity are unable to possess.
(3). Disagreement with the leader is deemed a sign of the devil’s influence in one’s life.
(4). Events are designed to bring attention and praise to the leader rather than equipping others to do the work of the ministry.
(5). Any concept of equality is immediately labeled rebellion or the end result of a “liberal” denial of the Bible.
(6) Authoritarian leaders are only comfortable around like-minded leaders; thus, there is an unoffical ‘speaking tour’ where only imperial, authoritarian leaders share the platform with each other.
(7). The measure of success becomes the number of people who follow the leader (“It must be of God! Look at how many come to hear me speak!“)
(8). If a person leaves the community or church, the problem is always in the person who leaves, not the leadership.
(9). Leaders who wrongly perceive themselves as those “with authority” insulate their lives by demanding absolute loyalty through giving large financial benefits to their closest ‘advisors.’
(10). The ultimate end of this kind of Christian leadership is always more; more money, more power, more followers, more publicity, more, more, more…

My “stump sermon” as I travel and speak on Open Source Church is rooted in Mark 10:35-45. My take is that we have a wrong view of God as a “top down, command and control ruler” and we want to be just like that. I think that’s why James and John wanted to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand in glory. But Jesus says, “It will not be so among you.” We are called to be servants and slaves to one another, living our lives for the sake of the other and expecting nothing in return. Isn’t this what Jesus meant when he said “love one another as I have loved you”? At least in my tradition, this is the requirement for leaders.

We’re not “bosses,” we’re servants. And, currently, we suck at that.

So, I buy Scot’s list. I saw these tendencies in the Fundegelical churches I was a part of growing up. I see them in many Mainline contexts I am in. I see them in myself.

You?

I am a Bible-thumping Progressive Christian

I love the Bible. I’m not sure I know a clearer way to say it than that.

I find the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be amazing expressions of a God who pursues people who would rather not be pursued. I am amazed at the ways I see my own life mirrored in the narratives I read. I am in awe of the Psalms while uncomfortable at the truths they reveal, all at the same time.

I am, admittedly, bored by the prophets, but convicted and inspired when I actually take the time to read what they say. Like any stereotypical American male, I have found the war and conquest stories of the Old Testament to be fascinating. These were the pages I returned to over and over again as a youngster who stayed up too late reading my Picture Bible. The Bible as a comic book – genius!

I find myself drawn to Jacob the Liar, because I know that, at my core, I’m 10 lbs of shit in a 5 lb bag. I, myself, have been the conniving bastard who was then petrified of the consequences of my actions, only to be greeted with the open arms of forgiveness.

I find myself drawn to Jonah the prophet, because I know that, all too often, I am a pouty little baby when God doesn’t do what I want. When God decides to show mercy and forgiveness to people I can’t stand, I kick and scream and shout, kick and scream and shout, kick and scream and shout.

I could go on and on, but my  point is this: I  take the Bible seriously. Very seriously.

And, because I take the Bible so seriously, I don’t treat all the different texts of the Bible as if they were scientific or historical documents. I allow genres to be themselves. Poetry is poetry, Wisdom is wisdom. I understand that the Bible was written by a people who, at that time of human development, were the functional cognitive equivalents of the modern six year old. They believed the earth to be flat and encased in a dome, with “heaven” above it and “hell” below it (kind of like The Truman Show). Likewise, I recognize that there was no modern medicine or psychology during the writing of the text. People were “demon possessed,” not suffering from a wide variety of psychological disorders. And so, like when my own sons were six years old and I didn’t take them literally when they tried to describe something big and tremendous and life-changing, I try to find the “thing behind the thing” and make sure it guides my life.

But beyond that are the ways I allow the text to rend my heart. Seeing the love and compassion Jesus had for everyone around him that demonstrated consistency with the whole of the Hebrew scriptures leading up to his life… To witness his willingness to be crucified because he wanted people to be free… I pale in comparison and it is a liberating discovery.

I read how Paul changes from a monster of fundamentalism to a maniac for the Gospel. Sure, I get queasy at his insistence that women should sit down and shut up, but most who disagree with me don’t take him seriously there either. To imagine him toe to toe with Peter in Antioch is my favorite image. To have been inside his brain as he composed the letters to Corinth and Rome would have been stupendous. To bear witness to a man who lives according to a strict behavioral code advocating for Gentiles not needing to is a priceless gift.

It is because I take the Bible so very serious that I stand for my sisters and brothers who are being told they are less than. So, you can disagree with my theology. You can disagree with my ethics. You can disagree with whatever you want, but don’t you dare tell me that it’s because I don’t take the Bible seriously.

The 10 Commandments of a Progressive Christian Faith

My name is Landon, and I am a Progressive Christian.

  1. I believe the Grace and Peace of God in Christ is free, and was given to me to set me free in all things (ie – physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, materially, politically, intellectually, etc.). I should freely give what I have freely received.
  2. I believe that everyone should be able to come into relationship with Jesus Christ without having to understand his work and person exactly as I do.
  3. I believe that the Gospel will mean different things in different places. Incarnation = Contextualization.
  4. I believe that my understanding of Christ, while valid and transformative, is limited. I do not posses the original, sole, or correct understand of the work and person of Jesus Christ.
  5. I believe that no person or group should be implicitly or explicitly excluded from the Body of Christ.
  6. I believe that I should pray for and support all endeavors which seek to set others free.
  7. I believe that I am called to help set people free without requiring they enter a relationship with Christ.
  8. I believe that the truth of the Gospel cannot be restricted to a particular theology.
  9. I believe that while God has called me into relationship through Christ, others may be called into relationship in other ways.
  10. I believe that the benefit of the Gospel cannot be restricted to a particular group of people.

*Adapted from Open Source Church, Chapter 1