Christian

Identityin a

Multi-Faith

World

2010

the nonesthe donesthe uns

Anne has concluded that she will never truly belong to the “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group” known as Christians unless she becomes “anti-gay … anti-feminist … anti–artificial birth control … anti-Democrat … anti–secular humanism … anti-science … anti-life.”

Tell that much of the story, and you have the sort of thing the news media love to report—another celebrity break-up, if you will. But this time, the celebrity is divorcing God.

But that’s not the whole story. Really, it’s not the story at all. Anne explains that, “My faith in Christ is central to my life.” She is still “an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God.” “But,” she says, “following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”

And so, she concludes, “In the name of Christ… I quit Christianity and being Christian.”

Do you haveCRIS?

ConflictedReligious

IdentitySyndrome

TREATMENT: ADJECTIVES__conservative ___liberal ___Evangelical ___progressive ___emergent ___moderate ___a new kind of ___mainline ___ not THAT kind of

Why I am a missional, evangelical, post/

protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/

poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative,

fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican,

methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed-

yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian.

1972

Back in 1972, Dean Kelley rocked the religious world with Why Conservative Churches are Growing (HarperCollins)...

He spoke the then-shocking truth that “Mainline” Protestantism, which had historically been the main form of Christianity in the United States, was fast becoming “old line” as it declined in numbers.

It was losing ground to a “new line” of conservative churches characterized by seriousness and strictness. These churches were serious about the meaning they offered and strict in regards to wholehearted conformity to their norms of belief and behavior. This ... made them socially strong, and this social strength made them grow – as their adherents enthusiastically recruited others.

SERIOUS+

STRICT=

STRONG

In contrast, old-line churches were increasingly ecumenical -- respectful of and open to dialogue with other faith communities and the meaning they offered. They were about making friends, not converts. Old-line churches valued individual freedom over group conformity when it came to issues of purpose, belief, and behavior.

To old-liners, ecumenism, respect, dialogue, individualism, nonconformity, and freedom were precious qualities, but in terms of creating growth or even sustainability for the future, Kelley claimed they were counterproductive at least, and potentially even suicidal. That’s why he used unflattering terms like lukewarmness and leniency to describe them in contrast to the strictness and seriousness of their counterparts.

lukewarm+

lenient=

weak

According to Kelley, strict, serious, and growing groups ...

are not ‘reasonable,’ they are not ‘tolerant,’ they are not ecumenical, they are

not ‘relevant.’ They often refuse to recognize the validity of other Christian

churches’ teachings, ordinations, sacraments. They observe unusual rituals … they [persist] in irrational behavior …

They try to impose uniformity of belief and practice among members by censorship,

heresy trials, and the like. (26).

The Paradox:There is about any serious meaning venture a certain irreducible fierceness, asperity, insistence, exclusiveness, rigor – a fanaticism that brushes everything else aside. Yet that very single-mindedness renders it objectionable to those who value balance, brotherhood, respect for individual diversity, mutual forbearance and self-restraint, civic peace, pluralism ... (164)

Chapter 6:Why Not a Strong,

Ecumencial Religion?

“But why must there be any conflict? Are not freedom, justice, respect for others essential parts of the Christian faith? Ideally they should be, if rightly understood. One can conceive of a high-demand religious movement devoted to justice, freedom, beauty, respect for others, and so on, which could effectively explain life to [humankind] without fanaticism, absolutism, intolerance, or judgmental moralism. That is what – ideally – Christianity ought to be.”

“Yet where is such a phenomenon to be found?”

-- Dean Kelley, 1972

what do you think?

In search of a strong and benevolent Christian identity for

today’s multi-faith world

We know how to have

a STRONG-HOSTILE CHRISTIAN IDENTITY.

STRONG-HOSTILE

We have the only way.

You are going to hell.

We are God’s chosen.

You worship false gods.

resistance if futile.

you will be assimilated - or eliminated.

we possess absolute truth.

We know how to have

a weak-benignCHRISTIAN IDENTITY.

weak-benign

it doesn’t matter what you believe.

all religions are the same.

all roads lead to god.

only sincerity matters.

doctrines divide.

keep religion private.

Mind/Matter: I don’t, it doesn’t.

strong-hostile

OR

weak-benign?

Or???

where did our strong-

hostile identity

come from?

Misconception:Our religious differences

keep us apart.

Actuality:It is not our religious

differences that keep us apart, but rather a haunting religious similarity ... that we build strong identities through hostility.

Give people a common enemy, and you

will give them a common identity.

Deprive them of an enemy and you will

deprive them of the crutch by which they

know who they are.

- James Alison

Can Christians today re-build our identity without hostility to the other?

STRONG-HOSTILE

We have the only way.

You are going to hell.

We are God’s chosen.

You worship false gods.

resistance if futile.

you will be assimilated - or eliminated.

weak-benign

it doesn’t matter what you believe.

all religions are the same.

all roads lead to god.

only sincerity matters.

doctrines divide.

keep religion private.

strong-benevolent

Because I Follow Jesus, I love you.

I move toward “the other.”

I break down walls of hostility.

i stand with you in solidarity.

you are made in God’s image.

i am your servant.

I practice human-kindness.

In the “old apologetics,” exclusivism and superiority

were attractive features.

In the “old apologetics,” exclusivism and superiority

were attractive features.

In the “new apologetics,” religious supremacy is a disqualifying factor.

Can there be... uniqueness without

supremacy?

... benevolence without weakness?

... strength without hostility?

what do you think?

A strong and benevolent Christian identity centered

on Jesus and his story (good news) of the

kingdom/commonwealth of God.

Christian

Identityin a

Multi-Faith

World

6 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

20And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ 23He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’

24And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers* in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

But how?

The historical challenge

The Docrtinal Challenge

The Liturgical Challenge

The Missional Challenge

The Spiritual Challenge

The Prayer for disciples

Our Father, above us and all around us,

May your unspeakable Name be revered.

Here on earth may your commonwealth come … on earth as in heaven may your

dreams come true.

Give us today our bread for today.

And forgive us our wrongs as we forgive.

Lead us away from the perilous trial,

Liberate us from the evil.

For the kingdom is yours and yours alone, the power is

yours and yours alone, and the glory is yours and yours alone,

now and forever. Amen. (Hallelujah … Amen)