Changing the
Conversation
Chapter 8: The Church and the Public Square
By Jean McCarthy
“Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!”
This line from The
Wizard of Oz came to my mind as I read this chapter. It feels that way to me quite often, as the
world around us seems to change overnight into a global village connected in a
web of communication on the internet, collapsing time and space, and connecting
ordinary folk with other ordinary folk.
We cannot live in our own little spaces anymore and ignore the rest of
the world. We can no longer afford to
make assumptions about church or country or life, for that matter. Robinson talks about the end of American
Christendom in candid terms, naming the tensions that we feel in this country
and around the world today. So what do
we do?
The challenging
question that Robinson puts forth as one of the most important conversations we
need to have is, “What is the role of the church in public life?”
His challenge is for all of us to
rethink, reframe, and embody our public life and role. As I write this, I am packing to fly to Louisville for a Board of
Directors Meeting of JustFaith Ministries.
Their motto has been “JustFaith changes people; People change the
world”. That could easily be the mission
statement of Christians everywhere.
JustFaith Ministries
was formed with the vision that Robinson articulates in his book. They work toward changing the conversation in
a variety of communities of faith today, concentrating on poverty and systemic
injustice. Robinson stresses that we
must take sin and evil seriously, recognizing its complexity and depth. Perhaps the hardest of all is the systemic
injustices that seem so impossible to change in this violent and polarized
world. We need the strength to name the
pain honestly and realistically, tell the stories, and then point to the sure
and certain hope that is our faith.
Leap to the end of
the chapter and read Robinson’s conclusions:
Our world is global. We are not
the center. What is our faithful response? How do we become what Robinson calls a church
that is “centered yet open”? Are we about bringing more people through our doors into the church – or are we about forming Christians who go out the door and live their faith where God has called them to be?
St. Paul wrote of the body made up of many parts,
many “gifts that differ”. At St. Mark’s
we have been exploring faith in many different ways on Wednesday nights for
years. As a Christian and as a rector, I
have grown and learned, and have been challenged and humbled, as well as
affirmed. I think that is the gift of
diversity that is offered to each of us if we truly seek our center as
Episcopal Christians. We do not have to
agree, but we do need to stand in solidarity with each other and learn from
each other.
So how do we grow to
understand, articulate, and use core Christian convictions that Robinson says
is critical to a congregation’s health and vitality? I had a wise pastor once that considered scripture
study to be a wrestling match. Scripture
and our core convictions needed to be planted deep in our bones. Out of that struggle came one of the best
preachers and teachers that I have ever known.
We need “theologians in residence” who are able to bring core Christian
convictions and principles into dialogue with congregational life in the wider
culture. Academics have their place, and
so do those who fill in the gap between academia and what the church needs and
finds helpful.
Last spring Mike and
I attended a gathering of academic scripture scholars, social justice
activists, and “folks in the pews” who came together to dialogue with each
other, rather than living in their own “ivory towers” – to learn from each
other how better to embody the gospel in today’s world. Our
churches work to do that kind of dialogue in respect and openness. We don’t have to agree, we just have to stand
together in solidarity and respect.
The Indaba process
we engaged in as a diocese at our last convention is perhaps a step in this
direction. Such a model asks people to
“grow and to grow up in Christ”. Indaba
asks us to truly listen in respect to each other, and to become accountable to
each other. The purpose of the church is
to grow Christians who engage the world as people accountable to the gospel. Church equips all of us for a vital role in
the public sphere for the common good.
There is a rich mine
of challenges for the future direction of the Christian churches in this 8th
chapter. May we companion each other
well on this journey. We may no longer
be “in Kansas”,
but we are deeply rooted and grounded in faith.
Jean McCarthy
Rector, St. Mark’s Church
Des Moines, IA
No comments:
Post a Comment