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I did not subtitle this article “On Christian Community” for two main reasons. First, a so-called “Christian” community is often not Christlike. Indeed, we have likely been in and heard of “Christian” churches that were more like chicken fights than Christian communions. However, the “un-Christian” aspects can be subtler, with a veneer of socialized and politicized piety shining over a putrid arrangement of exclusion and prejudice, with a big dose of anti-intellectualism in regard to faith. How sad that such churches will drag the name of Jesus and Christ into a claimed support for such a group. Second, communities do not have to advocate the Christian faith to be Christlike. Is that not ironic? I mean, is it not ironic that a “non-Christian” group might be Christlike, while a “Christian” people might be unlike Christlike? This might come as a surprise to many Christians, but the Gospel has to do with the spiritual relationship with our Creator, not mainly with allegiance to Christendom or the popular forms of Christianity that can veer far from the essential Spirit of the Gospel of Christ—which is more than a literal, moralized attempt to follow the Bible or tradition.
While a professor, one of my best students in religion came to me. Bob was a wonderful, intelligent, and Christlike young man of about twenty-two. He was an outstanding student and young man. Bob had a natural intelligence that was impressive. He was chosen as our star student by his fellow-students in religion, his last year. One day, while playing tennis with Bob, he shared the following. He had gone home and visited his home church. In Sunday School the teacher asked for any comments from the class. Bob kindly raised a question about a matter put forth in the class. His question was not an attack on the teacher or class, nor was he giving an opinion. Bob only raised a question that was unconventional in that church. In front of the class, the teacher forthrightly informed Bob that such questions were not fit in that church. Bob looked at me, in his usual gentle manner, and without criticizing the teacher or class, said, “I will never again speak up like that in church again.”
What was this bright, young man saying to me, a young man who had been raised to seek Truth and believed the church, of all places, should be a place of open inquiry and seeking Truth together? He was saying, “Brian, I have learned the church is not a safe place.”
The only persons Jesus seemed to have trouble with were those convinced that religiously they had the only way and had the answers, and judged as wrong all others. Sadly, much of the church has not noticed that lesson, for often it has turned into the same prideful religiosity Jesus encountered repeatedly. While it champions the dissident Jesus, the church often suppresses both dissident followers of Christ, among them both clergy and laity who cherish openness both intellectually and spiritually.
To be Christlike is to be dissident. Let me say that again, To be Christlike is to be dissident. Otherwise, we have to define Christlike as being conformist, and I, myself, am not willing to follow such a tame Christ or agree to such a tame Christianity.
However, and here is the surprise to many Christians: The dissidence I refer to is dissidence in regard to what Christianity has often become. That is, a resistance to the conformity within the church itself, a conformity, usually with these elements: strong boundaries toward suppressed, minority peoples and groups in the society; moralism; merging their religion and politics; dogmatism; literalism; resistance to posing of viewpoints outside the accepted norm; a worship of a holy book; acceptance of ancient authorities (i.e., Scripture, creeds, confessions…) to the exclusion of accepting that Spirit can speak from sources outside its tradition; a devaluing of natural revelation; built-in social mechanisms to object to and shame persons who offer views and practices that differ with the vast majority in the group; …
Thus, such groups are not safe places, and many persons sit in these groups, afraid to offer sincere questions or share experiences that they feel the group will not listen to with respect. However, notice, this type of conformist group can be anywhere on the spectrum from fundamentalist to liberal.
Hospitality is about offering a safe place for dissidence. Without dissidence, there is a deadening, facile, hypocritical and, indeed, un-Christian, even more, inhuman, conformism.
I can assure you of one thing. Spirit always leads us beyond where we are. To follow Jesus, to live the Spirit of Christ, is to follow beyond where we have been before. If we are not willing to do that, then, we need to abdicate the name Jesus and Christ. If we are willing to follow where we have not been, then, that following will challenge us in ways we never anticipated we would be challenged in our faith walk. Are you ready to follow? I assume you are, or you would not be reading OneLife, a source that is certainly not for those into conformist religion.
I urge each of you to be hospitable as persons and faith communities. Provide a safe place for seeking, learning, and growing. Do not act as though others are to come to you for all the answers, nor that you are to go give them all the answers. That is arrogance, not hospitality. Be a person, be part of a people, inviting others, so that you together can learn from each other and grow to “places” you never dreamed possible together.
Spiritual Exercise
1. What one thing can you do to help make your community of faith a safer place for all persons to share in?
2. How might you change to be a person others feel safer to share there sincere religious questions and thoughts with?
Prayer
Breathing in: Beautiful moment.
Breathing out: Precious moment.
Breathing in: I love you.
Breathing out: Thank you.
-Brian K. Wilcox
OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spiritual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, write Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at briankwilcox@comcast.net.
Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union, can be ordered through major bookdealers.
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
The People of the
United Methodist Church
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