Tom's February 2004 article

Article from Epistle to the Presbyterians, February/March 2004

by Thomas A. Sweet

I currently am reading an engaging book by Jack Good entitled The Dishonest Church. It is the contention of the author that most mainline Protestant churches in the United States are dishonest because pastors and members do not acknowledge and deal creatively with a divide that exists between them. Good’s diagnosis of the problem is that clergy are trained in academic institutions that equip them with knowledge essential to communicating the gospel message in the contemporary context. When they begin serving churches, however, these same pastors do not challenge the members by sharing their knowledge and discoveries. They revert to the literalism and tradition of their childhood faith in order to develop and preach a popular version of Christianity that will please. The conflict between an educated and a popular version of Christianity is the gulf that exists between pastors and members.

Good has made some, uh, good observations with which I mostly agree. I, however, sometimes to my peril, have tried to honor you, to show my respect for you, by being forthright about what I have learned across the years. As a trained theologian in your midst, I have sought to share with you the fruits of scriptural and theological scholarship and rumination. (Kermit Hogenboom, himself a retired pastor, recently described our church as “intellectually adventurous.” I like that.) I have thought it best not to pretend that I do not know what I have come to know about, for instance, the nature of the Bible, the political and ecclesiastical realities that occasioned the selection of writings that have become our Bible and that left other writings out, and the political and cultural controversies that gave rise to our early creeds. I have attempted to show that science and theology are not mortal enemies, but intimate and wonderful friends. I have questioned the common portrayal of God as essentially a human being writ large who intervenes in our lives to save us from calamities (since we all know many situations, both personal and historical, that cried out for intervention and none was forthcoming). I have suggested an alternative purpose for Christianity: that instead of seeking our own personal salvation by “believing in Jesus” as the end goal of our lives (which seems awfully self-serving to me), the journey of this lifetime is primarily for trusting God with our lives and “doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God” no matter what and no matter what the cost, just as Jesus did.

With the psalmist who exclaimed that there is nowhere we can go to be outside of God’s presence (Psalm 139) and the Apostle Paul who claimed that “in God we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), I have offered an image of God not as a deity who is far and apart from us but as the Great Reality in whom we live our lives. Our task, then, is not to try to please and placate a God “out there” but to practice the presence of God in whom we live, allowing God’s Spirit more and more to seep into us and fill us, as Jesus did, thus transforming our lives and the world.

Jack Good describes two basic sets of assumptions that motivate people in their religious quest. The first set belongs to people whom Good calls chaos intolerant, those who have great difficulty accepting uncertainty in life and faith. These people long to be told that all events are under the control of an all-powerful divinity who rewards goodness and punishes evil. They need to believe that the Bible was dictated directly by God. They gravitate to authority figures and churches who will tell them precisely how to interpret scripture and live their lives and assure them that God is in control even when personal and world events are spinning out of control.

The second set of assumptions is embraced by those whom Good calls chaos tolerant. These are people who, given the realities of their lives and the world, question the traditional images of God, people who acknowledge that good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people, and who acknowledge a seeming randomness to life. As these people abandon their former sureties that are incongruent with their life’s experience, they often enter into a wilderness phase in which they cannot make any spiritual sense out of what seems to be an oftentimes senseless existence. Those who persist in the spiritual quest, however, often and eventually find the courage and wisdom to make deep and meaningful commitments to God and faith and world within their experience of ambiguity. They forsake simplistic and dishonest answers in favor of probing and honest questions. Good says that a dishonest church makes Jesus the answer man who appeals to chaos intolerant people who cannot live with any ambiguity or uncertainty. By contrast, those who are chaos tolerant see Jesus as a puzzle-maker who confronts and questions the way things are and invites us to be partners in the ongoing quest for “the new heaven and new earth” in which peace reigns, love abounds, and justice rolls down like an ever-flowing stream.

As a former chaos intolerant Christian now in recovery, I acknowledge that I have found a way to God through the life and teachings of Jesus, but I also affirm the faithfulness of other people who have other names for their guides to God- guides that are true for them as Jesus is true for me. I acknowledge my conviction that the manner in which I treat others, rather than the creeds and doctrines I say, is the best and fullest expression of what I believe. I acknowledge that I find more grace and help for my life through my immersion in the mysteries of God than I do in dogmatic certainty. I acknowledge my growing sense that the great value of the church in these times is in becoming worshiping communities of people dedicated to equipping and supporting one another for and in the ministry we are called to engage: praying and working for peace and justice for and among all people, protecting and restoring the health and well-being of God’s creation, and bringing real and tangible hope to those whom society deems “last, lost, least, and littlest.” I acknowledge that being a follower of Jesus is costly- that it necessitates my giving myself to others in love, conscientiously resisting evil, and renouncing the spoils of privilege that insulate and separate me from those who suffer and are not as lucky in life as I am.

I am worshiping, working, praying, and living toward a chaos tolerant church. And that, dear friends, is just being honest with you! (TAS)

SHORT-TERM (4 Weeks) LENTEN STUDY

I covet the opportunity to talk with you about the issues I raise in my article. Therefore, I invite you to participate in a four-week Lenten study/conversation with me entitled “Is (Theological) Honesty the Best Policy?” I fully believe it is and I also believe that progressive theology offers a doorway into a deepening experience of God and faith. But I want us to talk about this together, to raise questions and share insights. Because we will be using the book The Dishonest Church, pre-registration is required (by February 17) and the cost of the study (for your copy of the book) will be $12. The four sessions will be held Tuesday evenings at the church- March 2, 9, 16, 23 –from 7:00-8:15. If there is enough interest in a day group, we will make those arrangements, too. Remember, we need to know by February 17. If you cannot make all of the sessions, sign up anyway. But the more you are present, the better for you and us. Please consider this invitation seriously. Call the church office or e-mail me at tom@firstpresjamestown.com with your positive reply!

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