Question & Answer

 
Q: By Rev. Dore

I am a New Thought Minister who presents the Bible and the Christ in much the same manner as Bishop Spong does in his articles and books. Can the Christ and Christianity survive the adolescence period where all is in flux, change and turmoil and emerge as the loving empowering way of life that Jesus intended and that we so desperately need or will the Fundamentalists win the day? Will we make it to Spiritual Adulthood?

A: By Roger Wolsey

Dear Rev. Dore,

I’m glad there are New Thought pastors who present the Bible and Christ in the way that Episcopalian Bishop Spong does. Some types of New Thought share more in common with progressive Christianity than others. To answer your question, I’d say that no living religious tradition or movement “is no longer” in a state of flux, change, turmoil or emergence. If they exist, and seek to continue to – the messy chaos of transition, change, reformation, and transformation necessarily go with it. While I have suggested that “the United States is but a teenager” within the wider community of nations, I wouldn’t say that Christianity is an adolescent. It’s been around for over 2000 years. That said, some forms of the faith seem more mature than others. And some varieties of Christianity certainly seem to focus more on nurturing love; empowering people; and emphasizing the radical, subversive, counter-cultural, restorative and redistributive justice-promoting Way, teachings, and example of Jesus. Increasing numbers of young people are seeking, not dogma, but a way of life. They yearn for orthopraxy (right actions/way of living) more than orthodoxy (right beliefs/doctrines). Churches that embrace progressive Christianity certainly do this, and there are many signs that more and more evangelical congregations are making shifts in these directions as well – even if but modest ones.

I think it’s problematic for us to think that any religious movement will ever fully become as perfected as any one of us might prefer. In part this is because such perfection is subjective; in part because there will always be members within those religious movements who are at different stages/perspectives of faith development; and finally, because each of us, including you and I, are works in progress. Since we’re not perfect (just ask our friends and family members ; ) we aren’t really able to critique our religion without also taking long looks into the mirrors ourselves.

A portion of the poem “Wakey Wakey” that conveys this:

“…Do we know what time it is? I said do we know what time it is? Some of us thought we did.

We thought it’s the time of the dawning of the idyllic age of Aquarius.
We imagined we’re entering a utopian new age of “higher consciousness”
We dreamed it’s the era of ever-integrating, spiritually elitist spiral dynamics where people deemed “green” are “more evolved” than those deemed orange, blue, red… and so on!
…. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

And we fantasized a rise of “Indigo Children” – a new generation of super sensitive more fully evolved humanity present among us! …Yeah right.

The past [year] has shown us who we really are and what time it really is.

On the left and on the right – we’re a bunch of freaked-out Henny Penny Chicken Little’s running around with our heads cut off hollering, “The sky is falling!, Abandon ship! It’s the end! Let’s move to Canada!”

All 9 Enneagram types have regressed to our respective stress and fear states — and brother — that ain’t good. ‘Cause if we’re stressing and act out of fear we manifest the monsters that we loathe and despise. Our demons become self-realizing prophesies and none of us look like the beautiful souls we really are. Instead, of intentional deep thinking about what time it really is, we react pell-mell! …”

That said, I do like to believe in the hopeful words of Rev. Theodore Parker (1853), made famous by Rev. Dr. MLK, Jr, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I want to believe this, and deep in my heart I do. And yet, as we have seen in current events, the hard work and victories of the Civil Rights movement are vulnerable and a great nation can regress 50 years in a short amount of time.

Progress is not inevitable. It’s a long, slow, slog and there are as many steps backward as there are forward. As Frederick Douglas (1857) pointed out, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” And John Dewey similarly said (1939), “Democracy has to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.”

Progressive Christianity of course, is an example of a vital movement within Christianity which is overtly seeking to help reform and transform the faith as much as it can. That said, even this promising form of the faith is in need of its own further progress. Case in point, the marked lack of people of color, or working class folk who are seen as being in – or seeing themselves as part of – this movement.

I think what is likely to happen is that there will continue to be many forms of Christianity – or “Christianities” – with a wide range and diversity among them. Some will be seen as “more evolved” than others – by various persons.

What’s needed is daring to get messy. Mustering the courage to tussle, enter the fray, and grapple in the muddy market-place of ideas, values, and paths. It would be a tragic dereliction of duty and a massive missed opportunity if our movement were to rest content to be cloistered in the bookshelves of elitist ivory towers, nestled in largely greying haired Anglo-centric congregations, or cocooned in parochially echo-chambered corners of the internet. Let’s roll-up our sleeves, put on our muck boots, and do the hands-on, tangible, incarnational, give-a-damning highly relational work before us.

Blessings,

~ Rev. Roger Wolsey

This Q&A was originally published on Progressing Spirit – As a member of this online community, you’ll receive insightful weekly essays, access to all of the essay archives (including all of Bishop John Shelby Spong), and answers to your questions in our free weekly Q&A. Click here to see free sample essays.

About the Author

Rev. Roger Wolsey is an ordained United Methodist pastor who directs the Wesley Foundation at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and is author of Kissing Fish: christianity for people who don’t like christianity; The Kissing Fish Facebook page; Roger’s Blog on Patheos “The Holy Kiss”