February 2020

Compelling Traits of an Emerging Christianity: Part 2

In the previous blog, I outlined three traits of an emerging Christianity. In short, it is de-emphasizing heaven in order to do more on earth; it is integrating with science and finding its way back to nature; it is walking away from strict Monotheism in order to find PanEntheism. In this blog, I present three additional traits of this emerging Christian spirituality.

As expressed before, this is not a detached analysis or description of trends. Instead, it is a discovery as I find a fellow travelers who are undergoing a similar faith journey. Most certainly, these trends do not trace back to one movement or institution. Instead, it is more like a loose federation of communities doing reflection and arriving at similar conclusions.

Embracing the Unfamiliar Other

Undoubtedly, the most bitter fight within the Christian church over the last thirty years has been over LGBTQ issues. Mainline denominations have been torn apart, families come undone, congregations fractured over and lives have been lost through suicide over this issue. The conservative side has made opposition to same-sex marriage a political warring cry. Progressive congregations have also imposed their own political crusades over building ownership and bishop positions based on this issue.

We have all lost in this war and the casualties continue to mount. Yet, no one has suffered more than LGBTQ Christians who seek refuge in a household that either refuses to accept them as they are or turns them into a political commodity for righteous posturing. Regardless of these tendencies, LGBTQ are the unfamiliar other who are now at our footstep. How we respond says a lot more about true theology than all our biblical knowledge could express.

Thus, it is encouraging to see an emerging Christianity that stands with the LGBTQ community fighting prejudice and upholding their dignity in society regardless of how that fits or not into their theology. This standing with the other is not limited to this community but has extended to other marginalized groups. Whether it is fighting against sex trafficking, being a voice for refugees and undocumented immigrants, protesting with the me-too movement or declaring that black lives matter – there is an emerging Christianity who is learning to take on the burden of the oppressed.

The emerging movement is replacing national loyalties with a global citizenship that expresses solidarity with the downcast even at a cost of reputation, comfort or personal benefit. It is grounded in an understanding that us versus them is not the way of the cross. In Christ, there is only us and when one of us suffer, we all do. A passion that will only end when all God’s children are free from injustice, oppression and want.

I confess that acceptance of the LGBTQ community has been a long journey for me. Holding on to a traditional view of marriage was a strong conviction of mine based on centuries of Biblical interpretation. However, I now see that conviction as less important than upholding the humanity of LGBTQ people. Not only that, but I want to learn to love and celebrate their uniqueness as gifts from God. I may not fully understand it but believe in the call to accept them along with the call to stand in solidarity with them in their struggle for justice.

In a personal anecdote, recently I took to the streets to protest the Trump’s administration grievous travel ban that discriminated against refugees. At that point, when most of my fellow evangelical Christians either supported the ban or shrugged in indifference, it was a gay Christian friend who was willing to join me in that protest. As an immigrant, defending refugees was a personal matter, one that my friend took it as his own. Maybe I can learn from him to take his struggle for justice as my own as well.

Rejecting Violence as a Means to Power

Inspired in the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, emerging Christians are choosing the path of non-violence. As Christians question their role in supporting empire, American or otherwise, they are also learning to reject the its ways of violence. That is, it is not enough to stand with the oppressed but it is important to be mindful how to do it. Non-violent political resistance then becomes the antithesis to American militarism, one that continues to maintain a cozy relationship with the Christian church.

This theme is well represented in a network of Christian leaders that call themselves the red letter Christians. They seek to take the teachings of Jesus, oftentimes expressed in old Bibles by the use of red letters, above all other sections of Scripture. Counting with a diverse array of people such as Shane Clairbone , Tony Campollo, Rev Dr. William J Barber and Randy Woodley, they represent a new generation seeking to speak out for justice through non-violent protest.

Yet, this trend is not limited only to political movements but is gaining wide-spread acceptance not only in progress mainline congregations but also in evangelical ones. Pastors Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd, influential evangelical preachers in their own right, emphasize that non-violence is at the heart of Christian discipleship. That is, it is not simply a tool to gain political power but should inform all aspects of our lifestyle. This became clear to me recently when watching a screening of J.E.S.U.S.A documentary. This is no longer a fringe idea of radical groups but it is starting to take hold in mainstream Christianity.

I confess this is the hardest trait for me to grapple with. A total commitment to non-violence goes against our evolutionary wiring of fight and flight. It is highly admirable but also extremely difficult to follow. I also fear what that would bring to any community that followed this at wholesale level. Would they be annihilated? The deal that Constantine offer the church, bless my empire and I’ll grant you protection, continues to be alluring till this day. I want to join my emergent Christians on this one but as a father and husband, the idea of giving up self-defense is a hard concept to embrace in this emerging Christianity. With that said, while this makes me uncomfortable it is hard to deny the centrality of non-violence in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Growing Detachment from the Institutional Church

This is probably one of the most striking traits of all. Unlike past movements in Christianity that often evolved into new institutional forms, this emerging Christianity is taking ground at the edge of institutional confines. It is blossoming in the church front yard and at times even outside its gates altogether.

Some have found community by meeting in pubs, living rooms, libraries and now, most importantly, through the vast virtual spaces of social media. I can honestly say that I have found more Christian community in some Facebook groups (I guess this tells my age!) than in any congregation I have been part of. Most certainly this does not replace flesh and blood fellowship. However, it certainly enhances and at times becomes a conduit for long-lasting friendship and fruitful face-to-face encounters. I now have some relationships that could not have started prior to the advent of social media.

This emerging spirituality have exploded the parish model that limited Christian community to 90 minutes where we stared at each other’s back of heads in auditoriums. It may include opportunities for gathering with others but it also includes reading books, participating in affinity groups with neighbors, listening to podcasts and wasting precious hours arguing over irreconcilable matters through Twitter. All of this is a way to experience community, now more and more independent from the tutelage of the institutional church.

I would like to discuss this more in detail in a follow up blog where I review Phyllis Tickle monumental book, The Great Emergence that 12 years ago gave language to this phenomenon. For now, it suffice it to say that this emerging Christianity is rising from the confines of religion into the open spaces of the public square. It is not always clean, orderly and far from perfect but it is most certainly beautiful.

Compelling Traits of An Emerging Christianity: Part 1

When you start off on a journey, it often feels lonely. You wrongly assume that you are the exception and everybody else is staying behind. As most often is the case, any spiritual journey starts with a crisis, an enduring dissatisfaction and a stinging sense of loss. One also feels a stranger in their familiar environment which incidentally can lead to believe that they are alone in experiencing this internal turmoil.

Hence it is refreshing and emboldening when that sojourner meets others undergoing the same struggle. It is no surprise that a significant portion of people like me, who grew up in evangelical homes, are now, even if at differing degrees, experiencing dislocation in their faith journeys.

People will react to a crisis on a myriad ways. Some will dig their heels holding stronger to familiar convictions, others will abandon them completely. A third group will try to find their way through this crisis by traversing the tension of holding on to past convictions while also opening themselves to new pathways. This is where I find myself. Thankfully, as I can now attest, I am not alone.

In this blog, I want to cover three main traits that are converging to form an emerging Christianity which this third group is seeking. I don’t know if one can speak of a movement yet but more of coalescing of streams that are finding commonalities in these three areas. In each one of them, Christians are rejecting false binary choices to embrace living in the tension of seemingly opposite poles. By holding themselves in those tension points, they are finding room to grow, hope and transcend.

Thinking Less of Heaven to Do more on Earth

Dr. N. T. Wright is likely the most influential bible scholar of our times. He is one of the few scholars that achieved pop star status while still being highly respected in academia. His books have become a staple for many wanting to better understand the New Testament the Christian faith in general. I had the privilege to see him speak once in Pasadena, when I was a student at Fuller.

After hearing his lecture, I was struck by how emphatic he was about challenging Christians to stop focusing on the after-life. The thrust of his argument through multiple books is that the early Christians were not looking for a disembodied heaven but yearning for that reality to come down to earth. While this is not in itself a novel point, it does get to the heart of a detour historical Christianity took in the last few centuries.

Inspired by NT Wright’s writings and others, I see an emerging Christian spirituality that is progressively de-emphasizing the afterlife to become more engaged in the here and now. To me, this has been nothing short of a life-changing. While still going to church, the focus of my service now has shifted to my family and my community. Whether it is volunteering in my kid’s school or other non-profits, giving to organizations that are doing humanitarian work to spending quality time with my children, my focus has changed.

This does not mean that I no longer believe in heaven or denounce any church affiliation. It just that it is no longer the exclusive avenue and focus of my service. I stopped worrying about trying to get more people in heaven and instead started to work to make earth more like heaven. I am also finding more meaning in these activities rather than seeing them as means to a more important spiritual end.

Integrating with Science to Find Nature

I have written before about the importance of theology engaging with science. There is growing interest in this intersection as seminaries bring scientists in for dialogue. Biologos, an organization started by a Christian Physicist and director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, is at the forefront of this movement. While still small, the trend has great potential. It starts by rejecting the false option between thinking and believing and forsaking the unproductive ideological battle over the origins of life. Once these steps are in place, the interaction between faith and science can yield exponential fruits.

This is not limited to seminaries and technical schools but is also taking shape in other ways. For example, there is an increased acceptance of mental health issues within the evangelical community. This became front and center a few years ago when megachurch pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren lost his son to suicide. As Christians become open to an area that in the past was seen through an exclusively religious lens, I see them growing in understanding and accepting the blessings of scientific inquiry. It is no longer a threat to faith but part of God’s action on earth.

To me, the integration with science has translated into a greater preoccupation with nature. The emergence of eco-theology, namely a theology that seeks to connect humans to God through the natural world, is another promising trend. Theological reflection must transcend the human-divine axis to include all living beings. This goes beyond creation care to recognizing God’s action through animals, plants and whole ecosystems. A vision that limits salvation to individual guilt removal is ill-equiped to face the challenges and questions of our age. Salvation must encompass the whole cosmos.

The theological encounter with nature is also not just limited to action to protect the environment. It must address the sinful alienation brought upon a technological vision that separates rather than integrates humans into their habitats. The path toward a new Christian spirituality must walk through the green pastures of nature and eventually arrive at PanEntheism.

From Strict Monotheism to PanEntheism

PanEntheism, not to be confused with pantheism, proclaims the reality of divine presence in the material world. Unlike pantheism that saw nature itself as God, Panentheism keeps God’s transcendence while also affirming God’s immanence. Forgive my theologese, what that means is that it declares God to be beyond this universe but also present in it: A God who is both distant but also near. Confusing? Good, theological thinking thrives in the uncomfortable tension between opposing ideas.

To be clear, this is not a move away from monotheism, but bringing monotheism closer to physical reality as prescribed in the first trait above. It is about taking religion from something “out there” to the dusty mess of daily living. Some theologians, such as Moltmann, have associated that presence more specifically with biology. That is, the Spirit of God is present anywhere there is life, intelligent or not. Yet, such view is not a recent novelty but goes back in history to Francis of Assisi and to Dutch reformed theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper.

When taken seriously, panEntheism can have paradigm shifting implications to the Christian faith. In a sense, it recognizes that even before there were sacred scriptures, God was moving and speaking through the natural world. On the one hand, it magnifies further the largesse of the Creator who stands outside (and in) time. On the other hand, it should caution us in our attempts to divide the world between insiders and outsiders of God’s club. Even a tradition that is 2,000 years old is only a speck in the history of the cosmos.

In my view, this does not diminish the revelation brought forth by the Christian faith, maybe, shall I humbly say, it only fulfills it. It complements it, bringing its implications further into its conclusion:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15-17

Defining Public Theology for a New Decade (Part II – Moving Outward)

In the previous blog, I described the move inward exploring the first part of the following statement:

Public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God for the world as a way to instill hope and longing for the good planet.

The “public theology is prayerful reflection flowing out of love of God” section spells out the move inward through contemplation, prayer and reflection. It defines not just what it is but also its motivation, which in this case it is divine love, or charity. In this blog, I want to explore the second portion of the description above that traces a path outward towards our planet.

For the World

One of the most overlooked failures of evangelical (and mainline to a certain extent) theology in the last century is its inability to connect people with the world they live in. For the most part, it has built its main argument on the premise that we live in a fallen world beyond hope of repair. It does that so in the second breath, it can say that God is the only solution. In other words, it exacerbates the problem so it can better sell a solution. After all, a world that is intrinsically good needs no saving.

By building its argument as a sales pitch for the salvation of the soul, Christian theology left a legacy of disengagement. It has often produced disciples as the saying goes: ‘too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.’ It is great for filling stadiums and auditoriums but terrible for producing civic engagement. This is not to say that Christians in general, and evangelicals more in specific, have not engaged in productive action to help the common good. It is, however, to recognize that this came in spite of not because of this prevailing ethos that narrowly focuses on after-life fire insurance.

Oftentimes, civic engagement was a means to the goal of preaching salvation. Hence, public theology for this new decade, must re-define and re-orient this ethos of service away from being a means to being an end. Instead, it should see serving the world as the goal, a tangible incarnated reflection of our worship to the Creator. Because God ‘so loved’ the world, we, in turn, love the world too.

The world here is not just human beings but our whole planet, everything about this rock in our galaxy. Hence, we love this planet enough to work with people from all faiths to address human-generated climate change. We need to include notions of sustainability in our concept of holiness. The righteous person is the one who not only cares for their human neighbor but also for the global neighborhood. If we fail at loving the ground we live on, loving other humans may be a mute point if our planet cannot sustain life.

Of course, turning our gaze to the world also means loving other humans. I believe this we demonstrate this best by how we love both the marginalized and the very people that oppose us. Let’s also be honest: to be opposed for supporting or failing to challenge systems that oppress the poor, the different and the stranger is not the type of persecution we should be after. Yet, regardless of how or why we are opposed, loving our adversaries is at the heart of the Christian faith.

As a Way to Instill Hope and Longing

As I mentioned in the last blog, we do not live out this public theology without expecting to persuade others. Yes, I dare say, we do look for followers. We do seek to evangelize and to persuade those outside our institutional gates to consider their ways. We proclaim a message to build the common good also praying for metanoia – change of minds.

Yet, this is no longer a sales pitch to ask them to make a public confession of allegiance to our savior, nor an appeal for them to join our community and be baptized. If that happens, then we rejoice and receive them with open and hospitable arms. However, we aim for a much more audacious transformation. We dare, and are naive enough to believe that the whole Earth will be filled with the glory of God. That is, we dare believe the world can and will get better. The glory of God is Shalom, all living beings co-existing in mutual love and harmony. All living beings working to preserve, improve and develop this earth towards a better future.

Words are empty and often ineffective conduits to produce hope and longing. That is why this public theology must transcend mere proclamation and translate into concrete actions that in fact instill hope for a better world. It should manifest itself in grand visible gestures that run counter the narrative of death and disillusion propagated by our screens. It also happens in small personal acts of sacrifice. Small but enduring acts that demonstrate that we love those near and far well. Acts that express that we love this earth well.

For the Good Planet

The word “good” is often associated with the inferior option of excellent. That is not what I mean here. Goodness here (with a capital G) has to do with a vision of a planet where life flourishes, justice rolls down like rivers and all creatures live in harmony. To me, that is what it means to work for the common Good. It is not simply a flimsy notion of seeking compromise at all costs. Instead, it entails a vigorous negotiation in which all parties involved come out better than they started. Furthermore, I believe it is inspired in the vision of the Jewish prophet Isaiah as demonstrated in the painting below and in the quote right under it:

Edward Hicks (American, 1780-1849). The Peaceable Kingdom, ca. 1833-1834

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
    the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
    and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
    Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
    for as the waters fill the sea,
    so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord
Isaiah 11:6-9 New Living Translation

Isaiah envisions a world in which reconciliation is not just a human affair but one that encompasses all creatures. The enmity that was the modus operandi for the survival of the fittest gives way to cooperation and solidarity. It is the belief that we do better together than divided; produce more when in peace than in war; and flourish brighter when cooperation replaces domination. That is at the heart of Isaiah’s vision – a world where all creation peacefully coexist.

This is not a utopian vision of human progress. It is a radical, and even illogical, hope that God can use anything and everything to the flourishing of life in this planet and beyond. It is not only a hope of an event in the distant future but a patient longing that each day we inch closer to this reality.

To me, that is the vision of the good planet: one where life flourishes and love is the rule.

Do we dare believe in the Jewish prophet’s vision?

Month: February 2020