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.
