How do we flourish?

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Thinking this morning about domination-style faith systems

I am in Salt Lake City

Right across the street from the Temple

For a national meeting (General Assembly) of my denomination,

The Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA)

Which is decidedly NOT in the domination mold

 

I remember the mothership of the PCUSA

A very nice, although not huge building in Louisville, Kentucky

And I compare that to the center of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

 

This could be the Capital of a nation!

It stretches for 5 or 6 city blocks. Large blocks

Filled with large impressive buildings

Amazing landscaping

 

I am wandering around on a Sunday morning

And am watching the men in their black pants and white shirts

Headed (I assume) for the Tabernacle

Women too

But mostly men

 

And I am thinking back to yesterday, as I rode the train in from the airport

The car was filled with young people, all headed to some sort of youth meeting

(college age I think)

We had a delightful conversation with a delightful young woman

Who was friendly, polite, articulate, warm, engaging

Everything you would want in a young adult

 

And totally on fire for her church

 

I am only “around” Mormonism

It is not a huge presence where I live, a stone's throw from Idaho

Where it is a huge presence

But it is around

 

And I think about its emphasis

On family

On the high demands it places on its people

To participate in the life of the church

 

I think about its very hierarchical structure

And about the control the church exerts over its families

And the control the parents exert over their children

 

And I contrast that to the approach I see in most Presbyterian churches

And families

Sure, there are authoritarians in our denomination

I have met a few

 

But over the years we have evolved into a system

That is egalitarian

We have the ministry of all believers

We have families where children have a voice

And we have

For good or ill

Pretty low expectations

 

We don’t exert a lot of control

We teach independence

We encourage our children to think, to question

And challenge

 

I am mostly OK with this

But I think about our churches

 

In my generation (I am 73, raised in the 50’s early 60s)

Church attendance was expected

The son of a doctor whose own father was a Mennonite minister

Being in Sunday School and Worship was not an option

 

I loved Sunday School

And your group (as I got older) was fun

And the leaders (my parents included) compassionate

And helpful

 

But now?

I wonder?

There are so many other things happening on Sunday morning

From sports to 4H (yes, really)

To family outings

 

My children are now the parents.

And they, if not antagonistic to ‘church”

Are not involved

 

They are wonderful human beings,

Raising wonderful human beings

 

But they are not part of the church

And they are not involving their children in the church

They are spiritual (I think)

But church is not a thing

 

And this is where we are at in the more “progressive” denominations

 

It makes me wonder

I remember the old scripture quote

We used to hear so often

 

Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray (Proverbs 22:6)

 

I don’t want to be part of an authoritarian system

I don’t want to be coercive

I don’t want to exert tight control using power, authority

And yes, fear

 

I don’t want a system where people are told not to think

Not to challenge

To simply believe and obey

I don’t want a religion that demonizes education

 

I know the damage such systems can do

I see the trauma

I watch people as they leave such systems

and go through a process of deconstruction

 

But I wish we had more young families participating

More young voices singing, shouting, laughing

In our sanctuaries

 

How does one make that happen?

Without coercion and control?

 

I would like to think if our faith is genuine

If we have spiritual energy

If the Holy Spirit is running loose

And Jesus in unbound

And the power is present

 

I would like to think that if our worship

Helped people experience, remember the sacred presence

And gave them energy, and love, and hope

 

I would like to think that if we were finding ways

To do life a different way

If we were living out our faith

Loving, caring, forgiving, including

 

That if we were feeding the hungry,

Clothing the naked,

Housing those without homes,

Protecting those who are oppressed,

Fighting injustice,

Welcoming all in the love of Christ,

 

That would do it!

 

We have certainly tried.

But here we are,

A struggling denomination.

 

900 and some people

Sheltering in the shadow of mighty edifices

Watching the faithful obey

Seeing the impact of obedience

 

And seeking our own way forward

Our last meeting the theme was “From Lament to Hope”

This time the theme is “Live into Hope”

 

Are we living into hope?

 

How do we do that?

I hope we figure it out.

I hope we “catch fire”

 

I hope for the sake of my tiny congregation

(for which I have been temporary supply for 17 years)

And my tiny Presbytery (Eastern Oregon)

And my ever smaller but beloved denomination (PCUSA)

 

That we can figure out

How to create energy and excitement

How to create followers of Jesus

How to make people who reflect the image of God

Our God of Love

 

I hope we can do that.

Without buying into the domination paradigm

But instead live out the servant paradigm

And call people through lament

(not away from lament, we always need lament)

Into hope

 

Into a faith

That helps make the Kin-dom of God real,

 

Here

Right now!

In this faltering and failing world

In this divided and angry country

 

I really do want to

Live into Hope