http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/douthat-can-liberal-christianity-be-saved.html?smid=fb-share
The above article is one that raced around facebook for a few days and at least one friend asked me directly to respond to. I'm certain I could say much more, but I wanted to at least post my initial thoughts (also visible on her facebook page) out here and see if I get any more traffic :-)
I'll mostly focus my response on this quote: "Traditional believers, both Protestant and Catholic, have not necessarily
thrived in this environment. The most successful Christian bodies have often
been politically conservative but theologically shallow, preaching a gospel of
health and wealth rather than the full New Testament message." There comes
a point at which it becomes, arguably, impossible to find and locate a
"true" or "pure" Christianity. I remember at Houghton a
guest lecturer claiming that "holiness" and "justice" in
the OT were the same word (same concept maybe, but definitely different
words...). But I think that many conservative / liberal divides can be reduced
to the different pursuits that they have, conservatives for holiness and
liberals for justice.
Along the same lines, my personal
description of "liberal" Christianity is grounded in my Houghton
study of "Enlightenment" v. "Post-modernity." Everyone gets
angry at the Enlightenment for exalting a glorified, (supposedly) neutral
version of capital R Reason over experience or, in conservative circles,
scripture. Liberal Christianity, to my mind, has swung the pendulum far in the
other direction: nothing can contradict my capital E Experience, not a
(supposedly) neutral vision of Reason (that is little more than rich, educated,
white men's cultural values) and certainly not Scripture. If scripture is found
to be inconsistent with my experience, then what is true must be what I have
experienced. The exaltation of the individual over tradition, of experience
over reason or of scripture continues to progress further and further.
Now, the question that looms in my
mind is, to refer to my first comment, can you actually find a "pure"
balance between these things? I think rather not. I have been deeply moved by
the profound generosity and deep love of those who my conservatives friends
would consider not "real" Christians. I have been supported and
sheltered by the conservative Christians whose vision of true faith and
holiness has shaped me and helped me grow into whatever it is that I am. I can
use reason, scripture, tradition or experience to find healthy love for God and
desire to serve God's kingdom among either side of the so-called
"divide." But, again, all I need to do is turn to my original post:
our scripture and our tradition witness to both of these strains being present
and even appropriate. Most of the prophets and even the book of James have a
lot to say about why we need to work for justice and that the pursuit of
holiness should take a backseat (this is the path TEC sees itself on). The
priestly strains of the Old Testament and a lot of Pauline material emphasizes
holiness rather than justice.
This is the way that I think about
denominationalism. No one denomination has all the pieces of biblical faith
truly or even fully or even adequately represented. I am deeply grateful that I
grew up in the Holiness movement, inspired by worship and humility (that I
arguably never had much of) in the presence of God. I grew deeper in faith
because I encountered Pentecostalism and new forms of prayer and even speaking
and praying in tongues, practices I admire and respect. I landed in TEC because
I found set of trinitarian doctrines and practices in the Anglican Communion
that have shaped and changed me, my understanding of God and of the world and
human relationships. I'm even slowly coming to be thankful for the ways that
being in a hierarchical Episcopal church are shaping my views of authority. All
of these strands are important pieces of the faith to which the Bible
witnesses. No denomination does all of them well. I for one am glad that I have
gotten to spend time at IHOP (KC) as well as YDS as well as Houghton College
and a whole slew of Wesleyan youth camps where I have been exposed to and
deeply shaped by all of them. While I see excesses and flaws in each of them, I
wouldn't dare presume to invalidate any of them as being Christian because I
see honest, faithful people pursuing God in each of them.
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