A Church of Misfits
Church of the Resurrection takes its name seriously, and it should. You can't name yourself "Resurrection" and then do anything less than work for renewal and make the choice for hope. Eighteen years ago the church started out as 25 people worshiping in a funeral home. Adam Hamilton, then 26, has since led this body to become the largest Methodist church in the country with more than 14,000 members.
This past week I spoke to a gathering of 1,700 church leaders who had gathered at Resurrection with a mission. A mission of renewal for the mainline church was clear, a renewal that brings together the personal and social gospel. While I preached to their church I was reminded of another pulpit. The pulpit of John Wesley. A pulpit that shook a nation.
I had the privilege of preaching for four worship services at Resurrection on Saturday and Sunday. The heart of my message was that the hope we have in Jesus Christ is not only the salvation of our souls but the redemption of the world. That when we embrace and live into both realities we experience awakening in our lives, churches, communities, nation, and the world. It is this kind of faith, faith for the big things, that moves mountains.
Watch or listen to the service here.
The spirit and mission of Wesley runs deep at Resurrection. After years of decline and decay in mainline churches across the country, the vision of revival and renewal is clear. Their pastor describes the church as one full of "misfits." Misfits who hunger for more from their church, misfits who want to give more to the world, misfits who believe that the way things are is not how things are supposed to be. Hamilton says his church is often not liberal enough for the left or conservative enough for the right. He calls himself a "liberal evangelical." History has taught us that it is when "misfits" call for the end of the status quo that the rumblings of revival begin.
It was misfits like John Wesley, William Wilberforce, and Charles Finney who lit the fires of revival that spanned two continents. They did not fit with the churches of their day because they were radically evangelical and unapologetically committed to a social gospel that challenged the evils of slavery.
I wrote the foreword to Adam's newest book, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics
Often feeling like a misfit myself in a divided church, I felt right at home at the Church of the Resurrection. And I saw the future -- a congregation full of both liberals and evangelicals, old and young, many formerly unchurched but now committed Christians, suburban but involved in the renewal of the St. Louis school system, mainline and Methodist but also evangelical and ecumenical, full of families and kids, 1,000 teenagers in the youth group, both traditional and contemporary worship, intellectual but warm-hearted, successful but humble, both Democrats and Republicans who believe that God is neither, and, most of all, fervently committed to a gospel that is both personal and social and refusing to divide the word of God or the body of Christ. At every service where I was blessed to preach, the pastor and congregation said they want to be a congregation for the next Great Awakening. I know I got renewed at the Church of the Resurrection.
Jim Wallis is the author of The Great Awakening
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Personally, I have had enough of pulpits that shake a nation (the Religious Right brought us George Bush, two wars, and economic devastation).
There was no virgin birth, no talking snake, and the resurrection was simply a metaphor for spiritual renewal, not a literal resurrection. Furthermore, women did not bring "sin" to the world.
Instead of encouraging magical thinking, dualism, hatred, racism, divisiveness, incorrect history, pseudo-science, homophobia, misogyny, elitism, and rigid and controlling sexual mores, we would be better off to just skip the religion.
The Religious Right brought us George Bush? I distinctly remember OTHER demographics voting in those two elections. You know, besides the Religious Right. Really. Seriously.
Check your history, as the vernacular expression goes.
Well,if people really really need to be around others to reinforce what should be a core spirituality that goes beyond tales from a place 'long, long ago and far far away'....
What ever happened to just plain old spirituality without all the man-made (and man-supported) trappings?
ORGANIZED religion is still the problem in the equation.
#1 problem: need for a 'leader'
#2 problem: need for a funding source.
#3 problem: objectivity
#4 problem: rules made by man, challenged by man, ignored by man
#5 problem: Control - see #4 problem above.
This constant, impulsive need to 'spread the word' is just another way of stating 'spread the control'.
Evangelical Religion (sung to "It's a Hard Knock Life for US)
It's a man made world, yes sir
It not about 'him' and 'her'
It's about a male's need
To control and breed - his 'seed'.
It's a man made world.
PPM makes the world go round -- Power ----- and Money. I cannot write the middle word but it is indicated in your comment. Racism is all about PPM. The racist does not love the woman; he loves ownership of the woman -- see Sarah Palin for example of woman as owned and corrupted entity doing the bidding of a slimy master. Men mutilate the genitals of women around the world and call that the law? Men gang rape women around the world and call that retribution. Men enslave women around the world and call that economic progress. Man did not make the world; man made the world a less inviting place to be through arrogance, through greed, through violence…all in pursuit of PPM.
It seems to me a do-over is required, a Mulligan for the ages is necessary…a total revamp of world society from the ground up where we agree at the onset that all life is worthwhile not just at the beginning (or in the womb) but throughout. The church is only as good as its inhabitants and when inhabitants are driven by PPM…then its over before it begins, it cannot be good because it is based on evil.
Yes, Thank you Jim! Continue the good work. I have followed Sojourners from almost the very beginning. Met some of your folks when I was protesting the nuclear arms race at the Pentagon with Phill Berrigan et. al., back in the 80's.
To some of the bloggers here I want to say that there are many intelligent, well educated people (I have a PhD.) who practice various faiths. I have discovered that closed minded fundamentalists come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.....
Good observation.
I've noticed the same in any organized religion.
This need to 'spread' has reach critical point.
Keep that dogma away from my karma.
I will have NONE of it.
Well. I think you have to define secular fundamentalism. What, exactly, is their doctrine?
Superstition isn't philosophy, and buying into one fable and rejecting all others isn't a particularly rational way to determine your place in this world.
In times of economic turmoil more people will turn to the spiritual to calm their unsteady mind. Blogs like 'Living' will be of great help to help people face reality.
I have some advice for those caught in this difficulties. Cut your loses, don't despair and self destruct. Live within your means. Sometime we make it difficult for ourselves by our demanding life style. Remember the needs of life is cheap it is those things that is not important to our survival that are expensive. Air is free, water is cheap. A simple meal to fill our stomach doesn't cause much. Good times, bad times they will come to pass. Most important is to weather out this storm. Keep your family together financial difficulties can make love ones easily agitated and quarrels will happen but let each family member know the sitiuation and work as a family to overcome obstacles.
We who love thank you for your reflection of love. May we be the change we have waited on for all this time.
Morality is NOT about scripture or when life begins. Morality is about the mitigation of suffering.
When I find a church that treats others like they want to be treated , doesnt judge , and strives to be like jesus ,I will go to that church.. Havent found one yet..
How many have you been to while you were looking?
Church starts in the heart. If you build a strong church there, then even if you are in a hypocritical environment, you are still attending a good church by what you bring to it. Ours is a problem of a failure to revolt against what resides in each of us that prevents a more loving and caring society. There are millions if not billions in the house of love I believe. We have yet to have a meeting where we all gather to say enough, we can do better and we will do better.
Mr. Wallis: Many people (myself included) are critical of religious-leaning viewpoints when it comes to solving problems or dealing with harsh realities. But I do want to say that your message (regardless of your inspiration) is noble. I wish you would address your concerns toward Americans, rather than those who only comprise a single belief system, but I'd rather see you on CNN than the Falwells, Robertsons, and Tony Perkinses of the world.
For added perspective, I humbly recommend Susan Jacoby's "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
Christianity was started by misfits such as JC & his dirty dozen, aka Jesus Christ & His 12 Apostles. They preached to & befriended Jerusalem's losers. That could be why JC died tacked to a tree & Babbit & other boosters don't like Primative Christians. Preachers who wear Ralph Lauren, Prada & even Brooks Bros have mega-churches, not store from missions. Jim & his friends might speak more about that; they have done it before. If you dislike hunger, you get to meet people like Jim helping you unload a truck from 2d Harvest at a local food pantry.
When you say you gave already it should be reflected in your walk. If I am against hunger I had better not be obese. If I am against poverty, bling bling is not for me.
It will be sad indeed if the economic trouble we are having leads to a revival of superstition over reason.
Any religion is a combination of superstition, myth, and ethics. It would work much better if people paid more attention to the ethics part rather than literal interpretation of the myth part and absolute belief in the superstition part. But it doesn't.
The ethical part goes lacking far too often and creates a scene of hypocritical perversion of pristine principles.
Agreed. Unfortunately, organized religion is a money-making machine. Whatever happens, they will show up on the scene to offer "solutions". Their solutions almost always involve a lot of "prayer", a lot of hand-holding, a lot of talk, and most importantly - a massive amount of other peoples' MONEY.
They accomplish just barely enough good to maintain a thin veneer of respectability, to keep the money rolling in, and to keep from being run out of town. Jim Wallis works the left side of the tracks, Pat Robertson and his ilk work the right, and countless others work the middle. It's the oldest con known to man.
What? All we see around us day in day out is the triumph of superstition over reason. Exhibit A is Sarah Palin who believes in the literal interpretation of the bible including, for example, that the world was formed about 6000 years ago and that man and dinosaurs lived at the same time, hence no such thing as evolution.
She represents millions of people in this country who genuinely believe this mumbo-jumbo despite hard scientific facts to contradict that nonsense.
The revival this country needs now is a revival of reason (education) over superstition (ignorance).
Christianity in America is way to diffuse which allows it to be exploited and perverted by too many charlatans, heretics, blasphemers and hypocrites
Nietzsche said: "There was only ever one true Christian and He died on the cross..!"
Nietzsche had more respect for Jesus than almost any of the hypocrites profiteers scoundrels pedophiles and charlatans who falsely profess their love and devotion for Jesus daily..
According to prophesy in the end times there will be many false prophets..
I do believe we are in the end times, and that is more evident every day...
If we are in the "end times" that state may not lend itself to measurement by earthly time keeping apparatuses. The time of humanity may be a few more days or a few thousand more years, or longer, who can really say for sure. It has been shown that between zero and one there is an infinite number of possibilities. How can humans deal with the entire ruler of existence if they are struggling on that which lies between zero (Life) and one (Death)?
On false prophets, dogma, and religion, the nature of a belief in a God is tricky in practice. I meet the atheist who tells me that science is the end all be all. As someone who is appreciative of science and problem solving through mental exertion, I have no qualm concerning the scientific. I do have a problem with anything that is propped up to be unassailable beyond that, which can be proven or known. Science can tell me about the known and discover unknown aspects of existence; in that discovery new rules form concerning what is possible or not. We learn that to place our hand over fire hurts us so we adapt. What do we know of what rises from the ashes when the phoenix crashes and burns? The spirit is not the realm of science and science does not debunk spirit. Yet there are prophets who belittle talk of spirit with the dogma, the religion, or the God of science.
If we are in the end times, it's only because the evangelical fundamentalists (Christian, Jew, and Muslim) have turned the concept of end times into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In a normal year, I would have logged many of my thoughts concerning testaments like this one. This is not a normal year. After reading the words, I offer thanks for the treatment, it served to remind or reinforce certain truths. I am far away from the religious beliefs of my childhood, but I am in tune with the spirituality of that belief. The Christian doctrine has informed my earthly life, and the logic of the power of being servant, empathetic, loving, nurturing, and kind still makes sense to me. The long dusty trail does make for tired feet and an achy back. I will say it this way:
There were two monks out walking in talkative contemplation on the exact meaning of the Way. They happened upon an old decrepit traveler who was carrying his load in a slow and labored fashion. The wiser monk pointed to the traveler and said, he is reflective of the Way. The other monk could not believe his ears. Monk number one called to the traveler, “Show me the Way”. The old traveler rested his load, stood erect and from his face fell the years, the regret, the pain, the burden and he was magnificent in his bearing and brilliant in his countenance, confident in his stance…awe inspiring in his perfection. The old man almost as quick as he had transformed picked up his load from the ground and went back to his labored journey. Thus is the Way!
God is!
"Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey". Jeez man.... just because you can conjure something up, doesn't mean it's not gibberish.
Thanks, you revealed your point in your comment.
Thank you for your work Jim. I am forever thankful for my spiritual mentor, Mac, a retired Presbyterian minister for introducing your ideas to me several years ago. He passed away this March, eighty something, and how blessed I was to have known him. Your work mirrors his soul, and will live on, and on and on.......C
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