A lot of traditional church people I know are grieving the decline of mainline Christianity. “Where are the people- the young ones especially?” “Why have they stopped coming?”
Grief is an important step with the loss of anything that is important to us, including the loss of church as we have known it. Our grief honors the deep love we have for the traditions and experiences of our church communities that have shaped us.
For religious people, it is important to grieve not only for the loss of church as we have known it, but also for the great harms that have been perpetrated in the name of religion. As a follower of Jesus, I grieve deeply the hurts that have been done in the name of Christ. For centuries, the church has been deeply entrenched in anti-semitism, the subjugation of women, and the rejection of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non-conforming. A quick historical study shows the oppressive violence of the church towards people considered “heathen,” “pagan,” or “heretics”, which includes Muslims, Native Americans, “witches”, atheists, and anyone considered non-Christian. And, the church is complicit in what Jim Wallis calls “America’s original sin- the theft of land from Indigenous people who were either killed or removed and the enslavement of millions of Africans who became America’s greatest economic resource.” (1)
For centuries, the majority of Christian circles have been defined by theological beliefs rooted in a vengeful, violent, judgmental God. These beliefs have been the foundation for vengeful, violent, judgmental Christian behaviors. It is no wonder that people aren’t interested in church. Modern people resonate with Gandhi’s statement, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
The current perception of Christian culture and communities is so toxic that the majority of young people outside the church think of Christians as judgmental, hypocritical, anti-gay, and out-of-touch with reality (2). Overall, most people see Christianity as a set of outdated beliefs. And they’re not wrong. So we grieve.
Yet, an increasingly vocal minority in the church is seeking a different way. This minority mourns the fear and violence committed in the name of Jesus, while seeking to move the church in a radically different direction where love comes first, and beliefs are secondary. “Are we ready to say that Christianity must no longer be defined by a list of unchanging beliefs, but rather… by a way of life centered in love, as embodied by Jesus?” (3)
A consistent thread in Jesus’ life is his persecution at the hands of the religious elite for challenging laws, traditions, and beliefs that weren’t in alignment with love. Jesus was considered a heretic in his day for asserting the supremacy of love. Prophetic Christians today are simply saying that we never fully got or lived this message in our church communities.
Jesus’ life and ministry weren’t about ushering in a new set of beliefs. Early followers of Jesus were known as “The Way.” Albeit imperfectly, those early disciples sought to live out the path of love that Jesus had embodied and taught them: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13: 35)
In short, Jesus offered a new way of holding our beliefs, based on one criterion- love.
In the gospels, Jesus respects the law and beliefs, except when they no longer resonate with, you got it, love.
Jesus’ question to Christians today is simple- do your beliefs align with love?
This question calls Christians towards deep self-reflection and examination. If we are known as Jesus’ disciples by our love, not by our beliefs, then we must take a long and close look at how we re-orient our lives and our communities.
The early church was on fire for divine, unconditional, inclusive love. Imperfect though this early church was, those disciples and communities were so magnetic because they lived out a way of love and grace, even when it meant persecution and marytrdom.
Several hundred years later with the era of Constantine, Christianity on the whole reverted back towards a foundation of beliefs. It is perhaps the ultimate irony that beliefs again became primary, now in Jesus’ name. Since the 4th century C.E., it has been a vocal minority of mystics, prophets and peacemakers that have seen the path of Jesus first and foremost as the path of love.
Our current reformation in religion does not negate that our beliefs influence and determine our behavior. Modern day mystics and reformers are simply encouraging us to move back to a simpler creed: that love is our path, love is our guide, and love is our foundation.
In this spirit, we ask of any belief, ritual, or tradition- does it align with love? Let’s test it and find out. Can we be as unforgiving with traditional Christian beliefs as scientists are with their hypotheses? Most every other discipline in human history has change built into it. Yet theology has been resistant to this trend.
The hoardes of people voting with their feet about church are proof enough that this trend is no longer tenable. Religious leaders must begin the task of examining and evaluating our faith. As we do, we will find that there is much to leave behind. This is the “rummage sale” Christianity must undergo so the spiritual depth of Jesus’ life and ministry can emerge once again.
As people of faith, we “do not grieve as others who have no hope.” (4) And this is the good news- that underneath the rubble and grief, there is something beautiful, powerful, and largely untapped. It is the witness of “The Way.” It is the embodiment of unconditional love, service, and peace we see manifested in Jesus’ life. Our task is simple, but not easy- to be instruments of that love today.
(1) Wallis, Jim, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, (Grand Rapids, BrazosPress, 2016), 9.
(3) McLaren, Brian, The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to be Christian, (New York, Convergent, 2016), 48.
(4) Dorhauer, John, Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World, (Chicago, Exploration Press, 2015), 48.