"Tomorrow's Christianity: Not Rescuing Sinners, but Transforming Humanity"
Last Sunday I went to see Bishop John Shelby Spong speak at a local Congregational church. A liberal voice in Christianity, Spong has provided solace for those who have been marginalized by the Christian church.
For thousands of years, humanity has had to bear extreme feelings of worthlessness and guilt that have been unjustly placed upon us by the greater Christian establishment. Without hesitation, the Church, in all its piety, has nurtured racism, sexism and homophobia by using Biblical text as its ally against its victims. For those of us who attend mass every Sunday, we are forever told that we are worthless human beings who should feel "guilty" of sending Christ to his gruesome death 2,000 years ago. One can imagine the psychological trauma this has placed on our society and culture. Why do we need a victim?
This type of religious thought will not last for the next thousand years. A critical reexamination that leads to a complete restructuring of the Christian church is necessary for its survival. Instead of rescuing "sinners", we need to reshape our own humanity. Why is it so important that we have to diminish an outsiders humanity Sunday after Sunday by screaming at their wrong doings? Christ was the embodiment of God's love and peace. He was justice at its finest. He lived His life to the fullest capacity, therefore demonstrating God's grace. This is the mission of the new Christian church. Instead of worrying about another person's soul, we need to help enhance their own lives so they can live to their God given potential.
Old and New Testament laws should be thrown out. Laws are meant to enhance our lives as guideposts. Any that diminish another's capacity to live should be ignored. Instead of discriminating against people that worry us, we need to tell the Christ story in a way that builds them up. Jesus poured humanity into those who were victimized. Jesus poured his love out to homosexuals. To women. To African Americans. To the Jews. To the Native Americans. Its our time now to follow in his footsteps, fight for the rights of the aforementioned persons, and support them in their journey of faith, wherever that may take them.
We were the disease that killed the Jews in World War Two. We were the voice who silenced women's voices. We were the radicals who left Matthew Sheppard, a homosexual, to die on a fence. We told African Americans to sit at the back of the church. My ancestors forced Native Americans off their soil and into forced labor. How many more people will be marginalized before we can accept them as God's children, too?
Through all this hate and bigotry that has masked our history, there has been a beautiful ray of light that has shown through all the muck that we've let blind ourselves for centuries. Christ's message, of "loving wastefully" and showing compassion to those who need it most has been there all along. Many churches and denominations have risen out of the soil and stepped up to the plate to defend those we've prosecuted.
I am proud to be someone of that movement.
For thousands of years, humanity has had to bear extreme feelings of worthlessness and guilt that have been unjustly placed upon us by the greater Christian establishment. Without hesitation, the Church, in all its piety, has nurtured racism, sexism and homophobia by using Biblical text as its ally against its victims. For those of us who attend mass every Sunday, we are forever told that we are worthless human beings who should feel "guilty" of sending Christ to his gruesome death 2,000 years ago. One can imagine the psychological trauma this has placed on our society and culture. Why do we need a victim?
This type of religious thought will not last for the next thousand years. A critical reexamination that leads to a complete restructuring of the Christian church is necessary for its survival. Instead of rescuing "sinners", we need to reshape our own humanity. Why is it so important that we have to diminish an outsiders humanity Sunday after Sunday by screaming at their wrong doings? Christ was the embodiment of God's love and peace. He was justice at its finest. He lived His life to the fullest capacity, therefore demonstrating God's grace. This is the mission of the new Christian church. Instead of worrying about another person's soul, we need to help enhance their own lives so they can live to their God given potential.
Old and New Testament laws should be thrown out. Laws are meant to enhance our lives as guideposts. Any that diminish another's capacity to live should be ignored. Instead of discriminating against people that worry us, we need to tell the Christ story in a way that builds them up. Jesus poured humanity into those who were victimized. Jesus poured his love out to homosexuals. To women. To African Americans. To the Jews. To the Native Americans. Its our time now to follow in his footsteps, fight for the rights of the aforementioned persons, and support them in their journey of faith, wherever that may take them.
We were the disease that killed the Jews in World War Two. We were the voice who silenced women's voices. We were the radicals who left Matthew Sheppard, a homosexual, to die on a fence. We told African Americans to sit at the back of the church. My ancestors forced Native Americans off their soil and into forced labor. How many more people will be marginalized before we can accept them as God's children, too?
Through all this hate and bigotry that has masked our history, there has been a beautiful ray of light that has shown through all the muck that we've let blind ourselves for centuries. Christ's message, of "loving wastefully" and showing compassion to those who need it most has been there all along. Many churches and denominations have risen out of the soil and stepped up to the plate to defend those we've prosecuted.
I am proud to be someone of that movement.