Down with G.O.D.?

Went to bed the other night, and found out that my wife had laid out her copy of Bust magazine on my side of the bed.  For those of you unfamiliar with Bust, it's a feminist (maybe neofeminist?) magazine that has lots of women-related articles as well as some pretty interesting ads. (I'm using my gift for understatement.)

What she had marked for me was an article, "Who's down with G.O.D.?" by Sara Cook. (That's a quote from the movie Saved.)  I am used to seeing religion articles in Bust, but they are usually Neo-Pagan in nature, as that seems to blend in with the "granola" feel of the Mag.   This article reflects the feel of Bust, but is unabashedly Christian and very positive towards the Episcopal Church.  Some excerpts (Edited for language):

"I see how quickly some people shut down upon hearing that I am a person of faith. People who don't immediately leave to go find another drink either want to tell me their faith history so that I will understand why they have rejected organized religion, get in my face about the crusades (current or historical). make a lame pedophile priest joke, or get defensive because they think I'm judging them. I would much prefer being asked, "Why the f*** would you want to do that?" rather than having to answer for every example of bad behavior by people who have claimed to be acting under orders from Jesus."

"The church I belong to, the Episcopal Church, is a collection of people with radically divergent views. Although the press seems to be obsessed with the sex lives of our bishops, most people I know aren't concerned about that. I've never wanted to think about any of our bishops having sex, including the one who is gay. That big pointy hat they wear just isn't a turn-on.
My church opposes legal restrictions on reproductive choice, my church-sponsored health plan pays for birth control, and women are ordained as deacons, priests, and bishops. The word "obey" has not been in our marriage vows for a very long time, but we've still kept in "love," "honor," and "cherish." It's a good place to be a woman."

"In the end, the main reason I go to church regularly is because experience shows that I am f***** if I don't. If I'm floating around free of the grounding that I get from my community, bad things happen. I get more anxious, more tunnel-visiony, more crazy. I don't know how all the other baggage got attached to Christianity, but for me it's all about being with my people and trying to figure out what God needs us to do next. "

I am very impressed with this article.  It is the most cogent piece of witness I have seen from the "Progressive" church.  This is not some sort of "smorgasbord religion" as we are used to hearing about in modern religious stories. It is a person being drawn to our living faith tradition and accepting it, despite the problems they see with the church.  It is a person who is drawn to the particularity of Jesus, but thinks in an open way.

I am wondering if this is something we are going to see more of - people who don't "fit the mold."  More Pierced, tattooed people who use the word f***?  Are we starting to appeal to the marginalized?  Those who wouldn't normally give the church a second look?  I am certainly seeing people in my church that were not even interested in Christianity two years ago.

A phrase has stuck with me since watching a PLSE video a few months ago.  The phrase is from Isaiah 43:19 (loosely), "God is doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?" I think I AM beginning to perceive it.  We are being broken out of our mold of being the All-American church of bow ties and blue Altar Guild pinafores and being challenged to do what Jesus did - minister to those on the fringes.  At a Via Media training event in Winston/Salem a few months ago, we asked an audience of 50 or so how many were cradle Episcopalians.  Only about five raised their hands.

I'm sure this is what many long-term members think is wrong with the Episcopal Church these days.  As one parishioner at another church said a few years ago when we went to a full-text bulletin, "If they don't know how to use the Book of Common Prayer, they don't need to be here."  The Episcopal Church has changed A LOT in a generation, and that may be difficult for many long-term members to come to terms with.  We are no longer simply Anglophile liturgical protestants.

But I think the changes are in line with Classical Anglicanism.  Look at any secular article on Anglicanism, the Episcopal Church or the Elizabethan Settlement, and you will find words like openness and flexibility used.  This is how the outside world perceives us, and the great writers of Anglicanism certainly reflect that ethos.

This openness can certainly cause some people angst, because it does not provide pat answers.  I am always amused at people who talk about "The Anglican Tradition" or "The Prayer Book Tradition" as some sort of ancient set of documents or traditions set in stone.  First of all, we are only about 500 years old - less than a quarter of the history of Christianity.  Second of all, any cursory glance at English church history and Prayer Book revision can show you that trying to claim anything is "Anglican Tradition" narrower than a very wide set of beliefs, liturgy and practice is absurd.  If you were to ask a sixteenth century low churchman and a nineteenth century ritualist what the "Anglican Tradition" is, and you would get vastly different answers.  In my experience, when people invoke "Anglican Tradition," they are actually saying, "What I grew up with or am comfortable with."

But the Gospel does not call us to a comfortable place.  There is little comfortable about a rabbi who constantly leaves his disciples (who think he should be spending more time with them) and is always dragging them into houses of sinners.  There is little comfortable about Good Friday or Easter day, each with their own brand of terror.

There is little comfortable (at least for some people) in a church that accepts someone (and trains them as a deacon) who uses the word f*** in writing articles about theology and sells "WTFWJD?" T-shirts. (Figure it out....)

I, for one, was moved by Sara's story, and continue to think that the spirit is indeed doing something new and exciting in the Episcopal Church.  Do you not perceive it?

David+

P.S. - Sara has a blog, Going Jesus, where you can find the "WTFWJD?" stuff.  Bust does not have online articles, so if you want to read the article, you'll need to purchase the magazine.  I think most large bookstore chains carry it.

 

Comments

[Rachel]

Hello, David! I followed a link here and am enjoying skimming your last several entries. I haven't read the Bust article you cite (though I'll look for it), though your blog post reminded me of a piece I read in the Sunday New York Times Magazine a few months ago, about the son of Jim and Tammy Fake Baker, who is apparently pierced, tattooed, non-mainstream...and a preacher to other fringe folks like himself. I wonder whether the trend you hint at is larger than just the Episcopal Church?

Also, I'm curious to know what you thought of the movie "Saved!"?

[Jim Trimble]

Love your blog, David. Haven't commented, but I do keep up with it. It was good seeing you at Convention. I'll have to read Sara's article...sounds wonderful. There's a small group of us exploring the Progressive, Emerging Church here at ETSS. Exciting stuff.

Glad for the reference to "Saved," too. Wonderful film.

[bls]

This is a wonderful post, and something I've been noticing for quite awhile, myself. I linked to you.

Thanks.

[Maggie]

Thanks for the copy of this article, btw...I loved it, and it gave me a boost that came at a very opportune time. :-D

[Numaari]

Yes. The Episcopalian church IS drawing those on the fringes.

I am one of those marginalized people that you speak of. I've done a lot of "faith-hopping" - everything from Baptist to Wicca. Finally, I just gave up. The core belief that we are ALL God's children and deserve one another's respect could not be denied. I just didn't fit in anywhere.

The thing that brought me to the Episcopal Church was news of the ordination of Gene Robinson. As a whole, the Episcopalians that I've met honor one another's differences and differences of opinion. I cherish that.

[Kim J.]

Hi, David,

Not sure if you're still reading this thread, but I meant to ask you if you had seen that article--of course Micky showed it to you... As a woman who often thinks to herself "WTFWJD"? and yet has found a comfortable place at St. John's (I knew Micky was cool the first time I heard her say the F word!), I really loved that article, and wasn't at all surprised to learn Sara was an Episcopalian. I thought it might be an article the youth group might like to read.

You rock, David!

Kim