Worldly Wisdom and Foolish Grace. Barbara Carnegie Campbell
reading of their ancient texts.
Sharing the good news that Jesus taught is the true definition of “evangelism.” Evangelism is usually misunderstood by today’s culture. Evidence of this comes even from Webster’s Dictionary which includes as its definition of “evangelism” “1: the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ 2: militant or crusading zeal.”4 News reporters say that 72 percent of white evangelicals support Trump as if 72 percent of all Republicans and other conservative citizens are out there spreading the good news, trying to create or revive commitment to Christ.
It is harder than ever to teach the ancient lessons of Abraham’s tent, because fewer and fewer people have heard the stories enough times for the stories to have the same effect on their lives that they have had on others. At one point in history, most tribal life included participation in the rituals and beliefs of the entire tribe. At one time the majority of people in a village shared the same understanding of the God that they worshiped and the direction of the village priest, which dictated every part of their lives with the requirements for going to heaven or hell. Most of the Europeans who came as the first immigrant settlers to North America would have professed to being Christian, even as they became colonizers, killing off those whose land they assumed God had given to them to inhabit because of their faith.
Faith is not as easy to come by as it used to be. Recent generations have been born into a world filled with technologies and scientific understandings far beyond that of the world their parents and grandparents knew. Cultural connections, community relationships and moral perspectives can now be found in many places other than religious centers. And on top of this, the hypocrisy, injustice, and violence of many religious traditions has become all too evident.
We live in a different religious culture today. Many changes have taken place throughout the course of human history in the understanding and practice of established religions. Some of these changes took thousands of years to take effect and others, such as the Great Reformation of the 1500s, took little more than a hundred years. With the turn of the twenty first century, not only the United States but other modernized nations began to experience another “reformation” of culture and tradition. Historians predict that the twenty first century will dramatically change not only economic, technological, and social norms, but the theology and practice of our faith traditions as well. Within another hundred years everything will look and work differently around us.
But take heart, if you are a person of faith! Faith is not dying. It is just evolving, as it did 500–600 years ago. That’s how human societies seem to operate. Every 500 years most advanced cultures of the world experience a systemic and dynamic change in everything people once held as true, traditional, and trustworthy. New light starts gradually shining on established roles, norms, and expectations during the century preceding these great changes and eventually, even those most unwilling to change eventually do so.
Dr. Phyllis Tickle, a historian, professor and scholar of Christian history and theology, wrote in 2012 about this next wave of great societal change in her book “The Emergence Church:”
Of the several general characteristics that the Great Emergence and Emergence Christianity hold in common, these of deinstitutionalization; non-hierarchical organization; a comfortable and informed interface with physical science; dialogical and contextual habits of thought; almost universal technological savvy; triple citizenship with its triple loyalties and obligations; a deeply embedded commitment to social justice with an accompanying, though largely unpremeditated, assumption of all forms of human diversity as the norm; and a vocation toward greenness—these undoubtedly are among the most characterizing.5
Tickle’s book should be “required reading” by any who hope to ride out the wave of the next reformation into a better understanding of what it means to be people of faith and church. What Tickle and other emergent faith leaders are saying to faith communities is that the generations born after the 1970s are more likely to be disillusioned by the hypocrisies of established religions than any generation before them.
Yet, as many who reject religious institutions look for a way to make life better, more just, and more meaningful, many alternate worshipping communities, who draw in Millennials by gathering in brew pubs or coffee shops, are being led by those who preach the same biblical understanding that belief in Jesus alone grants salvation.
Millennials hope to be inspired by goodness and love. Some may feel there is still hope for people of faith, but they are looking for something other than hours spent in worship and charitable giving spent mostly on supporting large facilities and organizations. They are only willing to accept a gospel message which teaches compassion, inclusion, and justice for all.
Many in younger generations are seeking ways to live a life that is loving, kind and just, but are moving away from worshiping deities, especially those who are imagined in human images (theism), and are turning instead toward embracing the teachings of other “light-bearers” so that they can be inspired to act in the world in life-giving ways.
I recently drove by a neighborhood church reader board that asked, “Have your answers to life brought peace to this world? This comes very close to expressing what many people in younger generations are seeking: spiritual answers that bring peace to the world rather than a set of religious beliefs and rules that judge, condemn, and divide us.
I still believe in the God of Abraham whom I have heard stories of since I was a child, but I have grown in my faith and understanding. My faith has changed. Today I trust in a divine force of creation that is a force of good, of light and of love; invisible yet at work in the world; mysterious yet as alive and as real to me as every beat of my heart and every breath I take.
I trust that this divine force formed divinity within all creatures and all creation. After all, it is said that “75 percent of our genetic make-up is the same as a pumpkin.”6 I trust that Jesus and other uniquely spiritual people were so in touch with the divinity within themselves that ordinary people sensed that divinity in unique ways.
How Then Should We Live?
Most of us want to do the right thing, ethically and morally, but life is complicated and it is often quite difficult to figure out what that right thing is. Human nature often distracts us from making the right decision when we try to balance conflicting options.
A popular saying could be found, years ago, written on everything from bracelets to bumper stickers—“What Would Jesus Do?”—or the even more irritating acronym,—WWJD? I usually find this catchy question to be about as helpful as lighting a candle in a hurricane when it comes to making faithful, moral decisions. How could anyone ever truly know what someone, who lived 2,000 years ago, would think or do in the twenty–first century? We don’t have a perfectly preserved original document of everything Jesus said, thought or did, regardless of what some people believe the Bible to be!
And yet, as unrealistic as this question sounds, those who have heard the stories of Jesus sometimes feel as if Jesus has become a present, living reality in their lives. Such a living relationship enables them to feel that they know, sometimes beyond any doubt, what Jesus would do. The memories and stories of beloved friends, teachers, or other great minds might guide us in the same way.
In the end, to ask ourselves what the persons we respect most would do or say about an issue should help us find answers to the even more important question, “What should I do?” When we seek values that will strengthen our common life, ancient spiritual narratives may be a good place to begin. It is important, however, to study these lessons in their appropriate contexts, cultures, and languages. The purpose of studying these ten lessons from Rabbi Jesus, and similar lessons from Jewish and Islamic holy texts, is to help us understand how to best live in accordance with the radically “foolish” compassion and grace they affirm.
Studying Ancient Literature
It is a complicated, often impossible task to understand, with any level of assurance, what ancient writings may have meant to their original authors and audience. Yet, it’s an endeavor and adventure that can lead to treasures beyond measure. A literal treasure hunt usually begins with a map with a spot marked X. We follow the map to that spot where we do lots of digging. In researching