The (r)evolution has begun…
Just 3 weeks ago, I posted a video in which I declared I was “no longer Christian”, and that for me, “the church is dead”.
I thought it would be one of the last things I would ever do. I was prepared to live the rest of my life in simple communion with God through prayer and fellowship with my fellow Children of God. Nothing more, nothing less.
And then the reactions came. The comments, the emails, the new fans on Facebook… I was shocked. There was something to this sentiment I was expressing. I could feel I had somehow dropped off of my lonely “raft” of isolation and solitude right onto the crest of a massive swell of popular uprising. So large a swell, I hadn’t even been conscious of its rising beneath me over the last decade.
Then Diana Butler Bass’ new book came out: “Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening“, in which she painstakingly documents the decline of the institutionalized church in the first decade of the 21st century, and offers evidence of a massive fomenting revolution, quietly seething beneath the surface of this “Christian Nation”.
We want more God. Less church.
A LOT less church.
Less dogma.
Less human failings.
Less archaic and draconian doctrine.
Less “us vs. them”.
And then yesterday, my wife came in from going to the mailbox and dropped the Newsweek onto the floor in front of the bathroom (my study, as I call it). When I arose later to do some “heavy thinking”, I suddenly stopped, stunned. For there on the cover of Newsweek magazine was the image of a Modern Jesus in the heart of New York City with a headline that screamed:
In this clarion “call to revolt”, Andrew Sullivan begins with a reminder that this sentiment to redeem and reform what is perfect and beautiful about Yeshua (Jesus) is not new to American leadership. He opens with a startling example of just how pervasive this discontentment and yearning was for a simpler Christ and how it informed the creator of the division between church and state himself, Thomas Jefferson:
He (Jefferson) removed what he felt were the “misconceptions” of Jesus’ followers, “expressing unintelligibly for others what they had not understood themselves.” And it wasn’t hard for him. He described the difference between the real Jesus and the evangelists’ embellishments as “diamonds” in a “dunghill,” glittering as “the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.” Yes, he was calling vast parts of the Bible religious manure.
One of the most influential founding fathers and presidents of America was vehemently against biblical literalism, unthinking evangelicalism, and faith over reason. He loved Yeshua (Jesus) for who he was, not what he was claimed to be by others. Yeshua was never meant to be worshiped, at least not in the form we do today. To Yeshua, true worship was emulation and discipleship. And to Yeshua, discipleship had one outstanding characteristic: love.
We were meant to imitate, emulate, and exceed Yeshua, not to remain prostrate below his corpse for 2000 years. We were to be more than, not less than.
John 13
34. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 14
12. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
In the article, Andrew Sullivan also provides us with one of the clearest synopsis of what is good and great about Yeshua the Anointed (Jesus the Christ), and why he still deserves our love, emulation, and discipleship:
He (Jefferson) believed that stripped of the doctrines of the Incarnation, Resurrection, and the various miracles, the message of Jesus was the deepest miracle. And that it was radically simple. It was explained in stories, parables, and metaphors—not theological doctrines of immense complexity. It was proven by his willingness to submit himself to an unjustified execution. The cross itself was not the point; nor was the intense physical suffering he endured. The point was how he conducted himself through it all—calm, loving, accepting, radically surrendering even the basic control of his own body and telling us that this was what it means to truly transcend our world and be with God. Jesus, like Francis, was a homeless person, as were his closest followers. He possessed nothing—and thereby everything.
I couldn’t agree more. This is the Yeshua I walked away from Christianity for.
Away from a dead corpse hung on a cross and toward the vibrant, loving Conscience of Christ that can, could, and should pervade all humanity.
You should walk away, too. Abandon the dead and old, and start something simple and good. Serve others. Love as God loves.
Not for the sake of your own salvation, but for the sake of all of God’s children. No matter what faith (or lack thereof), gender, age, race, or sexual orientation.
Become Christ for others.
That is all.
John 15
12. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
About Trig Bundgaard
Thoroughly convinced that even the mainline churches need to read this article and solemnly reflect on their declining memberships and question whether their continued existence as an organised structure needs to continue.
Still being a member of one, I highly doubt that will happen. But I pray for God’s renewal of purpose. And to me I don’t think that involves a structure edifice of human authority……:)
I just want to remain connected to those who haven’t caught up yet, as much as to those who have seen the light on this very important issue.
I agree, Mark, they are dinosaurs, and the best, most honest thing these denominations could do is to put themselves out of business. But they are too invested in their own existence to do so.
Hmmmmm… very good point Mark. Like Plato’s allegory of the cave, do we simply walk out of the cave once we realize the truth, or do we remain, trying to help others to see it, too?
Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t end well for those who choose to return to the cave and help others to “see”…
Nonetheless, you are right, Mark, there is a blessed purpose to remaining behind. God bless you!
Trig….yep, just like that. great Plato reference by the way. always love that. It often does not end well for sure to those going back in. I think Jesus somehow did both. He was an insider by birth, culture and spoke to the outsiders of dignity, grace etc and the insiders of change. Yep, ended badly at first then redemptively soon after. your awakening will take you to dangerous places. Be secure there. You are in good company and not alone. Mark
From one Mark to another…..definitely agree on both points.
Thank God! Let if be!
Amen, Leanne!
I am on the fence. As one who left the organized church for 20 years and then came back to a small, grassroots church 15 years ago, I can see some merit in organized religion. After all, it’s a way for people to come together, join forces, benefit from each other’s caring, and try to take that caring and Good Samaritan attitude into the wider world. You can sit by yourself and have a mystical experience, but then we ignore one of the Greatest Commandments — love one another. Problem is that churches become self-obsessed. They become wrapped up in themselves, growing their memberships and budgets but doing little or nothing for the hungry, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, et al. A possible benchmark is to look at how much of your church work is being done by paid staff versus volunteers. If volunteers are not the driving force of your church, then you are sterile and dead, and probably should disband. The Jesus Freak movement is not new. We had a lot of it in the 60s and 70s, and I bet the Newsweek archives has a few cover stories from that era, too. But what happened to those freaks as they aged? My sense is they largely disappeared or gave up.
“Follow Jesus, not the Church.” Curious fad phrase, but the followers of Jesus are the Church. And, the early Church organized well beyond independent small groups — they united them for a common cause in order to affect greater change and transformation (and social services) than any of them could do on their own. This is the beauty of certain large denominations which collectively combine forces to really make profound differences across the globe. Of course, the risk is becoming too top-down and cumbersome… and institutionalized. Viva la mess that is the Church!
…this also sort of reminds me a bit of those who would have Christians discard the Old Testament. Those who would have us discard the Hebrew scriptures cannot possibly understand the New Testament. The Hebrew texts, esp. the prophets and the Psalms, were the scriptures that informed and inspired Jesus — and if they were good enough for him, they’re good enough for us.
And yet, Roger, it is the inspired individual who actually changes the world.
While the Church clamored and oppressed the masses in order to retain power, individuals spearheaded the Enlightenment and founded America.
It was the individual who pressed for equal Civil Rights while the institution at large stood impotent or even antagonistic towards the movement.
And let us not forget, that it was the “church” of the time who arrested and tried Yeshua.
No, Roger, I do not wish the Church a long a healthy life. I wish to see it die, and something new rise from the ashes.
Trig, I’m not an either/or sort of guy. I’m both/and. It seems to fit reality better. It isn’t the case that only “the individual pressed for equal civil rights in the U.S.” Several denominations endorsed it and provided coordinating support and the participants in the nonviolent civil rights movement were largely Chrisitans who were members of local churches and they were bolstered and sustained in their commitment to nonviolent action via participation in numerous church gatherings and worship services. While I “get” your intent, it is unfair to say that it was “the Church of the time that arrested Jesus.” This says more about your view of the Church than the Church.
That said, I agree that pruning, and even death aren’t bad things and we could use some amputations and transplants in the Body.
Peace.
I truly agree that the church as we have it in our day and age (and ages past) is a twisted corruption of The Way. What concerns me about this wave of leave the church and follow Jesus is what Bass names early in her book – the obsessive individualism. The “spiritual but not religious” rant that seems to impart a self-centeredness. My deep question, as one who balks at every form of institutional Christianity is – without creating new religion, without creating new oppressive dogmas how do we live into communities of interdependence?
I find it fascinating, Kimberly, that you think that “spiritual but not religious” denotes a “self-centeredness”. It is exactly my own disgust with the self-centeredness of modern Christianity that has driven me away! The entire religion, as it stands, is focused around YOUR soul, and YOUR salvation. Can it get more self-centered than that?
I want to focus on others for the sake of others. Not my own sake. Not my own salvation. And I think this sentiment is common among many of the “spiritual but not religious” of the world.
As to your question, Kimberly, I think the key is to take arbitrary boundaries of “right belief” and “faith” out of the equation, focus on volunteerism only, and to transition leadership yearly will ensure a sense of communion and equality within these post-church groups that will form into order to enable discipleship.
Agreed, but maybe it is more modern evangelicalism that is individual soul focused. I come from the mainline framework where, once upon a time, churches were social justice focused. In fact I hang out at a funky little, store-front UCC church in inner-city Atlanta that is working VERY hard to serve the community in which we live. I want the Jesus and the community without the rules and dogma, without the lines of demarcation of who’s in and who’s out. I despise institutions but love my community. Problem is – community is messy and frustrating but I just don’t want to be a lone ranger out here – I am a person about relationship.
And yes – for some the “spiritual but not religious” can be a cop-out (or a sincere loathing for the mess Chrisitans have made of the whole thing) while for others it is (as the second example in Diana’s book) it is exhaustion after years of trying to participate in community but the communities being spiritually tight fisted.
As a pastor of an online church (we’ve been together for about 5 years) I have encountered a lot of folks who have come full circle and long to be in community but just without all the hateful baggage. My question is sincere, how do we live, work, worship and love in community without all the harm we do by setting up power lines and barriers? I want to follow The Way and serve a broken and beautiful world and I want to do it with others that I love.
Trig, re: “The entire religion, as it stands, is focused around YOUR soul, and YOUR salvation. Can it get more self-centered than that?”
You seem to be equating Americanized evangelicalism and fundamentalism with all of Christianity. You’re forgetting that there are also many churches that embrace and teach progressive and emerging Christianity which stress the social/corporate aspects of salvation – here on earth as it is in heaven. I share quite a bit about this in my book “Kissing Fish: christianity for people who don’t like christianity.” http://www.progressivechristianitybook.com
Perhaps you might be interested in blogging a review of it if I give you a free copy when we meet for lunch sometime! (I’m just up the road from you in Boulder) : )
Roger
I’m curious about the label “self-centered” and why that’s a bad thing since everyone is by definition “self-centered.” Is there a problem with people having their own conceptions about spirituality and their own numinous experiences that grow out of their own searches, their own lives and desires? Especially if one believes that we are all part of the divine. It’s not something anyone can control. We can’t dictate to each other what to believe or how to comport ourselves. Religions based on guilt and obligation have been done already. We are talking about something different.
It is about a living spirituality that gives back to the world, community, a living faith, not dictated but shared with others in tangible ways that help our neighbors – even the neighbor that may regard us as an enemy. Yes, if self-centered is understood as only self-serving then it is negative. I hope that I am never wholly self-centered and that my faith evolves beyond navel gazing (or the empty rote functions so often performed in church) and that my choices are always a reflection of what is life-giving, life-sharing to others.
I am not sure everyone here understands that I am truly believe the systems as we have them today are broken beyond usefulness but that I conversely do not believe we should throw away life in community for some American idealized versions of individual self-sufficiency. Interdependence of community is how I understand Jesus and The Way that he offers us AND I realize that Christians have largely F’d that up since we hopped in bed with Rome.
Kimberly, indeed. Church is not merely “getting up on Sunday morning, getting dressed and going and listening to someone preach for an hour,” Church is the incubator for Christian formation and the boot-camp for discipleship, it’s the womb and tempering furnace where we practice living out Jesus’ ways, it’s the workshop of agape love where we break bread and drink-in Jesus’ presence together with the communion of saints and then organize in meaningful ways to serve God’s people in the world. And, Church is where some mighty fine gospel choirs inspire us and radiate joy. I, for one, would continue to be active in a church for a rockin’ gospel choir alone (well, not quite, but almost! : ).
I agree that denominational churches can become sterile and ingrown. But if one leaves such a church, where is there to go? You said you felt isolated and alone once you left the “raft” then exhilarated to find out you are not alone. Now that you have this knowledge, now what? Connect with those of like mind, then what? Begin to meet regularly to talk about your faith journey and what the future may hold, then what? Are you heading down the road to a new church, a new denomination, a new building? Where are we headed now?
With open hands, hearts, and ready to serve others. That’s it. No doctrine, no talk of salvation for the individual, only love and service in emulation of Yeshua.
http://www.epochalypsis.org/2012/finding-my-home-by-leaving-it
So refreshing! Thank you for documenting your journey and calling the church to a new understanding. I’m currently in seminary, and becoming more and more influenced by theologians such as Diana BB and Gretta Vosper, who call the church to something new and radical! Less doctrine, more love. I feel called to be part of the church, which is why I’m in seminary for a mainline denomination, but also feel it is part of my job to move us forward to your vision of “No doctrine, no talk of salvation for the individual, only love and service in emulation” of Jesus. Thank you for being a new partner in crime for me during this journey!
Also, what you haven’t confronted here is the traditional and wide-spread concept of God as a “King Enthroned on High,” a supernatural Being somewhere out there watching over us. I don’t think Christianity can change without adjusting our collective image of God to something more open, less defined, more Spirit incarnated in ourselves and each other and all we do. This needs to be the next part of the conversation!
This needs to part of everything from here on out! I think this encapsulates beautifully the crux of what all these comments are trying to get to. When we recognize the Spirit incarnated in ourselves and each other, respect for difference and for like-ness follows. We need new words, too. ” God” to me is always going to be a male deity out there somewhere.
Yes Elena, I totally agree! I recommend Gretta Vosper’s book “With or Without God: Why the way we behave is more important than what we believe.” She speaks to the importance of developing new language, pushing past theologians like Marcus Borg who want to “redefine and re-educate” using the same old language. But I’m in the same boat with you, the old words are so completely attached to a specific meaning that I can no longer affirm.
Chelsea, my partner in crime, here are two older posts that I think are relevant to the “King on High” problem:
http://www.epochalypsis.org/2011/the-heresy-of-christ-within
http://www.epochalypsis.org/2011/the-doctrine-of-fear-and-volcano-gods
Thank you, Trig! I’m glad to discover your important work. We “loyal radicals” need to keep in touch!
It’s unfortunate that the very mainline denominations that are less dogmatic, less focused on sin and failure, less archaic and much, much less “us vs. them” are the ones in decline, while the rabidly politicized and polarizing denominations seem to hold steady.
We attended a mainline denominational church for many years with our children. It was a very small, vibrant, artistic, intellectually engaging and socially active place. While I clearly see that my children carry the values we taught them, they seem to have learned their lessons about God, Jesus and Christianity from television preachers. I was shocked to hear my young adult children tell me they didn’t believe in Christianity because they don’t believe in creationism. I don’t either – and neither does my church. The things they rebel against were never taught from the pulpit of my church but right-wing Christianity so utterly controls our media that the actual teachings of my church could not overcome it in the minds of my children, who now claim to be atheists.
It grieves me that my children do not have a spiritual community to support them and challenge them.
Leslie, Diana Butler Bass’ new book (see link above), “Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening”, actually shows that the decline has been across the board, and especially for young conservative evangelicals, the exodus has been pronounced!
This is the end of an age, and this new awakening will not disappoint! I don’t know what’s coming, but I will do my best to attempt to fill the vacuum in my own circle of influence with these Yeshuan small-groups I mentioned above.
Is that the solution? I have no idea. But we have to try something new. The empire is dying.
I think Spirituality begins privately, inside us. It has to do with our private, personal, idiosyncratic thoughts and senses about who we are, how we got here, and what happens to us when we die; and what we believe, if anything, about forces that seem larger than our own minds. That’s my definition.
Churches and religions are structures that corral people on the supposed basis that they all believe the same thing and agree to similar behaviors. They try to codify what can’t be contained. Individuals trying to be part of a traditional church get farther and farther from their own personal, idiosyncratic relationship to the divine–or whatever they want to call it.
I don’t think it helps to label people as self-centered. If it comes to that, we are all “self” centered; we can’t help but be. And we all have much in common. The more we respect each others’ “self-ness,” the more we are able to live inter-dependance.
Trig – over the past few years I have been searching for the truth. That actually is what brought me to your website in the first place. My husband and I both are devoted church members, involved in choir and other music programs, Sunday School, etc. But for many years I’ve had nagging questions in the back of my mind about the “truth”. What IS the truth? The virgin birth, the resurrection – they are pretty similar to other stories in mythology. Did Jesus even exist? Growing up in a Southern Bapt. Church, I was taught that even having these kinds of thoughts in my head was the work of the devil, and I was doomed to eternal damnation. So I have always kept them to myself.
Then there’s the differences in the denominations. The evangelical upbringing I had does a number on me sometimes – but I have come to believe any God who created this immense universe, and who would sacrifice a part of himself by becoming human to die for all men’s sins – surely he included the homosexuals! And the multitude of people who worship him in other religions. And surely even the athiests who for whatever reason in this life are unable to believe in him. Do do otherwise would cheapen the sacrifice!
The best I’ve been able to figure out for myself is regardless of whether or not Jesus was a real person, or a myth, or a compilation of several people, or what he looked like, or whether or not he said all the red letter words – it does not change the fact that His message is real to me. And the lifestyle is real to me. And so I continue, questions and doubts and all.
Reading your article(s), I now have this excitement – there is more than this! And I’m not the only person who has questions. I want to know more! Now the questions is how do I do that?
Wow!!! Its the beginning of the greatest love story of epic proportion sister. You are so blessed to stand in this place.
Hey religion we want our Jesus back.
Sincerely
The world God so loved
I love that, Marcie!