Monday, August 25, 2014

Miley Cyrus Shocks Again

Yes, that's right. At last night's MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus, the one-time Disney character, Hanna Montana, completely shocked the VMA-watching world. Readers of the Shiloh Insider may or may not be aware that Cyrus ignited controversy at last year's VMA's by twerking all over the Blurred Lines singer, Robin Thicke. Her antics earned her wide attention and a mess of media buzz.

This year's VMA's were different, however. While Cyrus was once again at the center of attention, though she did not perform or act in any way inappropriately, she rocked the awards with a much different display. When Cyrus was awarded the Moonman for video of the year, she allowed that the acceptance speech be made by her date for the night, a previously homeless young man named "Jesse."

Jesse claimed to have lived in many of the local homeless shelters, including "My Friend's Place," where he apparently encountered Cyrus. His speech was brief and eloquent. Among other poignant comments, Jesse said, "I have been an extra in your movies. I have been an extra in your life." Jesse hoped to use the forum to raise funds for "My Friend's Place" and to raise awareness of this country's huge homeless population. He said that information for contributions to fight homelessness could be found on Miley Cyrus' website.

The events of last night's VMA's, and especially the gift that was provided by Miley Cyrus, serves to remind the privileged segments of the population that homelessness is a definite problem in the United States and, if we are to put an end to the embarrassing realization, then we have got to open our hearts, our minds and our ckeckbooks.

This country has proven what a grass roots financial movement looks like with the recent ALS ice water challenge. As of yesterday, ALS had raised more than 70 million dollars, most with $10 or $100 contributions. The ice water challenge has become a social media splash (pun intended) and it is hard to imagine many Americans who have been untouched by the movement.

If we can raise more than $70 million for ALS - which I believe is a very good attempt at stemming the tide of a terrible disease - then I firmly believe that we could do the same in response to Jesse's plea. We can greatly reduce, or perhaps even put an end to, homelessness in America.

Thank you, Jesse. And thank you, Miley Cyrus, for putting the challenge before the American public. Their presence at the VMA's, and their message, gives content to the United Church of Christ motto: No matter who you are or where you have been on life's journey... We can do miracles. We can change the world. We can be the kingdom.

 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Language Problems

As the Shiloh Church Bible study groups work to develop a model for defining Progressive Church theology, the groups have had to constantly struggle with language. The problem is not that our language is either too coarse or too practical. Instead, the language that we have used in attempting to formulate the theological model has been too steeped in the traditional church.

To describe a link between God's will, defined as the archetype that is established in Christ as a way of life, and our commitment and devotion to it, our groups used the term "discipleship." To refer to the link between our devotion to God's will and actions that demonstrate God's will in the world, we used the term "apostleship." Neither term, it seems, is particularly helpful in developing a theology that reaches far beyond the confines of the traditional church. As the theology pushes the traditional church from the safety and security of its traditional patterns, so must the language that we use represent that expansion.

So apostleship and discipleship do not work.

These are not our only linguistic hurdles, however. The model differentiates between a world of law and a world of call. In law, we simply do as directed in the religious models of the past. We are to be obedient and repeat the rituals, orthodoxies and acceptable behavior that the religious institutions have dictated. In call, we are free to interpret for ourselves what God wants of us, listening not to the religious institutions but to the indwelling spirit. Does the secular world embrace or even understand a world of call? Are there not better terms to indicate a life wherein we understand that every person is empowered, equipped, called and sent to achieve God's purpose in the world? Terms like "responsibility" and "duty" do not work. They belong to the world of law and rely on guilt and shame in order to function there.

By the way, there may be a problem with the terms "Progressive Church" or "Progressive Church Theology." Shiloh's Bible study groups have discovered that there is considerable push back, particularly from the traditional church, for the term "progressive." Some find it insulting. They tend to prefer the term "Emerging Church" or "Emerging Church Theology."

I support the use of "Progressive Church" and "Progressive Church Theology" because I firmly believe that the church-that-will-be is currently caught at the cusp of a next-step in the church's spiritual evolutionary process. A step forward in the spiritual evolutionary process if progressive. It moves the church onward and forward...toward. The terms "Emerging Church" or "Emerging Church Theology" lack the evolutionary flavor that the term "Progressive" includes.

If you want to get in on the discussion, helping us to work out the model of Progressive Church theology, I invite you to be a part of Shiloh's Bible @ Boston's program through September. Each Wednesday in September, we will meet at Boston's Bistro and Pub, at the corner or North Main and Dogleg Road from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., to discuss the developing model.

As most readers of The Shiloh Insider are aware, Shiloh's Bible study groups began with the basic assertion that Faith is fidelity to God's will. We moved from there to define what it is that we mean by God's will. We then discussed our commitment and devotion to that definition of God's will. After deciding that the purpose of the Church is intimately related to fidelity to God's will, we continued by defining faith as acts that reflect that devotion and commitment.

The model is not yet complete, perhaps because it is still taking shape in the needs and demands of the cultural evolution in which we find ourselves. Come to Boston's in September to join the conversation. Or, attend our twice-weekly Bible studies, Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Discipleship and Apostleship

In the model that Shiloh's Bible study groups have developed to attempt to better understand the Progressive Church movement theology, it seems that we have fallen into the trap of using terms from traditional church models. This is particularly true of the use of the terms "discipleship" and "apostleship." It is unlikely in the extreme that any progressive church movement would use these terms, especially since they carry such baggage from the traditional church theology.

The Bible study groups have used the terms intentionally, however. "Discipleship" reflects a link between the will of God, as reflected in the archetype of Christ, the shaping of the Christ ethic and the practice of heavenly virtues and our commitment, devotion and loyalty to those qualities. The groups divided the means by which we practice discipleship as being either "Spiritual" or "Religious." Spiritual discipleship is human essential nature, internal, in balance with the spiritual essence of the universe, and descriptive of the frustration and imbalance of human existence. Religious discipleship is external and mechanical practice of accepted rituals and orthodoxies that attempt to correct the flaws that are inherent to human essential nature. (One may rightly claim that spiritual discipleship reflects a positive anthropology while religious discipleship reflects a negative definition of human essential nature.)

The same distinction holds true in apostleship. Apostleship, our Bible study groups have concluded, links our commitment, devotion and loyalty to God's will, as reflected in Christ Jesus, with overt actions and words. That is, if we are faithful to God's will in Christ, then we will do what Christ would have us do, actually, really, concretely. There is a distinction in how we do that discipleship, however, and why. Spiritual discipleship leads to a wisdom-based apostleship. We do not go out sharing orthodoxies, rites or rituals. Instead, we practice openness, hospitality, kindness, mercy and grace. We work for justice, equality and peace. We do so because we are devoted to the work of Christ Jesus. Our fidelity is to his mission and ministry in the world, and strives to be reflective of it. Religious discipleship leads to an obedience-based apostleship, where we demand that others live up to our standards of orthodoxy, belief and obedience, and where we see ourselves as protectors of "the right way."  Religious apostleship results in teaching the orthodoxies, rites and rituals of our groups, sects, denominations, types or clans.  

Are there better, more readily acceptable terms that we might use to articulate the distinction between spiritual and religious discipleship and wisdom-based or obedience-based apostleship? I think there might be. Is the link between the will of God and our fidelity to it equally well expressed in a term like "integrity?" Another, perhaps more interesting term, may be "ethic." The link is the standard for which we strive and to which we hold ourselves accountable. In the same vein, apostleship may be better reflected in terms like "work" or "moral." Our fidelity to God's will, as reflected in Christ Jesus, results in particular work or moral action.

If fidelity to God's will, as reflected in Christ Jesus, breaks down, or if our commitment is without integrity or ethical standard, then it will not result in the type of moral action or work that reflects Christ. While I like these terms in the place of discipleship and apostleship, we have to admit that they seem a great deal more concrete and practical, perhaps even accusatory or pejorative. For this reason particularly, maybe these terms best reflect the evolutionary process of the culture in which the church today finds itself and the spiritual evolution to which it is calling us.

We will float the terms at this week's Bible study sessions and see if they, like Peter and Jesus, walk on the water. Shiloh's Bible studies are held on Tuesday evenings, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and on Thursday mornings, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the church's chapel. Use entrance #1. By the way, Shiloh will be offering a new four-week Bible @ Boston's series in September. The topic will be Shiloh's model of Progressive Church theology and practice. Join us on Wednesday evenings, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Boston's Bistro and Pub, at the corner of North Main (48) and Dog Leg Rd. (Westbrook). See you at any of these sessions. Everyone is welcome.    

Monday, August 04, 2014

Spiritual Discipleship and Faithful Apostleship

As our Bible study groups work to develop a working model of Progressive Church theology, participants have recognized a vital link that, prior to this time, they may have taken for granted.

The model starts with a basic definition of faith: Faith is fidelity to God's will. God's will is that revealed in Christ Jesus and can be referred to in various ways. Whether we think of it as establishment of the archetype of Crucifixion/Resurrection, following the Christ ethic or practice of Heavenly virtues, the core of God's will remains a selfless act that benefits others. Our fidelity, commitment and devotion are to those acts, whether or not they are decidedly "religious." We are called to be like Christ in service to others. We act on faith when we are bold enough to empty ourselves in acts that reflect selflessness as God's will.

Discipleship is the link between God's will and our fidelity to it. We are disciples - students of a particular master - when our commitment and devotion are to the teachings of that master. As we discussed in last week's post to The Shiloh Insider, this allegiance can be either spiritual or religious. That is, discipleship can be either rote, mechanical and external acceptance of some orthodoxy, ritual or practice or an internal, natural, spiritual response to acts of beauty and selflessness. Religion, it turns out, seeks to repair what is innately wrong or lacking in human nature, while spirituality seeks to enliven that which is naturally present in all living things.

This week, we take a further step in providing a model for Progressive Church theology. While the link between God's will and human fidelity to it is discipleship, the link between our fidelity and acts of faith that reflect it is apostleship. Apostleship is simply doing what we say we believe. It is embodiment of our discipleship. While discipleship can be understood as the potential of the Progressive Church, apostleship is its kinetics. (Some readers of The Shiloh Insider may recall a previous post about the nature of Trinity, in which we identified the second activity of Trinity as potential and the third activity as kinetic.) Put differently, apostleship is doing what the Progressive Church does, while discipleship is what it is doing. Discipleship is the noun of faithfulness' sentence and apostleship is its verb. God is object and those the church serves are its subject.

We may be so bold as to claim that faithful apostleship is the outcome of faithful discipleship. If we sit and learn at the feet of Christ as master (Lord), and if our fidelity is to those teachings, then our apostleship will faithfully reflect the message and medium of Christ. We will do as Christ does. We will act out the archetype of Crucifixion/Resurrection, live the ethic of Christ and practice the heavenly virtues.

One further layer remains in establishing our model of Progressive Church theology. Next week, we will differentiate between a "Life of Call" and a "Life of Law." It is not accidental, of course, that this distinction follows closely on the heals of a distinction between religion or spirituality.

Thanks for reading The Shiloh Insider, and thanks for your comments and opinions. Perhaps our growth together can be reflected in the spiritual evolution of the Church of Jesus Christ.