Terry Paul Choyce
October 15, 2006, Brunswick Street United Church
For the past few weeks I have been going to a course put on by Halifax Presbytery called Living the Questions. Each Wed. afternoon we see a portion of a video which was made to create an attitude of openness in ministers, and in congregations in all of the United Churches in Canada. Our church is one of the most liberal churches in its theology, and it is becoming even more so, in its attempt to attract new people to the church. It is making an especially strong push to bring in people between the ages of 20 and 40, with its Emerging Spirit campaign. If the church is to survive, it must attract many people, and it is hoping to do that with the emphasis on personal spirituality, rather than fundamental dogma. So, the clergy is being encouraged to think outside of the traditional religious box, and to see that there are many paths to God, and many interpretations of the Bible that have merit. I am thrilled about this change.
Last week we learned that " the longing for a sense of connection is at the root of the English word "religion." The Latin re-ligio means to re-link - to connect. To help reconnect, re-link, and restore people to relationship with one another and to the divine is at the heart of religion's intended purpose." Today, in North America, a vast majority of the people do not go to church, partly because of the negative beliefs and practices of organised religion. Constantly telling people they are sinners, and scaring them with threats of eternal damnation and hell, do not entice people to come to church. They do not want to believe in a fearful, punitive God. But people do want to have a belief in a higher power that loves them, and which provides meaning in their lives, and in their deaths. People do want to have a sense of spiritual community and support. The United Church wants to reach out to these people and tell them that they have a spiritual home here. Ours is a message of love, compassion, responsibility, and community. We want to reconnect with people, and with God.
Now comes the tough part for some of the traditional believers in the United Church. Our church is encouraging us not to necessarily change our beliefs, but to be open-minded about the beliefs of others. It is asking us to start asking questions about our personal theologies. And in so doing, we may revitalise our beliefs - keeping the ones that work for us, and taking on new ways of understanding our faith. The church absolutely does not want to scare away its older members, but it does want them to understand that there must be an evolution of the United Church if it is survive.
When I first came to Nova Scotia 28 years ago, you could only buy white , whole wheat , and brown breads. There were no bagels, pitas, english muffins, rye or pumpernickel or sourdough or spelt or flax loaves of bread. Now we eat and greatly enjoy so many different forms of bread. We have all benefited from the openness of Ben's and all of the other bakeries to introduce us to new tastes and textures and sizes. Who here would like to go back to just the 3 types that we ate in 1970, and long before that?
Let us think about the United Church as baker supreme, with many different types of nutritious and delicious and culturally inclusive breads to choose from. By having an open approach to its theology and its rituals and its services, the United Church will meet the needs and tastes of many people who now sit at home on Sunday mornings, or who now go to the mall to shop. We want those people to be sitting here with you. We want them to know the love of God. We want them to know that they are all part of God, and they are all connected to each other. We want them to experience the love of Christ, and the fellowship and power of prayer. And I believe, if our world is to survive, we have to reach these people. They need to hear and live the message of love, compassion, service, responsibility, and joy.
One of the ways the church is changing is in its acceptance of many different interpretations of the Bible. They see this as an historical book written by people who were inspired by God, but who were influenced by their time, culture, and personal experiences and beliefs. The Bible is a collection of books which all contain symbolic stories. This word symbolic is very important - and controversial. Fundamentalist take each word of the Bible literally, or at least say that they do. If you are interested in reading some of the laws that the fundamentalists choose to ignore, read Leviticus chapters 20 to 22. In it Moses said that any man who says a word against his parents must be put to death. Any one who commits adultery must be put to death. Priests must not shave their heads or cut off the ends of their beards, and must marry a virgin. In the Bible, Lot slept with both of his daughters and fathered their children. King Saul committed suicide. In order to marry Michal, David killed two hundred Philistines and presented their foreskins to the king.
The Bible is full of accounts and rules which today we find deplorable and horrific. The Bible must be understood in historical context. What is wonderful about the Bible, and there is so much that is wonderful, must be read as a guide of how we are to conduct our lives, how we are to treat each other, and how we are to love God. Each of us should read the Bible with our hearts and minds open to our own understanding. That is what the United Church hopes will happen. Christianity needs to become alive and well and renewed in our society today. Because the true message of God's love, and of the love we must all share with each other and with everything on this planet, must be heard and lived now.
I'd like to end with this reading from Rev. David Hart's important book Christianity: A New Look at Ancient Wisdom. He writes (page 15):
"A new vision of Christianity is emerging today, a vision of a religious path and community deeply in touch with its spiritual roots and that possesses the ability to profoundly transform people's lives. While it has 2000 years of theological, moral, and community development behind it, this emerging Christianity can also openly accept, honor, and even learn from other religious traditions without experiencing fear of the need to claim superiority or exclusive access to truth. As such, it can become a wonderful agent of renewal and healing."
©Terry Paul Choyce. Used with permission from the author.
