Table of Contents | 11. What does the Church for the 21st century look like?
I have sung and loved the great stately hymns of the church all my life. I have understood "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "Battle Hymn" as a call to stand up courageously to all the ills of the world and to be brave in the face of evil. But such militaristic images aren't politically correct anymore and they don't convey the most appropriate images of the church. Why is this true? What should the church look like in this modern world if the perspective constructed on Christianity's success has been rendered impotent even while remaining militant? During the early years of the faith the church was formed in the context of a monarchy, the Empire of Rome. Therefore, this was the model that became the basis for organizing the institutional life of the early Christian community. The church took shape in response to the structures that guided political and social life. The church was organized from the perspective of an empire with an "emperor" or "pope" as head. The structures were hierarchical and authoritarian and, to some extent, like Roman society. The biblical and theological tools that supported this view took the image of the church as "the body of Christ" seriously. In the fourth century, following the time when the church had carved a niche for itself, when Christianity that had been an illicit religion became a legal religion, the church began to use its power to coerce, not convince. Up to the Protestant reformation, this was the received perspective. The reformers did little more than tinker with the machinery. "The structures of the church aren't all that terrible," they reasoned; it's the heart that needs to be changed. This notion of the church prevailed throughout the history of the church in the West. Nothing in the "new world" called this into question before modern times. In fact, the church became an institutional structure that viewed itself as conquering a world that was alienated from God. Phrases like "the church militant" and "Christian soldiers" and "Battle Hymn" anad "winning souls" were compatible with this understanding of the church. This perspective is still prevalent in much of the church. During the 60's and 70's this organizational structure was challenged. The church was described with phrases that suggested its life was constricted. "Heretical structures" and "morphological fundamentalism" were received notions. The passion of my early years as a parish pastor was to find biblical and theological tools that would enable me to develop a vision of the church that is shaped differently. Using the tools of sociological research I documented how hierarchical and authoritarian structures had circumscribed the faith. Moreover, because the church was a "human, all too human" structure, it reflected class, race and culture. I found what I considered a way out of the "suburban captivity of the church." I explored the categories of Exodus, Servant and Incarnation to determine if these theological notions were potent enough to accomplish this task. This was the thesis of my doctoral dissertation at Vanderbilt. The church that sees itself as free from cultural captivity, as servant of the world and as the incarnate community of God's domain will be characterized by several things. It will envision itself as an "alternate reality" to the church that is "leading the fight" and "conquering the foe." It will be a place where some de-construction must take place in order to raise a new structure. It will be a place that is "accepting," "open," "non-judgmental," compassionate and nourished by grace. Authentic worship will take place as gospel is affirmed in sermon, music and scripture; it will be evangelically warm and intellectually challenging. It will be a place where all kinds of folk can walk together as sisters and brothers without requiring conformity. It will be a place where evangelism is conceived as sharing the faith, not "winning souls." That means listening and learning, not just telling and teaching. It will be a place where Christian education is committed to exploring light from any source and ministry to others is offered with no strings attached. It will be a place from which compassion for the needs of the poor, despised and sick springs eternal. It will reject the spurious church "that doesn't provoke any crisis," a gospel "that doesn't unsettle" and a 'word of God' "that doesn't get under anyone's skin and doesn't touch the real sin of society...." It will say no to the vision of the church "that has discovered its place in the modern world and bought it." It will be a place made up of those who accept anyone whom God accepts and God accepts everybody as somebody all the time. It will be a place where people relate freely and affirmatively to life, personally and lovingly to others and intimately and confidently to God as God finds us. It will be a place wholly holy! |