[Oe List ...] 9/08/2022, Progressing Spirit: The Rev. Brandan Robertson: The Great Reversion; Spong revisited
Ellie Stock
elliestock at aol.com
Thu Sep 8 06:05:06 PDT 2022
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The Great Reversion
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| Essay by Rev. Brandan Robertson
September 8, 2022You’ve heard it said again and again- “We’re living in unprecedented times”. There’s extreme polarization, increased bigotry, emboldened racists, and virtual mobs seeking to cancel those who don’t align perfectly with the new orthodoxies of whichever side of the aisle you identify with. People are cynical about religion, politics, and life in general, and every other day there seems to be a new existential threat to human existence- be it the pandemic, climate change, or nuclear annihilation. These do indeed seem like unprecedented times.
Yet any student of history will note that as stark and extreme as this moment in our collective history may seem, it’s certainly not unprecedented. Nearly every generation experiences a moment of existential crisis that causes preachers to begin declaring it the “last days” and individuals to have increased anxiety as they contemplate the uncertainty of their future. People turn against institutions and leaders, demanding reform, which causes moments of great instability. And do you know what happens next? Reform does happen, to a degree, the crises either are resolved or are forgotten, and humans return again to business as usual in a slightly altered world.
I’ve often drawn on the well-known observation of my mentor Phyllis Tickle who said that every 500 years humanity goes through a “great rummage sale”, a moment of reformation and renewal. When one explores this trend historically, one finds that moments of major social change do in fact happen with this relative regularity, but often these moments of reformation are not moments at all, but decades of slow and steady pushing forward and backward, making incremental progress and change until twenty years later, there is an era of “stability” (whatever that means).
In this moment of reformation, the way we order our world and the way we understand our place in the universe is being questioned. Is democracy really the best way to govern ourselves? Is globalism or nationalism the future of our world? Should we collapse our big institutions in favor of small, local organizations? Does life actually have a meaning and does religion have any use in our technological era? These are big questions that will lead to some big change. But by and large, as we look at the historical trends, the truth is that after the reformation there will be a great reversion. A return to some of the “old” ways of seeing and being in the world that we’ve been critical of in the moment of reformation but that will endure beyond the critique.
I believe one of the areas that will endure in the great reversion is organized religion. Despite the insistence of many progressives that the future of spirituality is beyond churches, from where I sit it seems that a renaissance of organized religion is inevitable.
For the past decade, I’ve been observing how my generation (millennials) have been both extolling the virtues of leaving toxic religion behind yet have not successfully found anything to replace it’s vital role in our lives. Organized religion provided community, spiritual discipline, a liturgical rhythm, and a regular space to contemplate the big questions of life with others. While there are other places to do each of those things, the truth seems to be that most people have not found those other spaces which has led to a general sense of cynicism, lethargy, loneliness, and existential dread- not exactly the building blocks of a post-reformation era of progress and renewal.
All of this leads me to believe that there may be a slow and steady movement back towards religious community- the old-fashioned kind. As millennials age towards our forties, the angst of reformation is giving way to a longing for a place to call “home”, and for many of us, this will be in religious communities. But when we arrive, we won’t be willing to settle for “business as usual”- we’re going to be looking for post-reformation communities that have already done the work to address racism, sexism, and homophobia, communities that have built-in systems and structures to prevent abuse, communities that are willing to ask the hard questions but also, perhaps surprisingly, guide us towards some answers.
In this post-modern era, we are lacking a narrative for our lives, a moral framework for how we view the world, which leads us to be tossed to and fro by every cultural crisis. It seems to me that as much as the religious communities that have facilitated deconstruction over the past thirty years have helped spur on this much-needed reformation, the time is coming where these very same communities (the few that still exist anyways) need to begin offering a coherent story, a coherent tradition and practice, and a coherent set of moral values once again.
Generation Z is the first generation in America to grow up largely religiously unaffiliated and is already showing subtle signs of this great regression. In a poll published by religion pollster Ryan Burge in 2021, Generation Z is more likely to attend a religious service than Millennials or Gen X, even though they are more hesitant to identify with a particular religious label. This seems right to me- as the reformation turns to regression, it will take place slowly with deliberate skepticism about institutions of religion, who must earn the trust they so easily lost. Yet nonetheless, there are no other cultural institutions that offer all the essentials that, say, a church can.
So instead of buying into the narrative that religion is dead, I believe that now is a moment for religious institutions to commit all the more to doing the hard work of reforming our most rigid broken systems, reassessing and reasserting our most central beliefs, practices, and values, and preparing to welcome, once again, an entire generation whose trust we’ve lost but who are longing for the very thing that we were created to offer: meaning, making community, and purpose. As another mentor of mine, Ken Wilber says, “Religion is the best and only vehicle humanity has to move us through the process of waking up, cleaning up, and growing up.” I tend to agree, and if true, religious leaders and institutions have a vital role to play in this next era of human history- if we do the work to prepare for it.~ Rev. Brandan Robertson
Read online here
About the Author
Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted spiritual thought-leader, contemplative activist, and commentator, working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal and the author of Nomad: A Spirituality For Travelling Light and writes regularly for Patheos, Beliefnet, and The Huffington Post. He has published countless articles in respected outlets such as TIME, NBC, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Dallas Morning News. As sought out commentator of faith, culture, and public life, he is a regular contributor to national media outlets and has been interviewed by outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, SiriusXM, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Associated Press. He leads Metanoia, a digital spiritual community at MetanoiaCenter.org |
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Question & Answer
Q: By Jennifer
It seems like a lot of conservative Christians are using “Freedom of Religion” as an excuse to discriminate against others. Isn’t that the opposite of what it means?
A: By Rev. David M. FeltenDear Jennifer,The short answer is “yes.” But in recent years there’s been an effort by religious conservatives to flip the original intent of Freedom of Religion to support their “war on religion” narrative that portrays Christians as the victims of oppression.
Traditionally, the 1st Amendment has been interpreted to say that government won’t establish, support, or prohibit the practice of religion. Government will step in to protect the innocent victims of religion-gone-bad (like the conviction of Warren Jeffs for child rape masquerading as religious ritual in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), but other than that, hands off. Add the gravitas of Thomas Jefferson’s elaboration on the 1st Amendment, the Separation of Church and State, and you’d think Freedom of Religion was a no-brainer.
Alas, conservatives have taken it upon themselves to throw a wrench in the works. They want the freedom to practice their repressive uber-piety without government “meddling” — even if their practice promotes discrimination against or harm to other citizens. They argue that religion (particularly THEIR religion) is indispensable to upholding the purity of the citizenry and that any expectation that their religion do no harm to others is a violation of their rights.
They argue that the true meaning of Religious Liberty is, as Katherine Stewart has written, a “license to discriminate.” This even includes claiming public tax dollars for themselves which are, in turn, used to discriminate against a despised “other.”
Earlier this year, Mobile, Alabama moved to help improve the city’s score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index. How? They appointed two LGBTQ+ liaisons to offer an LGBTQ+ perspective on city policies and procedures.
Anxious that their license to discriminate might be called into question, Southern Baptist leaders met with the city this summer and asked it to “preemptively pass a religious liberty ordinance” that “protects Christians” who are opposed to LGBTQ+ rights and same-sex marriage. The panicked Southern Baptists (the same Southern Baptists the Justice Department is currently investigating for the criminal mishandling of sexual abuse cases) whined that the city’s move to promote non-discrimination consisted of “threats on the horizon.” You heard that right. LGBTQ+ people having basic civil rights is a threat to poor, oppressed Christians (especially those who don’t want to be held accountable for their criminal misbehavior).
We’ve seen it across the cultural spectrum. Fundamentalists want the freedom to discriminate against Muslims, Jews, atheists, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. From refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding to refusing to consider a Jewish couple for adoption to a pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription for contraceptives to the Supreme Court condoning taxpayer-funded Christian prayers at a public high school, the incidents are increasing.
The meaning of Freedom of Religion is well on its way to being turned on its head. Fundamentalist Christians not only want to impose their values on everybody else, they want approval to betray their obligation to honor the civil rights of fellow citizens.
Fundamentalists in religion AND government are poised to continue undermining the 1st Amendment’s original intent in favor of establishing a shadow state religion of conservative Christianity. While Freedom of Religion is still “on the books”, the version of it that survives into the future is yet to be determined.
~ Rev. David M. Felten
@dubiousrev
NOTE: To stay informed, be sure to follow Americans United for the Separation of Church and State for the latest ways you can help combat the erosion of Religious Liberty in the name of Freedom of Religion.
Read and share online here
About the Author
Rev. David M. Felten is a full-time pastor at The Fountains, a United Methodist Church in Fountain Hills, Arizona. David and fellow United Methodist Pastor, Jeff Procter-Murphy, are the creators of the DVD-based discussion series for Progressive Christians, “Living the Questions” and authors of Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity. A co-founder of Catalyst Arizona and also a founding member of No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice, David is an outspoken voice for LGBTQ rights both in the church and in the community at large. David is active in the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church and tries to stay connected to his roots as a musician. You’ll find him playing saxophones in a variety of settings, including appearances with the Fountain Hills Saxophone Quartet. David is the proud father of three reliably remarkable human beings. Visit his website here. |
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Bishop John Shelby Spong Revisited
The Birth of Jesus, Part VI. Rahab the Prostitute:
The Second Woman in Matthew’s Genealogy
Essay by Bishop John Shelby Spong
January 3, 2013The second woman mentioned in the genealogy of Matthew comes out of a story told in the book of Joshua. One can read the details in chapters two and six of that book. There are two things that are noteworthy about this woman. First, she is not a Jew, rather she is a citizen of Jericho and thus presumably a Canaanite, i.e. a Gentile. Second, she is introduced and described in a single word, “harlot,” that is, Rahab was a prostitute, she sold sex for gain. Rahab had clearly entered the folk lore of both Judaism and Christianity for there are references to her in the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Job: 9:13 and 26:12, in the Psalms: 87:4 and 89:10 and in the book of Isaiah 30:7 and 51:9. In addition to this reference in Matthew’s genealogy, she is also referred to in the Christian Scriptures in two places, Hebrews 11:3 and James 2:35. It is difficult to establish any dependency between Matthew and these other New Testament references, so we have to assume that the story of Rahab must have been a popular one in both Judaism and in early Christianity. In this column today, I want to recount the narrative of Rahab as it appears in the book of Joshua.
The context is this: Moses has died in the wilderness of Moab and has been buried by God acting alone in a mysterious and unknown grave, or that is at least the story we receive in the last chapter of Deuteronomy (34). Joshua, Moses’ number one military captain, has assumed the position of the leader of these wandering, nomadic people. As if to validate Joshua with an aura of Moses, a crossing of a body of water in Red Sea fashion has been promised to Joshua at the Jordan River. Beyond that river lay the first military prize for the invading Hebrews, the fortified and walled city of Jericho. While the people were encamped west of the Jordan preparing for that miraculous crossing, Joshua sent two men to spy on Jericho. These spies are unnamed, but they presumably managed to cross the river in daylight and enter the city, the gates of which were not closed until nightfall. They immediately went, as if by some pre-arranged plan, to the house of Rahab the prostitute. Perhaps there was some kind of prior relationship. Perhaps they sought out this house, the only local brothel, for their own entertainment. Perhaps it made strategic sense. Rahab’s house was conveniently located, built as it was into the wall that encircled the city. Certainly a brothel might have been chosen simply to serve to give the spies cover. We will never know. There is certainly the probability that this location and the service Rahab offered were well known to citizens and strangers alike. It was certainly in the “public domain.” Reality says that for a stranger to enter the city and go straight to the house of Rahab would arouse little suspicion. Whatever the reason or reasons, it was to Rahab’s house that Joshua’s spies went and there, the text says, “they lodged.” It seems that they remained there for several days. In time, their presence became known. It would certainly arouse suspicion if regular customers were rebuffed because of the presence of these strangers, and the public utterances of miffed regular customers would surely start rumors flying.
In any event, their presence quickly came to the attention of the authorities in Jericho, including the king. Almost immediately they were defined as spies who had illegally entered the land. So the king, apparently knowing where they were, sent a deputation of soldiers to the house of Rahab with orders for the spies to come forth, presumably to be executed, for that was the normal fate of spies. Rahab, however, turns out to be more loyal to the spies than she is to her city, so when she gets wind of the danger, she not only hides the spies, but she lies to the king’s messengers about their continued presence. She did not deny that they had been there, since that seemed to have been a well-established fact. She admitted that they had visited, but that she had no idea where they were from or what their business was in Jericho. They have now gone, she said, telling the authorities that the two men had departed before the gates of the city had been closed when darkness fell. What might have been her motives? Perhaps she was just protecting her customers. Perhaps she had already developed a relationship with one of the spies that altered her priorities. Whatever the reason, Rahab urged the king’s representatives to pursue these spies rapidly for their departure from city, she said, had been recent and they could surely be overtaken. All the while, according to this narrative, Rahab has taken these men to the roof of her house and has hidden them under stalks of flax that were “laid in order” on her roof.
The king’s men took Rahab at her word and pursued what they thought were the escaping spies to the Jordan River and across it into the surrounding countryside. When the pursuers had left the city, the gates were closed for the night. No one could now leave and the pursuers could not return until the dawn when the gates were reopened.
Rahab then goes to the roof to uncover her hidden guests. She speaks to them as one who knows they are destined to conquer Jericho. She tells them that fear of the invading Hebrews had fallen upon her fellow citizens and has caused their courage to melt away. She tells them that the people have heard of the miracle at the Red Sea and of their conquest of the Amorites in the wilderness and that the citizens of Jericho feel themselves doomed. Then she extracts an oath from the two spies. As I have protected you and dealt kindly with you, she said, I am prepared to continue to serve you by helping you escape. You must first, however, give me a sign that when your people conquer Jericho, you will repay my kindness by sparing my family from death. That means, she says, not just my life but those of my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, their spouses and children. The spies agreed. “Our lives for your life and those of your extended family” was the deal and it seemed to them a fair bargain. So it was agreed. A sign was established. Rahab was to hang a scarlet cord in the window of her house in that protective wall. This cord would be seen by all who passed by. The spies swore that all who were gathered in this house with the scarlet cord would be spared. Then Rahab made a rope and lowered each of the spies in a basket to the ground outside the wall and thus to safety. She instructed them to go to the hills through which their pursuers had already swept and hide there for three days until their pursuers had returned to the city. Their escape was successful and, after three days in the woods, they returned to Joshua with their report. The people of Jericho are faint hearted, the spies said, they know the Lord has given Jericho and its people into our hands.
Rahab then disappears from the drama until the conquest of Jericho occurs in chapter six. In the meantime, the swollen, flooded waters of the Jordan have been split, in Red Sea-like fashion, and the army of the Hebrews has crossed that river bed on dry land. Then they set up siege positions outside the walls of the city of Jericho. For six days, the army would walk around those walls following the Ark of the Lord, attended by priests blowing constantly on their trumpets, which in fact were shofars or the horns of a ram. On the seventh day, the Hebrew army walked around the city walls seven times with the ram’s horns being blown constantly. When the seventh journey around the walls was complete, the trumpets blew a long and sustained blast and then the people shouted with loud shouts and, we are told, the walls around Jericho fell to the ground. Perhaps the sound vibrations from the shofars and the shouting people were more than their structures could tolerate. Perhaps the miraculous aspects of this story were enhanced with its telling as the years rolled by. This narrative, as a matter of fact, was not written until some 300 years after this event was supposed to have taken place. The important thing for our purpose is to note that this book says that Joshua and his army destroyed Jericho, putting everyone to the edge of the sword – all men, all women, all old people, all young people and all the animals in an act of genocidal fury. True to their word, however, they spared all those who gathered in the house of Rahab. Joshua gave specific orders, “Search out the harlot’s house and bring out of it the woman and all who belong to her as we promised.” The book of Joshua concludes with the story of Rahab by saying that Rahab the harlot was saved and all her household “and she dwelt in Israel until this day.”
Matthew from some source declared that she married a man named Salmon. Was he one of the two spies? Once again, we will never know, but Matthew asserts that Salmon and Rahab had a baby boy whose name was Boaz and that the line from Salmon went through Boaz to Obed to Jesse to David, who became the King of the Hebrew nation, and that this line would lead directly to Jesus of Nazareth, who was of the house of David.
So this is the second woman included in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. The first was guilty of an incestuous relationship with her father-in-law, the second was a prostitute. Matthew is introducing the story of Jesus’ birth. He is establishing the Jewish roots of Jesus as well as his royal roots. He is also stating in a loud and provocative way that the line that produced Jesus of Nazareth traveled through incest and harlotry. Why would he introduce the virgin birth this way? What is his agenda? What is his purpose? The story moves on and so does Matthew’s genealogy. When this column resumes, we will introduce the third of the “shady ladies” in Matthew’s genealogy. She is a seductress. So stay tuned.~ John Shelby Spong |
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