LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Spirit |
by Tom Bohache |
"Plus a Change..."
This week I write having just attended the international conference of the Metropolitan Community Churches in Scottsdale, Arizona. As wonderful as it was to be with like-minded sisters and brothers from around the world, I was nevertheless reminded that the more things change the more they stay the same. For example: (1) At this conference, I attended a plenary session consisting of a conversation on justice between Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of MCC, Pastor Jay Bakker of Revolution NYC, and Bishop Yvette Flunder from City of Refuge UCC in San Francisco. Each of the participants in her or his own way talked about what it means to hunger and thirst for justice in today's world. Flunder pointed out that so often justice is denied those who do not practice the Christian faith or those who practice it differently than the majority. She pointed out that the Divine continued to speak to humanity long after the Bible and the Quran were written. Instead, as people of faith who wish to practice justice, we must allow the Divine to be "big enough" to embrace lots of different peopleeven if it means calling Spirit by other names than is our custom. Wilson decried the "inquisitional violence" that haunts the Christian church in nearly every denomination, as those in power seek to silence those who mediate Spirit from different contexts, such as race, gender, or erotic expression. Bakker expressed it most poignantly by telling the story of how his parents (Jim and Tammy Faye) were shunned by so-called good Christians who had been their friends and supporters during good times but disappeared during the bad times. He noted that those whom he grew up regarding as "heroes of God's grace" refused to demonstrate grace to his family. As a result, he chooses to preach an inclusive spirituality today that is all about God's unconditional grace, insisting that "if we miss one part of justice, it's not justice." (2) This was confirmed for me a couple of weeks ago when Jay Bakker was scheduled to appear here in the Rehoboth area by Beach Grace Ministries, a brainchild of Lisa and Jim Sumstine (who own CopyRight, Inc.). Bakker preached for two nights at the Milton Theatre in late June, but what should have been a wonderful opportunity for lots of different types of people to come together turned out to be poorly-attended and underfunded because prosperous churches who had committed themselves to helping withdrew at the last minute when they found out that Bakker welcomes homosexuals in his ministry. He pointed out that acceptance of gays and lesbians is only one tiny part of his belief system; yet, as often happens among Christians, his other beliefs were summarily dismissed because of this one portion. Nevertheless, he was adamant that, like the apostle Paul, he needs "to please God and not human beings." (3) I encountered the same kind of narrow-mindedness while on a day trip to Sedona, Arizona, when I had occasion to meet a former Buddhist nun who runs an art gallery there. As we chatted, she not only came out to me as a lesbian but also shared that, having practiced cloistered Buddhism for more than twenty years, she had chosen to "set down her robes" and go into the world to share her art and her teachings with a broader constituency; when she did so, the Buddhist community stopped speaking to her. While some might have been embittered by this experience, she told me that, although she regretted her lack of communication with her sisters and brothers, she really believes that Spirit has another plan in mind for her. Thus, she, like Bakker, has decided to follow the Divine conscience rather than that of human persons. I share these three experiences to hold up a mirror for each of us as we continue our spiritual journeys. Often Spirit is calling us to do or say something different or unpopular. Sometimes we are led to share a belief or idea that rebels against the status quo. Occasionally we have to decide between doing what is expected of us and what would reveal our authentic selves. More often than not, the Divine urges us to embrace those whom others consider unembraceable, to do justice for those who have never experienced justice, to feed and clothe and listen to those whom the world despises. As these stories demonstrate, narrow-mindedness knows no religion or spiritual path. Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians alike all have the capacity to be inhumane. What is important is that we live our lives according to the principles of inclusion, justice, and loveprinciples that know no color, culture, or creed. May it be so! The Rev. Dr. Tom Bohache is pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Rehoboth, which worships Sundays at 10 a.m. in the clubhouse of The Plantations on Road 1-D in Lewes. His e-mail address is pastor@mccrehoboth.org. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 17, No. 9 July 13, 2007 |