"Life in all its Expressions!"

Painting by French artist Francoise Nielly.  The artist says
of her art: "I love the racial diversity, the blend of colors,
of people, the contrasts… Life in all its expressions!

In a conversation about churches and religion recently, I was asked if I consider myself a Protestant. After a short pause, I responded “no – I really think of myself primarily as a Christian.” (And in saying that, I want to clarify that I am not using the designation “Christian” in the colloquial sense as referring only to the self-designated “born again” folks, as over-against Catholic or Protestant. In my view, this is a false distinction. All who center their faith in Jesus, the Christ – individuals, as well as faith communities – are, by definition “Christ-ian.”)

But to go back to the original question and my initial response, I would more accurately describe myself as “a person of faith.” You see, I have come to a place in my life where I consider myself to be a broadly ecumenical person. The term “ecumenical” has often been used within Christianity to refer to openness between the various Christian denominations. However today there is a growing recognition that there needs to be a greater openness among all faith traditions as well as with those who claim no faith. It is within this stream of broad openness, of an inter-faith/no faith ecumenism, that I journey. And from this place I view and relate to all people as my sisters and brothers.

Our world has been too long divided along religious lines. All we have to do is listen to the daily news to know that wars are fought and people die for the cause of religious differences. This, despite the fact that virtually every religion affirms some form of the so-called Golden Rule: “Treat others as you want to be treated.”^*  And so I choose – and my faith calls me - to stand in a place where I recognize and treat all people as my sisters and brothers.

I grew up in a Christian home and as an adult I have grown into faith as a Christian. Thus, the place from which I engage life is, broadly speaking, within the Christian tradition. As I have expressed in other posts, I find the biblical story and the Christian ritual and liturgy to be value-filled and meaningful. I am drawn to the fact that there is a powerful and consistent (although not always practiced) call within this heritage to live on the side of creating a world of justice, of equality among all peoples, of care for our world, and of peace. I also find here a call to the depth and mystery of relationship and life. Thus the title of this blog: "Journey Inward and Journey Outward."

However, while this is the place where I stand, I do not do so in an exclusive manner. On one hand, I do not view Christianity as the “only way.”^±  And, on the other hand, I do not feel “chained to the cross,” to quote a good friend's comment on my last posting. In fact through participating in the rituals and learning about other traditions I have not only gained appreciation for the many ways in which humankind encounters the Divine, but have also deepened my experience and understanding of my own faith tradition.

Today, especially, I urge that it is critical that we stand together – all people of faith/no faith. I find the rhetoric of persons like Donald Trump to be despicable. And I am not only saddened but alarmed that so many of my fellow citizens would identify with and support such smallness of mind and heart. That these views even get traction is an embarrassment to us as a nation and evidence, I believe, that the United States is an empire in decline, struggling to maintain a false sense of preeminence.

In contrast, as people of faith I believe we are called to something different. I believe we are called to recognize the common humanity of all people, to recognize that all of us are children of the Divine; in the words of artist Francoise Nielly, to honor "Life in all its expressions!" I believe that we are called especially to stand with those who are suffering and marginalized. And so, I choose to stand with my black brothers and sisters and with my middle eastern and Muslim sisters and brothers, challenging systems and attitudes of racism and xenophobia and being a part of efforts to create a truly welcoming and diverse society.^†  This, for me is what it means to be Christian, this is what it means to be a person of faith!

*In preparing this post, I discovered an organization that promotes the Golden Rule with a vision of “a world with more compassion, respect and understanding for all life.”
±For a series of insightful, if at times controversial, essays on this theme, see John Hick and Paul F. Knitter, eds. The Myth of Christian Uniqueness: Toward a Pluralistic Theology of Religions, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1987.
†View the video, “Hell You Talmbout” - a powerful expression of solidarity with the struggle of the African American community in the U.S. today.