One time I ran into a former member of my congregation in their twenties. We started talking about religion, when she said, "I just don't believe the bible is literally true. That's why I don't go."
Admittedly, I was a little taken aback. The Episcopal Church rejected biblical "literalism" a long time ago: it was deconstructing scripture in the 17th century. Literalism also was never a part of catholic teaching. But in this modern environment, even young Episcopalians will get the idea that Christianity is about the inquisition, against evolution and gay marriage, and asserts the world was created 6,000 years ago.
Growing up in an agnostic family, however, I was taught that scripture was a shared inheritance that included each poetry, myth and history. I grew up with a secular appreciation (and fear) of what religious faiths could do, before I discovered the sense of the divine that reminds me who I am and can be. Religion was one way humanity expressed its creativity.
But what I am especially glad for is that I was raised to think openly - leading me to return to the tradition, rather than reject it. Even my first priest affirmed that reason was a gift meant to be used. Yet churches repeatedly do themselves a disfavor when they do not allow people, especially teenagers, to openly question. Santa Claus is fine for kids, but grownups require practices that will guide them through some tough times. I see repeatedly places where my own church failed.
To this end St. Bartholomew's is now using a new curriculum for people above the age of 16 who want to be confirmed or just want to learn more about Christianity: Confirm, not Conform.
This program arose because a number of clergy realized churches should allow people to ask hard questions about faith. they may be challenging: does God matter? Is it a sort of self-delusion? Did Jesus really get raised in a body and fly into the sky 50 days later? Why we do all this stuff on Sunday Morning? And must it be so early?
On Monday evenings from 6:00-7:30 from January 27th until May 12th, I'll lead this class. It’s first an opportunity to ask questions. What do you want to know about the bible? Why the creeds? Why the sacraments? Participants will also try different spiritual practices to find the ones that work for them and find ways to integrate them into daily life.
The class does not expect people will become confirmed, but one can be confirmed if one chooses the following week. Even if you decide not, we’ll still throw a party at the end of the course.
Churches should be places where people can explore what they truly believe - not what they are supposed to think. As teacher I'll give the best explanation I can for the church's teachings, but I expect that I will not convince everyone. I'm even open to changing my own mind.
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Churches can do a better job if they are open to people who have a lot of questions, who need to test practices out before they adopt them. Gone are the days when churches had the authority to tell people what's what. It's time for us to listen more, and to enter conversations with all who are truly seeking. In a country where everyone's talking and few are listening, perhaps we'd better serve by listening ourselves. And perhaps then, when people reject the church, they'll do so for good reasons, and not because we refused to let them explore whatever connection to the divine they did feel.
Not everyone will be convinced this is good for the church. But it at least deserves testing. Perhaps once the church relaxes it's pedagogical rigidity regarding the creeds, it will be less likely to undermine the gospel message of peace, truth and bliss.
