Categories: general-nonsense, ecclesiastical-stuff
Date: 08 November 2012 20:42:20
The God's Politics blog has a post giving a set of Emergent Christian cliches to avoid. They are, certainly in the UK, cliches you'd find in a range of more mainstream and liberal Christian circles too and I have to admit, going a bit red, that yes I have been guilty of several of them.
The first one is something I have not been guilty of because it is something I have strong feelings about and have had a number of arguments with others about. The cliche is 'We Don't Use Gender-Exclusive Language for God'.
Whilst I believe that God is beyond gender I refuse to call Him 'It'. It is my own opinion that seeking to move to gender inclusive language is part of a wider movement of playing about with language that has resulted in many of our great hymns have been slaughtered in recent years. (Rant over before I build up anymore steam as it is something I know is simply a personal opinion and just as bad).
The next one I am very guilty of. 'Is this (fill in the blank) fair trade/ organic/ locally grown/ humanely raised?' It's the fair trade one which I have been almost militant about in the past at church coffee time before I moved to a church which was a 'fair trade church', (even though I know that there are issues around the fair trade movement and how much it actually helps the people it is supposed to). I hope it's something I've got a little less (in fact a lot less) sanctimonious about than in the past because thinking back to myself in my early-mid 20's particularly I was a bit of a nightmare as an ethical consumer.
Christian Piatt who was the writer says: "I think it’s great that part of the ecological and social stewardship at the heart of the emergent Christian movement is to know more about where all of the goods we consume come from, and at what cost. But making a big scene about such values in public serves to draw attention to ourselves more than the cause we value if not done with some discretion. And as the text in Proverbs says, to everything there is a season. There are times to ask where your chicken came from, but probably not when you’re a guest at someone’s dinner table. Trying to make others feel bad because they don’t share your values only serves to buttress the stereotype of Christians as morally superior, arrogant and insensitive."
'I've kind of moved beyond the whole (fill in the blank) Christian doctrine. ' This is one which I will raise my hand on and say "guilty" on but it's also one which I feel one has to approach with caution as to some extent it is the tone of voice and way it is said which is important. To say I've moved on in a way which implies superior knowledge is wrong and should be avoided at all costs. However, to say "I used to believe this but now I've moved on beyond the whole (fill in the blank) Christian doctrine" can simply be telling the story of our own spiritual journey and the way you've moved from one part of the Christian Church to another. It is this latter spirit that I hope has characterised my posts about my relationship with Evangelicalism over the years.
One I'm not so guilty of, although on a couple of times I have been heard to mutter it is, 'That is a very colonial/imperial attitude'. Within his what he says on this one Piatt makes a point which is crucial when looking at all of these cliches. He says, " Yes, Jesus spoke truth, but he did it in love. And if we’re not coming yet from s place of love, it’s probably best not to speak at all." That's the lesson I still need to learn at times.
The next one is 'I love Jesus but not religion/ the Church'. I have been heard to make that comment on more than one occasion but as is pointed out on the God's Politics post this is at best reductionist and at worst plain stupid. (Ok that paraphrases it, but it is what is being said in slightly more elaborate language).
The last of the main cliches given is, 'We don't do traditional worship'. Whilst I might be heard to say things like 'I'm low church' which is another cliche which is a tad dodgy particularly if said in a defensive way I don't think I've ever been heard to say that 'I don't do traditional worship'. In fact I have been a clear proponent of the view that traditional and contemporary do and must mix and that the dichotomy given between 'inherited church' and 'Fresh Expressions' and alt worship is wrong.
There is another cliche which the author admits go beyond the Emergent sub-culture and that's 'I don't (insert activity here); I'm a Christian'. The explanation of why this is problematic is something which I think is useful to be reminded of. He says, "It’s fine that you choose to live differently because of your faith. In fact, one’s faith should inform much about their daily life. But by making public announcements about what you do and don’t do because of your religious beliefs, you’re not only implicitly casting judgment on those who think or act differently than you; you’re also exalting yourself, which I’m pretty sure is something Christians aren’t supposed to do. Yes, I know we can find a Biblical basis for “boasting in Christ,” but if what you’re doing makes you look like a self-righteous tool, you’re probably doing more harm than good."