A funny thing happened on the way to obsolescence.
For years, atheists and nonChristians have pointed to some of the rather callous actions of the church as evidence that there needs to be serious change. And for years, there have been many of us within the church who agree, but lacked the platform from which to speak.
I'm proud to say that I see that changing. Ted Cruz being booed offstage recently is evidence of that. The fall of Mark Driscoll further underscores the point. There is a silent majority in the church that has never endorsed the positions of its leaders, but when threatened with eternal damnation, even the most dedicated folk will moderate their stance quickly.
But in the midst of the mess, suddenly it became clear that what may be appropriate to discuss is not necessarily appropriate for legislation. As the Republican agenda has very clearly shifted to maintaining the power base of the wealthy and increasing the distance between America's wealthiest and America's poorest, it has become clear to moderate Christians that there is also great distance between the message of the cross and the message of the contemporary evangelical church.
As we soberly contemplate grace, we're beginning to do so with an understanding that the same grace that covers our own inadequacy covers that of others. That mercy should never be the domain solely of those wealthy enough to afford it or those who limit their sin to socially acceptable sins. That grace is grace and it is not ours to bestow or deny. That duty belongs to God.
There are those who refer to this era as the "post Christian" era, and I'm often inclined to think that way. But the more I consider it the more I'm inclined to believe that it is an era of transition, an "emerging church" era that will see a lot of radical reformation.
Was the church in the "Christian" era when slavery and Jim Crow dominated the landscape? Did we have better values during the 80 some odd years following the Civil War that saw the lynching of more than 3500 persons of color, almost entirely by those who claimed to be Christian, and often even carried the cross as they went about their filthy business? Were we more righteous in the era of back alley abortions when women would be shipped off to live with cousins in order to spare the family the stain of an illegitimate pregnancy? And was the genocide of the American Indian guided by the hand of God or the hand of greed?
The truth is that, while expressions of faith wavered and waned within the church itself, the world around it was never truly "Christian", no matter how we tried to idealize it as such. For this to be a "Post Christian era", there must first have had to be a Christian era. And in all honesty, it didn't exist. If anything, the church fought against the advance of labor rights, women's rights, civil rights, you name it.
And so to those who do not believe as I do, I ask you, be patient. Because the generation of Christian exiles to whom I am proud to count myself a brother, is likely the most self aware group of Christians you will ever encounter. We KNOW we've done wrong. We see the mistakes of the past, and, all too tragically, the present. And if you give us a chance, we WILL make this right.
In short, we beg of you the tolerance that we (the royal "we", not necessarily individuals) unfortunately too often denied you in the past. We ask you for grace, for mercy, not because we deserve it, but as a means of building bridges.
I am certain that the Christian church 10 years from now will not look like the church of today. We are at a crossroads, and it is my fervent prayer that the church will be regarded as the agent of change and hope that it should be. And it is further my hope that I may be part of that process.
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