After 40 years....Religion of the Feet!

October of 1967, I was 19 years old and my great adventure that month was to join lots of other people marching across the Potomac Bridge to surround the Pentagon in a valiant witness against the war in Vietnam. We tried to levitate the five-sided building, but it did not work. Now after forty years, have we learned anything?

Some like to talk about their religion as a matter of the mind - forming an intellectual foundation for the growth of faith. Others talk of religion as a matter of the heart - building deep emotional ties to the Most Holy One, the object of our faith. For me, religion has become at base a matter of the feet - public witness in both the sacred spaces in our lives and the secular places of our world. The terrible fact of the enduring disaster of wars both foreign and domestic demands that we make our altar calls demonstrations for justice and change.

Photo Note: Anti-war protester, holds a candlelight vigil with others outside the White House in Washington, Friday, March 16, 2007. An estimated 3,000 protesters march from the National Cathedral to the White House to protest the military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

God as Mysterious Power

When Bultmann speaks of the deity, he uses the image of a “mysterious power” (and the complementary phrase “the activity of God”) that drives human beings (and all creation) this way and that by care, yet cuts each aspiration off in its finitude. This has always begged the question of whether the Most Holy One is a personal entity with a unique purpose intimately and directly interacting with the world or not. This, of course is where I part company with Spong and his “a-theism” or Tillich who speaks of his God not as a being, but Being Itself, Being's ground. Also, I finally part company with Barth and his wholly transcendent understanding of divinity. Seems to me that if we affirm that we are “Christian,” we carry the baggage (much of which is poorly packed) of an involved God standing in mutual inter-relationship with all of creation (even you and me). It is a deity that acts in a direct and intimate way. So then, God is not wholly an object, but also a subject.

Speaking of God as Father and the Problem with Idolatry

Our most Christian theological statement (and prayer) stands in the ironic tension of addressing the Most Holy One as our (not my) father and at the same time affirming that the Most Holy One’s name (God is not God’s name) is hallowed i.e. always ineffable – never literal.

Here, as Sallie McFague teaches, metaphorical language with its tension between “is” and “is not” is fundamental to God language – or theology if you will. Marjorie Suchocki argues that the notion of God as (not like) a Father dethrones all traditional patriarchal language. I am not sure I buy her case. She would certainly affirm the use of other metaphors, both personal and from nature, feminine and not.

Where we agree is that there is no speaking of the Most Holy One without metaphor. So I am inclined to say that the issue in post-modern society is not blasphemy, i.e. belittling the sacred, but rather idolatry, proclaiming the hegemony of one metaphor over all others.

Sacred Head Now Wounded

What language shall I borrow
To praise Thee, heavenly friend,

For this my dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

Lord make me Thine forever,

Nor let me faithless prove

Oh let me never, never

Abuse such dying love

- Bernard of Clairvaix

Brian Wren uses the first line of this sacred hymn's fourth verse as the title of his book. The book explores metaphors and images within our worship and formation practices. As we move into Lent, indeed, what metaphors are most appropriate? Is Jesus' lynching by Roman occupation soldiers, metaphorically speaking, an atonement sacrifice. The Gospel of John speaks of Jesus as the passover lamb, but historically for Israelites, this particular festival is not primarily about forgiveness, but about liberation. Might we begin to see the events of the passion narrative about inclusiveness and justice - then indeed, "What language shall we borrow?"

For more info about Brian's book, see Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780824509071&itm=8

Ash Wednesdy 2007

"Remember, you came from dust, to dust you will return!"

So you say "I want to pick up Jesus' apostolic project"

You say "The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and Believe the good news."

- that is, in the battle between good and evil, even though it looks like evil is winning, the outcome is certain, evil will end and God will reign. Now if your past loyalties are a little questionable, then this would be a good time to rethink them!

But you say, "someone needs to watch my retirement account." - Jesus reminds us that it is very hard for the rich to enter....

But you say, "I must honor my family obligations." Jesus reminds us to let the dead bury the dead....

"Remember, you came from dust, to dust you will return!"

Note: Picture from Trinity on Wallstreet.