Tuesday night I spent dinner with 200 members of various faiths at Pebble Creek Country Club as we recognized the work in the past year on Interfaith Dialogue. Coach Blair, Dr. Loftin, and various community and religious figures from all over town were there. Most of the event was planned by and financed by our moderate Muslim friends who run the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue.
Over the years well meaning people have asked me if I think certain people of another faith are going to heaven. What about those Mormons, Muslims and Methodists? What would you say about their eternal destination? The honest answer I feel compelled to give is that even I, an ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament with 3 degrees doesn't have access to St. Peter's roll and it isn't published in Scripture. I suspect that's on purpose. I do know that John 10:16 speaks of sheep of "another fold" but doesn't specify who it will be and we never hear more about it. There is room in Divine mystery for others. I at least know that much from that passage.
This Sunday is Reformation Sunday. In my tradition, which is the Reformed Tradition that dates itself back to the work of John Calvin and his work to create a systematic Protestant theology, we remember our history. It is a history I'm not proud to say is full of telling people who is in and who is out. That ugly part of our history has not served us well and it is the part of John Calvin's legacy you probably know best from history books.
However, few realize that this very same Reformed Tradition also brought us the Latin mantra "Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda!" which means "the Church reformed, always being reformed by the word of God and the Spirit."
John Calvin, who is most blamed for the doctrine of double predestination, had a couple of other ideas about this which are considered strikingly odd in today's world of true/false enlightenment thinking and unaccountable conscience. The first is the idea that scripture is a living rather than static document that, with different contexts and insights, can take on different meanings in the life of the believer at different times and places. The second is that communities of Christians are collectively more spiritually insightful than any one of their parts.
In other words, we need to be in Christian community and seeking that community in order to discern the meaning of scripture and the will of God for our lives.
What this ends up being is a check and balance on tradition and the ways we've chosen to understand things. However, it isn't just an experiential check and balance. In my Reformed Tradition, one always goes back to reading Scripture within the context of community to review that which we have been assuming all along. For John Calvin, it often meant being a pretty severe deconstructionist. For us, however, it can simply mean not becoming so set in our ways that we forget that we always "seek in a mirror darkly" like I Cor. 13 tells us. This includes getting stuck on denominational identity, history, and dogma.
What I appreciate about my Reformed Tradition is it reminds me that Kyle Walker is not alone and it isn't all up to me. It reminds me to seek out the wisdom beyond myself and my pet tradition. Rather, I am enriched when I seek out Christians who aren't like me. And, dare I say it...even those of other faiths and no faith who can challenge me in dialogue and help me grow in appreciate of my own faith and even learn about it.
Several years ago this same Muslim group asked me to explain to them the doctrine of the Trinity which is a real stumbling block for them. I have been examined for my theologically fitness many times and we Presbyterians do so every time we move to another call. However, nothing challenged me like my Muslim friends asking me to explain every bit of prepackaged jargon I had been taught to spit out when asked about such things. They made me own it and know it right down the tiniest detail. I'm grateful for their questions.
Muslims have made me a better and more dedicated Christian through this kind of dialogue. Heck, it even happens when I bump into Episcopalians and Lutherans! And, THAT, is the beauty of living a Reformation attitude. When we study God's word AND look for ways we can gain insight about it from the living witness of those around us, Scripture begins to grow legs and walk with us every moment of every day. May it be so.
No comments:
Post a Comment