Church Renewal

I’ve been looking forward to this gathering for months. My special delight is to watch long-time friends in one denomination meet long-time friends in another. It’s a family reunion of the family of God. It’s a particular relief to be here this week. I spent Monday through Thursday noon at the meeting of the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations of the Episcopal Church. In other words, I spent three days talking about ecumenism with people in my own church with whom I have profound disagreements. Now, I’m getting to do ecumenical relations with men and women with whom I enjoy a deep spiritual unity. So, thank you for blessing me.

It is a great privilege to have the opportunity to speak to you. I want to begin by telling you the story of a reform-minded pastor….

It’s an ecumenical story, in a way, since it touches two of our denominations. A few years ago, there was an Episcopal priest, named Scott, who was an assistant pastor in a United Methodist Church near Omaha, Nebraska. (How he got that job is, I’m sure, a story in itself.) He was serving in this United Methodist church when another UM pastor, named Jimmy Creech, performed a same-sex so-called “marriage” in Omaha. This evangelical Episcopalian was shaken to the core. One thing that disturbed him was a curious pattern among other local pastors. Evangelical pastors were outspoken about their beliefs in their own congregations, but quiet beyond the local church. Liberals were silent about their beliefs in their congregations, but outspoken beyond.

Scott was conflicted and unsure about what to do. After all, this wasn’t even his denomination. Then, he read an article about a Vietnamese pastor in a labor camp. This pastor’s job in the camp was to shovel excrement. But the imprisoned Vietnamese pastor said he did that odious task while rejoicing in the Lord. Scott was convicted—and he decided nobody would do anything that bad to him and so he spoke up. He spoke up in his congregation, wrote letters and organized meetings and prayer rallies. My source told me he wasn’t hateful or mean-spirited, but stood for the truth in a gospel way.

Well, appointment time came around. He was reappointed to a small rural church. However, because his daughter was disabled and needed services found only in urban areas, he could not take the appointment. He lost his job and was unemployed for six months.

Praise God, the story doesn’t end there. He began to worship at a nearby Episcopal parish. The reason I know this story is that my church then hired the rector of that Iowa parish. Scott served as interim rector of that Episcopal congregation and, after a search process, was named the rector.

This morning, I want to communicate with you what I see happening in our churches and in renewal. I want us to discern together what God is doing in the church as we enter the 21st century.

Renewal in the historic Protestant Churches in North America is at an important juncture. The current generation of renewal organizations largely began in the late sixties and subsequent decades. We were born out of conditions in our churches and in society of the late twentieth century, although the theological problems in our churches date from modernist trends that are much older. Many in the founding generation of our renewal movements are retiring.

Some of those founders may have thought that a strong dose of publicity and perhaps a bit of organizing would solve the problems of our churches. Those hopes have surely been disappointed. One important measure of the health of a church—membership statistics—shows our churches in continuing decline. It’s a sad but familiar story. From 1990 to 2000, according to a study released in September, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declined 2.2 percent, the Episcopal Church declined 5.3 percent, the American Baptist Churches declined 5.7 percent, the United Methodist Church declined 6.7 percent, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declined 11.6 percent, and the United Church of Christ declined a whopping 14.8 percent. During this time, the U.S. population increased by over 13 percent. Growing churches, by and large, were more conservative— Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of Christ. The Presbyterian Church in America grew by 42 percent and the Wesleyan Church about 47 percent. The growing churches are attracting immigrants, younger people, the unchurched, and yes, some of the former members of our churches.

The bottom line is that the dwindling mainline is the increasingly irrelevant sideline. (Let me, as an aside, illustrate this point of irrelevancy. Opposition to the war on terrorism, and now the possible war on Iraq, has easily been the loudest message of our denominational leaders for the last 13 months. Now its perfectly legitimate for Christians to disagree on foreign policy. But the biggest problem with what our church leaders have done isn’t that they oppose these military actions, but that they argue in histrionic, biased, exaggerated, and irresponsible ways. And you know how much impact they are having in Washington? None whatsoever. All of their resolutions and statements and demonstrations are making no difference. None.)

Our churches are declining and increasingly irrelevant, even on issues that are their top priority. So, if vibrant, healthy, growing denominations are the goal of our reform movement, we have not achieved success. How’s that for the understatement of the day? We have not yet accomplished our purpose, not achieved our aim.

So, do we press on?

The Confessing Theologians Commission has offered us a powerful statement of encouragement, admonishing us to “be steadfast” and to move forward. I am convinced that this challenge is exactly right.

One major reason comes from history. When has the church not needed renewal and reform? Let me quickly acknowledge that there are certainly times of relative health and revival and times of apostasy and dissolution in church history. In our denominations, these are not good days. But they aren’t the worst in church history either.

Read the appalling stories of the papacy and church hierarchy during the Medici period, with its shocking materialistic and sexual excesses. I don’t think any of our denominations matches that era of church history in its breathtaking debauchery. But next, in contrast, study the life and ministry of the current Pope, John Paul II. We must quickly conclude that, yes, reformations are possible, even within a church.

Too many contemporary Christians make the wrong assumptions about church renewal and reform. They confuse the goal or the ideal with the normal. They think that the normal or typical state of Christ’s Church is what it ought to be—unified, holy, courageous, peaceful, charitable, teaching truth at all levels. In case you haven’t noticed, the church isn’t typically like that.

In fact, the biblical and historical evidence is that it never has been that way. I’ve concluded that church reform isn’t some unusual tangent activity. It is the normal responsibility of those who love God. It is integral to God’s redemptive project. We don’t reform the church so that we can get on with the other tasks—mission, evangelism, discipleship, seeking justice and righteousness. No, church reform is part of the task of the church.

The early Church was not a golden age. The epistles are directed toward every kind of problem within the church, from the theological errors of Gnosticism, to instructions about social responsibility, to admonitions about sexual immorality. The Church itself was plagued by immorality.

Or read about the early centuries of church history and the ecumenical councils. What incredible struggles! What gripping conflict! Lives were at stake; empires hung in the balance. Indeed, the orthodox faith of the Church was at stake. These were theological and spiritual and, yes, political battles. They make even the most serious contemporary church theological conflicts look almost tame. But out of the refining fire of those theological conflagrations, have come precious gifts—including the creed we say weekly in my own parish.

Reformation is simply one of the ongoing tasks of the church. And we must look for the blessing of this work— that our most difficult battles may produce incredible gifts for our children’s children.

If reform is a constant, what then are the attributes of our contemporary reform movements? What is God doing among us in this day? How can we discern God’s work among us? I have identified six emerging characteristics of contemporary reformation:

1. It is mature and diverse
2. It is ecumenical
3. It is profoundly theological
4. It addresses moral issues
5. It is global
6. It is generational

It is Mature and Diverse

First, our renewing and confessing movement is mature and multi-faceted. To be sure, some of our organizations are young. But they are joining a movement that has decades of experience.

Just look at the listing of break-out sessions of this conference and review the organizations with which we affiliate. We are engaged in missions and in publishing. We are strengthening theological education. We have evangelists and are leading in new evangelism strategies from church planting to Alpha. We are engaged in microenterprise development and human rights advocacy. We are building marriages, defending the unborn, and healing the sexually broken. We are changing the tenor and results at the assemblies and conventions and conferences of our denominations.

Let me say a word about our diversity. Occasionally, someone will say, “Why can’t you all get together? Why are there so many different groups?” Now, I’ll quickly concede that we must cooperate, within and between denominations. The task is too urgent to allow us to tolerate petty bickering and competition. But, having said that, our many and diverse organizations are our strength. They appeal to different gifts and callings. More groups can accommodate more people and more strategies and more outreach.

Suppose you had three groups doing evangelism in your congregation—using different strategies and effectively reaching different audiences. Suppose one was bringing high school students to Christ and another was working with immigrants and a third was a successful Alpha program. Would you demand that they merge? Or would you eagerly support and encourage all three?

My friends, we don’t need fewer reform groups, fewer renewal strategies, fewer committed leaders, fewer confessing movements. We need more. The United Methodist Foundation for Theological Education should be duplicated in other denominations. The high circulation and aggressive reporting of the Presbyterian Layman and United Methodist Action should be replicated in the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The global anti-poverty work of the Anglican Five Talents organization should be copied by others. And every denomination represented here needs a group parallel to a new Presbyterian group I’ve just learned about—called Youth for Truth. We are a mature and diverse movement.

It is Ecumenical

Our renewing and confessing movement is ecumenical. One of the first charges against the IRD in the early 80s was that we were anti-ecumenical. The accusation, of course, stemmed from our forthright critique of the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches. But I kept asking, “Have you seen our board of directors? We are one of the most ecumenical organizations in North America!”

Regarding ecumenism, our renewing and confessing movement is saying enough is enough. To the NCC we say: Out-of-touch leaders of a declining organization representing less than one third of American Christians don’t get to claim the mantle of Christian unity anymore.

We embrace ecumenism. We know that Christian unity can only be found in Truth—the Truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We watch with anticipation to see God’s work in unifying His Church—recognizing that unity is God’s gift, not a construct of committees and commissions. The third Christian millennium is bringing the promise of a New Ecumenism. We are committed to this New Ecumenism. We are experiencing it and practicing it here.

Let me say one more word about ecumenism and church reform. The reformation we seek won’t come to just one denomination. When I prayerfully consider the renewal we seek, I can’t even imagine that the Presbyterians would experience some kind of dramatic change that would pass the Methodists by. How could there be a reformation that would touch the Lutherans and bypass the Episcopalians?

Let’s be very clear about what we really desire, hope for, contend for and pray for. Let’s be really clear about what we need. Reformation is more than minor changes in church canons or passing biblically-based resolutions or even electing orthodox leaders. Our plight is too serious for that. We need revival. We yearn for another Great Awakening. The Holy Spirit doesn’t bring Great Awakenings to denominations. He brings them to cities, to regions, and, please God, to our nations.

Our renewing and confessing movement is becoming and must be as ecumenical as the revival we so desperately need.

It is Profoundly Theological

There are many people in this room that have much more to say regarding our theological task than I have. We’ve already heard some of them this week. But I must say just a word or two about theology. First, let me note simply that the renewing and confessing movement is theologically serious. One of our groups publishes a journal entitled simply, “Theology Matters.” It’s perhaps no coincidence that this orthodox Presbyterian publication was launched by a woman after the first Re-Imagining Conference.

Let me tell you one blessing of our battles with revisionist theologies. We are rediscovering and re-embracing our heritage. We are studying and re-asserting the atonement, the incarnation, and the bodily resurrection. We don’t take these for granted. We study patristics. We no longer mumble our way through the creeds, we proclaim them. We savor their truth and beauty. And our movement is fully Trinitarian. We worship God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, knowing that to neglect any person of the Trinity is to distort the Gospel and leave ourselves bereft of God’s full power and blessing.

Theologically, we are at an interesting historical moment as we move from modernity to post-modernity. For years, we have struggled with the modernists—those sons and daughters of the Enlightenment, marked by rationalism and materialism, dismissive of miracles and alienated from the Transcendent. Admittedly, these often aging voices still get a lot of media attention and adulation in some circles. We Episcopalians are rightly embarrassed that the most well-known Episcopal bishop in the country is one named Spong.

But let’s not waste too much time and energy combating worn-out and unappealing modernist heresies. We face new, insidious challenges. In a post-modern era, the problem may not be unbelief, but too much belief—belief in anything and everything. Donna Hailson, one of our confessing theologians, calls it cafeteria religion—in which people create their own religion piecemeal out of the beliefs and practices of a global cornucopia of options. Here the radical feminist theologians lead the way— mixing wiccan croning ceremonies, Eastern healing rituals, erotic litanies, drums and chants invoking ancestors, and even some old camp-meeting hymns—all in an intoxicating, poisonous brew. Theology matters, indeed, now more than ever.

It Addresses Moral Issues

Our renewing and confessing movement confronts a deepening apologetic task—not just about theology, but also about ethics. We must address contemporary moral and social issues. This is a direct product of the dramatic changes in our society. When I first went to work at Good News magazine, nearly 30 years ago, it was usually enough to report that some church leader was endorsing homosexual practice. Readers would immediately grasp the problem. In just a few decades, the moral climate of the West has dramatically shifted. The simple proposition that sexual intercourse ought to be reserved for life-long marriage between one man and one woman is contested, in word and deed, on every side. The new ethic is individualistic and utilitarian. It’s not enough to report what is wrong in our churches, we have to teach why it is wrong.

As I said earlier, in every age there is a need for church reform. Reform movements rise up in reaction to wrong, to false teaching and evil practice. But the end result can be a great blessing to the Church universal. The reform battles of the early church gave us the blessing of creedal affirmations of Christ’s humanity and divinity. The monastic reforms have left a legacy of spiritual disciplines that grace our lives. Men of courage and conviction were martyred so that we might read the Holy Scripture in our own language. The great proclamation of justification by faith—which we now hear echoing throughout the whole Church—sprang from the lips of reformers challenging a church in which it seemed that everything could be bought.

Let’s face it. Some of the deepest wrongs we face today have to do with human sexuality—the abuse and misuse of one of God’s greatest gifts. In the midst of our current struggles, we may miss a larger redemptive possibility. I am convinced that God will use this struggle to rejuvenate and redeem marriage. My own marriage has been immeasurably strengthened as I’ve struggled with the issues we face and studied to find answers in natural law, in tradition, and in Scripture. I see so many young marriages that benefit from the intentional determination of men and women to form godly unions in opposition to cultural pressures.

Like all of you, I admit to being discouraged from time to time. Whether I’m flipping channels on television or listening to the debate in the House of Bishops, my anguished cry is often, “What are we coming to? Where will it end? How far can this go?” But history teaches and faith assures me of this: Out of this deep and terrible struggle, God will reveal more to us about what He intended all along for marriage than any generation has ever known before.

Marriage and sexuality aren’t the only issues demanding a new apologetic today. Another great moral struggle today is over life itself. When does life begin? When does it end? Who decides? The renewing and confessing movements have strong organizations fighting the scourge of abortion and seeking to protect both children and women from this great social evil. We are not equipped and ready to face the end of life questions. Partly this is because our churches are not taking uniform and predictable positions on euthanasia, assisted suicide, stem cell research, cloning, etc. There’s not a lot of truly bad teaching coming from our churches on these issues, demanding our reaction. But there’s not a lot of teaching on these issues from the churches, period. At the same time our society desperately needs thoughtful, courageous Christian voices. This is an area in which the renewing and confessing movement can and should lead. We need researchers and writers, we need task forces and models of ministry. We need to do this now.

This is more than a theoretical issue—more than an ethical or political debate. As we baby boomers age and as life expectancies increase, care of the elderly will become a critical national issue. There will be increased pressure on the aged and infirm to end their own lives, pressure often consistent with their own desire to die rather than lose independence. The question over the worth of the human person will be asked, not just at the beginning of life, but increasingly to the end. And the struggle will play out in our homes and communities. We need families and congregations willing to testify to the infinite worth of each person created in God’s image by their sacrificial service to those nearing the end of life.

And then there are the character issues in our corporate and economic life. Greed, deception, and corruption—all personal moral failings whatever else they are—have severely damaged our economic institutions. Even worse, they have betrayed the promise of free economies to those escaping communism and to the poorest of the poor around the globe.

Another moral issue has to do with our popular culture and media saturated with debased sexual images. So much of our entertainment is squalid and de-humanizing. Yes, its victims are certainly women and children, but men as well. The internet makes all of this even more insidious. Our final speaker for this conference is Jerry Kirk. He is a great social reformer, I believe much in the tradition of the eighteenth and nineteenth century antislavery movement. Dr. Kirk would rid us of slavery to pornography. He is going to challenge our movement to concrete action.

Let me tell you about a dream I have. I would like to see our church leaders spend as much time clamoring for change in Hollywood as they do in Washington. Earlier this month, United Methodist bishops demonstrated before the White House. Why don’t they demonstrate in front of motion picture studios or the corporate offices of internet providers? What if our church activists and social action agencies organized letter-writing crusades and divestment campaigns and petitions and resolutions and turn-off-the-TV weeks—all aimed at purveyors of pornography and unending sex and violence in our entertainment industry. Washington and Ottawa may be the political capitals of our two nations, but New York and Hollywood are the media capitals of the world. It wouldn’t even require a huge ideological or theological shift for our churches to lead this kind of effort. It really only requires the will and the effort. This is something our renewal groups could lead.

Again, we see the connection between a moral failure in the West and its negative impact throughout the world. The popular culture that we export gives a bad name to democracy and human freedom—and to the degree that our nations are identified as Christian—to our faith. So, both the blessing of liberty and the glorious hope of the Christian gospel are tarnished by the media images we broadcast around the world. The most serious price is often paid by the weakest and most vulnerable—for example, Christian minorities in Islamic-dominated lands.

This leads me to the third emerging issue I want to highlight. We have a huge apologetic task in the face of the rise of Islam—including challenging the shocking myopia and naiveté of many of our church leaders before this threat.

We see on the part of many of our church leaders a reprise of the kind of response they made to totalitarian Communism two decades ago. The Soviets, like many Muslim nations today, were abusive of basic human rights, including religious freedom. There was the constant threat of armed conflict—including terrifying unconventional weapons. Too often church leaders felt that their peace advocacy required denying the human rights abuses. Today, Islam is portrayed as an innocuous, peaceful religion. The existence of a radical Islam is minimized or denied. We are well on our way to betraying Christians, Jews, and even moderate Muslims who are minorities in Islamic regimes—just as we so scandalously betrayed fellow Christians in the Soviet empire.

This is an issue in which the renewing and confessing movements can be on the side of democracy, human rights, religious rights, and rights of women. This is an issue about which we can remind the leaders of the mainline churches that there can ultimately be no peace, unless there is also justice.

It is Global

My fifth point is that the reform movement is a global movement—and must become even more so. We Anglicans recognize how much we need the witness of the growing body of Anglicans in the global South. We see our mutual dependence—the churches of Africa, Latin American and Asia need our resources, our technology. They need enormous help in countering poverty, combating AIDs, building just and free societies. They need help with theological training to provide pastors for all the new converts. But we have realized how much we need them as well. We need their fervency, their gospel commitment, their evangelistic zeal, their towering faith.

But this connection is not only for Anglicans, it is for all of us. The center of Christendom has moved South. Most of our churches are connected to world movements, such as the World Methodist Council, the Baptist World Alliance, etc. Our reform movements must build relationship of mutual service and support with like-minded believers through such global movements.

There is an irony of our time. We are more aware than ever of the fact that around the globe our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering and dying for the faith. They suffer for the same faith that many of our church leaders are undermining and too many of us are too timid to defend.

I believe God revealed something to me that has filled me with pain and awe. There is unity in suffering. What if He is using the suffering of the persecuted church to embolden us? Would He allow their suffering to teach me something about Him and defending his Truth? Nothing has humbled me more than to make that connection.

Some American church leaders are re-imagining, distorting, demeaning and denying the very faith for which some Christians in our world are dying. Our brothers and sisters are suffering slavery, hunger, oppression and imprisonment—and some are shoveling excrement—to defend the Gospel. My dear friends, we may feel the sting of prejudice and marginalization in our churches, but we have not yet begun to suffer for the faith.

It is Generational

Now for my sixth and final observation about our renewing and confessing movement. God is raising up a new generation of reformers. God is renewing His church, but it is a multi-generational project. Let me tell you what I am convinced God is doing. He is raising up a new generation to be Athanasius.

Some of these young reformers are here. I want to introduce you to them. And I want to ask you to stand when I mention you. Melissa Bixler. When she was still in high school, Melissa went with me to the Episcopal General Convention and single-handedly organized other youth to testify on youth abstinence. Bruce Mason. When he was the assistant to a large church rector, Bruce spent the better part of a summer drafting a program of action for reforming the Episcopal Church—and now works for the AAC. Some of these young reformers are on our IRD staff. Jerald Walz. Last spring Jerald was a lay delegate to his United Methodist annual conference, and he gave major impetus to an effort to see that a pastor who had had a sex change operation did not receive an appointment. Meghan Furlong. Meghan helped recruit a team of nearly a dozen members of her church to attend this conference, including four other young adults. Steve Rempe. I can’t forget when Steve came back from a General Assembly of the ELCA and told of going to report on a press conference organized by homosexuals— and recognized that he was the only straight person in the room. Most recently, he and one of his colleagues braved a WCC-NCC sponsored conference in Washington this summer, prepared a sharply critical and insightful report on its excesses, and engaged in a spirited correspondence with some of the conference leaders.

Let me tell you about the characteristics of these young reformers—and why I think of Athanasius.

• They are respectful, but they are not willing to leave the important task of reform to their elders or to those who outrank them in the church. If the bishops can’t or won’t be apologists for the gospel, they will.
• They are articulate and eloquent defenders of the faith. They are thoughtful and they do their homework. They are not silent.
• They know that they may well spend their lives in ecclesiastical exile. Their goal isn’t a comfortable career. Their evangelical elders were often shocked to discover the heresies and injustices of our denominations. But this generation knows what it is getting into. They are not looking for material success, nor for ecclesiastical security and comfort. If they wanted the latter, they could find more amenable denominations or start an independent congregation. But, they are accepting God’s call to join the movement for reformation. And they are prepared for exile.

These are six signs I see of God’s working among us. The renewing and confessing movement:

1. It is mature and diverse
2. It is ecumenical
3. It is theological
4. It is addressing ethical issues—marriage, end of life, character of corporate leaders, pornography, Islam, human rights—the list goes on
5. It is global
6. It is generational

Conclusion

What is the future of the church? What is the future of our movement? I don’t have the gift of prophecy. All I can do is study our history, observe the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst, and claim the promises of God for our future.

I don’t think the shape of the future Church will be the isolated, bureaucratic, politicized, modernist denominations of the twentieth century. In fact, I believe it will be mature and diverse, ecumenical, theologically grounded, addressing major ethical issues, and global. And it will be shaped and lived by the next generation. The Church will change. God does not. So, I do know one thing about the future—it will be a future in which God keeps His promises.

A couple of Sundays ago, my good UM friends, John and Helen Rhea Stumbo, visited my husband and me in Washington and came to our Episcopal Church with us on Sunday. Our closing hymn was one of my very favorites—The Church’s One Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. As we sang the final notes, I turned and saw tears in Helen Rhea’s eyes. “We don’t have that third verse in our hymnal,” she said. “And it so spoke to me and what I’ve been wrestling with.”

So last week, we got a copy of this hymn from my parish and faxed it to Wes Putnam, asking him if we could sing it this weekend. Listen to these words:

Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed;
Yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

For two thousand years, the saints and martyrs have cried “How long?” Today, across the globe, our brothers and sisters cry, “How long?” I’ve wept tears outside the House of Bishops and cried, “How long?”

And we cling to the promise, that soon, soon, soon, the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

This talk first appeared in Theology Matters, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Jan/Feb 2003).