I begin by confessing that I am a latecomer to this interesting topic, but because it is increasingly being discussed in the public arena, I thought it might be useful to look at from the perspective of Healthy Liberal Christianity. The basic argument includes two very different questions. The first has to do with the right of the government to put any of its own restrictions on the institution marriage whose creation has been based in primarily religious sentiments. The second question has to do with the right of a religion to sanction what turns out to be largely an economic and civil relationship.
There are some clergy who have recently made the decision no longer to act as agents of the state. They argue that a civil relationship is essentially a legal issue, and that the religious sanction of a marriage has a completely different purpose. They point to the widespread practice in Europe of having all marriages be granted by civil law, after which those people who wish it can have the marriage sanctified by an appropriate ritual in their own religious tradition.
Some would argue that such a separation is unnecessary because the state simply recognizes those marriages that clergy have blessed as well as recognizing marriages that take place before a Justice of the Peace – well, except for those relationships that a church might sanction but the state would not – same gender marriages in most places, for example. An opposite problem is created when the state sanctions a kind of marriage that violates the conscience of the minister. If the minister is operating as an agent of the state, should the minister then be required to marry all people who wish it?
I have long been a proponent of reading the First Amendment very carefully. I have argued before that both the “establishment clause” and the “free exercise clause” have validity, and can be best understood when we remember that government and religion usually have very different purposes. Still, in cases like marriage, there seems to be some overlap in purposes, inviting a spirited and mutually useful conversation between government and religion. For example, is it appropriate for the state to place limits on the legal age for marriage, or on bigamy, for that matter. Similarly, on what grounds might religion appropriately restrict the practice of marriage laws in the church?
These are complex questions that have many legitimate, though apparently contradictory answers. As I see it, the question is not about who is right. The question has to do with both sides working to clarify how far their appropriate sphere of influence extends and to clarify their respective core purposes.
Where I end up on this question from the perspective of Healthy Liberal Christianity is that government and the gospel are really not about the same thing at all, even though there is often a large measure of compatibility. With regard to marriage, the gospel addresses commitment and mutual respect in the relationship and invites people to affirm the presence of God in their midst. The government addresses the rules of property and obligations to care for offspring. Some religious perspectives try to speak for “what God wants.” They argue that God instituted the “one man, one woman model” for marriage and that if we violate that, we are going against God. Healthy Liberal Christianity takes the position that Jesus gave us the model of the Realm of God, not as a hierarchical system of dominance, but as a way of organizing ourselves around the law of love.
My point here is that we cannot even begin to address the question of marriage until we determine where our foundations of faith are. How marriage should be viewed either by government or religion is not about our personal opinions of the matter nor is it about our opinion of “what God wants.” Workable systems can only come from the deep and respectful sharing of thoughtful perspectives on the subject.
I invite you to think about these things and to weigh in to the conversation. For the time being, I will probably continue to sign marriage licenses, but the notion of leaving civil relationships to the government and then taking more responsibility as a minister for supporting commitment and spiritually-based healthy relationships appeals to me.
What do you think?
Wayne Gustafson
“No matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey, you’re welcome here.”
The United Church__of Christ
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
What Gives Life Meaning?
When I’m not working as the Interim Minister of The Park Church, I am a Pastoral Counselor, providing pastoral psychotherapy through the Susquehanna Family Counseling Ministry. Often people come to counseling during transitional periods in their lives when they find themselves dealing with family changes (marriage, birth of a child, a newly “empty nest”, divorce, or the death of a loved one) or life changes (going to school, graduating, beginning a career, retiring, dealing with physiological changes like aging or being wounded). Inevitably we get around to talking about some of the fundamental elements of life – that is to say, those values, beliefs, or resources that inform their decisions and affect the quality of their experiences, at least in the short term. Sometimes we talk about what gives life its meaning: the reasons that it’s worth getting up in the morning, for example. Many people have been taught that they should look for meaning in their career, or role in the family, or by the amount of money they can make. In my experience, sometimes these approaches work and sometimes they don’t. So, many years ago I began looking at a deeper level for those characteristics that affect the degree to which we experience meaning in life.
After more than 35 years of listening to people, both as a minister and as a pastoral counselor, I have distilled hundreds of answers to the “meaning question” into three broad characteristics.
The first characteristic is that people want and need opportunities to be creative. We could talk about this theologically and affirm that we are all created with the capacity to be creative. People tell me that they become more meaningfully engaged with life when they can exercise creativity. Sadly, in our consumerist and spectator culture, creativity is too often associated with professional visual or performing artists. Sadly, many people today don’t know that their creativity is natural and that they need to be creative in order to be healthy. One’s creativity can be expressed in thousands of ways that need not make money or garner public affirmation. People can write letters, doodle in margins, cook attractive and tasty meals, whittle sticks, write poetry, take photographs, make clothing, or plant flowers, to name only a few. They can also engage in some of the more traditional artistic pursuits – like painting, singing, or dancing. If you’re interested in a book that addresses this issue, try “The Artist’s Way”, by Julia Cameron or go to her website at http://www.theartistsway.com/
By the way, there are all sorts of ways to be creative in worship, too.
The second characteristic of a meaningful life is the ability to appreciate beauty. This one has two parts: are there expressions of beauty around you, and if so, do you recognize and value them. Sometimes, how much money you have can determine how much beauty you can have around you, although, what people do with their money does not always make one’s surroundings more beautiful at all. So we may have identified a social justice issue. If you’re forced to live next to the town landfill, the beauty surrounding you may be limited. But the greater issue for a meaningful life is the inner capacity to notice the beauty in whatever is around you. If you think that creation, for example, is fundamentally good, then you will expect to find much beauty there. If, on the other hand, you think that creation is just a jungle where survival is the only value, then what is beautiful will be ignored at best, and seen to be a distraction from survival, at worst. You may have already made the connection that the products of creativity in one person might be the source of the beauty that is apprehended by another. We all probably need to be reminded from time to time, to open our senses to the beauty around us. I might add that one of the purposes of liturgy, sacred space, and music in worship is to provide opportunity to appreciate beauty.
The third characteristic of a meaningful life is both specific and general. It is one’s experience of being in relationship. The specific perspective might have to do with being in relationships with other human beings, whether in a family, or romantically, or working together on a creative project. The more general perspective is a broad sense of being connected to life. Too often, religion has taught people not to see what they have in common with other people who appear to be “different.” Religion has also taught people not to see their connection to the planetary environment, and instead to see it as an enemy to be dominated. Still, it appears that we are created with a capacity and a need to be in relationship, and we experience more meaning in our lives when we relate.
I would hope that Healthy Liberal Christianity would promote all of these characteristics. Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly.” I’d choose to believe that he was referring to abundance of meaning in life.
Perhaps you have different ways of answering the question about what gives life meaning. Let’s hear about them.
Wayne Gustafson
“God is still speaking”… through creativity, beauty, and relationship.
The United Church__of Christ
After more than 35 years of listening to people, both as a minister and as a pastoral counselor, I have distilled hundreds of answers to the “meaning question” into three broad characteristics.
The first characteristic is that people want and need opportunities to be creative. We could talk about this theologically and affirm that we are all created with the capacity to be creative. People tell me that they become more meaningfully engaged with life when they can exercise creativity. Sadly, in our consumerist and spectator culture, creativity is too often associated with professional visual or performing artists. Sadly, many people today don’t know that their creativity is natural and that they need to be creative in order to be healthy. One’s creativity can be expressed in thousands of ways that need not make money or garner public affirmation. People can write letters, doodle in margins, cook attractive and tasty meals, whittle sticks, write poetry, take photographs, make clothing, or plant flowers, to name only a few. They can also engage in some of the more traditional artistic pursuits – like painting, singing, or dancing. If you’re interested in a book that addresses this issue, try “The Artist’s Way”, by Julia Cameron or go to her website at http://www.theartistsway.com/
By the way, there are all sorts of ways to be creative in worship, too.
The second characteristic of a meaningful life is the ability to appreciate beauty. This one has two parts: are there expressions of beauty around you, and if so, do you recognize and value them. Sometimes, how much money you have can determine how much beauty you can have around you, although, what people do with their money does not always make one’s surroundings more beautiful at all. So we may have identified a social justice issue. If you’re forced to live next to the town landfill, the beauty surrounding you may be limited. But the greater issue for a meaningful life is the inner capacity to notice the beauty in whatever is around you. If you think that creation, for example, is fundamentally good, then you will expect to find much beauty there. If, on the other hand, you think that creation is just a jungle where survival is the only value, then what is beautiful will be ignored at best, and seen to be a distraction from survival, at worst. You may have already made the connection that the products of creativity in one person might be the source of the beauty that is apprehended by another. We all probably need to be reminded from time to time, to open our senses to the beauty around us. I might add that one of the purposes of liturgy, sacred space, and music in worship is to provide opportunity to appreciate beauty.
The third characteristic of a meaningful life is both specific and general. It is one’s experience of being in relationship. The specific perspective might have to do with being in relationships with other human beings, whether in a family, or romantically, or working together on a creative project. The more general perspective is a broad sense of being connected to life. Too often, religion has taught people not to see what they have in common with other people who appear to be “different.” Religion has also taught people not to see their connection to the planetary environment, and instead to see it as an enemy to be dominated. Still, it appears that we are created with a capacity and a need to be in relationship, and we experience more meaning in our lives when we relate.
I would hope that Healthy Liberal Christianity would promote all of these characteristics. Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly.” I’d choose to believe that he was referring to abundance of meaning in life.
Perhaps you have different ways of answering the question about what gives life meaning. Let’s hear about them.
Wayne Gustafson
“God is still speaking”… through creativity, beauty, and relationship.
The United Church__of Christ
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Can Liberal Christians Take the Bible Seriously?
I came to the conclusion a few years ago that the danger of conservative religion is its potential to be abusive, while the danger in liberal religion is its potential to be neglectful. Psychology tells us that both are damaging, and in very similar ways, interestingly enough. It’s also true that it is usually easier to be aware of the deficiencies in the opposing side, and much more difficult to look at the shortcomings of one’s own position. Too many religious discussions devolve into ineffective mutual criticism that results in little or no healing or growth.
Before I ask you to consider the implications of my observation, let me define my terms. I use a very general definition of abuse: whenever a person is treated as an object. Neglect is a bit more difficult to define, but perhaps it is the failure to provide the resources and structures necessary for healthy growth and development.
Because it is so easy (and, of course, useless) to criticize “the other side”, I will try to confine my remarks to the nature of liberal neglect and try to offer some healing possibilities. When liberals react to the perceived foundation of conservative religion, namely, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”, they tend to go to the other extreme, believing that any structures of containment on children creates harmful suffering in the child. To give an example from religious life, conservative religion practically insists on blind obedience to the strictures of the church: you will attend worship, learn your Bible, tithe, and spend regular times in prayer, and have a “personal relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or else. (I won’t include a list of the obvious “don’ts” that go along with the above.) In reaction to what liberals perceive as threat-based religion, activities like worship, study of the Bible and Christian theology, “sacrificial” giving, and the personalized characteristics of relationship with God become optional and practically unnecessary.
Another way liberal neglect happens is that when liberals reject the concrete thinking and images they perceive in conservative religion, too often they simply cease their theological inquiry. Many of the books written these days that vilify religion have defined all religion in the narrowest (and most concrete) of terms. They never consider the power and legitimacy of the serious study of liberal theology. And part of that phenomenon is the fault of us liberals!
As a minister, it is very sad to me that when people face the crises of life and attempt to find comfort and meaning through religion, too often their available theological ideas turn out to be those of a 10 year old. So many of us learned the basic Biblical stories in childhood, but then never took the next step of developing an adult context for what we had learned. That leaves us with only two choices: Accept the truth of our immature understanding, or reject faith in God entirely. Actually, there is a third option often popular in liberal churches: ignore theology entirely and commit to promoting social justice instead.
I think it is very important for us to excavate the foundations of Christian theology – to find a way to understand our faith so that it can nourish our growth, our communities of faith, and can promote our ministry and mission. We also need to have a mature understanding of faith whenever we face the losses, challenges, and crises of life.
So the real question is not whether we can take the Bible seriously. The real question is how we understand and use it. So I encourage liberal Christians to read the Bible, ask for help in finding a context to understand it, and then participate in the unavoidable personal and social transformation that Jesus advocates.
It is in this spirit that I will be leading a Lenten study based in the book, “The Last Week”, by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Attending the class and/or reading the book will likely enrich your Holy Week experience.
That’s my position. What do you think?
Wayne Gustafson
“Our faith is 2000 years old. Our thinking isn’t.”
The United Church___of Christ
Before I ask you to consider the implications of my observation, let me define my terms. I use a very general definition of abuse: whenever a person is treated as an object. Neglect is a bit more difficult to define, but perhaps it is the failure to provide the resources and structures necessary for healthy growth and development.
Because it is so easy (and, of course, useless) to criticize “the other side”, I will try to confine my remarks to the nature of liberal neglect and try to offer some healing possibilities. When liberals react to the perceived foundation of conservative religion, namely, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”, they tend to go to the other extreme, believing that any structures of containment on children creates harmful suffering in the child. To give an example from religious life, conservative religion practically insists on blind obedience to the strictures of the church: you will attend worship, learn your Bible, tithe, and spend regular times in prayer, and have a “personal relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or else. (I won’t include a list of the obvious “don’ts” that go along with the above.) In reaction to what liberals perceive as threat-based religion, activities like worship, study of the Bible and Christian theology, “sacrificial” giving, and the personalized characteristics of relationship with God become optional and practically unnecessary.
Another way liberal neglect happens is that when liberals reject the concrete thinking and images they perceive in conservative religion, too often they simply cease their theological inquiry. Many of the books written these days that vilify religion have defined all religion in the narrowest (and most concrete) of terms. They never consider the power and legitimacy of the serious study of liberal theology. And part of that phenomenon is the fault of us liberals!
As a minister, it is very sad to me that when people face the crises of life and attempt to find comfort and meaning through religion, too often their available theological ideas turn out to be those of a 10 year old. So many of us learned the basic Biblical stories in childhood, but then never took the next step of developing an adult context for what we had learned. That leaves us with only two choices: Accept the truth of our immature understanding, or reject faith in God entirely. Actually, there is a third option often popular in liberal churches: ignore theology entirely and commit to promoting social justice instead.
I think it is very important for us to excavate the foundations of Christian theology – to find a way to understand our faith so that it can nourish our growth, our communities of faith, and can promote our ministry and mission. We also need to have a mature understanding of faith whenever we face the losses, challenges, and crises of life.
So the real question is not whether we can take the Bible seriously. The real question is how we understand and use it. So I encourage liberal Christians to read the Bible, ask for help in finding a context to understand it, and then participate in the unavoidable personal and social transformation that Jesus advocates.
It is in this spirit that I will be leading a Lenten study based in the book, “The Last Week”, by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Attending the class and/or reading the book will likely enrich your Holy Week experience.
That’s my position. What do you think?
Wayne Gustafson
“Our faith is 2000 years old. Our thinking isn’t.”
The United Church___of Christ
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Strife is O’er
My mother’s earthly journey ended at 11:00 pm, Thursday Night, January 29, 2009. I had left the hospital at about 9:00 pm, so when my sister-in-law called right after 11:00 pm, my wife, son, and I returned. I needed to see her “at rest.” Even though we’re pretty sure that she had not been consciously aware for about five days, her body put up an impressive battle hanging on to life longer than any of us thought possible. Right after her death, one of my first feelings was relief, for her and for us, but it didn’t take long to become aware of the huge hole that she left behind. That hole was temporarily filled by the myriad details that faced us beginning Friday. We wrote the obituary, worked out final details with the funeral home, and then planned her memorial service with the Priest and organist at the Episcopal Church where she had found a spiritual/musical home here in Kalamazoo. And of course, we’ve been dealing with clearing out and cleaning out her apartment.
The memorial service was Monday. My brother and I both felt it was “perfect.” Not only was the music and liturgy objectively wonderful, but the inner experience was just right, too. I rode on a wave of deep feeling throughout the service. It’s hard to identify just what the feelings were underneath the copious tears. I know some of it was sadness and some of it was nostalgia for the many musical and worship experiences shared with her over many years. Some of it was a deep sense of the sacred that expressed a deep “knowing” of our spiritual and ongoing connectedness. Frankly, some of the tears came from the pure beauty of it all. The service concluded with Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.” All I could think was. “Take that, Mom. That’ll send you on your way in style.” If you don’t know that one, it’s worth listening to sometime.
As a “liberal theologian,” I sometimes struggle with religious language that seems too concrete, too gender specific, or too sin/guilt oriented. I realized during the memorial service that the underlying spiritual experience was undeniably “real”, and that any words, music, or ritual would always be inadequate to express it fully. Still, the combination of music, carefully chosen scripture, participation of my son and niece, the Eucharistic celebration, and Rev. Beth’s well chosen words came pretty close to fullness. The limitations of any of those didn’t matter. The total experience worked and I am changed by it.
We’ll be traveling Wednesday (2/3) and will soon be getting back into the routine. But I have received several meaningful gifts of understanding as a result of going through the events of the last couple of weeks. My experience reinforces my long held belief in the validity of every individual’s unique experience. My brother reminded me of the bumper sticker that says, “Don’t believe everything you think!” Experience often creates opportunity for us to broaden our ways of thinking. I now have more first-hand knowledge of the “reality” that words, beliefs, and rituals attempt to express.
As a family, we have received comfort, but we also have been challenged by Mom’s example. She always worked to improve her “gifts” to share with the world and she lived with intensity to the end. I hope always to do the same.
You can find my mother’s obituary at:
http://www.legacy.com/Kalamazoo/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=123560632
Wayne Gustafson
“Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” – Gracie Allen
The United Church___of Christ
The memorial service was Monday. My brother and I both felt it was “perfect.” Not only was the music and liturgy objectively wonderful, but the inner experience was just right, too. I rode on a wave of deep feeling throughout the service. It’s hard to identify just what the feelings were underneath the copious tears. I know some of it was sadness and some of it was nostalgia for the many musical and worship experiences shared with her over many years. Some of it was a deep sense of the sacred that expressed a deep “knowing” of our spiritual and ongoing connectedness. Frankly, some of the tears came from the pure beauty of it all. The service concluded with Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.” All I could think was. “Take that, Mom. That’ll send you on your way in style.” If you don’t know that one, it’s worth listening to sometime.
As a “liberal theologian,” I sometimes struggle with religious language that seems too concrete, too gender specific, or too sin/guilt oriented. I realized during the memorial service that the underlying spiritual experience was undeniably “real”, and that any words, music, or ritual would always be inadequate to express it fully. Still, the combination of music, carefully chosen scripture, participation of my son and niece, the Eucharistic celebration, and Rev. Beth’s well chosen words came pretty close to fullness. The limitations of any of those didn’t matter. The total experience worked and I am changed by it.
We’ll be traveling Wednesday (2/3) and will soon be getting back into the routine. But I have received several meaningful gifts of understanding as a result of going through the events of the last couple of weeks. My experience reinforces my long held belief in the validity of every individual’s unique experience. My brother reminded me of the bumper sticker that says, “Don’t believe everything you think!” Experience often creates opportunity for us to broaden our ways of thinking. I now have more first-hand knowledge of the “reality” that words, beliefs, and rituals attempt to express.
As a family, we have received comfort, but we also have been challenged by Mom’s example. She always worked to improve her “gifts” to share with the world and she lived with intensity to the end. I hope always to do the same.
You can find my mother’s obituary at:
http://www.legacy.com/Kalamazoo/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=123560632
Wayne Gustafson
“Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” – Gracie Allen
The United Church___of Christ
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