I began the day in Delta, British Columbia, and now I find myself in Oakville, Ontario. And in an odd kind of way I feel like I've spent the day with Richard Rohr.
My day with Richard started off this morning with news of the upcoming live Feast of Francis webcast Turning the World on it's Head: Subverting the Honor/Shame system.
The next email I opened was Richard's daily meditation, which said this:
I am convinced that most of the saints were religious dropouts from societies that were going nowhere. Faith called them to drop out and believe in something else.
Jesus' announcement of the reign of God was telling us that culture as we've created it is on a track toward self-destruction and emptiness.
All we have to give up is the utterly false understanding that we have of ourselves from civil society. For some reason that liberation seems to be the most difficult thing in the world!
Then it was time to choose a couple of books to keep me company on the 4-hour flight. I'm slowly working my way through Jesus' Plan for New World: The Sermon on the Mount, so that one was a no-brainer. This is a small book, but incredibly rich, so I'm taking my time with it. I also grabbed The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, by Rohr and Andreas Ebert. I've had this one for a while, and today seemed like a good time to start it.
Right out of the gate Rohr hit me with much of what is driving my own thinking and writing these days. This is from his preface to The Enneagram:
"The vast majority of Christian ministry has been concerned with 'churching' people into symbolic, restful, and usually ethnic belonging systems rather than any real spiritual transformation into the mystery of God."
And then,
"...I am convinced that most of our ministries have legitimated the autonomous self and even fortified it with all kinds of religious armour. Religious people are even harder to transform because they don't think they need it."
Finally,
Much of what is called Christianity has more to do with disguising the ego behind the screen of religion and culture than any real movement toward a God beyond the small self, and a new self in God."
I would label this "screen of religion and culture" as ideology. Like Rohr, I also believe most of the Christian church is steeped in this ideology. I would also lump the misguided concept of the (North) American dream in with this. I believe the focus on the spiritual inclinations of the American presidential candidates (and, paradoxically, the lack of such a focus on the Canadian political candidates) lends credence to this view. However the political nature of this ideology is only part of this phenomenon, and I don't want to get bogged down in that right now.
Unlike my traveling companion today, I use the word 'religion' in the negative sense. This concern with "'churching' people into symbolic, restful, and usually ethnic belonging systems" is what I call religion. (Ironically, I'm in Oakville to attend a conference being hosted by the church where I picked up view of the word, predominantly through the writing and teaching of a friend. But, I digress.)
So today I crossed a large part of this country with Richard by my side. And I arrived tonight with a clearer understanding of what is holding us back as the people of God. This is critical, as an accurate diagnosis is the first step to an effective treatment.
Thanks for the company and insight today, Richard.
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