Living In The Ruins

I found this article in the Christian Century courtesy of Maggi Dawn. It tells the story of six American Protestant theologians who have converted to Rome, to a large extent in frustration at liberal Protestantism. Maggi asks whether going Catholic is the answer, and for me it would not. But the metaphor ‘living in the ruins’ comes from one of the theologians who for a long time felt that however disgruntled he was in Anglicanism, his call was like that of Nehemiah in Jerusalem. This all assumes that God has led you there to be part of the rebuilding.

Anyone who knows me well is aware that I manage to exist in Methodism by being somewhat on the margins, even though it is the tradition in which I grew up. But my postgrad work in ecclesiology (and my long term interest in that doctrine) means that while I can probably find points of disagreement in all the traditions. The only one I entirely agree with is the Church Of Dave – and even that has adjusted its convictions at times!

Nevertheless, many of us do face the issues of ‘living in the ruins’. Like Nehemiah we need to know the call of God. Nothing else will sustain us. Earlier this year when he was still President of the Methodist Conference Tom Stuckey said he believed there was a new Pentecost coming for Methodism. It is precisely that kind of word many of us need to hear. And we probably need to hear it not only from people we trust but ‘for ourselves’. Coming as I do from the evangelical-charismatic part of the Church, I have been in the midst of a wider Christian culture that has been expecting ‘revival’ ever since the mid-1990s.

It’s that waiting without revival that led me to ponder the Old Testament texts that help Israel to live ‘in exile’ and see them as critical. But I’ve found them more useful for general Christian witness in the world than for survival (let alone thriving) in a denomination in which I find very little spiritual sustenance. Maybe I’m just not praying and listening well.

In some way linked to this, my main church at Broomfield will this coming weekend be having a Family Friendly Church Weekend with Mike Bossingham. This will be extremely important in deciding whether we rebuild, not in a material sense but spiritually and relationally. The odd prayer for us would be very welcome.

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