As a member of a PCUSA church, I hid from the label for decades because of the way Christian Nationalists have tarnished the meaning. But now I feel like we ceded the field and allowed the flag and the cross to become symbols of right wing ideology. I want to be part of reclaiming these things, even though it is painful to have to explain that “I’m not THAT kind of Christian.”
I still identify as Christian, because like you, I believe there is a more excellent way to be a Christian, one that aligns more with Christ’s love in the world rather than exclusion and power. I’m still on the path to finding that and most of all, living it out, but I like your thoughts here about Kenosis.
I had an interesting thought while reading this. Might kenosis be essentially the process of theosis or the mechanism of theosis, the transformation of humans to reflect God’s character and love in the world?
Put differently, Christ emptied himself of divine privilege to be fully human, without losing his divine nature. So ought we empty ourselves of the privilege of our Christian religion (according to the ego/flesh) and love others unconditionally (according to the spirit of Christ). And therefore become true heirs of God and also more fully human.
To put it more simply, it is in emptying ourselves in love that we are filled.
I, too, have been debating whether I can rightly be called a Christian. I believe there are many avenues to God, but I have chosen Christianity. I am a misfit in my chosen church, but membership gives me an avenue to be involved in and lead the kinds of community outreach that are so important to my beliefs. And, challenging myself with a set of beliefs that does not completely align with my own means I am “living in the questions,” growing and deepening my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Thank you for sharing. It's difficult being in a community that doesn't align well with who you are. I admire that you're willing to hold back in order to engage in mission, though. I guess you can always supplement your own spiritual growth with external sources. Keep growing!
This is great, Bo. Very much appreciate you weighing up the pros and cons so fairly. It’s a question I’ve struggled with for some time now - how to self-identify in a way that is authentic to my beliefs and convictions but is also easily intelligible to others. Calling myself a ‘Christian’ plain and simple conjures up ideas in others’ minds which do not represent me, or even what I think true Christianity is. A true dilemma! I love how you’ve recognized that there may be a responsibility to hang on to the term for the purpose of reclaiming it. I’ll give that some serious thought!
Something I’m exploring now that I’m excited about is the potential of metamodernism to reframe Christianity for this strange new era we seem to have entered. I think we can agree that much of the established religious tradition is outmoded and at worst, corrupted. So, maybe what I am - what I’m becoming - is something of a metamodern Christian. It’s an idea I intend to explore in an essay I’ll publish in the near future!
I'm glad you brought up "metamodern". Technically, my theology is a metamodern theology. In other words, I've gone through the critique and entered into creating something new that integrates tradition without being constrained by it.
That said, I tend to focus my language on "postmodernity". The reason is this...
While I believe the metamodern apologists are onto something (metamodernity really is a thing), I am not convinced that it is the thing they think it is (a paradigm shift). I believe that what is often identified as "metamodern" is actually the completion of the postmodern turn.
One way I like to talk about it is "earlier postmodernity" and "later postmodernity" to differentiate between the stages of deconstruction and reconstruction, yet keep them appropriately tucked into the same paradigm.
Fwiw, I suspect you will find (I do not know and could be wrong) that most of those promoting a metamodern shift have a background in spiral dynamics, which understands the development of history as occuring in distinct stages, so they would naturally look for the next one to appear. Oftentimes, what we look for, we conveniently find.
Why did I spend so much time saying all this? Because I was literally thinking about this earlier today and considering writing an article about why I don't use the term "metamodern" for what I do. ;-)
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing what you have to say about it!
Here's a link to a summary of Hans Kung's paradigms for Christian thought:
That’s a fantastic reply, thanks for taking the time to express it! I’m only just learning about metamodernism myself and appreciate your insight. I will definitely check out the link.
I grew up in the Episcopal Church, it was important to my identity. Nowadays as I approach 60 in these interesting times, I identify as a cultural Christian and a deeply spiritual (not religious) person. I often tell people “I've got no beef with those who truly practice the teachings of Jesus”. I think the followers of Jesus have a real opportunity here if they will take it: “in the dark night of soul, bright shines the river of God”
I’m a follower of Jesus, but not really. I mean, if I were a follower, I’d give away all my money and spend my days trying to make sure the hungry are fed and the poor are lifted up, I’d be praying for people to be healed. I’d be completely and totally geared toward the kingdom of heaven and not this world. So no. I’m not really a follower of Jesus. I just like him and I think he’s everything.
I identify myself as a "red-letter Christian", which means that if Jesus said it, I take it very seriously, and try to live up to it, especially the Sermon on the Mount and all the parables. I am not very good at living up / through / in it, but I believe it as a way to The Way.
I consider the letters of the Apostles beautiful, enlightening, and valuable, but completely optional for the those statements regarding slavery, clothing, hair, and the behavior of women (since all of those are not law but tradition).
I consider Revelations written from a specific person to a specific world at a specific time, which was written in code so they wouldn't get killed any sooner than necessary. In other words, it's not prophecy for today, but a logical view of what was happening under the Roman Emperors.
And the Old Testament is still very valuable to me: the wisdom books for all times and places; the history books for how things happened (I know, they were edited, etc., to make the victors look good, but so are today's histories); and the various prophets, always remembering that the prophets were prophesying in a specific world at a specific time AND remembering, that basic human nature never changes... It takes a lot of prayer, meditation, and the literal help of God to transform into a child of God.
Thank you for sharing all of that. It is indeed important to be discerning on what parts of scripture we value more than others, as well as identify why we make those judgments. Whenever I see people talk about why they prefer certain texts over others, it shows me that they take those texts seriously. So I love this.
Yep, spiritual transformation doesn't come easy for anyone. That's why we have spiritual disciplines...emphasis on "discipline".
I still use the word Christian. I was raised UMC, have been part of Christian Feminist Today (aka EEWC) for almost 40 years, and became a member of a Disciole of Christ congregation in 1991. I read and engage in theological discussions and the label Christian just seems to best fit my journey.
I found myself asking these same questions several months ago. To the point that after the election, I changed churches. It was simply too important to me that others know that I am a safe place for people living in the margins…that they are not only “welcome,” but that also belong. So thank you for this thoughtful piece.
You are welcome. And thank you for your thoughts. Yes, I found it important to identify myself as a safe person online. I was adding my pronouns to my profile here. Unfortunately, it turned out that the information was going into my email subject lines and took up a lot of space. So, I had to drop it. But, yes, signaling oneself as a safe person is extremely important.
I am a retired PC(USA) pastor who recently moved to a new location where I am not known at all. After I complete a few family obligations I intend to 1) begin attending a small Episcopal church where the pastor is gay and married and you are encouraged to come as you are and 2) to notify the local ecclesiastical entity that I am here and what my worship plans are. And I will continue to be part of an on-line contemplative prayer group. And swim.... Also follow the leadership of Jesus, called the Messiah, as well as other men and women throughout the ages who taught and lived lives of doing justice, loving and living justice, and walking humbly with all.
Lutheran by raising and training (with some strong Evangelicalism thrown in), Presbyterian for a while in a small town, Anglican adjacent, I generally call myself Christian but have been known to use Jesus follower.
For some 20+ years I have made it a point to distinguish God from the human institutions. Lately I have been drawn to early Celtic Christian mysticism. As I've become comfortable with living with questions, my motto for dealing with people is: when in doubt, love.
On the intake questionnaire for my therapist I used the phrase "some sort of outsider Christian". My wife calls herself a "Christ follower" instead. She insists on a "nondenominatinal" church, to which I respond that I consider myself "metadenominational".
I definitely feel that all the historical schools of Christian thought & practice have valuable things to offer, things to be considered and learned from as well as examples of pitfalls that don't bear fruit. Likewise for other (per Girard, "archaic") religions, as other cultural expressions of the old covenant, just as we still revere and learn from the Old Testament. Christ and the Holy Spirit put it all in respectful context.
As a pastor ordained by the United Church of Christ, I feel committed to keeping the label Christian, for many of the same reasons you mention- history, accountability, not letting the label be co-opted and stolen. I often say I'm Christian, believing in kindness, welcome, and justice.
Thank you for your reply. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a way to modify the term Christian, such as "historic Christian" to indicate the lengthy tradition back to the earliest followers of Jesus, as opposed to "Evangelical Christian", which really goes back to the second Great Awakening.
As an Interspiritual Unitarian Universalist minister who grew up in an evangelical tradition in the ‘50s and ‘60s, I found this article one of the best I’ve read recently on Substack.
As a member of a PCUSA church, I hid from the label for decades because of the way Christian Nationalists have tarnished the meaning. But now I feel like we ceded the field and allowed the flag and the cross to become symbols of right wing ideology. I want to be part of reclaiming these things, even though it is painful to have to explain that “I’m not THAT kind of Christian.”
Excellent! Welcome to the club, fellow Presbyterian. 🙂
I still identify as Christian, because like you, I believe there is a more excellent way to be a Christian, one that aligns more with Christ’s love in the world rather than exclusion and power. I’m still on the path to finding that and most of all, living it out, but I like your thoughts here about Kenosis.
I had an interesting thought while reading this. Might kenosis be essentially the process of theosis or the mechanism of theosis, the transformation of humans to reflect God’s character and love in the world?
Put differently, Christ emptied himself of divine privilege to be fully human, without losing his divine nature. So ought we empty ourselves of the privilege of our Christian religion (according to the ego/flesh) and love others unconditionally (according to the spirit of Christ). And therefore become true heirs of God and also more fully human.
To put it more simply, it is in emptying ourselves in love that we are filled.
Yes, I think that's a fantastic way of understanding it. It's a wonderful insight. :-)
I like the early community term, follower of The Way. It picks up the idea of faith as action, or one in action.
Love it! No idea why I never even thought of that. :-)
I, too, have been debating whether I can rightly be called a Christian. I believe there are many avenues to God, but I have chosen Christianity. I am a misfit in my chosen church, but membership gives me an avenue to be involved in and lead the kinds of community outreach that are so important to my beliefs. And, challenging myself with a set of beliefs that does not completely align with my own means I am “living in the questions,” growing and deepening my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Thank you for sharing. It's difficult being in a community that doesn't align well with who you are. I admire that you're willing to hold back in order to engage in mission, though. I guess you can always supplement your own spiritual growth with external sources. Keep growing!
This is great, Bo. Very much appreciate you weighing up the pros and cons so fairly. It’s a question I’ve struggled with for some time now - how to self-identify in a way that is authentic to my beliefs and convictions but is also easily intelligible to others. Calling myself a ‘Christian’ plain and simple conjures up ideas in others’ minds which do not represent me, or even what I think true Christianity is. A true dilemma! I love how you’ve recognized that there may be a responsibility to hang on to the term for the purpose of reclaiming it. I’ll give that some serious thought!
Something I’m exploring now that I’m excited about is the potential of metamodernism to reframe Christianity for this strange new era we seem to have entered. I think we can agree that much of the established religious tradition is outmoded and at worst, corrupted. So, maybe what I am - what I’m becoming - is something of a metamodern Christian. It’s an idea I intend to explore in an essay I’ll publish in the near future!
Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it.
I'm glad you brought up "metamodern". Technically, my theology is a metamodern theology. In other words, I've gone through the critique and entered into creating something new that integrates tradition without being constrained by it.
That said, I tend to focus my language on "postmodernity". The reason is this...
While I believe the metamodern apologists are onto something (metamodernity really is a thing), I am not convinced that it is the thing they think it is (a paradigm shift). I believe that what is often identified as "metamodern" is actually the completion of the postmodern turn.
One way I like to talk about it is "earlier postmodernity" and "later postmodernity" to differentiate between the stages of deconstruction and reconstruction, yet keep them appropriately tucked into the same paradigm.
Fwiw, I suspect you will find (I do not know and could be wrong) that most of those promoting a metamodern shift have a background in spiral dynamics, which understands the development of history as occuring in distinct stages, so they would naturally look for the next one to appear. Oftentimes, what we look for, we conveniently find.
Why did I spend so much time saying all this? Because I was literally thinking about this earlier today and considering writing an article about why I don't use the term "metamodern" for what I do. ;-)
Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing what you have to say about it!
Here's a link to a summary of Hans Kung's paradigms for Christian thought:
https://postbarthian.com/2019/07/12/six-paradigm-shifts-in-the-history-of-christianity-feat-hans-kung/
This, and that. Pneum, looking forward to your article.
That’s a fantastic reply, thanks for taking the time to express it! I’m only just learning about metamodernism myself and appreciate your insight. I will definitely check out the link.
You're welcome. Fwiw, I feel like I'm just learning about it myself, too. Enjoy your exploration! (And, remember, I could be wrong in my assessment.)
I grew up in the Episcopal Church, it was important to my identity. Nowadays as I approach 60 in these interesting times, I identify as a cultural Christian and a deeply spiritual (not religious) person. I often tell people “I've got no beef with those who truly practice the teachings of Jesus”. I think the followers of Jesus have a real opportunity here if they will take it: “in the dark night of soul, bright shines the river of God”
I think there's a real opportunity here, too. As you noted, the light shines brightest in the darkness.
I’m a follower of Jesus, but not really. I mean, if I were a follower, I’d give away all my money and spend my days trying to make sure the hungry are fed and the poor are lifted up, I’d be praying for people to be healed. I’d be completely and totally geared toward the kingdom of heaven and not this world. So no. I’m not really a follower of Jesus. I just like him and I think he’s everything.
"I just like him and I think he's everything."
I think that's beautiful. :)
I identify myself as a "red-letter Christian", which means that if Jesus said it, I take it very seriously, and try to live up to it, especially the Sermon on the Mount and all the parables. I am not very good at living up / through / in it, but I believe it as a way to The Way.
I consider the letters of the Apostles beautiful, enlightening, and valuable, but completely optional for the those statements regarding slavery, clothing, hair, and the behavior of women (since all of those are not law but tradition).
I consider Revelations written from a specific person to a specific world at a specific time, which was written in code so they wouldn't get killed any sooner than necessary. In other words, it's not prophecy for today, but a logical view of what was happening under the Roman Emperors.
And the Old Testament is still very valuable to me: the wisdom books for all times and places; the history books for how things happened (I know, they were edited, etc., to make the victors look good, but so are today's histories); and the various prophets, always remembering that the prophets were prophesying in a specific world at a specific time AND remembering, that basic human nature never changes... It takes a lot of prayer, meditation, and the literal help of God to transform into a child of God.
Thank you for sharing all of that. It is indeed important to be discerning on what parts of scripture we value more than others, as well as identify why we make those judgments. Whenever I see people talk about why they prefer certain texts over others, it shows me that they take those texts seriously. So I love this.
Yep, spiritual transformation doesn't come easy for anyone. That's why we have spiritual disciplines...emphasis on "discipline".
I still use the word Christian. I was raised UMC, have been part of Christian Feminist Today (aka EEWC) for almost 40 years, and became a member of a Disciole of Christ congregation in 1991. I read and engage in theological discussions and the label Christian just seems to best fit my journey.
Thank you for sharing. Going from the UMC to DoC must have been quite a mental switch. And, if the label fits your journey, stick with it!
I found myself asking these same questions several months ago. To the point that after the election, I changed churches. It was simply too important to me that others know that I am a safe place for people living in the margins…that they are not only “welcome,” but that also belong. So thank you for this thoughtful piece.
You are welcome. And thank you for your thoughts. Yes, I found it important to identify myself as a safe person online. I was adding my pronouns to my profile here. Unfortunately, it turned out that the information was going into my email subject lines and took up a lot of space. So, I had to drop it. But, yes, signaling oneself as a safe person is extremely important.
I am a retired PC(USA) pastor who recently moved to a new location where I am not known at all. After I complete a few family obligations I intend to 1) begin attending a small Episcopal church where the pastor is gay and married and you are encouraged to come as you are and 2) to notify the local ecclesiastical entity that I am here and what my worship plans are. And I will continue to be part of an on-line contemplative prayer group. And swim.... Also follow the leadership of Jesus, called the Messiah, as well as other men and women throughout the ages who taught and lived lives of doing justice, loving and living justice, and walking humbly with all.
Thank you for sharing. I think that is a fantastic plan. :-)
Lutheran by raising and training (with some strong Evangelicalism thrown in), Presbyterian for a while in a small town, Anglican adjacent, I generally call myself Christian but have been known to use Jesus follower.
For some 20+ years I have made it a point to distinguish God from the human institutions. Lately I have been drawn to early Celtic Christian mysticism. As I've become comfortable with living with questions, my motto for dealing with people is: when in doubt, love.
Thank you for your reply. I happen to love Celtic spirituality. In fact, I wrote a series about how it influenced me (https://evolvingchristianfaith.substack.com/p/my-celticish-spirituality). I love that you have become comfortable with questions. That's awesome. :)
On the intake questionnaire for my therapist I used the phrase "some sort of outsider Christian". My wife calls herself a "Christ follower" instead. She insists on a "nondenominatinal" church, to which I respond that I consider myself "metadenominational".
Thanks for sharing. I like "metadenominational". Fwiw, a word I've been toying with recently is "trans-denominatiinal".
I definitely feel that all the historical schools of Christian thought & practice have valuable things to offer, things to be considered and learned from as well as examples of pitfalls that don't bear fruit. Likewise for other (per Girard, "archaic") religions, as other cultural expressions of the old covenant, just as we still revere and learn from the Old Testament. Christ and the Holy Spirit put it all in respectful context.
Indeed, it is always important to stay open to what otherness can bring to our lives.
As a pastor ordained by the United Church of Christ, I feel committed to keeping the label Christian, for many of the same reasons you mention- history, accountability, not letting the label be co-opted and stolen. I often say I'm Christian, believing in kindness, welcome, and justice.
Thank you for your reply. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a way to modify the term Christian, such as "historic Christian" to indicate the lengthy tradition back to the earliest followers of Jesus, as opposed to "Evangelical Christian", which really goes back to the second Great Awakening.
As an Interspiritual Unitarian Universalist minister who grew up in an evangelical tradition in the ‘50s and ‘60s, I found this article one of the best I’ve read recently on Substack.
Thank you for your insight!
This my latest.
https://open.substack.com/pub/revpauld444/p/donald-trump-brought-me-back-to-jesus?r=9q5ph&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Wow! Thank you very much for that. I greatly appreciate it. I'll take a look at your article.