SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
Do you remember the old song: "I'm looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses, and everything is rosy now." ? Recently, Anglican Renewal Ministries (Wales) held an extra, general meeting to consider how to present the Unchanging Gospel to a Changing Society. It was led by the Revd Jo Penberthy, Priest in Charge of Cynwyl Gaeo, Llansawel and Talley in Carmarthenshire, and Diocesan Officer for Parish Development and Renewal in St Davids. Jo pointed out that we all tend to look at life through spiritual spectacles, which are the result of our upbringing and personal experiences throughout our lives. We always come from where we are - our spiritual experiences, and we should rejoice in our particularity. Also we must each try to see where we have come from; what experiences have made us what we are?
In order to make this point clear, Jo gave us 20 minutes for a personal exercise to go over our lives to see what things have influenced us during this time.
In doing this exercise, I was struck by the enormous number of things which had influenced my life. Things that I did or which happened to me. Other boys and teachers at school; National Service; university, places of work; friends and family; marriage; children and so on. I became conscious that I never really planned my life, and if any one of a large number of specific influences had been different, or absent altogether, I could now be in a completely different situation. But would I be a different person? Or could my life have been any different? As the Psalmist says: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; .........All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:13-16) Did I really have any choice, and can I change myself now?
Certainly we do all change, and if we are to appreciate the truth we have to be aware of other points of view. The whole truth we build up is an accumulation of all our truths; and the most profound passages in the New Testament say we are fallible human beings and need to be changed. Paul is always saying forgive one another because we are going to get it wrong. But failure is not a sin. We need each other's perspective.
In the Church we have denominational spectacles; people are told: " You have to believe this, and to do this, otherwise you can't be one of us". But to acknowledge that we do see through spiritual spectacles, that we only see partially, is not to say that there is no absolute truth. And it is a mistake to think that the Bible or the Church or the sacraments is truth, or to believe as Muslims do that we have truth in a book. As Christians we are not called to possess the truth but to live it. Jesus is truth and we must be united with him. The Good News of Jesus is relevant to every age.
In recent years we have all seen tremendous changes in the society in which we live. Previous generations had roots; now it is more difficult to find and relate to those roots. We tend to assume that because Britain is a Christian country, the general public understand the meaning of words like saved, and holy and righteousness, and sin; but they don't. People become marginalised or cut off from society by the breakdown of relationships, so that now only a little over half the population live in nuclear families, what we used to call the normal family of children, parents and grandparents, living closely together. The concept of family marginalises people like single mums. To the poor amongst us, much of the Church is seen as middle-class, and outreach is being patronising; whilst the better-off are more self-sufficient and self-centred and think they have no need of God. There is a tendency towards relativism, which is the denial of absolute truths, and the adoption of syncretism, which is the doctrine that all religions lead to the same God.
This is the changing world to which we as Christians are called to present the unchanging Gospel. And it was ever thus. As H.F.Lyte wrote in about 1840: "Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou Who changest not, abide with me." The point is that God never changes; and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our problem is to put ourselves in the position of those outside the Church, and to see things through their spectacles. What does the world look like to them?
Whilst the world around us is in a sorry state from a Christian point of view, it would be a mistake to suppose that it is unspiritual. Men and women are spiritual beings, and this shows up in different ways. For example at the time of the death of Princess Diana, people all over the country brought flowers into church as a symbol of mourning. Many identified with her as someone who loved life and loved ministering to the sick and yet was betrayed by her husband and met a tragic death in the company of another man.
Many reject Christianity and turn to religions like Islam, which seem to offer more certainty, or to New Age or Paganism which allow more individual action.
Jo gave her testimony. She said her friends told her she must believe in the right things - believe in the Lord Jesus. But she found that in the Bible Jesus was saying, "feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the sick...." (Matt 25:31-end.) But we tend to take part of the truth, just a sliver, and make it the whole. The Bible doesn't only say believe on the Lord Jesus. This parable and Amos ask: "how can we be sure that when the Day comes we will be rejoicing?" One day all will see the glory of the Lord. We have the privilege of knowing Him now but we will be judged by what we have done - "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." (James 2:24)
In 1 Cor 3:9 Paul says: "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." He is talking about those who work within the Church. We want to be the people who have built with gold because we love the Lord, and he wants to do the best in us. Romans 8:1-4 holds evangelical insight - we are saved by God's grace but he expects us to live accordingly. God is alive and well and living in us today - it is still happening. God doesn't care how we worship so long as we meet with the Spirit. We must not just worship, but open our worship.
So what is God saying to the Church today? He is always doing a new thing. He is God of Creation not just of Christianity. We must be empowered and transformed to change the world. Here it helps to put ourselves in the place of the Pharisees. They really wanted to please God by fulfilling his law, but they also wanted the respect and admiration of men.
We were asked to consider what a church would look like if it were living out the Gospel properly. Phil Rees said it would be unrecognisable! These are some of our impressions: This church would build up the image of those outside and not just those inside it. It will be a place where everyone has a contribution to make. It will know what to keep and what to discard. It will know how to disagree. There will be no barriers between them and us. It will take a critical look at tradition; some is wealth and riches - some is dead weight. This church will be on the margins of society, not in a comfortable suburb, and it will understand the society it lives in.
We heard of a diocesan missioner who sent his would-be evangelists into a betting shop, to put some money on a horse. They came away angry and confused. They didn't know what to say or do; they didn't understand the language. The missioner told them: "That's what it's like for some people when they come into church". We must put ourselves into the position of those people. We must discard our ghetto mentality and break down the barriers between them and us. Go for equality and be real; and if you understand what that means you are half-way there.
Report on the Extra General Meeting May 2000 by Brian Newsom.