There's a wall - what do we do now?

Where do we go now?

Well, today ABCPSW was voted out...by the regional church delegates (that is the conservative region of American Baptist Churches of the Pacific SouthWest held a vote to leave the denomination - read more about it here).

As one of the delegates present in SLO, I couldn't help but think how painful the thing is. It feels like a child deciding to disown his/her parents. Wrong. Terribly, utterly, awfully wrong.

I don't like the things PSW has done, nor do I like the direction the region has been going on the issues which have caused us to come to this point. That said, division doesn't do anyone good. It only serves to bring us further along an unhealthy path. Humans are social creatures. We function best together. It is the same way in an organization. The hand doesn't say to the foot, 'I don't need you any more, goodbye!' and leave. Ridiculous. Absurd. Yet, this is what happened today.

It caused me to think about my place in the Church.

Where do I go? What do I do? With whom do I align? I just don't know. As someone who grew up in the church with 2 minister parents, it is a difficult question. I love God. I love the teachings of Jesus. I love the way. I do not love the Church. It is a corrupt and awful institution that has created much evil and heartbreak in its path. Dating back to Constantine... when Christianity became a state religion, we can see the wake of pain. I wash my hands of this blood.

As this century begins, there is a calling, a need, a longing for a new kind of worship. There is a searching for wholeness and healing, a cure for division and pain wrought by the Church. A house divided cannot stand. Let me tell you, a new house is being built. A new way, and the same way as ever is being shown. Let us close our eyes and leap out into the abyss of unknowing. Let us take a step in this new direction. Let us walk the Way. Let us walk the only Way, in truth and light, in healing and hope. Let us tear down barriers, destroy borders. Let us be plants that reclaim the cemented sidewalk.

We will be like the German people at the Berlin Wall in 1989 - re-creating a whole Berlin. The Chinese can tell you that walls do not work. They are not defensible. They are not practical. They serve as projects of unhealthy isolation - a psychological crutch for those who build them. They never stop the onslaught of steppe peoples to the north from running into Chinese territories. Let us blast through these walls with love and understanding. Let us forge alliances, and stand on common ground.

I extend my hands to the people on the otherside. I open my arms to the margins. Join me. Join us - people like me around the country and the world. There is a call, a longing, a seeking. We will build this house together, stronger than before...
We will be mustard plants in the farmer's fields. No one can cut us out...no one can stop us from spreading the message, the word, the love. The REAL love. Agape. Our hearts are on fire. Love for people. This is the new order. This is the new direction. This will be the new proving ground. Come with me. It's time to leap.