Creating a New Progressive Ecumenical Church Relationship

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-chuck-currie/creating-a-new-progressive-ecumenical-church-relationship_b_1464491.html

Rev. Chuck CurrieUnited Church of Christ minister

Creating a New Progressive Ecumenical Church Relationship
Posted: 05/02/2012 10:58 am


This sermon was delivered by The Rev. Chuck Currie, a United Church of Christ minister, at Portland, Ore.'s First United Methodist Church on April 29. The Scripture readings included 1 John 3:16-24 and John 10:11-18.

As I preach this, your senior minister is of course attending the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. I hope you sent her with body armor! Most of our denominational bodies that make of the National Council of Churches -- whether it is the United Methodist Church or my United Church of Church -- hold such periodic gatherings and more often than we would like to admit these events show off the disunity in our churches more than the unity we strive for as Christians. The divisions that we face within our denominations, the decline of the mainline church over the last generation, and the changing realities we face in a society more pluralistic than ever beg the question of whether or not we are -- any of us, regardless of denomination -- doing church in the right way. So today, I come with a proposal. Let's throw out the rule book, break with tradition, look to the future with our eyes open and hearts centered on living out the Greatest Commandment, and perhaps even bring together some of our denominations under one new banner -- a new united church -- that reflects a belief that living out God's mission for the world is more important than bureaucracy and polity, the laws that govern our churches.

What am I suggesting? Within the mainline tradition there is a growing consensus moving our churches in a progressive theological direction. We read the Hebrew Scripture and the stories of the Prophets, and their battles for economic justice resonate with our own times. As we reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus as shared with us in the Christian New Testament we hear God calling us further to be a people of justice concerned with the "least of these" and with those on the margins. Jesus' own teachings have called many of us to embrace movements of liberation for Africans, Latin Americans, women, and gays and lesbians. We believe that those who use the Bible to justify discrimination or who wield Holy Scripture as a partisan political weapon to divide are the heirs of those who just a generation ago used the Bible to justify Jim Crow laws and worse. Those of us who still hear God speaking -- a slogan of the United Church of Christ that can also be explained as feeling the Holy Spirit opening up our hearts in new and exciting ways just as Jesus did for his community and time -- need to band together and live out the unity that we are called to live in Christ in new and more substantial ways.

In part, this is needed because we must serve as a count weight to those who would and will misuse our Christian faith to promote agendas of hate and discrimination. Organizations like Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council, and the churches that align with them, promote radical agendas that would deny not just basic protections to gays and lesbians but they also promote economic policies that benefit the wealthiest at the expense of the poorest -- all in the name of Jesus. How can this be? But study after study show that, when asked, Americans indentify Christianity with these conservative voices rather than ours. Working together, under a new umbrella, we would have the opportunity to amplify our voices. But we also need to have renewed courage in our pulpits and in our pews to preach and live out a Social Gospel seriously once again. Churches that act simply as social clubs tend to die, and they deserve to. Churches that have a shared sense of mission and purpose tend to grow and more importantly help build up the Kingdom.

Right now an amplified and united voice preaching a new Social Gospel, or progressive Christianity, is particularly needed as the Roman Catholic Church works to undermine the social fabric of our pluralistic democratic society. They want not just religious freedom -- something everyone deserves -- but for government to reflect their will alone. On women's health care, for example, President Obama has gone to great lengths to make accommodations that legitimately meet their concerns regarding dispensing birth control as part of employee benefit packages for church-related non-profits and educational organizations. But in rejecting the president's proper compromise and in making the outrageous claim that his administration is engaged in a war against religion -- one bishop, without punishment, compared the president this month to Hitler -- their actions have shown that their agenda is a roll back of women's rights. This is evidenced by the Vatican's witch hunt against nuns. While we seek to find ways to repair relations with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, we must also be the Christian voice protecting women from those who would seek to return them to second class citizen status.


more at link

[TrogL]

1. I totally agree that the mainline churches need to speak out

The United Church of Canada was an experiment similar to what he says. What happened was the theology was watered down to the point it barely qualified and eventually the Evangelicals took over and drove everybody else out

[cbayer]

2. And those that are speaking out need to have their voices heard,

not silenced as some seem to desire.

[skepticscott]

5. Who exactly desires their "silence"?

other than Christians?

[longship]

3. This a very important and crucial overture

I guess as a long time atheist I should be wary of this. But that isn't true at all. This is precisely what has to happen to change the religious dialog in this country before it's too late. I pray that it isn't already so.

Also, I guess it's funny that I take a bit of pride that this sermon was given by a reverend of the Protestant sect in which I was raised, the UCC, aka Congregationals. I know that many here see the Methodist church as part of the problem, but I know different. Many Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopals, and other sects are our natural allies. I have said so here before.

As an atheist I would be proud to stand up next to these people forming a truly ecumenical union of voices.

Let's get 'er done.

[cbayer]

4. I so want to get you a star.