Rejecting Experience

There is a certain amount of mistrust towards experience from some of my fellow students at Seminary. Not all students, but some. There are professors as well who seem to get weak in the knees when any conversation about personal experience comes up in class. Even though I can appreciate not letting class time devolve into personal testimony at the expense of other critical learning, I'm confused by the apparent mistrust of experience which I find so central to my faith. The following is my understanding of how experience and faith interact. 

From time to time the religious have an experience in which they are brought to the limit of themselves and confronted with that which is ultimate and beyond. Those who have confronted the “Wholly Other” use words like

Gate-Keeping

I read this blog post today. I'm currently going through the CPM process and I have a few thoughts on how CPMs might reduce the perception that their decisions are arbitrary and therefore sexist, racist, and ageist.

It's important to note that our systems are inherently sexist/racist/ageist. A CPMs job (I would think) is to mitigate the effects of that oppressive system while encouraging talented ministry of all kinds to take place in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

First, are you being honest? Paying attention to fairness is important but you might consider that your process may not be honest. People can typically sense that you are having conversations about them which are not being shared with them. If the CPM finds themselves discussing something about a candidate that cannot be shared with a candidate, then it is time to either stop having those conversations or it is time to engage in some very difficult conversations with the candidate.

We Don’t Get to Control God

I was in a class this last week where we were discussing a case study about suicide. In our case study, a teenager and member of a local protestant church had taken his own life. The local high school was adrift with all kinds of religious notions about what would happen to this boy and members of the boy’s youth group approached their pastor with questions. Primarily they were concerned about the things that they heard from other kids at school about how he was going to hell for taking his own life.

Justice Denied is Fate Untied

We are tempted as preachers to highlight how the theology of our church is superior to the theology of another. Too often we preach sermons where we point the finger at misinterpretation "out there." On occasion though the lectionary gives us a passage that just doesn't fit neatly into our own theology. It is good and healthy to use these passages as opportunities to explore the limits of our own theological stances. By getting outside of our own "knowledge" and exploring another view point, we might just find ourselves closer to the truth. And if we are still standing once the confrontation has taken place, well then, we are stronger for it.

Hungry For Change

I read a blog post this morning about the process for preparation for ministry. Apparently the author came across a candidate for ministry who compared her journey to the Hunger Games. Although dramatic, I would encourage more CPMs to pay attention to these critiques.Why not explore how this candidate is feeling and why? There is a lot more to the Hunger Games analogy than just participants fighting it out to the death. There is an entire industrial complex built around reminding people of their past wrongs, supporting the victors of war, punishing the losers and telling them that it is for their own good, and costs being borne by one party alone.

Touch Points

Our church provides scholarships for college bound graduates. They do not receive a huge amount, but it often covers books and some basic expenses when they first get onto campus. Years ago we used to make them solicit references from the congregation. These days, we skip the references and instead ask applicants to choose two non-staff church members and describe for us how these folks have supported them throughout their life.

Badge of Belonging

The pastor in my church is always reminding people to wear their nametags to worship. We have them prominently displayed at the entrances of our church and people are supposed to grab them as they come through the doors. With over 450 members, nametags are a practical way to meet and greet each other in a community where it is impossible to get to know everyone when you are with them for a few hours a week.