A number of years ago I wrote a series of blogs as “The Lonely SDA.” I paused for a while to pursue other topics. But the response to those blogs tells me that, although I may perceive myself to be alone, there are many others out there like me. Many others who feel increasingly alienated from the church they love.
In the hopes that I may be of some encouragement to others, I will take this theme up again. Rather than pursuing a topic is parallels a book manuscript that preparing, as I did with the series “Matriarchs and Prophets.” A blog is more a “stream of consciousness” endeavor than a systematic exploration of a given.
There is a danger in being so publicly vulnerable. As a professional writer I am accustomed the rule that says, “there is no good writing, there is only good rewriting.” But the original charm of the blog was its freshness, its spontaneity, the absence of calculation.
. . . the church is just as polarized, and in the same way, as the larger society. . .
But what I see of many blogs — and here I am speaking specifically not of those at outlookmag.org — is that they appear to be carefully calculated, not authentic at all. Let me explain.
Especially when it comes to so-called Christian blogs, they seem to be too pitch perfectly attuned to a particular audience. There’s almost never anything which would cause the least discomfiture and those the blog is intended to address. If they are of the left leaning variety, everything is politically correct, and echoes the themes of the New York Times, And Sojourners magazine. If they are of the traditionalist variety, the opposite is true. In short, the church is just as polarized, and in the same way, as the larger society.
And that’s why I’m lonely. The traditionalists are, by and large, dead set against women’s ordination. I do not find scriptural support for that position convincing. Anyone who has read my series on “Matriarchs and Prophets,” or the book, “For Such A Time,” which was based on those blogs, will understand why.
Left leaning Christian sources, both within and outside the church, increasingly insist that evolution must of been part of God’s creative activity; specifically, that the world was not created in six literal days, and that life, in one form or another, has existed on Earth for millions of years. Although I do not plan to go into the details here, I do not buy that either.
traditionalists are, by and large, dead set against women’s ordination. I do not find scriptural support for that position convincing
That’s only two issues, but they are symptomatic of many, many more. And as I travel around, and speak to audiences both in this country and abroad, I find many who experience the same things. Not that they agree with or even know all of the stances I hold on certain issues, but that, increasingly, they find themselves somewhere else. I don’t want to say “between the left and the right,” because that implies that I think I am balanced, moderate, and reasonable. Perhaps I am, perhaps not, I do not claim to know. What I do know, is that increasingly, I find myself and my beliefs without an obvious support group within the church.
Left leaning sources increasingly insist that the world was not created in six literal days, and that life has existed on Earth for millions of years. I do not buy that either.
I no longer find myself comfortable with many of the positions and practices of our institutions of higher learning — and it grieves me to say so. At the same time, I experience increasing discomfort with the positions and practices of the institutional church and its defenders.
So that’s what I will begin writing about again. I have no intention of leaving the church. Neither — to the extent that I’m able — will I allow the church to leave me.
I welcome civil comment, questioning, and debate. I hope that I can start a conversation that can help others who feel as I do. I’m taking a risk, because many of the positions I hold will be disliked, discounted, and offend some. But that is true the gospel as well: parts of it are disliked, discounted, and offensive to some.
