{"id":655363,"date":"2016-10-03T12:31:30","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T17:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/andygill\/?p=655363"},"modified":"2016-10-03T12:59:37","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T17:59:37","slug":"reform-its-here-what-this-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/andygill\/reform-its-here-what-this-means\/","title":{"rendered":"Reform it’s Here: What this Means Exactly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Refore<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s weird, but, as much resentment towards the Church as I\u2019ve held onto I still listen to worship music. Like, a lot. I will admit that there\u2019s not too much like corporate worship; I can\u2019t tell you how much I miss singing in unison, the rush of raising one\u2019s hands in worship and praise, knowing that everyone in that building is striving and struggling along the same mission (even though, sometimes they\u2019re not, lol \u2013 but that\u2019s another post for another time).<\/p>\n

A few months ago, I was playing basketball with a friend who pastors a local Church in our area. He\u2019s lovingly (as opposed to annoyingly) invited me to come to his church, small group, men\u2019s breakfast\u2026 multiple times, so much so, my response is just an expected automation of a slight chuckle, and a \u201cnaw, probably won\u2019t make it through this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The thing is, as I\u2019ve said to him many times, it\u2019s not that I don\u2019t want to go to Church, it\u2019s twofold: 1) I\u2019ve been so far wounded by the Church [at large], I need to heal before I step back into any type of intimate community (otherwise, many times, I fear I\u2019d just be a toxic pollutant \u2013 read: healing, but wounded); and 2) Right now, for whatever the reason might be, I just can\u2019t\u2026 I want and desperately need community, but, aside from all the (IMO) rather good reasons, I don\u2019t have it in me.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd I felt like my heart had been so thoroughly and irreparably broken that there could be no real joy again, that at best there might eventually be a little contentment. Everyone wanted me to get help and rejoin life, pick up the pieces and move on, and I tried to, I wanted to, but I just had to lie in the mud with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, grieving, until I didn\u2019t have to anymore.\u201d \u2013 Anne Lamott<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But, I mean, you can\u2019t really just throw all that out there along with an Anne Lamott quote when you\u2019re\u00a0hooping\u00a0with your boys (and several other dudes you\u2019ve never met). So, \u201cnaw, won\u2019t make it\u2026\u201d just seems easiest.<\/p>\n

And, as some of you know, I\u2019ve been all over the place in regards to searching for \u201cmy home.\u201d Starting in the evangelical church, going\u00a0through the progressive church, and just about all that\u2019s\u00a0in between. Not finding anything that fit, I just gave up, and decided to build my own community. Which resulted in my taking major steps back, similar to\u00a0a majority of the U.S., in attending a Sunday morning service or being a part of a religious community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your community views you as more of a \u2018problem to be corrected rather than a valued member of their community,\u2019 it might be time to leave.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But, as times have gone by, and I\u2019ve been able to have many conversations with leaders on the front lines (such as the guy above), I\u2019m beginning to see a sudden change happen, and happen very fast. It\u2019s encouraging to say the least. I\u2019ve met young church attenders here in Philadelphia in which have been super encouraging if they represent the future of the Church.<\/p>\n

Reform is no longer \u201con it\u2019s way\u201d; reformation is here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>For the first time in a long time, I feel as if there\u2019s forward movement, in regards to the reformation for our western Church. Progression, that is.<\/p>\n

Finally, we\u2019re in position to\u00a0take Sunday back, and mold it into what we believe Jesus wants. It\u2019s been the\u00a0overwhelming\u00a0amount of voices bringing truth-to-power, the progressives (such as Campolo<\/a>, McLaren, and, shoot even Pope Francis<\/a>) all\u00a0paving the way<\/span>, and of course, the many progressives [unlike myself] who\u2019ve had the energy to stay put in the conservative\/evangelical Church. Reformation, it\u2019s not been had; it\u2019s only the beginning, but it\u2019s happening; this is more than encouraging, it\u2019s exciting. I think mainly, it\u2019s also the fact that there\u2019s an inward deep yearning for solidarity within our generation (and, I feel, it\u2019s not just millennials but everyone; it\u2019s our overall our present day context); it\u2019s deeming the divide created by denominations irrelevant.<\/p>\n

Diversity<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

This \u201cus vs. them\u201d narrative; it\u2019s created an unnecessarily uncomfortable vibe between us (the Church) and them (LGBTQ, racial divides, atheists, agnostics, muslims, the list goes on\u2026). It\u2019s made it a near impossibility to invite our friends; it\u2019s almost as if we were inadvertently forced to choose between the Church and \u201cthose people\u201d (a.k.a. our friends) [1].<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that the millennial is no longer \u201creligious\u201d or spiritual; we are, we still believe in God and pursue spirituality and crave consistent healthy community that are striving towards the same goal (i.e. Church).<\/p>\n

\"luke<\/a><\/p>\n

Churches are slowly but steadily moving towards the inclusion of accepting gay musicians as active worship\u00a0leaders, celebrity pastors<\/a> are openly embracing the movement encapsulated by #BlackLivesMatter (e.g. John Piper<\/a>); as a result our pulpits and church leadership are both diversifying<\/a>; the experience of the oppressed is being acknowledged, and, the gospel of Jesus is finally being proclaimed.<\/p>\n

Reform<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

Paraphrasing a quote from\u00a0the book The Art of War<\/a><\/em>\u00a0it\u2019s said that if you can seize a territory without it\u2019s destruction, you should do that; as opposed to needlessly destroying it. Obviously the book is referring to slightly different circumstances, but, I do believe that it has underlying and glaringly obvious pieces of wisdom that are\u00a0very much applicable to our current church reformation.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not walking away from Christianity; many of us are simply realizing that what we grew up in might not have ever actually been Christianity. We do not want to destroy or abolish the Church and it\u2019s institution, we simply want to reform the Church and it\u2019s institution. \u2013 <\/b>(Reformation and the American Church<\/a><\/em>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Church has so far splintered<\/a> and unnecessarily created, literally, tens of millions of enemies; the point being, without reform the ship would sink. Again, why let this ship sink, when we could reform and use it for the\u00a0benefit of others (i.e. to become the Church we\u2019ve envisioned)?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just\u00a0how we do Church, or, who\u2019s leading the Church, we\u2019re also seeing a reform of the theology that drives all\u00a0of what we do as the Church.\u00a0Jesus, the color of\u00a0his skin is changing. He\u2019s not white; He\u2019s not asian; He\u2019s not Latino; He\u2019s not black; Jesus\/God,\u00a0just is\u2026 [2]<\/p>\n

Maybe this is just the projection of my own personal experiences and overall feelings\/emotions, but I don\u2019t think so; I feel that there\u2019s a sense of healing and renewal in the air.<\/p>\n

Either way, as said before, this is just the beginning\u2026 I guess it could be said that it\u2019s always just the beginning. As millennials fled\u00a0church in large flocks, I can\u2019t help but wonder if slowly and steadily \u2013 and then eventually\/suddenly all at once \u2013 if millennials will flock back into the pews, and if so, how long this will take\u2026?<\/p>\n

[1] I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention that if you are for including these people, you\u2019re labeled \u201cprogressive\u201d and anathematized from the conservative church; the same goes for progressives we will do just the same; I\u2019ve done just the same.<\/p>\n

[2] Referring to\u00a0\u201cwhite,\u201d \u201cAsian,\u201d and \u201cBlack,\u201d within their ontological symbolic definitions within our modern day western context; saying \u201che just is\u2026\u201d is simply referring to the idea that Jesus\/God, they\u2019re Wholly Other (I use \u201cHe\u201d but, wholly other points to the idea that gender can not encapsulate the divinity of God \u2013 Gross, I feel dirty spending even this small amount of\u00a0time on theology).<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s weird, but, as much resentment towards the Church as I\u2019ve held onto I still listen to worship music. Like, a lot. 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