The Christian Future

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, at the end of his amazing and lucid History of Christianity, writes -

Most of Christianity's problems at the beginning of the twenty first century are problems of success; in 2009 it has more than two billion adherents, almost four times its adherents in 1900, a third of the world's population ... At least Christian history offers sobering messages for overconfidence. The more interesting conundrum for Christians is a society in which polite indifference has replaced the battles of the twentieth century: Europe, which is not so much a continent as a state of mind, to be found equally in Canada, Australasia and a significant part of the United States. ... Does secularism have to be an enemy of Christian faith, as Nazism and Soviet Communism were enemies, or does it offer a chance to remould Christianity, as it has been so often remoulded before? Can the many faces of Christianity find a message which will remake religion for a society which has decided to do without it? (A History of Christianity, Diarmaid MacCulloch, Allen Lane (Penguin), 2009, page 1016)

These are grave questions! It is best to concentrate on the problem of the churches of the European culture and mind - ourselves and neighbours in the West. Here, in the old cockpit of modern civilisation, the churches have waxed and waned in direct proportion to the growth and stabilisation of the secular powers, through the internecine strife we have all endured during the past two centuries. The churches' ancient doctrinal codes and worshipping traditions, going back to the time when Christianity became a legitimate religion of the Roman Empire, have rarely been looked at by the mind and eyes of modernity apart from the need to clarify where one church differed from another in beliefs and ritual. Like nation states, there is the necessity to have solid foundations upon which to build even the Gospel.

It would take a larger-than-life 'Luther' to demand reform of the 'system' of doctrine today. Unlike the papacy and the abuses of the system of indulgences of the 16th century, the churches today represent a reformed and basically transparent spirituality of the Gospel. Nevertheless, reasonable people find it hard to relate to us as Christians. There is not only polite indifference, as Professor Diarmaid says, but also probably a conviction that the Gospel, set in the doctrinal straightjacket of the churches ancient traditions, can never have anything to say to all the good people living in the real world of the 21st century.

So what to do? Perhaps we have to find a way of Christian renewal which will be more like the slow opening of nature in Springtime. There is a gradual appearance and unfolding of the new growth of shoots and leaves and the emergence, by stages, of the beauty of the flora which surrounds us, even in the cities. We have learned in the past that confrontation with the powers within the churches can only lead to further splintering, and programmes for reform and unity founder on the constraints of us as individuals used to what we know rather than what we cannot see ahead of us. So there are two possibilities. First, that as Christians in the 21st century, we begin to concentrate more on the gospels rather than on the epistles of the New Testament. Secondly, that it is open to us to be more aware of the necessity of living prayerful lives in the daily round and common tasks.

The Gospels

The gospels are difficult to understand, while in the letters of Paul and others we seem to be in touch with practical things. In fact it is precisely in the letters of Paul that we have come as Christians to establish theories about our following of Jesus which has set us at variance with other Christians. Texts lifted out of context have become the foundations of all sorts of theologies and moralities and rituals. Of course, understanding Paul's concerns is also very important. He wrote before the gospels but we can only understand Paul if we have come to grips with the Gospel. We cannot rely on hearing the gospels read out in church Sunday after Sunday. We do need to make the attempt to come to grips, personally, with the meaning of the Good News. This is not a matter of religious piety but of serious reading - as serious as our study of any matter that deserves our attention in life: languages, computers, horticulture, science, personal relationships and moral questions, etc. etc.

All I can give is two clues! To study one gospel over a long period of time, in depth. There are may ways of finding help in this today. One gospel is sufficient to set the stage for the others and the differences that we shall find from the others in the future. Mark, being the first gospel to be written, would be a good start. Secondly, as we are Christians, it is essential to begin with the resurrection of Jesus - to start at the end of the gospel first! - because this was the reason for writing any of the gospels. From that first premise we may then gradually understand what is being said in the gospel and how the life and resurrection of the Lord can make all the difference to our desire for fresh and living discipleship in the churches today.

Living prayer

It has often been stated that renewal of Christian life in the churches must come from the 'grassroots'. It is not as often spelled out what that means of course! But it is clear that 'protest' can be counter-productive in the face of deeply entrenched, legal foundations even of a religious nature - and possibly more so. I suppose that it is obvious that the desire for 'new life', transparent in the real world, needs to come from our individual relationship with the risen Lord and not merely from within our membership of the church to which we belong. This is not an easy option towards the renewal of the churches. But it is a personal, from the heart and mind, commitment to grow in that relationship with Jesus. There is no doubt that a living prayer has in it the marks of taking up our cross and being a disciple of the risen Jesus. This is where the way of Luther in the 16th century is not the way of resolution of the churches' problems today. Can the living prayer of many committed Christians be described as a 'ground swell'? Well, perhaps only God, the Father of glory, can confirm that to be a reality in truth. Certainly it is in this prayer-in-life that we become accustomed to live close to the transcendent Lord. It is the necessary accompaniment of reading the gospel where we begin to know who this Son of man is.

'And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him."' (Mark 9: 2-7)