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Okay, so my topic title is a bit of a play on Jen's farewell to the forum, but it reflects where I am on my journey and sets the context for my own farewell to this community. I sent part of this to Joseph earlier today and wanted to share it with you all here so that you understand my own reasons for my departure.
First off, I have a great deal of respect for TCPC. I think it is a needed effort in our day and time. But it seems to be going in a direction that is significantly different from my own. This doesn't mean that I think that TCPC is wrong or misguided. I think they are on the right path...for them and what they want to accomplish. But it's not my path and I must be true to my own path (something PCs cherish).
I'm 50 now. I have selfishly spent a large part of my life, despite being a Christian, trying to get what I wanted, trying to fulfill my own needs. And I’ve never discovered any real peace or lasting joy in doing that. If I'm lucky, I might have maybe 25 years left on this old earth before I shuffle off into I know not what. And I want to spend those years making a difference for others – immediately for my family, for my friends, for my community, and even, in some sense, for the world. I am very concerned about the state of our world right now and I want to do some part, no matter how small, in making it better for my children and for my children’s children. I’ve been taking some steps in that direction in the last couple of years and feel in my heart that I need to continue on that path, not for glory or fame or even for remembrance sake, but simply because life is sacred to me.
To me, from what I see on the TCPC website, the organization seems mostly interested in some kind of church reform. It seems that they want to have conferences at churches and try to offer churches some new ways for the church to survive through the 21st century. There is probably a need for that, in fact, I’m sure there is. There are many, many people who still go to church and they would most likely rejoice to find that their own church is discovering “a new Christianity” or “a new way to be a Christian”. I applaud TCPC in their efforts to do this...but this is not my calling. I don’t feel called to “the saints” except to encourage them to love “the sinners.” I don’t have the desire or the gifts for church reform. This doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in it, just that it is not part of my dream.
We have been gifted, in our day and time, with great theologians like Robinson, Borg, Crossan, Spong, and others who can and have helped Christians make more sense of their religion. Thank God for these dear people who are hammering out some kind of new theology (or philosophy) that can help people remain part of a church or remain under the label “Christian”. These people have helped me greatly also and have helped restore my faith in Jesus. But while I find it very interesting to discuss new images of God and new forms of theism or sacredness, I always find myself coming back to the question of, “So what? What difference does it make to the 6 billion people on this earth?” Do I need a new definition of God in order to give a cup of water to someone who is thirsty or to help feed someone who is hungry? Do I need a new Christology to help someone find clothes to wear or to put them in touch with others who can help them find shelter? Do I need a “new Christianity” in order to stand up for the cause of justice and equality?
Time and again, I find myself answering, “No.” I don’t need the church to do these things. And I don’t need the label “Christian” to be a more compassionate person. I don’t even need “the authority of Christ” to command me to be this way. I want to do these things simply because I feel connected to others and want to make a difference.
So I am simply not much interested in preserving the existence of churches or Christianity. Others certainly are. TCPC seems to be. And that’s fine. But it is not where my heart is or where my path goes. My heart seems to be drawn to “the least of these” in the highways and byways, not to the saints sitting in the pews.
To me, the great truths of human/divine relationship would still be there without the church, without Christianity, even without the Bible and Jesus. This is why we see them surface in other religions. And while TCPC claims to value other religions, what I see happening there at TCPC is the pushing of Christianity and churches...and I’m simply not comfortable going in that direction. Again, I’m sure there is a place for what they are doing and for what they are trying to accomplish, but that path is simply not mine.
On the other hand, I've found you, the members of this forum, to be very open and accepting without pushing church or Christianity. I appreciate every one of you that I have interacted with and had the privilege of getting to know better over the last couple of years. You, not TCPC, have helped me to grow...and I thank each of you for that. I will miss you dearly, but the truth of the matter is that TCPC is a Christian organization and this is a forum that is meant to serve that organization, a forum which, oddly, no one from the organization seems to post on.
To me, TCPC is a Christian entity that seems to want to focus on the church and the Christian religion. While I find some value in both of these, my focus is, hopefully, somewhat broader - on humanity. And that is where I want to spend my remaining years, making a difference, not for churches or for the Christian religion, but for people, no matter who they are.Like Jen, I wish each and every one of you the very best. If you are still searching, I hope you find what you are looking for. If you've found it, I hope you will live it and bless others with it. Most of all, I hope that all of you do what Jack Spong recommends - live fully, love wastefully, be all that you can be.
With warmest regards,
bill mc
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So I think we need something broader, something that goes beyond religion to spirituality or practice.
