(Previous post, I Am Also This.)
So I’ve shared a bit about me, and I’ve been doing some wondering about who you might be, about just who is it that wants to climb into The Treehouse.
Maybe you fall somewhere in one of these categories?
You’re confident about your faith but definitely have some questions. Or…
You haven’t been in a church for years but still feel pulled, with a good deal of longing, toward some idea of the Divine. Or…
You don’t feel strongly any particular way, but you consider yourself spiritual and are curious about God stuff. Maybe…
You’ve had experiences you can’t explain, that leave you wondering, that resonate with hints of the numinous, of goings-on on the other side of The Veil, and you wonder where to put those experiences.
It could be you are someone who feels homeless with regard to a faith community and are grieving the loss (however that happened) of the place you once so deeply felt you belonged.
Are you “deconstructing” or reevaluating your faith in this time of great upheaval in the religious practices of Americans? (The decline in overall church attendance has been going on for decades, by the way.)
Or…maybe you stand on solid ground, and you’re an active part of your church’s life, and you are intrigued by the notion of being surprised, of finding new layers, of getting a fresh look at what you think and hold dear, and of hearing about the thoughts and hopes and dreams of others.
Or maybe none of the above, in which case I hope you’ll share in the comment section below.
Construction begins one week from today!
Next post: Some Treehousekeeping
Thank you for asking, Rebecca. And thank you for the buffet table of options... several of the bullet points apply.
I've been a pastor... a graduate of both Bible school and seminary. I left ministry at age 32... and then back again at age 56 - for another three years when I hit a theological brick wall. Whether I quit or got fired depends on who you ask. I've been a wanderer since - and finally started a podcast to explore my questions. It's been a gift these past three years. That's how I found you, Rebecca. The conservative denomination in which I devoted most of my life (Evangelical Free Church) is history for me. I pretty well burned my bridge. As evangelicalism became synonymous with the religious right, Christian nationalism and now MAGA, I've become an active critic. The fundamentalism of high control, conformity driven religion has theological and historic roots... but frankly, the center doesn't hold. I've discovered that there are many of us refugees exploring better ways to live. That includes you.
Becca, I feel I may be getting in over my head here but willing, at least at this point, to sink or swim. I have a childlike belief in God which I attribute to either intellectual laziness or the fear of losing what my belief affords me: reuniting with loved ones, especially my sister who passed away 45 years ago at age 23 and my brother who passed away 43 years ago at age 28. I was raised a “winter Methodist (our family took the summer off) and unbeknownst to me until much later in life my dad was the driving force of our attendance. He was a man of deep but quiet faith. My mom’s family didn’t attend church but lived as charitably and as committed to the Ten Commandments as any churchgoers. My mom struggled mightily with God after the loss of two of her five children but ultimately found comfort from faith based support groups. I have a sister who wrote about her personal relationship with Jesus Christ in 6th grade and my wife has a deep faith which she exercises with daily reading and a charitable heart dedicated to always being there: for the church, for those in need, for our family, for friends. Meanwhile I move through life loving and appreciating my family and friends, hopefully making others, friends and strangers alike, feel good about themselves and trying, though not always succeeding, to be a good guy. But, I need to be more: more knowledgeable, more faithful, more mindful, more committed to the search. And though it’s not that I never to talk about “this big picture” with my wife I think that while admiring how effectively and gracefully she lives her faith, it makes me feel frustrated or inadequate that I can’t seem to “go deeper” myself. And since I have never engaged in a search like yours I am both hopeful and confident that this format and your perspective, as well as that of others, will enhance my journey. Just laboring over this answer to your question has me enthusiastically anticipating more...thank you