This document discusses developing a Christian identity in a multi-faith world. It examines how Christians have traditionally constructed strong identities through hostility towards others, and explores alternatives centered around Jesus' message of love, service, and bringing good news to the oppressed. The document suggests a Christian identity could be both strong and benevolent by embracing uniqueness without supremacy, strength without hostility, and benevolence without weakness. It points to Jesus' ministry in Luke 4:16-30 as an example of proclaiming good news to the poor in a loving way.

1. Christian
Identity
in a
Multi-Faith
World

5. 2010

6. the nones
the dones
the uns

7. Anne has concluded that she will
never truly belong to the “quarrelsome,
hostile, disputatious, and deservedly
infamous group” known as Christians
unless she becomes “anti-gay … anti-
feminist … anti–artificial birth control
… anti-Democrat … anti–secular
humanism … anti-science … anti-life.”

8. Tell that much of the story, and you have the
sort of thing the news media love to report—
another celebrity break-up, if you will. But this
time, the celebrity is divorcing God.
But that’s not the whole story. Really, it’s not
the story at all. Anne explains that, “My faith
in Christ is central to my life.” She is still “an
optimistic believer in a universe created and
sustained by a loving God.” “But,” she says,
“following Christ does not mean following His
followers. Christ is infinitely more important
than Christianity and always will be, no matter
what Christianity is, has been or might
become.”

9. And so, she concludes, “In the name
of Christ… I quit Christianity and being
Christian.”

12. Do you have
CRIS?
Conflicted
Religious
Identity
Syndrome

13. TREATMENT: ADJECTIVES
__conservative ___liberal
___Evangelical ___progressive
___emergent ___moderate ___a new
kind of ___mainline ___ not THAT
kind of

14. Why I am a missional,
evangelical, post/
protestant, liberal/
conservative, mystical/
poetic, biblical,
charismatic/contemplative,
fundamentalist/calvinist,
anabaptist/anglican,
methodist, catholic, green,
incarnational, depressed-
yet-hopeful, emergent,
unfinished Christian.

15. 1972

16. Back in 1972, Dean Kelley rocked the
religious world with Why Conservative
Churches are Growing (HarperCollins)...
He spoke the then-shocking truth that
“Mainline” Protestantism, which had
historically been the main form of
Christianity in the United States, was
fast becoming “old line” as it declined
in numbers.

17. It was losing ground to a “new line” of
conservative churches characterized by
seriousness and strictness. These
churches were serious about the
meaning they offered and strict in
regards to wholehearted conformity to
their norms of belief and behavior.
This ... made them socially strong, and
this social strength made them grow –
as their adherents enthusiastically
recruited others.

18. SERIOUS
+
STRICT
=
STRONG

19. In contrast, old-line churches were
increasingly ecumenical -- respectful of
and open to dialogue with other faith
communities and the meaning they
offered. They were about making
friends, not converts. Old-line churches
valued individual freedom over group
conformity when it came to issues of
purpose, belief, and behavior.

20. To old-liners, ecumenism, respect,
dialogue, individualism, nonconformity,
and freedom were precious qualities, but
in terms of creating growth or even
sustainability for the future, Kelley
claimed they were counterproductive at
least, and potentially even suicidal. That’s
why he used unflattering terms like
lukewarmness and leniency to describe
them in contrast to the strictness and
seriousness of their counterparts.

21. lukewarm
+
lenient
=
weak

22. According to Kelley, strict, serious, and
growing groups ...
are not ‘reasonable,’ they are not
‘tolerant,’ they are not ecumenical, they are
not ‘relevant.’ They often refuse to
recognize the validity of other Christian
churches’ teachings, ordinations,
sacraments. They observe unusual rituals
… they [persist] in irrational behavior …
They try to impose uniformity of belief and
practice among members by censorship,
heresy trials, and the like. (26).

23. The Paradox:
There is about any serious meaning
venture a certain irreducible fierceness,
asperity, insistence, exclusiveness, rigor
– a fanaticism that brushes everything
else aside. Yet that very single-
mindedness renders it objectionable to
those who value balance, brotherhood,
respect for individual diversity, mutual
forbearance and self-restraint, civic
peace, pluralism ... (164)

24. Chapter 6:
Why Not a Strong,
Ecumencial
Religion?

25. “But why must there be any conflict? Are
not freedom, justice, respect for others
essential parts of the Christian faith?
Ideally they should be, if rightly
understood. One can conceive of a high-
demand religious movement devoted to
justice, freedom, beauty, respect for others,
and so on, which could effectively explain
life to [humankind] without fanaticism,
absolutism, intolerance, or judgmental
moralism. That is what – ideally –
Christianity ought to be.”

26. “Yet where is such a phenomenon
to be found?”
-- Dean Kelley, 1972

27. what do you think?

28. In search of a strong and
benevolent Christian identity for
today’s multi-faith world

29. We know how to
have
a STRONG-
HOSTILE
CHRISTIAN
IDENTITY.

30. We have the only way.
STRONG-
You are going to hell.
HOSTILE
We are God’s chosen.
You worship false gods.
resistance if futile.
you will be assimilated - or
eliminated.
we possess absolute truth.

31. We know how to
have
a weak-
benign
CHRISTIAN
IDENTITY.

32. it doesn’t matter what you
believe.
all religions are the same.
all roads lead to god.
only sincerity matters.
doctrines divide.
keep religion private.
weak-benign
Mind/Matter: I don’t, it doesn’t.

33. strong-hostile
OR
weak-benign?
Or???

34. where did
our strong-
hostile
identity
come from?

35. Misconception:
Our religious differences
keep us apart.

36. Actuality:
It is not our religious
differences that keep us
apart, but rather a haunting
religious similarity ... that we
build strong identities
through hostility.

37. Give people a common enemy, and you
will give them a common identity.
Deprive them of an enemy and you will
deprive them of the crutch by which they
know who they are.
- James Alison

38. Can Christians today re-build
our identity without hostility to
the other?

39. We have the only way.
STRONG-
You are going to hell.
HOSTILE
We are God’s chosen.
You worship false gods.
resistance if futile.
you will be assimilated -
or eliminated.

40. it doesn’t matter what you
believe.
all religions are the same.
all roads lead to god.
only sincerity matters.
doctrines divide.
weak-benign
keep religion private.

41. Because I Follow Jesus, I love
you.
I move toward “the other.”
I break down walls of hostility.
i stand with you in solidarity.
strong-
you are made in God’s image.
i am your servant.
benevolent
I practice human-kindness.

42. In the “old apologetics,”
exclusivism and superiority
were attractive features.

43. In the “old apologetics,”
exclusivism and superiority
were attractive features.
In the “new apologetics,”
religious supremacy is a
disqualifying factor.

44. Can there be
... uniqueness without
supremacy?
... benevolence without
weakness?
... strength without hostility?

45. what do you think?

46. A strong and benevolent
Christian identity centered
on Jesus and his story
(good news) of the
kingdom/commonwealth of
God.

47. Christian
Identity
in a
Multi-Faith
World

48. 6 When he came to Nazareth, where he had
been brought up, he went to the synagogue
on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He
stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the
prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled
the scroll and found the place where it was
written:
18
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

49. 20
And he rolled up the scroll, gave
it back to the attendant, and sat
down. The eyes of all in the
synagogue were fixed on him.
21
Then he began to say to them,
‘Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing.’

50. 22
All spoke well of him and were
amazed at the gracious words that
came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is
not this Joseph’s son?’ 23He said to
them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to
me this proverb, “Doctor, cure
yourself!” And you will say, “Do here
also in your home town the things
that we have heard you did at
Capernaum.” ’

51. 24
And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet
is accepted in the prophet’s home town.
25
But the truth is, there were many
widows in Israel in the time of Elijah,
when the heaven was shut up for three
years and six months, and there was a
severe famine over all the land; 26yet
Elijah was sent to none of them except to
a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There
were also many lepers* in Israel in the
time of the prophet Elisha, and none of
them was cleansed except Naaman the
Syrian.’

52. When they heard this, all in the
synagogue were filled with rage.
They got up, drove him out of the
town, and led him to the brow of the
hill on which their town was built, so
that they might hurl him off the cliff.
30
But he passed through the midst of
them and went on his way.

53. But how?

54. The historical challenge

55. The Docrtinal Challenge

56. The Liturgical Challenge

57. The Missional Challenge

58. The Spiritual Challenge

59. The Prayer for disciples

60. Our Father, above us and all
around us,
May your unspeakable
Name be revered.

61. Here on earth may your
commonwealth come … on
earth as in heaven may your
dreams come true.

62. Give us today our bread for
today.
And forgive us our wrongs
as we forgive.

63. Lead us away from the
perilous trial,
Liberate us from the evil.

64. For the kingdom is yours and
yours alone, the power is
yours and yours alone, and the
glory is yours and yours alone,
now and forever. Amen.
(Hallelujah … Amen)