Sun, Jun 03, 2012
Reasoned and reasonable 'worship'
Romans 12:1-8 by Craig de Vos
164th Church Anniversary
Series: Sermons
“When someone tells me that they are ‘Not religious, but very spiritual’,
I want to punch them in the face”.
 
That’s the provocative opening line from a new book…
by David Webster––
a lecturer in Philosophy of Religion at the University of Gloucestershire.
He quickly qualifies that he resists such temptations for ethical reasons.
But, having read lots of ‘new-age’ material––
the sort favoured by those who often espouse the ‘spiritual but not religious’ line––
he concludes that the whole notion is ‘stupid’ because…
“The inclusivist, pluralist approach to truth widely taken in…new-age thought, curtails thought. It is a full stop to thinking as it proposes that seemingly conflicting truths can ‘all be true’, or that truth is wholly subjective”;
adding that,
“to treat all [truth] claims as equivalent…
is not to really take any of them seriously”.
He also describes this ‘spiritual but not religious’ line as ‘selfish’…
because its preoccupation with the “inner-journey” often comes at the expense of a concern with “worldly matters”.
“It’s no accident”, he claims…
“that we see the wealthy and celebrities drawn to this very capitalist form of religion”.
While contemplation and self-examination are not, themselves, problematic…
he argues that they need to take place within “a context of concrete social realities”…
because a spirituality that doesn’t embrace “social justice, equality, and material needs”…
is really nothing more than a shallow mysticism.
 
While I think Webster’s argument has much merit…
the problem is…
I can imagine a whole cohort of theologically-conservative Christians blindly latching onto it…
in order to bludgeon their great foe of post-modern pluralism.
Without realising it, Webster’s argument critiques them as well.
While their approach is clearly not ‘inclusivist’ and ‘pluralist’…
their rigidity of thought is, simply, the flip-side or the opposite pole.
It, too, curtails thought.
It, too, is a “full stop to thinking”––
proposing that ‘seemingly conflicting truths’, apart from their own, are all wrong…
and that there is no subjectivity in their thought.
It, too, is stupid, selfish, and shallow.
 
All of which, brings me to the Baptist Churches of South Australia
(formerly known as the Baptist Union).
Recently, in response to their proposed Membership Covenant––
which has now been adopted––
we argued that:
“‘mutual accountability’ will, inevitably, work to curtail freedom of thought and reflection, and encourage theological and moral uniformity”…
while their harkening after a ‘collective voice’ could
“lead to the silencing of alternative voices”.
And, indeed, this is exactly what has happened.
The ink was barely dry on the paper…
when the senior leadership initiated disciplinary action against me…
for challenging a theological statement of the National President of Australian Baptist Ministries…
and for my stance on marriage equality…
which, they claim, brings the Baptist Churches of South Australia into disrepute.
No freedom of thought here.
No encouragement of diversity.
No recognition that all theology is, inherently, subjective…
constrained by the limitations of current knowledge and experience…
and, hence, always evolving.
Simplistic answers, to simplistic questions, in honour of a simplistic God.
Of course, that has never been the North Adelaide Baptist way.
From its very beginning, it has pushed the accepted boundaries…
whether it was the original founders who sought to be open and inclusive––
within the confines and worldview of their day;
or the great A. N. Marshall––
more than a century ago now––
bravely advocating higher criticism…
and challenging biblical interpretations that did not sit comfortably with the emerging scientific revolution;
or, in more recent times…
Trevor Bensch advocating for the decriminalisation of prostitution––
when he was the minister here––
or in trying to change attitudes regarding voluntary euthanasia.
This church has, throughout its history––
even if has not named or claimed the slogan––
striven to be intelligent, informed and inclusive.
And rightly so.
Because, in a sense, that’s exactly what Paul advises the Roman Christians in our reading this morning.
You may have missed it, given the way that most English versions translate it.
In light of God’s mercy and love to us…
Paul exhorts the Roman Christians to offer themselves––
all that they are––
as their “spiritual worship”.
Except, that would be better translated as “your reasonable and reasoned service”.
In so doing, Paul draws, intentionally, on Hellenistic philosophical thought…
upon the notion that worship of the gods should conform to reason.
In other words, Paul argues, their response to God ought to be intelligent…
logical…
reasonable…
well thought through.
Or, as Galileo once put it, “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended for us to forgo their use”.
Our response to God is not fitting…
not holy…
not reasonable…
if it does not involve the whole of our beings…
including, in particular, our intellects…
our logic, our reasoning, our learning, and our ever-evolving knowledge.
At heart, that’s probably what Paul also means by “do not be conformed to this world”––
don’t be constrained by the limitations of culture, tradition, religion…
or what is accepted as a ‘given’.
Be open.
Be open to new possibilities.
Be open to new insights about who we are…
who God is…
how we relate to God…
and how we live out our identity as people of God.
Be open to change, to transformation.
In saying this, Paul is not speaking to them as individuals.
He’s addressing the whole church––
he’s speaking corporately or collectively.
Being intelligent and informed is a fundamental part of our calling––
as church.
 
And yet, it doesn’t just stop there.
If––
as David Webster warns us…
a spirituality that doesn’t embrace “social justice, equality, and material needs”…
is really nothing more than a shallow mysticism––
then a Church that offers nothing more than a spiritual head-trip…
nothing more than a titillating intellectual pursuit…
runs the risk of becoming elitist and self-indulgently irrelevant.
That’s something that Paul recognises, too, in this reading.
A reasoned and reasonable response to God cannot be just an intellectual response.
As a church, we are called not just to think…
but to speak…
and to do.
We are called to teach and to proclaim.
We are called to speak the prophetic word––
to hold the powers-that-be to account…
to redress the balance…
whenever hatred and bigotry spew forth from the mouths of those in authority––
be it our politicians…
or those who publicly dare to speak in the name of Christ.
We are called to advocate for those who cannot speak…
and to stand up for those who are powerless.
But we are also called to care––
to minister to the sick…
to provide for the needy.
And that isn’t something that we’re called to do just as individuals.
It’s something that we’re called to do collectively…
corporately.
Yes, as a church, we can take pride in our achievements over one hundred and sixty four years.
But the question before us now––
and in each and every age––
is what, as church, do we do?
What are we doing towards the transformation of this world?