I was sent this video by a friend of mine who is sharing my struggle of how to stay in a religious institution which seems to be bearing a resemblance to the principalities and powers that we are called to stand against. What do you do with this in relation to committed discipleship. Especially when that discipleship is to a Jesus that did not work within the institutions and religious bodies.
This is a long talk at 1 and 1/2 hours. If you skip to 1 and 1/4 hours you get a snippet which deals directly with this question. Joan basically says critics are those stood outside the institution and are never listened to by those within. Prophets are those within who are always broken and killed by the institutions. It's not a good set of options but I enjoyed her point. Take a look. the whole video is worth a watch if you have the time. Highlights for me were her deep understanding of institutionalised sin as set against personal sin, her run down of how we get to change and how institutions react and when she says right at the end that we cannot be motivated by results I could have wept. Thanks Richard for this....
I can sympathise withn Joan's feelings about her nation's isntitutional sin, much like our own, and with her feelings about her 'home' religious institution, viz the RC 'church'; I regret the unBiblical liberalism that still plagues our UK Baptist Unions, but am surprised you find it a struggle to feel at home within BUGB, as I feel it puts too MUCH emphasis on social justice and institutional sin, and not enough on the bottom line, which is the Gospel's proclamation that 'all have sinned', and that without repentance and new birth through faith in Jesus, the personal sin, which is, surely, the building block of the edifice of institutional sin, will never be dealt with - after all the Berlin wall was not destroyed all at once, but by individuals, some with hammers, some with JCBs [!], who each remeoved a little bit, until nothing was left. The sparrow was doing what it could - if all the sparrows in the world follow suit, the sky will not fall!
ReplyDeleteKez ... thanks for this, eventually on the third attempt i got the time to listen properly. Never heard JC speak (Joan C not Jesus) ... but she's as good as she writes.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is as easy to untangle institutional and personal sin as many think ... instituional sin leads us to personal transgresssion as much and often more than the other way around, the Powers shape us and our institutions unless they are named and resisted and redeemed. The prophets and indeed Jesus knew this ... to their cost.
Sometimes BUGB can be a difficult place to find a home but there are sanctuaries to be found for many who feel liminal ...