Twice born I am into the Church I cherish; Once from the will of my mother and father as
they settled into the rhthyms of this relatively new and world faith community—The Church of the Nazarene. Of the second birth, the origins are both human and Divine. I was somewhere between 7 and 9 years of age when an old, charismatic, passionate, yet tender woman melted into the pulpit as naturally as if a man. I'd never seen such, a woman preaching with an authority that every word seemed to strike a chord of hunger within. For that matter, in this small Naz church on the desert's edge of Burley Idaho, I'd never seen any woman preach. All I know is that i couldn't wait to rush to the altar when her invitation came, my heart
already breaking over all the sins I had committed. At that age, i'm quite sure I could not have conceptually framed what it is I needed saved from, let alone a catalogue of my sins. I only know it wasn't fear, but love—Rev. Fairy Chism and God's that I hungered for. To this day that moment is etched within me, the only certainty this now very old 71 year old and forgetful gentleman knows. God awakened within me an assurance, relation and dialogue very much alive today.
Nor shall I forget that Church building, its
simplicity, isolation and loneliness on the edge of town. Its charm. 1 It would be many years later that I would have the privelege as a young man standing in the very same pulpit, the place of my youth.
Its very hard to get rid of us who are twice born, baptized, college educated, growing up near or in one of our church's parsonages to ever consider leaving the Naz Church. Once I considered it, turning over in my mind my own inability to nail down a sanctified experience that resonated with the felt assurance of my first. Three things kept me; Dr. M ildred Bangs-Wynkoop's "Theology of Love," an hour's interview with General Superintendant Greathouse 2, and a 60's iconic meme that God subtley changed, "bloom where I planted you." It helped that God spoke "Jesus people".
My experience of the CoTN over the years is that we are conserving, not fundamentalist. We take the Word of God seriously as the Prime source of faith alongside tradition, reason and experience to wit; A Prime minister of England is an equal among his/her fellow ministers, of state, but holds the executing function above all others. Inside a Biblically rooted vision is the awareness that all Scripture is not of equal value. For example, the rules of Leviticus are formational to the cultural/spiritual creation of Israel and indirectly us but they do not carry the same weight as the gospels. Our underestanding of inspiration is a creative tension, priortizing the Divine origin and the very human literary and cultural context into which God forms a people, reaching it's apex in Jesus of Nazareth, The Living Word.
Historically, like every institution, the American Naz Church has fluctuated between a conserving and expansive understanding of who we are. Toward the end of last century and into the 21st—largely the result of a world-wide movement away from Modern rationalism and toward Post-Modern experiential reasoning—there is a notable increasing distance between the academy and church, the young and the old. Deepening the chasm is the generational and urban/rural schism about the role of America as the axis of economy and power creating a stable world order (salvation) or alternatively, chaos resulting from unjust consumption of the earth's resources. All of these influences have combined with a pervasive Calvanism that focuses on personal, moral and eternal salvation instead of a restorative, cleansing and healing salvation that captures each and all of us, the earth and cosmos itself.
I was always skeptical when General leaders of the church tried to assure U.S. members that we Nazarene's are all the same, world over. I had already made the mistake when a new associate youth minister in Omaha, NE of suggesting to our fellow Naz pastors across the river in Council Bluffs, IA a combined Skating party. Not! I then discovered the actual source of our then strange Covenant of Christian Conduct (Special Rules) about 'mixed-bathing'. That refers to men and women, boys and girls swiming together in the same pool at the same time; not the other kind of mixed-bathing which I always thought should be reserved for married couples. No argument there. :)
Phineas Bresee wanted no Methodist Discipline or rules defining faith. At best such rules miss the point and at worst reduce faith from a dynamic in the Spirit to a distilled list of do's and don'ts. Yet the myriad of East Coast, Southern and Mid-west holiness people wanted something more to hang their hats on. Thus were born the "Articles," the "General Rules" and the "Special Rules". The "Articles of Faith' describe the essentials of what Nazarene's believe. The "General Rules" form a descriptive of a love-centric, holy life or character—living out what is essential; What we live into and avoid. Nothing to debate here, untill... (later). Finally the "Special Rules" were the conscience of the Church speaking into the cultural, social issues of the day. Now, here, there was plenty of debate, from the start and a constant re-writing or re-framing of them as both society and Nazarene's in society evolved.
Phineas Bresee's dictim held sway over the spirit of this new faith tradion. "“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; but in all thinigs, love.” From that flowed the polity or operating assumptions that I grew up in as a U.S. west coast Nazarene. They were:
"Articles of Faith" are the essentials of our faith.
"General Rules," now known as the "Covenant of Christian Character" were Biblical descriptives of what we Nazarene's should strive to become as we live out the essentials of our faith. No argument here, until... (later).
"Special Rules," now known as the "Covenant of Christian Conduct" were the Church's attempt to speak into the cultural norms of behavior, such as smoking, alchohol use, Entertainment, Abortion, Equality and Justice, Human Sexuality. The church admonished Nazarene's to live into these for the sake of our "social witness" and the 'strengthening of our individual and national lives.'
Until... Later
Until this most recent contraction around same-sex orientation and/or relations I would have said the CoTN is the one evangelcal (forgive me if your younger than 40) tradition well equiped to re-imagine and communicate the gospel in this post-modern age. The reason? ...What is most refreshing about our church is its open, dialoguing spirit over critical cultural, moral and theological morays alive in the larger cultures in which we live. It is the direct result of Phineas F Bresee's dna and the fresh winds of west coast, California breathing across the mid-west, where such winds can quickly become a tornado. Our world wide investment in liberal arts colleges and now universities assurred that whatever we become, an anacronism or caractature of an earlier frozen moment in time was not one of them. (Who knew that American colleges and universities would themselves become a carictature of what they once were as open spaces for reasoned discussion?) It was this creative tension of tradition and openess that formed a clear seperation between what was then called "The Articles of Faith," the "General Rules" on one hand and the "Special Rules" of the church on the other. And so, we've stumbled upon the real danger. It's not about LGBTQ+ but enforced "sameness" in a Church and world of diverse experience. It's about control. The current and greatest danger of this season is the unraveling of this open, big tent spirit of our birth and early years.
In 2013 the General Rules or Covenant of Christian Character had two words added to a Biblical descriptive of the kind of sexual behaviors to avoid: "such as premarital, extramarital, or same-sex relations; perversion in any form or looseness and impropriety of conduct ..." The purpose was to elevate from the conscience of the Church to it's constitutional and central descriptive the prohibition of sames sex behavior. It had the effect of requiring any future change to take not only 2/3rd vote of any General Assembly but a 2/3rd vote of all District Assemblies around the globe as well. And so, later began.
That one thing, this pointing of the finger, high-lighting same sex relations as unique—in a catagory all its own—was, for many a misuse and controlling addition to our Covenant of Christian Character. After all, we would never have said "pre-marital, extramarital, hetero-sexual relations; perversion in any form...etc." What this severly painful contraction led to was a spacious and profound new consensus in 2017 as the CoTN introduced and passed a comprehensive, beautifully reasoned statement within our Covenant of Christian Conduct (Special Rules) about human sexuality; explicity affirming that sames sex orientation was not of itself sin. The reaction to that expansive language has led to the current, new and historic departure from Phineas F Bresee's vision of a communion that would help to bring to Christendom and the world beyond a deeply restorative optimism of what the Trinity of God is doing in this world.
The Emerging Reality
In 2023 The General Superintendants affirmed that the Articles and Covenant of Christian Character and Covenant of Christian Conduct together form what is essential Naz belief. Beyond the theological questions it should raise is the truth that we have evolved to a new level of central and authoritarian leadership that replaces the first 100 years of respectful agreement that each ordained elder has equal standing, though certainly not equal responsability and the executive or judicial authority that flows from office. The result has been targeted disciplinary proceedures, including loss of ordination and in some cases excommunication that involves any publicly written, communicated departure of the CoTN's position on LGBTQ+ issues. It is my understanding that any departure, including publically affirming a need for change, from our currently stated position on the issue of human sexuality by clergy or academic credentialed ministers is grounds for discipline.
In whatever degree an individual member or clergy disagrees with the Church's current and contrasting vision and is thereby disciplined the trust in a communal bond of mutual love and respect will continue breaking. Like a cancerous disease it will eat away at our beloved Church long after future releasees are forgotten. If we continue down this path we are ever less than we were.
A Third Way
Personally, I'm to the left of where my Church is on this issue, but to the right of the Progressive positions laid out by some.3 Ultimately—in this season of contraction—none of our perceptions of same sex orientation or behavior matters if the generous spirit that assumes honest and open conversation is removed. That is exactly why the current wind in the church cannot be sustained. It runs counter to our own history and the Lord's historic church, when moving in the flow of The Spirit.
It is very possible that those who like myself take sexual orientation—when rooted in nature as inherently creational, even if the result of a fallen and imperfect world—may simply be wrong. Remember the wisdom of "Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin" advising his collegues when wrestling with Peter and John's confession of faith. “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men... in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God” ( Acts 5: 34, 35b, 38-39/ Story line in Acts 5: 17-41).
The dividing line between a healthy agenda and agenda's which carry the seeds of our Faith Tradition's decline is twofold; Those driven by fear instead of love or passion instead of compassion.
Passion verses Compassion
When we identify fully with LGBTQ+ 4, 5 or any cultural agenda, without critical thinking, we run the risk of loosing our best gift among the nations and peoples of the earth; Sacramental Presence. We may become passionate (for good reason) about an injustice to another sometimes forgetting the prime purpose of 'making human' that which has become a burden to some humans. Making human is inherently 'creational' and carries Divine purpose. It is always respectful, honoring every person, including those with whom we may not entirely or even hardly agree. It is potentially scandelous and easily mis-understood if others (sister and brothers of the Church or the culture) assume we hold the same agenda as those with whom we are called to embrace in non-judgmental acceptance, as we ourselves live in the same.
However, the defining discernment in all of our Presence and Action is the purposeful lack of human power, as a weapon we may use. It is not the Jesus way and when we, by power attempt to secure justice, we have forgotten that “though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NIV). But this Divine power thrives in "purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6: 6-7).
Fear verses Love
When it is the purity of the Church we are protecting the issue is identical. Speaking with love for Christ's body literally means I release from my control the opinion, value judgments of another; when simply exploring any 'Article of Faith' or 'Covenant of Christian Character or Conduct'. After all, I do not know the spiritual, moral or social context in which a pastor need function. Once I choose to judge my sister/brother elder and assume power and leverage over them, I have left Christ and usually find myself 'fear driven' and therefore unwilling to listen to or consider another's position. It is such a slippery slope to no good end.
3rd Way Forward
It is time that from within a movement of prayerful reason we engage one another in honest, Biblically rooted conversations of love; allowing Scripture as Prime, together with experience, reason and tradition to form and ask the very real questions we must face. There is no other way forward that allows us to remain a "Sacramental Presence" among all the peoples of the earth. How we do this matters.
I'm praying that God will raise up women and men, boys and girls who will:
Love the Church even when she6 is wrong, and;
Faithfully obey the Church where they can in good conscience and if they cannot, in love and respect disobey, all in plain sight, and;
Allow a renewal to germinate that understands that each position (conserving or inclusive) is deeply held, each finding their source in Biblical interpretation, applied to modern contexts.
Blessings! Terry :)
1 Note: See a recent visual devotional from a 1 day trip to the Magic Valley, Idaho. https://youtu.be/Ocj-AR6UiGE?si=ajqM2WbWvc9GH-Hl
2 Note: Invited by a friend to nterview Dr. Greathouse for the student newspaper , we both forgote" our purpose and entered an hour of theological discussion about every concern or critique of the Church's faith on our radar, in the mid-sixties Americana. All I know is I walked away thinking, 'well, if that is what the Church really believes, I can live inside that vision."
3 A Personal Note regarding "I'm to the left of where my Church is on this issue, but to the right of the Progressive positions laid out by some". As one who lost his credentials for cause and is in a good, healthy and restored relation as a son of the Church, I'm keenly aware that I likely will not find a way back via restoration; based on what I have written in the past and am writing here and now. God willing, I will try.
4 Note: This is often what happens when we on the political right assume our feelings for the salvation of our nation is comensurate with our Christian mission. A lesser, though legitimate love of country becomes a primary motivation instead of love for Jesus; the result being passion instead of compassion.
5 Note: My concern is pastoral, entering in fully to the questions my sisters and brothers with same-sex orientation have, increasingly aware that I could not unless or untill I asked and explored their questions as I would for any hetero-sexual. Even so, the nature and breadth of conversations differ from letter to letter in the LGBTQ+ world. I have never seen myself as Alphabet affirming, only person affirming.
6 Note: Some will object to call the Church "she". I am reminded that is how Jeus himself called The Church, his Church, his bride.
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