Old White Men's Theology is Running for Cover
The resignation of a prominent black pastor from a Southern Baptist Convention seminary and his pulling his large church from the SBC is like a thunderbolt. The SBC has been falling all over itself trying to attack black members and congregations. His action was in response to SBC Seminary President's statement condemning "critical race theory and intersectionality."
The Seminary Presidents are frightened of critical race theory and intersectionality. These latter include intellectual thought that taps the bottom to bring down a house of cards. It has potential to hit the cards of other conservative Protestant denominations as well as Catholics.
This starts with critical thinking, looking behind what groups or individuals do or say and being skeptical of why they are doing and saying these things. When a company says it is selling product X to help you, critical thinking would ask what's in it for the company.
Christian sources of Bible study tell us the Bible was written of guided by God. Critical Biblical literature study looks for the motives of those humans who wrote the Bible.
The SBC was a pro slavery/segregation Christian denomination. It now wants people to believe this was because earlier members read the Bible incorrectly. They apologize, it was just a mistake. What they do not want anyone to believe is that slavery/segregation was a reflection of cultural values at the time and those in turn determined what the denomination believed the Bible to mean. Saying it was all a mistake preserves the "holy word." Admitting is was due to the influence of culture at the time opens the floodgates to most everything else the denomination believes. If it comes from the culture it does not come from "God's word."
Staring Old White Men's Theology right in the face is the prohibition of women as clergy. The smallest critical analysis would send it packing. It reflects the power of human males in the culture, not a god.
Gay marriage is another one. That the scorn for gay marriage came from our culture and not from the Bible is inevitable in critical study of the Bible. The same with a fertilized cell being a human being.
The SBC, Catholic Church, conservative Lutherans and all the rest cannot allow critical analysis of race or everything else. To allow critical analysis out of the cage is to be consumed by it.
Jon; Your conflating my church with those who approved of slavery is rejecting honest "critical analysis". It is just not historically true. In fact, my church had not yet even been established by immigrants escaping the political church unionizing demands of the Prussian Union until just before the start of the Civil War. Also for your edification, It is documented the first President of Synod was approached to join the pro-slavery movement, (a political movement), WHICH WAS SOUNDLY REJECTED !
ReplyDeletehelper--"...is just not historically true."
DeletePlenty of denominations came after the Civil War. My childhood denomination, Swedish Mission Covenant was, I think, after 1850 in Sweden and then came here.
The same rule applies to all. Their ideas and notions came from ideas and notions in the culture. Let me guess about yours. Men ruled the roost outside of church. There are no women allowed as clergy.
"Ruled the roost outside of church". A secular concept. In fact, women co-rule the roost, both in the kitchen and in voting, in and out of the church.
DeleteWe have Deacons and Deaconesses, both divinely called positions, each complementing the other.
Re. 'ideas and notions in the culture" Jon; if you had done your homework, you would have discovered that while slavery was a practiced idea and notion in the culture of the US, It was not from our earliest documentation.
DeleteIn addition to your slavery issue, which we consider a secular ( of state not church and the separation there of,) matter, your other hot buttons of legalizing abortion, and legalizing all LGBTQ issues are equally secular, (state), not church.
DeleteIf you remember; "The proper distinction between church (sacred) and state.(secular).
We as an institution do not force the sacred on the secular, or visa versa.
Jon; I note you avoided your conflation with those who were pro slavery, and who used the Bible to justify it, which we did not from the very start.
Deletehelper re: Deacons and Deaconesses, both divinely called positions..."
ReplyDeleteYes, I was a Deacon in the Presbyterian church and understand it to be a position somewhat like clergy.
Thank you for all the responses, but they miss the point that religions are born in their cultures, not the other way around. I am reading a book by a scholar who did various research projects like this: She took one denomination that is large enough to have churches all around the world. In one specific study, she spent several months in one church on each of three continents. Then she did long interviews with a couple dozen worshipers. She learned that when they "heard" God speak to them, it came from different places and sounded different. When received messages from God the messages came in altogether different ways. In the U.S. scripture jumped out to them--that was God. In Asia it was things friends told them. In Africa it was signs of demons.
I may write in more detail but the point is God is not was created differently in each culture. There seems to be more understanding of this and it seems, to me at least, inevitable it will affect many branches of the faith.
Throw in regional "custom" to the mix. Taking the contexts (plural) of your example, I am sure the church group (singular) you mention, and the "when God speaks to them" from different customs and cultures, is a prime example of a church / denomination that is non-liturgical, and non creedal.(There are many.) The result of that can vary from county to county even in the US. The liturgy and the Creeds are a norming norm. Whether you have oysters, lutefisk, ham, turkey or goat for Christmas is an expected. variable. If my food talks to me before I eat it, I'd run. If my pastor says; "God told me", I'd run like hell.
DeleteJon: "Old White Men's Theology is Running for Cover"
ReplyDeleteYou should recall your old friend's comment from the Grand Forks Red River Valley Freethinkers on your old blog. To paraphrase, "Atheists are a bunch of old white men anymore." I suppose with that reality, might as well beat up on some of the Christian denominations. Make a distraction. Kind of like "Trump.....Russia, Russia, Russia collusion" for four years all the while the accusers are figuratively and literally in bed with the communists.
Henry "You should recall..."
DeleteI don't remember that but no doubt you are correct. In Red River Freethinkers there were more men than women and more retired than still working. Today, however, when I visit atheist web sites featuring bloggers it seems like there are as many women as men. They are mostly young people.
That said, I don't see atheism growing as fast as simply disinterest in religion, especially Christianity. As leaving the faith becomes more common I don't think people see a need for calling themselves "atheists" because they are not interested in putting themselves in categories of what we can call "the inner life." They no doubt have inner lives but going to gatherings, like church, to discuss them is strange.
It is fun to speculate on the voting numbers of "suburban women" in the recent election. It seems like just an extension of more women elected to political positions. Maybe we'll see changes in denominations now run by "old white men."
It is interesting watching the democrats "claim" the suburban women. I suppose they may be right. Undoubtedly, they were the ones voting 100% for Biden, in thick stacks of Zeroxed ballots with only the presidential oval filled in and the same signature on all of the ballot envelopes. Definitely got their vote counted. Meanwhile, right now, in the background is some old, white, sweaty, thick, hairy man (think of a Michael Moore type) plotting the next election on behalf of the suburban women.
DeleteHenry "only the presidential oval filled in.."
DeleteThere were no such ballots with only Trump filled in?? A report on this would be helpful. Betcha there were a lot. Every Presidential election the turnout is higher than off year elections and many voters do not fill in votes down ballot.
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DeleteNot much data on the Trump only ballots. The Biden folks just say trust the excessive votes well beyond number of registered voters, etc, so they do not feed us much exculpatory evidence. There is much data on the Biden only ballots on Xeroxed ballots with too numerous to count duplicated signatures on ballot envelopes. There is even some news trickling in on the John Roberts visited Epstein Island and how it affects the independence of the SCOTUS, and explains some strange goings on at the national courthouse. Jon, you have to hand it to yourself. Your little blog here has been cutting edge. Information about this Epstein mess was available on your old blog several years ago. I am afraid this Epstein mess now is interfering with how the law is being applied and will blow up. These guys are fighting harder than a Northern Pike. Breyer and Roberts....are you ready to leave so we can reel this mess in?
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