Following are some thoughts by J. Todd Billings from Western Theological Seminary he shared last week on Facebook that I found thought provoking.
Here are some deeply imperfect, “in-process” reflection about the impact of what sometimes goes under the heading of “polarization” in our culture today.
As my friend James K.A. Smith has pointed out repeatedly, all of us are formed by various “liturgies” in our culture, reshaping our desires, guiding our attention in certain directions (and simultaneously bringing them away from others).
I find it interesting that in articles shared on social media, and the news cycles according to MSNBC and Fox News, the central focus is not on the positive convictions and/or internal challenges within the outlooks that the platforms ostensibly prefer, it’s upon the “enemies:” What gets the most attention are instances where the opposing tribe appears hypocritical, pathetic, obviously ridiculous.
Focusing on what we are AGAINST rather than what we are FOR can easily become our mode of operation. Conveniently, it is much more comfortable than having to deal with the complex and ambiguous realities of life, and at the very real possibility that our certainties are misplaced. Indeed, I’m not sure of a time within my lifetime that cultural forces on the “left” and the “right” have been such a perfect mirror image of one another in their hermeneutic of suspicion: “the ideological enemy is filled with fear, acting to gain or maintain their control and power. Compromise, even connection with people of the opposing side, contaminates us with the evil.”
Yet the irony is that in this process, each group becomes blinded to their OWN fears, their own mortal limits, their own blind spots, their own brokenness. It forces us to buy into quite serious cognitive distortions (such as “all or nothing” or “either-or” thinking) about matters of complexity. Whatever else one says about polarization, it is an acid that corrodes both empathy and serious thoughtful reflection. We were not designed by God to be this way.
Some will object to my observations here, saying that they suggest that the ideological left and right are equally complicit, equally self-serving. I suggest nothing of the sort. I make no claims about “equally,” and quite honestly, I’m not sure what that would mean.
But it does seem clear to me that we can’t get out of this mess by simply doubling down on the assumption that “our tribe is right,” and the other is a danger to civilization. Maybe our tribe is 90% right on the issues in question, or even 99% right, whatever that would mean. But I sense that thinking which is fundamentally REACTIVE to our ideological enemy will always be superficial, instantiations of cognitive distortions, self-soothing stories that turn the face of the other into something less than the mysterious and wondrous and broken and fallen creatures that we are.
There is so much in his comments worth considering. I particularly think it is helpful to think about what we are for, rather than what we oppose. At Zion, we are for:
1. Belonging: creating spaces where we can both know others and be known.
2. Authenticity: being real and giving people permission to be themselves and make mistakes.
3. Next Steps: encouraging people to take the next step in their personal spiritual journey with Jesus, in serving our world, and becoming the leader God has created them to be.
4. Good Neighbors: opening our building and facilities to the community, investing in ministries to meet the needs of our neighbors, and seeking the justice of God where God has planted us in our schools, workplaces, and neighborhood.
5. Multiplication: designing ministries to be simple and replicable by anyone and everyone. We see true growth not in growing big, but in planting more seeds that bear a harvest in disciples, groups, ministries, and churches.
What are you for?
– Greg
PS – Instantiations is an actual word.I had never seen it before until this post. So I looked it up in the a dictionary. It means: the representation of an abstraction by a concrete example. Now I just need to find a time and place when I can use this new fancy word. 🙂
Connect to God
This Sunday we will gather in indoors and in person at 9:30 am. The indoor service will be live-streamed at 9:30 and replayed again at 11. You can find the services either on our Facebook page or at zionreformed.online.church. We will also rebroadcast a version of the service on WCET at noon on Friday and 4pm next Sunday.
Churches are not places of model behavior. They have as many people struggling with sin, pain, and brokenness as those outside of church. Rather than being perfectly healthy communities, church is the place we can go to acknowledge, face, and deal with our brokenness. The book of James confronts the conflicts, tensions, and mess of church life head on. This week, we begin our study of James as we consider how broken people can better live in hope through the difficulties of life.
Grow in Community
Please keep Rog and Teresa Beute in your prayers as Rog suffered a stroke early Wednesday morning while in the hospital. He is currently recovering in the ICU as they wait to determine how much physical therapy may be necessary. Prayers for peace, patience, and perseverance during this time are great appreciated.
We will be kicking off our education year on September 12 with a bit of a party after church. Lunch will be catered by Brann’s. There will be a bounce house and other games for kids. Threads will hold an open house for everyone to see their space and learn more about this new ministry at Zion. Because the food will be catered, we are asking people to sign up ahead o fit if they plan to attend. (Obviously, we would never turn anyone away from a meal! But signing up will help us plan for the day.) You can sign up here.
Nursery training for adult & teen volunteers will be at after worship on Sunday, Sept. 19. This training will include a “Keeping Kids Safe” portion, which is required for all adults 18 yrs. old and above, prior to serving with children.
On September 19 and 26, we will be holding informational meetings at 6 pm about the Reformed Church in America’s upcoming General Synod meeting, our annual national assembly). The first week we will talk about how we decide things in our denomination and the second week we will focus on the specific issues before Synod this year. You can learn more about General Synod here.
We are reading through the New Testament over the next year as a congregation. The reading schedule for this coming week is below:
9/6 Monday Titus 1
9/7 Tuesday Titus 2
9/8 Wednesday Titus 3
9/9 Thursday Philemon
9/10 Friday Hebrews 1
You can also find the reading schedule on our website under the Ministries tab.
Serve the World
Thank you for all of your donations to Threads thus far! The first shopping day for Threads families will be on Tuesday, September 14. At this time we are in need of:
new and gently used clothing / shoes for girls and boys sizes infant through teen.
New underwear for boys (all sizes)
New underwear for men (all sizes)
Monetary donations are always welcome to purchase these needs.
If you need help, either with food, personal care items, help grocery shopping, or with financial needs, please contact Jerrod Holzgen, our chair of deacons, and he can help connect you with the appropriate resources at Zion. His e-mail is Jholzgen@yahoo.com and his phone number is 616-520-1771.
Administration
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Budget: $145,733.51
Fiscal Year 2021/22 Contributions: $89,464.81
Giving Last Week: $7,770.26
Bathroom Building Fund (total given): $127,539.00
