Learning from Europe

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

This familiar passage is a favorite of mine and one that I believe reminds all Christians of our responsibility towards God must be and the imagination that will guide us back to the faithful ministry we have seemingly lost in our world today.

As we walk around Edinburgh, one cannot help but notice the number of old, old churches that have been closed and are now cafes, cultural centers, museums, or shuttered closed, falling down upon their foundation. As we travel throughout Scotland, we have taken pictures of beautiful chapels in such places as Stirling Castle or the royal palace in the Scottish region of Fife, in the royal regent of Falkland. Long ago, the battles between State and religion took their toll on the churches of Scotland and throughout Europe and now the ancient, beautiful churches and chapels of the early times are but a skeleton of themselves. I feel the sadness, the emptiness, and the checkered history of a once powerful presence in our world and amid the ruins and the ashes, I look for the phoenix that can rise out of the dust of its history and be a witness to the purer, more loving image of God. As I visit such sacred places, I wonder what does this say for America's churches? Are our churches on a similar path? How long will it be before our churches are but rubble and ruins? Could we learn from the churches of Europe that have long ago lost their focus and now sell churches to museums and cafes? Could Europe's churches be an omen for our American churches or is their a silver lining, a phoenix that will rise from the dust of time?

In my time in Scotland, I have talked to many people of all ages who are passionate about social justice, Eco-justice, sustainable living, and caring for the world and its people. Those whom I have talked to will not call themselves Christians. They believe they are spiritual and are looking for ways to practice what they believe. How this will happen and what shape it will take is part of the mystery in this moment when Christianity as we have known it is at a critical crossroad that the European churches found themselves a generation ago.

Having built beautiful and glorious churches, cathedrals, abbeys and other relics of Christianity, Europe is finding itself in the unfortunate position of seeing their buildings collapse and with it, new believers who have found the back door more appealing than practicing a faith that has lost its vision to be a lighthouse for the marginal and the least of these, to be a practicing community of hospitality and grace, and to be a ministry that chooses to put their wealth in people rather than buildings. It is in this context that share my thoughts in this blog today.

In 1910, the Scottish Church convened the first World Missionary Conference to talk about mission, unity, and the possibility of churches working together in common efforts of serving the needs of the world. What was different about this conference was that the focus was not so much on the politics, policy, doctrine, and theology that separated the churches of the world, but it was a conference that sought ways to work together beginning the Ecumenical Movement. At that time, every church of every persuasion was present at this conference in Glasgow – 4000 members of Christian churches were present. This was a time of hope and optimism, a time of unity and possibility. What does the Lord require of us? The Lord requires us to walk humbly with God.

We arrived in Edinburgh at the end of a gay pride parade. There were lots of rainbow flags, pink sweaters, shirts, hats, and scarves throughout the city. Besides the excitement of World Cup tournaments being played in South Africa, the bars and restaurants were filled with happy people just enjoying the day and one another. There was an international feel around the city as groups of people, speaking their own languages, shared their excitement about football and great parade celebrating humanity and all of its diversity. As for me it felt like a day filled with human goodness, kindness and possibility. What does the Lord require of us? The Lord requires us to do justice.

Carly and I worshiped last Sunday at the St. Giles Cathedral, the mother church of Presbyterianism. It wasn't what we expected, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It seems that the service at St. Giles Cathedral was an ecumenical and community celebration of the Centennial of the Pleasance Life-house, a shelter for homeless men started and begun by the Salvation Army. What was so amazing about this celebration is that Catholics and Presbyterians, Lutherans and Civic leaders had come together with the Salvation Army to celebrate this ministry -- an important reminder that ministry to the marginal and least is not the duty or responsibility of particular denominations, but the duty and responsibility of all who claim the Christian faith. What does the Lord require of us? The Lord requires us to love mercy.

And so I babble on looking at the decline of our American churches through the eyes of the European churches and the international people I have talked to about the Christian faith. In so many ways the American churches have followed in the ways of Europe. For a generation now, European churches are a skeleton of what they once were and what they are learning is that their work is not done. Yes, their bloody history, their magnificent buildings, their control over the lives of thousands, perhaps millions of people is no longer, but they are beginning to see new possibilities in common mission and ecumenism that is no longer limited just to Christian denominations, but also to other religions that also have a vested interest in healthy communities, healthy people, and healthy spirituality. Micah reminds us of our responsibilities of being a follower of a creative and evolving God that calls us back to the foundational values of a mono-theistic and charitable God. The question we must answer is how can Europe help us to be the people Jesus would want us to be? I wonder.