The Truth is Out There

 

(Hubble space images)

Many of us remember The X Files TV series and the relentless pursuit of UFOs, alien interventions, life “out there” somewhere in space, as well as other paranormal phenomena. Each week saw another development in the blurring of lines between the seen and the unseen; the credible and downright unbelievable. However much the show entertained, it also enlightened us to the possibility, at least, that all is not as it seems. And, of course, the ubiquitous strapline – “The Truth is Out There.”

For hundreds of thousands – a few million people, in fact – the truth is indeed somewhere “out there” because it is increasingly clear that it is not so much in the Church (of any denomination or, supposedly, none) nor in the words, behaviour and lives of so many people. And I am not talking about “non-believers” here, but hitherto Bible-believing, doctrine-dogmatic, Church-is-my-life people. Disenchantment, disappointment, and dismay are the more common reactions to church life and teaching as religious systems, in-grown institutionalism and even physical, sexual, spiritual, and emotional abuse have dogged not only the dog-collared but all “brands” of professional, privileged, often patriarchal, and power-obsessed ministers from pastors to priests and every narcissistic, “charismatic” chancer in between.

We have seen a phenomenon that has grown through the twentieth - and into the twenty-first – century that has been labelled “Emergence Christianity” as mainstream denominations and multiple other forms of organised or disorganised churches try to find meaning, relevance, and sustainability in a post-modern world. To get the widest view of this evolution in faith-expressions, I highly recommend reading Emergence Christianity and The Great Emergence both by Phyllis Tickle, as well as Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held-Evans, A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren (and many other books that followed), Christianity For the Rest of Us, Christianity After Religion and Freeing Jesus (among others) by Diana Butler-Bass. These all explore and explain the vast Exodus from organised church structures and institutions and the kinds of form and format that are replacing them. I suppose the great Outlier would be what Frank Viola is advocating and calls Organic Church with a passionate (and possibly prophetic) exhortation to return to the patterns of the Early Church as described in Acts of The Apostles and the Epistles of Paul, Peter, John, and James. (Viola’s output is prolific and includes Pagan Christianity, Reimagining Church, Insurgence and Organic Church Planting as well as numerous other books, blogs and podcasts you can check through FrankViola.com and FrankViola.org

But this is a dilemma, isn’t it? What to do when you can’t, any longer, “toe the line” with received, institutional religion, exploitative Evangelical Fundamentalism, or the crass, superficial pop-Christianity for sale at so many corner-shop Churches? And don’t get me started on “Prosperity Gospel” (which is no gospel) mega-churches! For many, the solution is being found online by logging into streamed services from particular churches or teachers that speak to, and uplift and feed you, or by listening to some of the burgeoning panoply of podcasts now available.

Online, I have access to speakers, groups, Zoom conferences, Facebook pages, discussions and debates, magazines and academic research papers, live worship, inter-active prayer groups and so much more! It does mean that I get to hear/read about healthy and hopeful teaching and practice – that there are “7,000 who have not bowed the knee” to the Baals of religiosity, fundamentalism, institutionalism, and dogmatism.

It is still a cause of deep sadness to me that there is no church/assembly/community anywhere near where I live that is kenotic and living out koinonia community church. I read of many hopeful signs in the USA, Australia and Africa and connect virtually with some of them. But to not be able to safely join in church, locally, without some sort of compromise is a sign of the state of things here in the UK, anyway. (I know some healthy and truly Gospel-motivated church communities in London, Bath, and Edinburgh, for example. So, signs of hope!)

Diana Butler-Bass has noted a return to inherited church such as the Episcopalian church in the US. Phyllis Tickle also noted that a significant number of so-called “Emergence Christians” were re-discovering liturgical and mystical Christianity. My situation has become so bizarre that I am now following a clear inspiration of Holy Spirit to go down the path towards Lay Ministry - or even ordination - in the Church of England (Anglican) community. I attend our local C of E and an "Angli-mergent" (as Phyllis Tickle has dubbed them) church in the next village which combines liturgical and “charismatic” styles of worship. They also do a Coffee-Bible Study-Prayer–Holy Communion combo on Wednesday mornings! I am quite wary though as many of those involved are definitely not re-constructed followers of Jesus.

So, to be “fed” in any meaningful way I have to go online. Cyber-church is now a “thing” and cannot be disregarded or despised. According to what few statistics were available at the time, it was thought back in 2007 that by 2010 as many as 20 million Americans would be engaged in some form of Cyber-church activity. Worldwide, the numbers are even more impressive.

The Covid-19 pandemic led to a huge rise in online worship and teaching habits across the globe and the technology obviously was timely insofar as enabling faith practices to continue, even as we were forcibly isolated. “Virtual” life and “real” life are now closely connected, however, with the physical and virtual experience being “normal” to us these days. Useful though this may be, we are social beings and need physical presence and bodily experience, no more so than in corporate worship, prayer, and discipleship.

I suppose we find ourselves in fairly uncharted territory. In the absence of corporeal church commitment and community, compromises are having to be made if we are not to find ourselves totally adrift. But if we are aware of the enormity of God’s love and grace; those who are in a living and loving relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Mother, will know the truth experientially - for the truth is inside us and will liberate us. The truth may be “out there” in Cyberspace for us to engage with if we cannot see and hear it through flesh and blood fellowship. Either way, though, it is the Truth inside every one of us that calls us, guides and grows us: Christ in you and me, the hope (assurance) of glory! “For in God, we all live, and move, and have our being.”

Grace and peace; go well, Wayfarers!