How then Shall We Live?

We reconvened Saturday evening for one further presentation/discussion starter. Anthony Bailey, of Parkdale United Church, Ottawa began with a tale of un-building, encouraging us to consider what we need to unlearn and undo within our understanding and our living.

Much like our small-group discussion earlier in the day, he pointed to the tokenism inherent in inclusivity and suggested true relationships risk being changed by the encounter. He referred to the Queen's Alumni Conference that I attended last month as he spoke of identifying the contemporary context of being "spiritual, not religious" and of an underlying moralistic, therapeutic deism (do-good, feel-good, belief in God and heaven) in our culture and among our youth.

Anthony also stated true justice requires us to judge; though we in United Church circles are wary of biblical and moral judgment, especially in light of George W. Bush's Christianity that claims and condemns with absolute impunity. To discern and determine what is right and holy and good, we need to judge, admittedly imperfectly at times, but that is required by our faith. To renounce power, in the way Christ did, requires community to hold us accountable.

The question put to us for dialogue is: What significant personal examples of unlearning or unbuilding have you experienced in life, and what are you discerning God's Spirit calling The United Church of Canada to unlearn or unbuild?