I haven’t written much about my own faith in this blog. In part that comes from me being respectful of the diversity of readers out there, but it also arises from my own lack of experience and uncomfortability in speaking about my faith and an awkwardness in doing so in our multicultural, largely secular culture. To speak about Christianity is to broach a fraught subject; it also means using a discourse that has often been misused, one that many people cannot listen to without hearing chords of self-righteous judgment and even bigotry.

I grew up in a family that didn’t speak much about faith. We attended a Methodist church, and I was a believer until my teen years, when my intellectual curiosity led me to lose my faith. I did not regain it until my late twenties, and I generally do not speak much about it outside of my church.

Well, I’ll be more open about my faith in this post and write briefly about my experience last weekend, when I attended a retreat that I and other members of the United Methodist Church of Northfield helped to organize. It was led by John P. Cock, a teacher, writer, blogger, and retired Methodist minister.

The lead organizers of the retreat had participated in similar retreats or seminars in the past, organized under the Ecumenical Institute, a group associated with the Institute of Cultural Affairs. I remain largely ignorant about the history of these groups, but I gather that from the 1950’s on they were a kind of force for spiritual rejuvenation. They were advocates for examining the faith from contemporary perspectives, and they played an important role in many people’s faith journeys.

This contemporary approach to Christian theology was evident in the readings for our weekend - essays from four German writers of the early and mid-twentieth century: Rudolf Bultmann, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and H. Richard Niebuhr. I won’t go into detail about the ideas expressed, but I will say that I was particularly appreciative of the ideas on grace expressed by Paul Tillich. We also did a group exercise on grace that forever changed my view of that aspect of God’s promise to us. God’s grace, I saw, is always present, always available, always forgiving, always inviting us to love others and the world. It is, as we wrote in our group, “a profound experience, a time of seeing what is true and accepting the love of God and others; it brings growth and transformation and connects us with something greater.” God’s grace, I also learned, has been with me throughout my life, whether I recognized it or not.

Not everyone in the weekend liked the theology presented to us; some knowledgeable people saw it as unorthodox. I respect their views, and I lack the knowledge to really critique either side. However, I don’t feel that the things I’m taking away from this weekend will undermine my faith or dilute it or lead it astray. Instead I feel a calm assurance that the Holy Spirit is working in the world, guiding us as we inquire into the nature of our lives and beliefs.

I also appreciated John Cock’s emphasis on care for the earth. Readers of this blog know that is important to me. One of the symbols displayed over the weekend was a simple picture of planet earth on a blue background. John mentioned his appreciation of Thomas Berry’s ideas on spirituality and the environment, and I hope to learn more about this influential Catholic priest.

Those interested in learning more about John Cock can read his excellent blog, Journey Reflection, which makes wonderful use of pictures. See also his many books.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2007 at 12:15 pm and is filed under Environment and Ecology, Northfield, Religion.