The Reluctant Prophet: A Theology of Presence
“Is Jesus Christ at the center of your life and beliefs?”
Photo by Brecht Corbeel@brechtcorbeel
This was the question posted by one of my readers in response to my invitation to ask questions and ponder the potential legacy of the Christian tradition. While I do not know the assumptions behind the question, it is the same question that I often heard from people within the church as I wrote about emerging spiritual expressions, practices and communities. Sometimes the question came from people who appreciated me as a person and pastor and were truly curious about how I balanced my Christian faith with emerging spiritualities. Others were not so kind—dismissing any “coloring outside the lines” as invalid if it wasn’t rooted in Jesus language.
I do know the answer to this question. It is an empathic yes. Jesus Christ is at the center of my life, but probably not in the way that most church people would like to hear it. This is the reason I I talk about often feeling like I live a double life. Even affirming that my life is centered in Jesus Christ is too much for many of my readers and contemporaries whose spirituality is outside the traditional forms of Christianity. On the other hand, giving a qualified answer such as, “Yes, but…” is too much for those comfortably within the boundaries of the church.
Photo by Jon Tyson@jontyson
The truth is, however, my answer is a “Yes, but…” Jesus iS at the center of my life, but not in the form of praise or worship or belief. For me Jesus is at the center because I have decided that the most authentic, faithful, hopeful and healing way that I can show up in the world is to try to show up in the same way Jesus did.
I actually learned this during college from my history professor. Dr. Berger was deeply Jewish, but he also liked to say, “I really like that Jesus character.” Dr. Berger didn’t believe in Jesus. He had no interest in being saved by Jesus. He definitely didn’t call himself a Christian. But what he did do was show up on campus in the same way that Jesus showed up in people’s lives 2000 years ago. The simplest way to put this was that Dr. Berger’s only interest in Christianity was Jesus’ character and he made that the center of his life.
One of the things that struck me about Jesus in my reading of the gospels is that Jesus had a way of simply accepting people where they were at and then offering a taste of God depending on what their lives and souls most needed. Because of that he showed up as a healer, a teacher, a reprimander, a comforter, a truth-teller, and a human embodiment of God’s character.
Photo by Brett Jordan@brettjordan
It is from this reading of Jesus’s life that I began to practice what I call a “theology of presence.” This is important. In seminary I was taught and trained to present Reformed Theology, the particular theology of Presbyterian churches. But my contact with people was not limited just to Presbyterians. I worked as a juvenile probation officer, grief counselor, foster care director and chaplain at an assisted living facility. I wasn’t comfortable having one theology in the church and another theology in all of my other work.
It was from this need and desire to embody one consistent theology that led me to the adoption of a “theology of presence.” What exactly is that? It is simple. I am learning to accept people just as they are with their own values, beliefs, practices and character. My role is not to convince anybody of anything, but to meet people where they are at providing what their lives and souls most need. Said another way, my role is not to convince people of God, but to embody the character of God as best as this limited, fallible human being can do.
It is this “theology of presence” that has allowed me to be fully present and fully myself in a whole host of diverse communities, including
Helping found a Unitarian Universalist congregation in California
Being a regular participant in an online Daoist community
Facilitating a Movies and Meaning group that brought people together from a variety of religious, philosophical and spiritual perspectives
Teaching Joseph Campbell’s “The Power of Myth”
Leading an Earth Church that combined readings from the mystics and poets before embarking on hiking meditations
Providing a spiritual presence to various individuals as a chaplain, probation officer and grief counselor.
Serving a total of eight Presbyterian churches whose theology ranged from conservative to progressive and whose styles were both evangelical and traditional.
“Is Jesus Christ at the center of my life” was the question. Yes, but does it really matter as long I show up in a way that is healing, liberating, and loving for you?
Question for the Dialogue:
How does my response strike you? How would you answer this same question, “Is Jesus Christ at the center of your life and beliefs?” Why or why not?