Lent Question: Literal Faith

We received the following question in our Lenten Question Box, which Rev. Phillip answers below:

“I have been a Christian most of my life. But over the years I’ve had a harder and harder time reconciling a loving God with the horrors that were and continue to be enacted in the name of Jesus — be it historical violence like the Crusades / Inquisitions, or the present-day anti-LGBTQIA and white supremacy gospel of hate preached by ‘Christian fundamentalists’. I’ve also come to a point where I don’t believe literally in a lot of the historical claims of the Bible, like the Immaculate Conception. In an increasingly polarized religious landscape, where liberal and progressive Christian voices are dwindling, I don’t know if there is a place for me anymore. What would you say to someone like me? Do I need literal faith to be a Christian? How do I reconcile all of this?”

“Do I need literal faith to be a Christian?” My short answer is no, you do not need literal faith to be a Christian. This is another wonderful question because it invites us to think about our lives of faith. I would argue that most of us have asked this question, or one similar to it, at some point in our lives. We’ve probably also asked a host of other questions, too: Why does the Bible contradict itself? What if the Resurrection didn’t really happen? Was the whole world really covered by a flood? I absolutely love it when I hear the faithful (I’m using that word intentionally here) ask these questions. I love it because asking those questions is in and of itself an act of faith. Our faith isn’t meant to be static; Faith is meant to be a living, breathing, ever-changing, and ever-growing relationship with God. As someone who works with relationships day in and day out as a therapist, I can assure you that questions are healthy. Questions are indicative of curiosity, wonder, and care for those we ask questions of. Questions show that we want to know more. When asked of scripture, questions help us to grow closer to one another and to God.

“What would you say to someone like me?” I’d say that you are asking the right questions! Our Episcopal practices are rooted in asking questions to better understand God. I invite you to read about The Three Legged Stool. In our particular branch of Christianity, we hold scripture, tradition, and reason together. We acknowledge that each of these alone isn’t enough. But, held together, they inform one another and help us to better understand God and our lives of faith. Scripture is our primary source of understanding God, especially through the life of Jesus. But, because God can’t be contained in the words of the Bible, we need our lived experiences and the lived experiences of those before us for better understanding. Each Sunday we say the words of the Nicene Creed together. These words have formed Christians throughout history, and they have given us a foundation upon which we can build our own lives of faith — through shared language and understanding. We are undoubtedly informed by those who have gone before us each time we say those words together. In addition, we have our own lived experiences. We have reason, our own understanding, which has been given to us as a gift from God. Through our lived experience and understanding, we can better build on the tradition of our faith and more fully understand scripture. Given that each of us have different lived experiences, our understanding, although similar, will generally differ in some ways when we answer questions about God and our faith. Which brings me to the final question that was shared for us to answer.

“How do I reconcile all of this?” We do this through the via media. None of us is an expert on God — only God can understand Godself fully. Sadly, Christians throughout history have surely tried to claim exclusive expertise about God. But God is so much greater than anything we can fully comprehend, even with our Three Legged Stool. That’s why we need one another. That’s why we need the Church. Together, we are offered an opportunity to share our experiences and understandings of God and to hear the experiences and understandings of others. Together, we get a fuller understanding of God.

As the greater question in this post points out, literalism has done great harm to many of God’s beloved people. Even though that harm has been done in the name of God, it is not of God. I say this because it has not demonstrated love. As our Presiding Bishop Curry reminds us often, “if it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” As one body, we the Church, can live into being God’s Kingdom of beloved questioners and demonstrate God’s love to all those harmed by the Church. Together, we can welcome in all who have questions and all those curious to know God more fully. And, we can keep asking the questions that strengthen our lives of faith as we learn from one another.

— Rev. Phillip