Early Church

"To [look at the stories of the Latin, Greek and Slavic Churches] is a necessary reminder of the sheer variety of Christianity from its earliest days: a vital lesson to learn for modern Christians who wish to impose a uniformity on Christian belief and practice which has never in fact existed."

— Diarmaid MacCulloch, from Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (176-177)

The Sermon Writing Process

The sermon writing process. #myccsm #seminary #internship #liberation

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 24, 2015 at 11:45am PDT

Schism

"North Africa and Rome agreed to differ on the issue of baptism, the North Africans saying that valid baptism could only take place within the Christian community which is the Church, the Romans saying that the sacrament belonged to Christ, not to the Church, and that therefore it was valid whoever performed it if it was done in the right form and with the right intentions."

—

Diarmaid MacCulloch

Anyone who claims that their church has been doing things the same way since the crucifixion is delusional.  People were fighting over how to do things from the very beginning.

Drive Thru Church

First Day Robing Up

So this past Sunday was my first Sunday in a robe.  It's a borrowed robe, because I don't yet have one, but it felt special and terrifying.  Wearing a robe made me more nervous and more self-conscious.  I will probably get used to it, but I think in the long run, it's probably a good thing.  An over-confident minister is a bad minister.

Robed up for the first time today. Took a normal picture, too, but that's no fun. #seminary #myccsm

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 21, 2015 at 4:41pm PDT

Eucharist

In my personal relationship to ritual, religious practice, and thought, I appreciate words and acts that can be tied to the early Christian movement and the ministry of Jesus because it provides me an emotional connection to both Christ and Christians throughout time and space.  Words from the Didache (“As this broken bread was scattered over the mountains, and when brought together became one, so let your Church be brought together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom” (Duck, 187, quoting the Didache)) would be useful in both communicating these ideas and referencing a document from a very early point in the Christian movement.  Since it might make sense, from this theological standpoint, to sometimes use prayers from early Christian documents, it would perhaps also make sense to give a small history of the document used (ie: “The Didache is a document from a Christian community in Syria from the late first or early second century).  Calling back to the biblical accounts of the Last Supper, as in the prayer by Christopher Grundy on page 203 of Duck, could also accomplish the task of historical connection while incorporating theological frameworks palatable to a diverse congregation as one finds in a non-creedal church like that of the UCC.  As Duck reminds us, “remembering these biblical accounts assures us that sharing meals was at the heart of the day-to-day ministry of Jesus and of the earliest church” (Duck, 184).

I would like to see the Eucharist practiced weekly in my church, although my denomination typically shares the Eucharist monthly.  The print in the bulletin and/or the prayer surrounding the meal could reflect the liturgical season, holiday, or other events in the life of the church.  For instance, an Earth Day service could frame the Eucharist in a way that “remind[s] us how dependent we are on the fertility of nature and on the work of humans” (White, 118) or a service celebrating an outreach trip could emphasize how the early practice of Communion welcomed all to the table equally while providing sustenance and leftovers to those who were in need (Bradshaw, 44).  In all services it would be important to me to stress Open Communion, perhaps making biblical reference to Jesus’ radical interpretation of community and to how Jesus ate with society’s outcasts, despite purity rules and social expectations of his time (Bradshaw, 42) and expressing the historical reality that  “sharing a meal together has always been one of the main ways in which human beings have expressed friendship and mutual acceptance” (Bradshaw, 41).  Thus, as an example, for an Earth Day service, the following information might be provided in the church bulletin:

“We invite all present to participate in Communion, despite whatever religious background you bring to the table.  We remember the ministry of Jesus in this meal and the diverse spiritual community he created. The Eucharistic meal has been shared from the earliest moments in the Christian movement in a variety of ways and in a variety of communities and today we take our part in that beautiful web.  This meal draws us together with our brothers and sisters in different times and places and reminds us of Jesus’ radical act of inviting everyone to the table, including those who society told him were not worthy.  We believe that all are created in the image of God and equally qualified to take part in the spiritual meal and experience it in ways that are meaningful to our own hearts.  At this Earth Day service, in partaking of the cup and bread, we are reminded of the ways that Earth provides for us.  As we take sustenance from this meal, both physically and spiritually, we are reminded of our responsibility to the earth and our role as stewards of creation.  As this meal exemplifies our relationship with Christ and with each other, we also recognize how it draws us into reciprocity with the planet.”

Referencing Ruth Duck's "Worship for the Whole People of God" and Paul Bradshaw's "Early Christian Worship: A Basic Introduction to Ideas and Practice"

Church Education

Having studied religion academically, I believe that serious education should be at the core of religious practice.  I am saddened by the current state of American Christianity, which I believe is ignorant and prejudicial in many of its forms.  The media portrayal of Christianity has been monopolized by Evangelicalism and fundamentalists who portray Christianity in ways that do not represent my faith or practice.  While it can be easy to dismiss such movements within Christianity, I think that engaging in dialogue with other Christians is key to bridging the divide and growing the progressive movement.  Being able to support my views Biblically is very important to inter-Christian dialogue and for building strong foundations for others’ faith through ministry.

I firmly believe that education is the best way to promote changes of hearts and minds; we must start with ourselves.  In continuing my academic study of religion I hope to build a ministry that will further root my values in my scripture and tradition and give me the tools I need to expand progressive Christianity and work for justice.  While I believe that Christianity can provide the moral background for social justice work on current issues, I also believe that institutionalized Christianity has, in many facets, turned against Jesus’ message of radical inclusivity and love in the interest of preserving church hierarchies and patriarchal systems.  I believe that justice needs to be done by Christians, but also for the wider institution of Christianity.  That begins with helping to create an educated church body whose values are based in a scripture that is deeply understood and freed from the dogmatic cages it has been kept in for generations.

I Am

"On the contrary, according to the classical metaphysical traditions of both the East and West, God is the unconditioned cause of reality — of absolutely everything that is — from the beginning to the end of time. Understood in this way, one can’t even say that God “exists” in the sense that my car or Mt. Everest or electrons exist. God is what grounds the existence of every contingent thing, making it possible, sustaining it through time, unifying it, giving it actuality. God is the condition of the possibility of anything existing at all."

— Damon Linker, in Memo to atheists: God’s not dead yet (viatheweekmagazine)

image from Married to the Sea

In Baltimore Right Now. In South Carolina Right Now. All Over America Right Now.

modernnaesthetics:

This relevant to whats happening in Ferguson right now.

(Source: mizzhabibi, via churchtake-out)

What Is Ritual?

1. What is ritual?  What is ritualization?  

Ritual is habitual action that can be categorized as formal (proscribed, rigid navigation of relationships, generally power relationships), functional (navigating life passages like marriage or death), or symbolic (pointing to greater, more ultimate meaning); Grimes articulates ranges of ritual from habitual to celebratory.  Ritualization is imbuing ordinary objects or actions with symbolic and ultimate meanings.  While ritual can take many forms and can be distinguished from “habit” by a seeming 6th sense, ritualization can be navigated and broken down in counter-cultural ways that can redeem hegemonies.  Catherine Bell challenges us to use ritualization to break down the lenses through which we view many rituals as well as challenge the ways we perceive and navigate the world.

Sermon Writing

"What happens, then, when the woman called to preach has lost her voice at adolescence and not yet found it? What happens when a woman called to preach has internalized the notion that her life experience holds no authority? What if she believes the myth that her thinking is inferior and her emotions prevent her from being in the world in a serious and productive way? What happens when God calls this woman to stand in the pulpit and speak a word to the gathered community?"

— Turner and Hudson, “To be Saved From Silence” in Saved from Silence: Finding Women’s Voice in Preaching (St. Louis: Chalice Press) 1999, 87.

Christian History

"Christians looked after their poor– that was after all one of the main duties of one of their three orders of ministry, the deacons– and they provided a decent burial for their members, a matter of great significance in the ancient world… What is interesting about the earliest of these burials is the relative lack of social or status differentiation in them: bishops had no more distinguished graves than others, apart from a simple marble plaque to record basic details such as a name… The picture was already changing by the mid-third century… The upper classes were beginning to arrive at church."

— Diarmaid MacCulloch, from A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, 160

Instagrams from San Mateo Pride

Getting ready for San Mateo Pride! #SMCPRIDE2015

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 13, 2015 at 9:43am PDT

San Mateo Pride! #SMCPRIDE2015

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 13, 2015 at 10:30am PDT

#gettested for HIV in San Mateo Central Park. Wonderful services available today for a safe, healthy community. #SMCPRIDE2015

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 13, 2015 at 12:21pm PDT

#SMCPRIDE2015 #pride #usa

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 13, 2015 at 12:41pm PDT

Painted by youth. #wisdomofouryouth #pride #SMCPRIDE2015

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 13, 2015 at 2:16pm PDT

Excited for this programming coming soon. One of my peers at #psr has done wonderful work in creating resources for inclusive youth programming. Excited to learn from Kelsey's great work. #ccsm #myccsm #clgs

A photo posted by Joliene (@jtwgatlin) on Jun 13, 2015 at 2:36pm PDT

It Riseth

Giving the Bible Its Contextual Lens

"Why do the gospels contradict each other in some instances?"

Firstly, we should acknowledge that Christians would have been very unlikely to purposely change their scriptures.  It’s their sacred text!  The scandals are when people try to make two authors agree when they clearly don’t.  The problem is in that method of interpretation: literalism.

Each gospel writer was writing for a different audience.  Matthew and Luke aren’t going to say the same things because they’re talking to two sets of people.  Matthew’s writing for Jews.  Luke is writing for Hellenistic Greeks.

Why does Luke say ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ takes place on a plain when Matthew says it takes place on a mountain?  Because blah blah blah these texts are untrustworthy and full of BS?  No.  
Because blah blah blah maybe Jesus was on a mountain and then progressed down to a plain... or he was on a plain in front of a mountain... theycouldbothbetrue!  No.  
In Matthew, every important sermon is on a mountain.  Mountains are used in Matthew because he’s writing to a Jewish audience and he’s making comparisons with Moses.  It gives Jesus authority.  Luke puts the sermon on a plain because he’s talking to Greeks who will want Jesus looking at them level (equality!).

If you give the Bible its context, it makes a lot more sense.  Liiiiiiike “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.”  The Greek doesn’t mean perfect, it means living to your maximum potential.  Perfection makes sense to Jews, who give the Law their all.  It doesn’t make sense to Greeks whose ethics are more situational.  Sooooo Luke changes it to "compassionate," because that is the ethical apex in Greek thought.  From the very beginning, by the way, we are seeing Christianity and it’s practice and conceptualization being interpreted differently and through various cultural lenses, not in monotonous Latin.

Again, at Jesus’ empty tomb, the gospels “disagree” about how many angels were there.  1)The variance shows you that the Biblical authors weren’t trying to keep strictly historical or literal accounts, 2) it shows you that folks weren’t trying to “fix” the texts by making everything match up, and 3) it is again variance because of the audience.  In Judaism, only one angel delivers a message.  It’s how it’s always been and they ain’t changin’ now.  Again, Luke, writing to a Greek audience, has two angels because two witnesses mean more in Greek/Roman law.  When we give the Bible its context, it means a lot more and makes more sense.

And when we stop deciding, based on our own notions of historicity, to discredit a text that was written in a different time, in a different place, and for a different people, and decide that perhaps we should learn more about that time, place, and people, we will find out that the Bible has more to say than we thought it did, has different things to say than we thought it did, and that MANY churches are wrong about what they’re telling us.  Once we realize this, we are free to discover what a God-filled life can be: love.  

Biblical Literalism

"There are many reasons I am not a “biblical literalist,” but one of the major ones is that it is just so young and unbiblical. The early Christians, Jews, and thus the authors and compilers of the Bible saw the Bible with nuance. Allegorical, ethical, and historical/literal interpretations were all used and often overlapped. Biblical literalism, rather than being conservative, originated within the last 150 years as the “conservatives” adopted Enlightenment concepts on textual interpretation."

—

Kevin Daugherty (via gospelofthekingdom)

PREACH.  Literalism is reductionist.  It robs us of much of the Bible.

(via sacredsecularity)

Christian Ethics

"…By loving God and trying to see other things in relation to that love, we might see our neighbor’s needs more accurately, as God sees them, and not only as they appear to us when we are preoccupied with our own plans and possessions. Certainly, we would see ourselves differently. We would not exactly become the object of our own contempt, except perhaps as we saw how limited our own self-centered loves had been. We would not longer be able to measure everything in terms of how it fit into our own idea of a good life. We might find ourselves unable to love some things about ourselves that had been sources of pride and self-satisfaction when we compared ourselves to the less gifted people around us, but we might also begin to love things in ourselves because God loves them, even though we have previously seen them as failures to be denied and faults to be concealed. At that point, knowing both the world around us and ourselves more accurately than before, we might even be able safely to begin lowing our neighbors, as well as using them. “In these precepts, a man finds three things which he is to love: God, himself, and his neighbour; for a man who loves God does not err in loving himself.”"

— Robin W. Lovin, quoting Augustine (at end) in An Introduction to Christian Ethics: Goals, Duties, and Virtues (83)

Seminary

I hope that seminary will be able to prepare me for a vocation in ministry.  I want to someday be part of a faith community that practices a holistic vision of Christianity.  I believe that a healthy faith is one of mindfulness, continual education, social awareness, and a passion for justice.  A compassionate ministry is at its best when it can blend an educated, thorough look at scripture with an informed, interested, and caring involvement in current issues.  I hope to minister at a church that brings that kind of message to people and that recognizes the importance of faith in the daily decision we make.

In an era of fundamentalism and literalistic interpretations of scripture, it is imperative that progressive Christians seek to understand the Bible more deeply in order to faithfully follow the teachings of Jesus.  Beyond the more traditional academic courses offered, I anticipate improving upon my ability to relate to and with others and engage in social justice work in my immediate and wider community.