This last weekend, I attended our denominational regional assembly. There were a lot of good people engaged in good work, however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we are still trapped in the limited mindsets of being deeply connected to systems of oppression. We are longing for and enacting changes- but only within the narrow confines of our established institutions. This is what it felt like to me: Imagine we are addressing the treatment of birds within a zoo. We can make sure all the birds are provided equal access to food, water, and nesting materials. We can redesign the enclosures so there is less chance of harm due to lack of space or resources. We can make sure our veterinary staff knows how to treat all the different kinds of birds and their unique health concerns. We can train the birds to better understand raptors, empathize with the depression that comes from limiting natural migration, and reduce the stigma surrounding flightless birds. But the fact remains that we are only revamping the issues within our existing cages. When what I really want to do is start working on living outside in the wild.
All my learning at Iliff demonstrates the need for change to happen at the level of the community. Top down management IS one of the problems. I think we, as people of faith, are still not fully getting the idea that Another Way keeps emphasizing, which is that the needed “[c]ritical theological reflection is disruptive.” (emphasis mine) We seem to be missing the fundamental shift “that theology is something people do, not merely what we think.” (Another Way, p. 114) I think Michelle Alexander touched upon a profound truth when she said that we have had a “failure to develop a moral consensus of how we treat each other.” Instead, culturally we have relinquished our social fabric and theological beliefs to the notion that “there is no such thing as too rich, and there is no such thing as too little.” (Ched Myers, Sabbath Economics) Basically, we are still stuck within our own bird cages.
In thinking about how my ministry fits into all of these thoughts, I am drawn back to the ideas of CARE that call on us to get into the “rhythm of acting, seeing, thinking, and acting again.” (p. 114) But I will admit, I have been struggling with the idea that perhaps the way in which I can be most beneficial is to step back. I am struggling with the privilege of attending seminary. Perhaps my financial aid and scholarships would be better served on someone with a different social location- someone Black, someone young, someone who is LGBTQ+? Does this faith community really need another older, white woman? Is this an area where I should think less about “stepping up” and more about “stepping back?” I genuinely don’t know. But while I wrestle with that, I am imagining ways forward that are local, disruptive, narrative, creative, and relational. I am picturing a small local theatre troupe that does the “church of Friday night.” I am picturing a local laundromat where people can use the time waiting for the washing and drying to engage with the community through making art, talking with neighbors, and finding joy and support together. (https://www.laundromatproject.org) I am picturing a place where people can come to die knowing that they will not be alone (and would provide creative and expansive life-enhancing ways to exit this world like having their animals with them or the chance to die outside under the stars).
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