Sacramental Living

This is the fourth Part of an ongoing post. Part 3 is here.  Part 2 is here. Part 1 is here.

To apply the paradigm of exile verbatim to current Christianity is nigh on impossible, nor is it very useful. The diversity of cultures around the globe, combined with the many different forms of empires in which Christianity functions, render a blanket application irrelevant. However, looking at the Christian church today at three levels affords possibilities for learning from exile and implementing appropriate responses: the US American church in general; the Wesleyan-holiness movement (the trajectory of my tribe); and the local church body.

I’ll consider the first of these in this post.

Serious believers that make up the US American church form a community of aliens in our own culture. The church in US America has experienced a loss of certainty, dominance, and legitimacy. Yet, this reality has not been entirely accepted nor recognized by the whole church community. The US American church has become so intertwined with the dominant values of our culture that free action is difficult. Exile is not merely a paradigm, but a radically sobering diagnosis for the present reality of Christianity. The bottom line is that the present reality for Christianity in US America is exile, even if there is not much awareness of the exilic circumstance.

For those of the Church who have become aware of the current exile, two responses have presented themselves as viable options being proffered by conservative thinking and liberal thinking. The conservative line of thought looks to utilize the power of the empire to justify contemporary power tactics in establishing a moral culture. The liberal line of thought looks toward exodus from the empire and condemnation of the state to establish a separate, exclusive moral culture. Neither of these responses to the exilic condition are appropriate, beneficial, or Christian.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Do you agree that the US American Church is in exile?  Why or why not?

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Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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Related Posts:

• A Lenten Exercise: Analyzing Exile – Conclusion
• A Lenten Exercise: Analyzing Exile – Part 5
• A Lenten Exercise: Analyzing Exile – Part 2
• A Lenten Exercise: Analyzing Exile 1
• A Lenten Exercise: Analyzing Exile – Part 3