 Troubling Israel  The Presbyterian Layman Volume 33, Number 3, Posted May 22, 2000
Tlhagle’s inclusiveness has precedent. The Conquistadors who marched through South and Central America found that dragging pagan idols into Christian sanctuaries proved an effective form of evangelism. Following their idols, pagans entered blended worship services and swelled the ranks of Christendom. Baptizing diversity But South Africa and Latin America are not the only places where church leaders have pursued unity by idolizing diversity. Some Presbyterians are attempting it today. Linking itself to the Covenant Network – some of whose leaders insist on “re-imagining god,” rejecting the Atonement, and denying that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ ever happened – the Office of the General Assembly is offering resources for denominational “Unity in the Midst of Diversity” conferences. Many of Christendom’s best-known heresies are included, all with equal imprimatur. Among the resources showcased by the Office of the General Assembly is a presentation by Clarice Martin, who told the denomination’s Unity in Our Diversity conference in Atlanta that the Apostle Paul lived in a world of wide cultural differences, and that he believed it unwarranted for Christians to “reject the cultural or social practices” of others. Dumping Scripture Martin was asked how she accounted for Paul’s condemnation of homosexual behavior, idolatry, and other specified sins. Paul did not write six of the epistles that bear his name, she said. That took care of most of Paul’s troubling statements. The few remaining passages can best be handled, she suggested, by noting that “Paul is a person in process.” Syncretism has ancient roots. It goes at least as far back as Ahab and Jezebel’s attempts to blend the God of Israel with the Baals of Caananite culture. Elijah successfully contested that beast at Carmel, but it has proved itself to be amazingly resilient. New forms appear in every age. Baptizing the bizarre Those who seek unity by celebrating diversity invite us to baptize the bizarre. Who would have thought that only a few years ago San Francisco Presbyterian Theological Seminary would have welcomed a self-proclaimed witch named Starhawk to speak in its chapel? Who would have dreamed that the Presbytery of Long Island would invite a witch named Dorothea Lunar Woman to lead one of its seminars? Who could have imagined that Presbyterian women would sing chants before a flaming cauldron in St. Paul, Minnesota? After all, once diversity replaces Scripture as the “only infallible rule of faith and practice,” there is no limit to what can be conjured up by the human imagination. |
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