NOTE: This blog and the preceding one were written to post on Facebook, where many of my friends are conservative Christians, so here I focus on Christian versions of exclusivity; obviously, the blessings and curses of exclusion are not limited to Christians.
Although rigid exclusivity of faith has become so unpopular as to be brandied with the name “fundamentalism,” an important impulse lies at the heart of exclusion. As we grow and develop, we often long to find or develop an identity. We have a need for community and belonging. Spirituality calls for an ethos; simply discerning right from wrong calls for an ethic. If we do enjoy a spiritual path, we need sacred space and separation of holy ground. Marriage and special relationships are defined by often exclusive emotions of love and affection. In logic alone, we need definitions, critical thinking, division and classification. However, groups segment and build walls. Accusations of cultural appropriation arise. Fear of discrimination and invasion appear on both sides of polarized fences. Into the sometimes good impulse of exclusivity, Christians have certain categorical statements that sometimes get fired like bullets and that do not seem to be understood well: (1) Be separate from the world; (2) There is only one name by which we can be saved; and (3) no one comes to the father but by Jesus. I will deal with these Christian versions of exclusivity for now and leave to the side the exclusivity of other identities and religions. (1) Be separate from the world: in the extreme this means isolating in a church group but sometimes is assumed to mean avoiding drinking, dancing, movies, certain clothing, and other behaviors. Of course, are told to be in the world and not of the world. So we often see separation as a matter of the heart: we render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, we have a business without greed, look at art without lust, or drink a little wine without addiction. To the pure, all things can be pure, even other cultures, spiritual practices, and mythology. (2) There is only one name by which we can be saved: sometimes this phrase is assumed to mean one must be baptized into a certain church or sign a specific statement of faith, perhaps expanded in some people’s minds as any faith that follows Christ’s general teachings. However, the interpretations are so diverse and groups so splintered that ultimately you are only included if you associate yourself with the English name spelled J E S U S. The literal name of Jesus appears in the Hebrew as “Joshua” and means “He Delivers”: this divine identity actually has many names and faces. But even the God of the Bible has shown himself to have many names and faces, stating with the Trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit—so ingrained as to cause no flinch of polytheism except among Jewish and Islamic believers or Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the Old Testament, though, even apart from theophany and appearances of the Angel of the LORD—such as appearing to Abraham as three men, there seem to be multiple names and faces of God: Elohim, El Elyon, El Shaddai, the YHWH of the Tetragrammaton, the LORD my Provider, the LORD my Peace—and Healer, Banner, Righteousness, Shepherd as well as many other names revealing facets of the Eternal. The New Testament has other divine names, including our Father, Abba, Alpha and Omega, and a least seven identifications with “I am,” such as Way, Truth, Door, Good Shepherd, Life, and Light. He is called Logos, the Word, Faithful and True. In Him we live and move and have our being, and Paul finds Him in the poems and art of the secular as well as in the halls of religion. (3) No one comes to the father but by Jesus: Again, this phrase sometimes seems to be cast like a stone or slammed like a door in the face of those who do not sign a certain statement of faith or join a certain church or use a certain bumper sticker. However, the significance is a grace found in many hearts and many faiths: we cannot save ourselves. In alcoholics anonymous, the first step to freedom is admitting one is powerless and finding help from beyond oneself, a Higher Power. The core truth is that only by God’s grace is anyone going to make it: no amount of education, exercise, or even religion is going to get us anywhere without God. We tend to form human methods and traditions of how we think this supernatural Bridge—this Stairway to heaven--must work. The transcendent truth gets filtered into experiences of individuals and cultures: people argue over whether they need to be sprinkled or immersed in water, whether those who never hear the name of Jesus can be saved. Yet by grace all those who respond to light given them will are given more light. Unfortunately, the important concepts of love, of belonging, of holiness, and of sacred space get translated into rigid exclusivity and even hate.
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March 2021
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