I am not a fan of Anne Rice novels. It is not that I have read them and don’t like them. It is that in the scheme of things, with more books to read than I have time to, I have chosen not to read vampire literature. I know it is on a long-term come back, but this is one wave I am not going to ride. I didn’t ride it years ago, either – anyone remember Dark Shadows?
I guess that I am not an Anne Rice fan is o.k., because she is probably not my fan either. Last week, Anne posted a statement saying that she was quitting Christianity, giving up on it because it is “quarrelsome, hostile and disputatious.” My sense of what I viewed of an interview with her was that what she was giving up was “organized Christianity.” As a clergy person, I certainly am a part of organized Christianity, and so assume that Anne Rice would not be a fan.
You might expect me to rush in to defend organized Christianity. I think it is defensible, at least in part, yet it is only so when we admit the truth of Anne Rice’s statements. The history of Christianity is littered with and marred by incidents of Christianity being quarrelsome and disputatious. The problem, in my mind, is not that Christians disagree. The Bible is a complex document. Disagreement about its meaning is to be expected. We are trying to grapple with deep mysteries of life and the reality of God. Our intellectual categories can come up short. Christians will disagree – with one another and with non-Christians. Healthy disagreement can energize and sharpen our thinking. Disagreement is not the problem, hostility is. The smallness of some of the issues we become exercised about is.
Despite our shortcomings, there remains something valuable and important about organized Christianity. The teachings of Jesus, his intriguing presence and the stories told about him are still part of organized Christianity, and they would not have made it this far without some organization that sought to carry them forward. That the teachings and spirit of Jesus have been distorted by the same people who carry them forward is tragic, but those same teachings and that same spirit provide a corrective.
Hopefully we who name the name of Jesus will learn to be less hostile and quarrelsome. Hopefully we can assert our viewpoints with gentleness, humility and love. That would be more in keeping with the teachings and spirit of our founder.
With Faith and With Feathers,
David
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- I am a United Methodist pastor, theologian, ethicist, husband, father, person of faith and inquisitive seeker. Thanks for reading.
3 comments:
"Hopefully we can assert our viewpoints with gentleness, humility and love.
That would be more in keeping with the teachings and spirit of our founder."
You do know this also includes Matthew 23, right.
Anne Rice has written far more than 'just' vampire novels. She became famous for them, but she has written on many other topics.
If you want to become acquainted with her writing someday, you may enjoy her two works of fiction on the life of the Lord, Christ The Lord - Out of Egypt and Christ The Lord - The Road to Cana.
You might also look up her autobiographical work, "Out of Darkness".
I found your post through her link on Facebook. Most everything I've seen written by clergy has been very kind and Ms. Rice is reposting everything she finds.
I, too, was raised Catholic and left the church as a teen. When I returned to Christ, I did so through a non-denominational church, I couldn't go back to catholicism, for many of the same reasons cited by Ms. Rice.
I see Ms. Rice's public announcement as her way of making her Christianity more of a private journey.
Although you make a good case for organized religion being necessary for teaching the world, especially the young, don't you think that someone with the intellect that Ms. Rice has is capable of having a personal relationship with Christ without the assistance of teachers?
I enjoy writing, and am always grateful when someone takes time to read and even respond. Thanks.
"Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (I Peter 3:15-16)
Matthew 23 does not strike one as very gentle, yet three thoughts come to mind. (1) Context matters. The context for this chapter needs to be the much longer dialogue between Jesus and those who have oppossed him throughout. In many other places Jesus uses story and humor to invite his listeners into a new relationship with God. The chapter begins and ends with different language - an invitation to humility and a desire to have gathered the children of Jerusalem. The context for Matthew as a gospel matters, too. By this time, there has been a great deal of tension between the emerging Jesus movement and the synagogue. Matthew is the only gospel that puts all these woe statements together in this manner. (2) Can direct speech also be loving and gentle? If I see my child heading for danger, I may holler out to get her attention. After working with humor and story, might Jesus be trying another rhetorical strategy to get the attention of people whose lives are disjointed and whose words do damage to others? I pose this as a point to ponder. (3)Is gentleness the same as mildness, or might gentleness be defined as using appropriate means for appropriate ends.
I appreciate the reading suggestions from Anne Rice. I was trying to admit, with a bit of humor, that I did not know much about Anne Rice. I appreciate that she is posting responses on her Facebook. That says a great deal for her. I wouldn't judge where she is in her spiritual journey. I am sure she can nurture a relationship with God and with Jesus outside of the church. I would also say that most spiritual traditions encourage a communal dimension in the practice of that tradition. Buddhists, for example, take refuge in the Buddha, the dharma (teaching), and the sangha (community). I tend to think we need that community. We need it for companionship on the journey. We need it for a reality check, so that our spiritual life does not wander off in hurtful directions. Anne Rice will probably do fine. I also hope she finds a community for her journey. That the church, which is meant to be that kind of community has often failed in that mission is deeply regretable.
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