CHRISTIAN, OR NOT?
We are not alone in this identify
crisis; even the name of the faith tradition shared by the followers of Jesus stands in dispute. I have heard former Episcopal
Bishop John Shelby Spong say in public meetings that he understands what a “Christian” bookstore is and knows
why he won’t go in there. As Princeton University’s Robert Wuthnow writes in the Christian
Century magazine:
The
term “Christian” indicates an identity—something we attach to ourselves to define who we are. But it is
generally conferred upon us. To ask about the future of the
identity “Christian,” therefore, is to raise questions not so much about individuals as about social institutions. The likelihood of “Christian” having any place in the next [21st]
century depends, then, on the continuing power of the church to confer this identity.2
In order to “confer this identity” as a Christian, a religious organization
must at minimum identify with the Christian heritage, which Unity has done but grudgingly. We are, by and large, a refugee
church, composed of ex-Baptists, ex-Catholics, ex-everythings. The fact is, one need not become an ex-anything to be a Unity
person. We are so open and receptive to the teachings of non-western traditions that a person could easily become a member
of a Unity church and maintain ties to any religious faith. I have personally known self-identified Muslims, Buddhists and
Hindus who attend our churches as full members.
Admirable as it may be, this very tolerance, when coupled with our rebellious personal
histories as drop-outs from traditional Christianity, presents us with a serious identity challenge. Unity has always had
a deeply mystical understanding of spirituality. However, because Unity evolved as a home-made, laity-led religious denomination,
the movement suffered the fate of most self-taught individuals: We have gaping holes in our educational background. During
his recent lectures to Unity ministerial students, theologian Matthew Fox gently upbraided us for our lack of appreciation
for the treasures of Western spirituality.
CHRISTIAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
There is nothing particularly new or
revelatory about Dr. Fox’s observation. Surveys conducted of ministers and laypeople continue to indicate a feeling
of inadequacy in biblical studies, and it is not an exaggeration to say that most Unity people have little understanding about
the history of mystical Christianity. Sometimes, when listening to Unity sermons and reading our publications, one gets the
impression that two thousand years ago there was this Master Teacher named Jesus Christ, then Charles and Myrtle Fillmore
and other New Thought authors came along in the 1890’s, and nothing worth mentioning happened in between.
In the century-plus since it was founded
as a prayer and publication society, Unity has continued to grow but has never captured popular attention as a spiritual movement.
Its main claim to fame has been the widely read devotional publication Daily Word.
According to the latest count—obtained telephonically from the Association of Unity Churches headquarters in Lee’s Summit, MO, as this document was
being written in December 2005—Unity churches and study groups number about 895 congregations in forty countries. However,
it is fair to say that Unity exercises greater influence than its meager numbers would suggest due to the wide readership
of Daily Word magazine.
Nevertheless,
a great opportunity exists for expansion of the Unity movement in the 21st century. In the United States alone, recent studies have shown that as many
as 29 million people describe their religious identity as “none”, although two-thirds of the dissenters affirm
belief in God and more than one-third consider themselves “religious.”3 They are the people Bishop
Spong has tagged as the “Christian Alumni Association,” and although they may have dropped out of organized religion
they are far from indifferent to spirituality.4
ELECTRONIC ORALITY
We tend to attract
people from the subgroup of the cultural left which Walter Ong calls Electronic Orality.
These are people who display progressive characteristics like an open-ended approach to truth, an emphasis on the “now,”
deep commitment to ecology and environmental concerns, and display a medley of traits to include simultaneity, spontaneity,
a dialogical approach, open-endedness, a preference for variety of choice, team work, and a growing sense of globalism.
5
These characteristics are widely
distributed among people who attend Unity congregations, although not every Unity person would identify with every trait.
Compare the above description to this quote from Charles R. Fillmore, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors and grandson
of the founders:
“Unity says that true religious growth
is a 'do-it-yourself' project ...One might describe Unity as a religious philosophy with an ‘open end,’ seeking
to find God's truth in all of life.”6
This open-ended aspect of Unity’s theology (note the
absence of that word in the above) seems to fit nicely within Electronic Orality.
Furthermore, I suggest a larger contingent of unchurched people—perhaps drawn from Tex Sample’s other categories,
like the “Literate Middle” or the Cultural Left—might be inspired by Unity’s profound teachings on
prayer and spirituality if they knew how to access these without running into the barrier of our identity crisis.7
When people in my denomination are asked, “What is Unity, anyway?”
many of us are at a loss for terms to bridge the gap between traditional Christianity and our Christ-based, mystical pluralism.
THEOLOGY AS COMMUNITY DIALOGUE
Consequently, we shall not be able to adequately share the spiritual benefits of Practical Christianity with
a wider audience of unchurched people until we settle our boundary issues. And we have, thus far, faced the challenge of identity
crisis without a widespread understanding of how theology functions to address controversy through community dialogue and
legitimate scholarship. I believe that Unity will be better equipped to define itself internally and explain itself externally
if we understand the tools of theology.
However—as
was rightly pointed out to me when I raised this issue in the first meeting I had during the hiring process which brought
me to Unity Institute—for many people in the Unity movement the word theology
itself has fallen on hard times. There are many reasons for this aversion to critical thinking about religious subjects, and
a better understanding of the purposes for doing theological analysis may clarify matters somewhat.
The word theology is sometimes
misused in metaphysical Christian literature, because some writers have equated theology with pejorative terms like doctrine and dogma. Even those words have somewhat happier connotations
in classical Christian writings, since they mean essentially the content of a belief
system, i.e., the beliefs or teachings of a particular religious community. To put it in non-Western language for the sake
of objectifying the language, Hindu doctrine includes reincarnation and karma;
Islamic dogma instructs the faithful Muslim to pray five times daily.
SIX FUNCTIONS
Theology, however, is more process rather than content. In my book, Glimpses of Truth, I suggested the task of theology is at least
six-fold: 1) To encourage ongoing re-interpretation of the faith, 2) provide
critical analysis of religious and spiritual ideas, 3) help people integrate these insights with everyday life, 4) establish
dialogue within the theological circle, 5) interpret symbolism, and 6) raise
new issues and suggest answers. Surely these goals are in complete harmony with the heritage of the Christian faith and the
interpretations of Unity set forth by the pioneers of modern New Thought.8
Theology is not simply a series of teachings, beliefs or rules to follow; it is a system of thinking. Theology is to
spiritual thinking as math is to chemistry and physics. When you see the word “theology” you can get a sense of
its real meaning by translating the word into this phrase: “religious and spiritual
reflection about…” So, a study of the theology of Martin Luther is a look at “religious and spiritual
reflection about” the ideas of Martin Luther. Theology can have an historical dimension, like the Lutheran example,
or be quite contemporary.
In fact, you can do theology about almost anything. There are books about the theology of play, the theology
of Shakespeare, theology of work, theology of war and peace issues, and the theology of Charlie Brown. Even Star Trek has been the subject of theological inquiry.
Another Word for Theology: Metaphysics!
Because of the unique way in which the term metaphysics is used in New
Thought literature, this term from classical philosophy has become our word for doing theology. According to Charles Fillmore,
Metaphysics is
“The
systematic study of the science of Being; that which transcends the physical. By pure metaphysics is meant a clear understanding
of the realm of ideas and their legitimate expression.”9
This
jumble of thoughts and references provides background and rationale for re-claiming the grand old word “Theology”
as a key term in New Thought.
Center for Metapysical Theoogy
This
website is dedicated to re-claiming our part in the ongoing, ancient, theological dialogue in which all the great prophets,
teachets, and mystics have participated.
Let
the theological discourse continue, and let New Thought Christianity step through the gates of our private compound and
engage the wider world in this search for wisdom and understanding we call theology.
_________________________________________
NOTES:
1 John Wingfield, writing in http://www.unityofkent.org/birthofunity.html
2 Robert Wuthnow, “Church Realities and Christian Identity in the 21st
Century”, The Christian Century, May 12, 1993, pp. 520-ffl.
3Elizabeth Debold, “Spiritual but Not Religious: Moving Beyond Postmodern Spirituality,”
What is Enlightenment?, (Lennox,
MA: EnlightenNext, Dec-Feb 2005-06), p. 56.
4John Shelby Spong, from a sermon delivered sermon January 25, 2001 at St. Stephen's Episcopal
church, Columbus, Ohio, quoted by Bradley Sowash in “Where Two or More Are Gathered: Exploring Alternative Worship
Strategies”, internet article, http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1660
5 Tex Sample, “Indigenous Ministry in the Context of the United States,” appeared
as “Selling Consent,” Communication and Citizenship, P. Dahlgren and
C. Sparks, eds. (London: Routledge, 1991), p. 76.
6Charles R. Fillmore, quoted at Unity World Headquarters website, available online at http://www.unityonline.org/discover_main.htm
7Sample, pp. 72-74.
8Thomas W. Shepherd, Glimpses of Truth (Miami, FL: UFBL Press, 2000), pp. 27-34.
9Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word (Unity
Village, MO: Unity Books, 1957), p. 132.
