Polarization is Painful
It is good to invest in learning and growth. Ten of our leaders are doing just that, finishing at noon Friday. We are participating in the Leadership Institute, being streamed from Church of the Resurrection (Kansas City, KS). On Wednesday night, Rev. Adam Hamilton, gave the opening address, focusing on polarization -- both in our surrounding context and within our congregations. He shared the following two slides indicating the national shift to extremes:
Pastor Adam is telling us that the center has disappeared. From my seat, as one of your pastors, I can tell you that this is true. I began to feel this shift after the 2016 election. So far, I don’t sense this changing direction. Actually, it seems to be getting more intense. I am a part of this shift, I know. I feel it in my own soul, a tendency to become more set in my convictions and less willing to listen to other perspectives. I feel it in my hesitancy to trust. You are a part of this shift, too, Faith. I see it among you as long-time friendships are strained. I notice the pain of conversations that focus on convincing rather than caring.
The gift of seeing these slides in Pastor Adam’s presentation was recognizing we are not unique, Faith. In fact, if we weren’t facing these painful experiences among us, that would be odd. Pastor Adam referenced Robert Putnam’s newest research in the book, “The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again.” We are just as polarized now as we were in 1880’s and 90’s.
From Robert Putnam’s book, “The Upswing.”
So, what happened to bring us together, even through the turmoil of the 1960’s and 70’s? Putnam says it was a move from “I, me, my” to “us, we, ours.” This was Pastor Adam’s jumping off point to suggest the Lord’s Prayer as a tool to bring us together. He noted that we pray the Lord’s Prayer in plural -- our, us. This gave me hope. Church is naturally plural. You can believe in Jesus by yourself, but you can’t be a Christian by yourself. By definition, being a Christian means you belong. You belong to God and you belong to the Body of Christ. The sacrament which initiates one into the church, Baptism, only happens in community. I’ve long held that when we are at our best, church, we offer what our world most desperately needs.
Pastor Adam exhorted us to remember who we are and what we are about. We know, at Faith, we are about inviting people to Christ-centered service. Adam noted that even when we disagree about everything else, we can come together to serve others and make a difference. So, I felt hopeful.
I recently joined a working group with people who hold very different convictions from me. We are working on a common task. It’s been redemptive to be talking to each other again after many months of silence. When we gather for our meetings, we check in with each other and it is wonderful to be able to hear about each other’s families and lives in ministry. I am aware, as is everyone on my team, that we will not reach the same conclusions and that eventually, this will mean we can’t be church together in the future. But, I have hope that we will be able to remain in fellowship.
It has been a good challenge for me and one I would offer to you. Can you invite people to share in a common task -- likely, it will be a way to serve others in the name of Christ? Can you focus together on serving and making a difference? It isn’t going to change the reality of the polarization we face right now...or is it? Jesus knew that people who pray together are connected far beyond beliefs and affinities. That’s probably why he teaches us to pray, “Our Father…”
See you Sunday,
