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Silent majority

I thought I'd use the pages of Christis to come out. I'd like to declare to the world that I am someone who even today is frowned upon from church pulpits, and yet there are thousands and thousands of us worshipping and going about our daily business amongst the rest of you. We normally look the same, sing the same songs as you and accept the same Communion as you — but there's something rather different about me. Yes — I'm a fluffy liberal.

Actually I'd rather think of myself as a passionate liberal, as phrases such as fluffy or woolly liberal imply that the person involved is only liberal because they don't quite know what to believe — just that they're going along with the secular flow and taking the easiest path through the moral minefield. Whilst this may sometimes be the case, it's often not. Being open, broad-minded and liberal can sometimes involve difficult decisions and being selfless against human nature — not at all the path of least resistance.

I'm writing this because it seems to me that liberal Christians form a silent majority in many mainstream churches. It's so often the right wing and evangelical sections that have their views presented. The press has covered the tiny minority of Christians that have objected to Rowan Williams' appointment as Archbishop, but not the massive support he has from thousands of Christians who are fully ready for a more liberal leader.

I have trouble defining exactly what I mean by a liberal. In general terms I think it's about freedom in belief and behaviour. The defining features of a liberal Christian may involve a passionate belief in reasoning their way through their faith; using logic and experience on top of a tradition and scripture which is sometimes difficult to use in today's world.

Maybe part of being liberal is a willingness to question every part of faith at the risk of being called a heretic. Sometimes beliefs can rest in a place far removed from the `official' line of the church, which means it's embarrassing to be associated with other Christians.

Liberal views are always going to be difficult to sum up — I suppose the basis of many is a belief in the importance of love in everyday life. Trying to take the most loving option draws us away from the rules and regulations set out in Scriptures and Catechisms, as it's simply not the case that these can be applied without question in every case in today's world. I hate the cliché of `thinking outside the box' — but I guess that's what it's all about.

It's clear to me that Christ wasn't someone who stuck to the rules. He could see that those who controlled the Law (i.e. The Pharisees) were not acting in the same spirit in which the rules were intended. One must always look at the historical reasons and principles behind any set of rules. God set out commandments to protect the people he loved, who were vulnerable due to their turbulent times and divided nature. I think it's human nature to feel safer when rules are set out. Unfortunately the same human nature creates a system of power to determine and enforce these rules, and without noticing, the spirit of the system vanishes. It seems that for some people the rules become the most important thing — rather than God!

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It may be that I'm wrong and God does want us all to live to a fixed set of rules; these may be difficult to live by. Does that then mean it's our job to carry out the judgment? Whenever I hear a stereotypical Christian condemning homosexuals, sex before marriage or some other religious group I think of Jesus' call for us not to judge others in the story of the woman found in adultery. None of us are without failings so it really isn’t for us to judge others.

I know that as a Christian twenty year old I don’t know the answers to even a tiny portion of life’s great questions. I believe it’s vitally important that I’m honest about that. There are no easy answers to life’s great questions (heck — I’m not even sure what the questions are), so it annoys me when I see Christians claiming that they do have it all sussed out. That’s just not being honest.

Maybe that’s why I’m eager to learn from others. I’m always fascinated to hear from people of other denominations, countries and faiths. It’s not that I particularly accept the beliefs of these people as being correct, but it allows me to see things about my own faith in a new way, and allows me to learn more about my own thoughts. As such it’s immensely unhelpful to criticise and condemn other faith groups.

In this country most churches are in decline. I believe it is because people feel as though they are being asked to live two lives; that which secular culture asks for and that which the church asks for. Most people don’t want to have this schizophrenic and hypocritical lifestyle. I personally find that the solution to this problem is to live openly as a liberal Christian. I do not deny God in my day-to-day life, equally it means that I can take my day-to-day life into church.

A little while ago (for a Christian Focus opening devotion) I tried to write down what I believed in the form of a creed. I’m surprised to find that some time on it still holds together, so I’ll offer it to the reader as some form of conclusion.

I believe in a God, I see that God as being the same God that other Christians worship — we are united by this if nothing else.

To me, that God is responsible for the universe, but I do not begin to know how things were created, I simply think that it’s all intensely beautiful.

The way I see it, that beauty is because God is present in everything there is (including ourselves). It is through us that the great promises that have been made will come true. It is for us to bring forth this ‘Kingdom of God’ though our own actions.

However, it comforts me to think of a caring and forgiving God; who understands what the reality of my life is like, but always wants the best for everyone now — whether or not they are believers. My God will help me whether I want that help or not. More specifically:

I am committed to the idea of a charismatic, intelligent public figure, named Jesus, whose complex and astounding life changed the world.

I hold close to me a special book, the pages of which contain some fabulous stories that are designed help us to lead our lives and understand what God wants from us.

But most importantly:

I am thankful for the gift of independent thought. That we have the faculties to decide what to think, that we have access to such a variety of thought to stimulate our own and that when it comes down to it, we’ll never stop discovering new things.

Ian Miller

Last modified: 25th November 2005