This is a rather late posting of my column from The Tahlequah Christian for the week of February 28 – March 6.

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This last week I attended a public presentation entitled “Beyond Apologetics.”  (Also on Facebook.) The lectures, jointly sponsored by Phillips Theological Seminary and Brite Divinity School at TCU, were funded by a grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. This evening gathering convened a panel of scholars and pastors who are working on the question of ministering to and with people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. It was a fascinating set of presentations that challenged me to think differently about how we behave in community when we gather together as church.

Yet I was also fascinated by the title of the event. Apologetics is a term that is generally defined as systematic defense of a set of ideas of beliefs. In the Christian sense, it has typically been the name for a dogmatic defense of traditional Christian doctrines. However, the term apologetics has also held meaning for progressive Christians as well. As the name for this event implies, there has been a developing apologetic for the inclusion and understanding of gay, lesbian and transgendered peoples that defends and debunks certain understandings of Christian scripture.

However, it was the “beyond” part of the title that made this fascinating. What does it mean to move beyond apologetics? As I listened to the introduction of the presenters, I came to realize that they were inviting us to move past the debate about what the biblical scriptures mean and to begin to about how to develop a theology that is truly welcoming to all peoples, regardless of identity or orientation. I found this type of thinking to be very compelling.

For us as Disciples, this idea of moving beyond apologetics is something fascinating to consider. Over the past four years of ministry with you in this community, I’ve worked to help you expand your knowledge and understanding of biblical texts – being “people of the Book,” this is a very Disciple thing to do. Yet I’ve been pondering the need to think beyond the texts and start talking theology.

For example, it’s not enough to demythologize the story of the feeding of the 5,000 in order to explore how people might have understood it in their early Christian communities. It’s time to start talking about what our explorations of those biblical texts mean to us in forming our theology and identity as a congregation today. I am unabashedly bullish on the promise of our fellowship, and I think we’re poised to take that next step. Are you ready to join me on that path to reconfiguration and renewal that just might transform our lives as individuals and as a community?

Walking the journey of Lent,

Clint

P.S. – The poster for the Beyond Apologetics event is still on our bulletin board if you’re curious to read a little more about it.