Which Story Steers the Ship?
By Sharon Dewey Hetke
WE HAVE A big story to tell. It is a story that changes everyone who truly hears it. It is a story that convicts, heals, transforms and reconciles. But, sadly, we are prone to being distracted by smaller stories, captivated by counterfeits or half-truths. In our churches and the culture around us, people have questions about suffering, about injustice and about sin. That big Gospel story is full of wisdom and power, and when it is displaced, we end up giving the wrong answers to the right questions.
The story of Scripture has so much light to shine on the problems we face, and so it is concerning to see so much influence in the Church of what one friend calls “a dubious theory invented in Germany in the last century.” “Microaggressions,” “intersectionality,” “checking privilege” and “unconscious bias” seem to be the buzzwords of the day, thanks to Critical Theory. The trouble is these concepts are not simply treated as occasionally useful tools for analysis; rather they seem to have taken on a kind of mystique or authority. But do they open up conversations and build unity, or do they divide people according to identity factors? Are these conversations themselves inclusive? Would anyone but university-educated people be able to engage in this kind of conversation in an informed way?
In the Nov. 12 highlights of the meeting of the Council of General Synod (COGS), under the topic “Women’s Leadership in the Anglican Church of Canada” we read that “At a time when Canadian Anglicans are beginning to accept greater fluidity in gender identity,” the presenters approached the president and vice-chancellor of Renison University College “to ask whether it was still relevant to speak about ‘women’ as a group.” The report goes on to say, “Their conclusion was that it was. Executive officers and archdeacons for each diocese then submitted data on persons publicly identified as women.” So women were one conversation away from being erased as a category in that discussion? I’m willing to consider that this was an “offside” move – one of those regrettable moments that makes it into the Minutes. But I mention it not to be inflammatory but as a warning of how wildly off course we can veer when extra-Biblical narratives start to displace Scripture.
If we are serious about being inclusive and uniting Anglicans to evangelize, to deepen our faith, to address discrimination and abuse in the Church, to join in the work of healing and reconciliation, I can think of nothing more important than to centre every ethical and theological conversation around the Gospel, as revealed in Scripture. The creation of the world – with every human bearing the image of God. The Incarnation – God made flesh (not idea). The Epiphany – the expansion of God’s kingdom to every race and tribe, every nation and tongue, who each sing back to him their own song of praise. This Gospel story is not just a starting point for conversations – it must be that against which we evaluate everything we say and do.
Looking beyond COGS, it is not only the political left that is subject to being captivated by these smaller stories. Beware anytime when in the church you hear language that is highly ideological or politically-infused – whether it comes from the Christian nationalists or the critical race theorists. Shine the light of the Gospel on every ideology. What is true and good will remain; the rest “will soon grow dim in the light of his glory and grace,” as the old song proclaims.
I think we need fewer grand narratives that sweep us away into idealism or outrage but that don’t truly change our hearts. Christians are gripped by one narrative alone – God’s creation and redemption of the world through his Son. We see everything else through that light and we are brave enough to accept the truth when it’s revealed to us – even when it upsets or challenges us – because our trust is in Christ. And our call and our whole life is to live in his light. TAP
Your TAP team is helping to tell that big story, and to shine the light of the Gospel in the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Network in Canada, and beyond! As we enter the Advent season, I want to sincerely thank all of our readers for your support, for subscribing, for donating and for sending us notes of encouragement from time to time. Over the last year our team has done a tremendous amount of work on restructuring in the hopes of putting TAP on a more solid financial foundation for the future. And you’ll be hearing lots more about that in the coming months.
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Many blessings as you celebrate Christmas and the Epiphany in the hope and light of Christ. See you in Lent!
