Originally Published in 2020
I just started my second semester at Claremont School of Theology and I feel more collected and more engaged than ever before. One of the classes I am taking this semester focuses on religious education. How do we teach people about our faith? How do we build their understanding of the importance and value of our sacred traditions and beliefs?
Our professor suggested that there are five different paradigms with which churches can do religious education.
Traditional paradigm
Family paradigm
Community paradigm
Social-justice paradigm
Earth-centered paradigm.
I love the traditional paradigm - teaching people through Bible study and prayer but I can see the value of having a family-oriented paradigm that prioritizes family programming. A major pitfall to too many marriage seminars and youth programs is that singles and people with a different family dynamic get unwittingly ostracized. In addition, we as clergy fall into the cultural norm of passive aggressively pathologizing single families, single people and couples without children. Remember, that if God shows no partiality (or favoritism) neither should we. Therefore, how do we include, affirm and nurture all people or all family types, even if one's own family is one's friends?
I understand how having a community-oriented paradigm, a church that is heavy into fellowship focused small groups and activities but in my experience, that leads to people valuing their Church family over their personal one. It is easy to replace our "temporary family" with our "eternal family" and although that might feel easier in the beginning, it leads to a lot of unreasonable expectations. We were not meant to replace our Church family with the people that God chosen to be with us. We were meant to be nourished by the fellowship of our "eternal" church family so that we can go out and bless our "temporary" one. Hear Paul's principle in 1 Timothy 5:8: "whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
The social-justice paradigm seems great but it can take the focus off things that are eternal and put too much emphasis on what is happening in the world today. This paradigm seems to replace community activism with the Church service. Although the Church is to respond and advocate against social injustice, to do this too much is to go against what the Church was designed for - to be an oasis for those who call on Jesus and to provide strength and nourishment to live more spiritually, emotionally, mentally and relationally integrated lives that should bring peace with those around us to the glory of Christ.
The last paradigm is pretty new to me. There was recently a Tweet by Union Theological Seminary where the students literally prayed to plants. It was weird. It was troubling, even by progressive standards. And so I don't think that was the paradigm my professor had in mind. The earth-centered paradigm comes across more as worship through stewardship. We learn more about God and His/Her will for our lives the more we become like Adam pre-fall and take care of the earth.
I think the goal is to incorporate all five paradigms on some level into our worship experience. We need to give the people we pastor the opportunity to engage with the Divine in was that feel fulfilling to them. We all need to explore what that looks like. There is a balance between being all things to all people and intentionally shepherding a community toward an integrated wholeness that makes them more connected to themselves and to each other. And so I think ultimately, that is the goal - integrated wholeness.
I'm also taking a class on spiritual formations that is pretty interesting. Here, the professor's focus is on contemplative practices which is totally different from the "spiritual disciplines" I grew up with it. It's less learning and more listening.
Side note: I've been on a talking tour lately, taking the time to listen to different pastors about their experiences as clergy in a denomination. I've taken the posture of listening, asking clarifying questions instead of simply sharing my thoughts on the matter and my experience. Doing a Talking Tour with people is a practice I hope to do for the rest of my life for whatever I am interested in:
Possible Talking Tour Topics
Parenting
Marriage
How do people resolve conflict?
What does compassion look and feel like?
How do I buy a house?
You know, the basics. Because approaching people, especially as a pastor, as if I have something to learn from them puts them in the driver's seat. It reminds them of the agency they already have, the wealth of wisdom YHWH has already blessed them with.
Contemplative practices allow me to listen to what's going on inside of me instead of discriminating it (is it good? is it bad?). Lately I have been wondering what would it be like NOT to be at war with myself? What would it be like to be rooted in peace instead of rooted in a desperate need to "mortify sin" and the "deeds of the flesh." I'm hopeful that spending a semester experiencing and reflecting upon contemplative practices will help me to see what that might be like.
The last class that I am taking is on the Hebrew Bible and it's being taught by a Jewish teacher - which is amazing. One of the biggest "wow" moments (and I've had a lot!) was learning that the Torah came from five different sources and that those sources had different theological positions as well as a different focus (Judah or Israel). Some were redactive while others filled in gaps.
I'm excited and grateful for what this semester will bring. I'm already learning so much at Claremont School of Theology. I feel more connected to my fellow classmates and ready for the rigors of in depth study than ever before. I'm looking forward to the ways God is going to shape me through my time this semester.