I can picture it now: the old man with a scowl eyes me suspiciously from the bed as I stand in the hospital room doorway. He has just come out of open heart surgery, or has been given a terminal cancer diagnosis this morning, or he’s here to live out his last days with the help of some good strong meds. I am his chaplain, and he asks me one devastating four-word question: “Are you a Christian?”
This scenario is visited upon me a few times a week nowadays, in a recurring anxiety daydream. I’m scheduled to do my internship in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) this summer. CPE is an intensive, 10-12 week training program in pastoral care required for ordination in many denominations, including my own. I’ve been told by many who’ve been through CPE that this is a question I will have to answer before gaining entry to some of the hospital rooms I visit. The simplest answer – “no” – will likely lead to some closed doors. The more honest answer, “well, my tradition, Unitarian Universalism, has Judeo-Christian roots and while I consider the teachings of Jesus to be of utmost moral and cultural importance, particularly in American society, there were key theological positions taken by my Unitarian and Universalist religious ancestors – the lack of Biblical support for the doctrine of the trinity and a belief in universal salvation, respectively – that departed from enforced orthodoxies of the church at the time, and were therefore condemned as heresies…” … are you bored yet? Do you want to talk to me now, on your deathbed, about your deepest longings and regrets? Didn’t think so.
I respect the right of a dying man to refuse spiritual council from a chaplain who doesn’t share his values, but, I must admit, I also despise the four-word litmus test. The word “heresy” – which comes from the ancient Greek word for choice – is designed to refer only to a person who considers herself a Christian yet opposes Christian doctrine. I find this to be an interesting catch-22 – you can only be condemned by the Christian church as a heretic if you also seek to claim your place as part of the faith. The label of heretic only holds power over you for so long as you grant it.
In the 1960s, Unitarians and Universalists joined together to form one denomination, and decided they no longer wanted to claim the tradition which had long-refused to tolerate their dissenting opinions. The choice remains controversial – many Unitarian Christians and Christian Universalists are still around today, both within the UU movement and outside of it, who refuse to disavow their historic place within the Christian faith.
I have to say, I dig their spirit. Plenty of other doctrinal debates (transubstantiation, anyone?) have split the Christian family, but nobody permanently peaced out on the body of Christ. Doctrinal heresies are a bit less important to Christians today, in a world where fewer than half the practicing Catholics in America know what transubstantiation means. But the question of belonging is relevant in other ways – for couples in inter-religious relationships, for families welcoming Muslim or Hindu daughters- and sons-in-law, and for lesbians and gays, trans men and women, and others who are non-gender conforming. Lots of LGBT folks – including some of our most talented ministers – find their way to Unitarian Universalist churches because they’re tired of the hate spewed in their direction from Christian pulpits.
Brandy Daniels, a young scholar over at Religion Dispatches, wrote a timely post on this issue last November after a string of suicides claimed the lives of LGBT youth across the country. “Christianity has come to operate through a particular policing of borders—a logic of who is in and who is out,” Daniels says. But like many of my Christian friends at school, some of whom may never serve their churches as ordained leaders because of their gender or sexual orientation, Daniels chooses to work from within. “To disavow Christianity because of its problematic operations strikes me as performing the same complicit move—to attempt and/or pretend that I am not caught up in the problem.”
So as a modern UU, am I more caught up in the problems of Christianity than I think I am? Does that make me a Christian? Even when I disregard the complicated history of Unitarian Universalism and its Judeo-Christian roots, my final roadblock to claiming the faith is typically rooted in my objections to its exclusivity. The Christian border police are ultimately working to protect a central statement of faith – that salvation comes through Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone. I simply don’t believe this. But just when my non-Christian identity seems clearly laid before me, I hear murmurs about the “inclusivist” Christian and the “pluralist” Christian, both seeking ways to ethically engage our society’s religious diversity by providing pathways to salvation regardless of faith. In Robert Putnam’s new book “American Grace: How Faith Divides and Unites Us,” it’s revealed that even amongst evangelical Christians, more than half believe that a good person of another religious tradition can get into heaven.
I think, when asked that fateful question in the doorway of a hospital room, that I’m going to say, “it’s complicated.” It’s an honest answer. And I’m guessing it’s one that more than a few people will be able to relate to.
Thanks for sharing your heart here, Lee. I’d love to write more than I can in this short space, but briefly, for Evangelical Inclusivists such as Peter Kreeft, Clark Pinnock, C.S. Lewis (an honorary Evangelical?), possibly Miriam Adeney, and many many more, Jesus is the only Savior, but this is not the same thing as saying that only “Christians” will be saved.
Christian Inclusivists hope that heaven will populated with people who identified with various “religions,” yet all who will be saved are saved ultimately by God through Jesus Christ. There is still “Exclusivity” here, but it is an exclusivity about who does the saving and who is Lord and God, not about adherents of which “religion” are saved.
Pluralists don’t think this goes far enough and want to validate any and all paths to God / The Real (or at least the most “popular” paths, which is itself still a kind of exclusivity). I have to stop now, but I hope this brief post is helpful and can discuss more some other time.
Hi Ben – thanks for clarifying these points – I considered going into more detail on both positions in my post, but I don’t have a clear understanding of them yet, particularly the pluralist position, which I’m curious to know more about. Would love to continue the conversation sometime!
Just a quick note that the definition of pluralism you’ve offered in your comment here, Ben, isn’t universally applicable. I consider myself a pluralist but also believe in exclusive truth; I do not “want to validate any and all paths to God / The Real.” Rather, I consider myself a pluralist in terms of pragmatism — in other words, I believe that we must find to a way to coexist and collaborate, though we believe radically different things (many of which are largely inaccurate, in my opinion). Does that distinction make sense?
Cheers!
Chris
Absolutely! This is the difference between pluralism of practice or politics, e.g. describing and supporting a free and open and diverse market of ideas vs. an epistemology of pluralism regarding the question of truth and/or salvation / enlightenment in various religions. I address these and other distinctions in my Harvard thesis, perhaps something you would enjoy for weekend reading? 🙂
Lee – great stuff. In my own work (and brain) I wrestle with labels constantly–those that I try to apply to myself, and those that others want/expect me to own. I keep thinking it’s going to get easier, and that “are you a Christian” question is going to be something I can answer without feeling the need to curb and expound on. I have an embryonic thought that labels like “Christian” etc., are actually autobiographical in our culture today. Meaning, we stuff all of our unique, subjective experience into these incredibly loaded labels and then expect people to know what we mean. Hm–you’ve got me thinking about a possible next piece!
Bryan – I think you are on to something re: autobiographical labels. I’ve gotten the “So are you a Christian?” question before when explaining my UU faith to someone, and in that kind of conversation I feel more comfortable saying, “well, what does being a Christian mean to you?” Depending on the person’s answer, I am sometimes comfortable saying yes, but more often than not I run into that exclusivity problem I was talking about in the post… still, just the fact that there can be so many diverse meanings behind that label is telling! Thanks for commenting.
Lee & Bryan – I’m also tracking with this conversation re: autobiographical labels. Its particularly difficult in a cultural environment that limits us to pull-down menus and 140 character tweets. Your description of your religious beliefs, Lee, will hardly fit in the “Religious Views” text box on Facebook.
When I was working with college students, they used to try to love to pin me down with one-word answers/position statements to controversial subjects. I would rarely take the bait, instead preferring to turn the question back on them, asking them what they meant by a particular label/issue/topic/position. These exchanges often ended with a favorite refrain of mine: “Let’s have a conversation about that.”
Hmm… now I’m thinking about another SoF post!
Lee, first of all: I wish you much success and enlightenment on your CPE journey this summer. I’m sure you will kick ass.
Secondly, while I agree with you that non-Christian UU (and other) chaplains have a particularly challenging role to carry out in a dominant Christian culture, I also think that in some ways a non-Christian, non-orthodox presence is needed desperately in a society where people are increasingly uncertain about fixed religious identities. (And, remember, I’m saying this as a Christian.) In fact, I wonder if you might not find that your response to that fateful question (“Are you a Christian?”) will be met with more positive than negative reactions. A lot of folks out there are angry and bitter about the church and Christianity. The last thing they want is someone from that hated institution engaging in a last-ditch effort to pull them back into the fold before they die. I think you may find that a lot of people would be positively surprised, if not overjoyed to find a non-creedal chaplain, who can honestly address their fears and doubts and hopes in a way that does not ask of them more faith than they can muster up. In fact, someone may ask “Are you a Christian?”, along with the unstated reasoning, “…because I just can’t deal with that right now.”
My point is, don’t be afraid. Who you are in your faith journey and what you have to give is needed out there. Yes, you may come upon the occasional person for whom a non-Christian UU is not right, and these encounters might hurt. But, all the while, know that there are patients out there for whom you and your gifts are the perfect fit. They need you, and you will be there for them.
Robin, this is a heartwarming response. Thank you. 🙂 Hope you’re not getting snowed in up there in Boston!
Great post, Lee! Doing CPE this past summer, I was actually surprised how infrequently the question of whether I was a Christian or not came up. Perhaps this is because most patients just assumed that any religious figure showing up at their room must be Christian.
The few times my own personal religious identity did come up, I actually found people quite receptive to my identity as a formerly Roman Catholic UU. Of course, there were people who would specifically request a priest, for example, to perform certain religious rituals but facing those requests was actually quite helpful in reflecting on the font of rituals available in the UU tradition and how I was going to incorporate those into my chaplaincy.
I agree with Robin above that you may encounter people who don’t want a heavy-dose of theological rhetoric in their pastoral care. I found that the greatest skills I could bring to my chaplaincy were a reverence for the human story and an openness to the theological questioning that inevitably comes up when facing matters of illness and death, both of which are surely cultivated by the UU tradition.
I do hope that you enjoy CPE and find it to be full of growth and learning. I’d love to hear more about your experience and how it changes or doesn’t change your thoughts on this question.
This is all really good to hear Joan, thank you! I’m sure lots of UUs have had lots of different experiences on this front, but you’re right that I may be unnecessarily overestimating the resistance I will encounter, and of course that there is other common ground for us all to stand on in these important conversations. Would love to talk more as I start my own internship!
As a UU lay leader, you give me great hope for the future of our movement. We need thoughtful, insightful & articulate ministers in our pulpits. You are obviously of that caliber & class. Can’t wait to see you walk during the Service of the Living Tradition. Blessings.
Thank you so much Debra! I’ve got a few more years before that walk… fingers crossed… 😉
I have no doubt that you will & I already emailed someone on the regional MFC that he better let you through. 😉
How do you envision your ministry? How are you hoping to use your M.Div. within the UU community?
Haha thank you! Those are great questions, Debra – and I’d be lying if I didn’t say the answers are still evolving. But I hope to serve as a parish minister, and I want to further encourage our denomination’s social justice work, and help us realize our potential for building strong multiracial and multicultural congregations. I’d also like to see us engage more deeply in the public conversation on religion in America, to inspire broader social action beyond the efforts of the UU movement alone. These are obviously my “long-term” goals, but they are certainly part of my vision for ministry.
I have no doubt that you will & I already emailed someone on the regional MFC that he better let you through. 😉
How do you envision your ministry? How are you hoping to use your M.Div. within the UU community?