“Jetsonsing” the UMC

Have you ever seen the Jetsons? It is a cartoon set in the future and has teleconference. The protagonist is a heterosexual, cisgender Anglo male, George Jetson who literally works to make mindless sprockets. He works a couple hours a week, has two kids, a sassy robot maid, an a wife who has “future” version of white pearls around her neck. The mother is still the primary keeper of the home and the father is still the primary breadwinner. Se even if there is flying cars that fold up in brief cases, the Jetsons is the idealized version of the current values of the day it was created.

The Jetsons is still consumeristic, patriarchal, monochromatic, with very invasive technology. The imagination that made the Jetsons was limited in imagination because even as the facade is different the underlying values and assumptions are still present.

That is the trouble with being a futurist. Those who think about the future tend to think about the future as an idealized version of the present. Without addressing the underlying conditions of the moment, in due time the future will look like the Jetsons.

There are many in the UMC who believe that the UMC is broken on all fronts. It is an organization that is top heavy and too stuck for it to do much of anything. For many, the future of the UMC is being painted as a future that will be better, shiner, sleek, streamlined, and efficient - it may even have flying cars!

There are many who want to jettison the denomination for a future that seem rosier (fans of the Jetons will know that the robot in the home is named “Rosey”).. Ironically, the desire to jettison the denomination for an idealized version of the present is not a progressive or traditional temptation - it is thinking that impacts all.

Beware that a desire to jettison is not just ""Jetsonsing.”.

The Doctrine of FAQ

We have this coffee maker that was leaking and I consulted the owners guide frequently asked questions (FAQ). There is something satisfying about FAQ’s in my life. Not only do I get the satisfaction by getting an answer to my question, I feel normal because I discover that the problem that I have is not unique to me. Others have had the problem and have asked the question so often that smart people generated a list of these questions and provided satisfying answers. FAQ’s are great for coffee makers, but not for Christianity.

Many of us in the Christian faith approach the faith as a sort of ultimate FAQ. As though the Bible is a set of Jeopardy board answers and all we have to do is find the correct question:

“The Lord is my Shepard” - What is security?

“Do not worry about tomorrow.” - What should I do with my anxiety?

I am asked for scripture for a number of situations all of the time. It is not a problem that we turn to the Bible for guidance but the Bible is not an FAQ. It is not “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” It is more a little library curated over centuries than a single book written on one subject.

Many times we turn to the Christian faith as a sort of FAQ on what is happening in their life and the world. It makes sense to look to tradition for guidance because we can learn from the past, but we are not held hostage to the past.

It is not just the Bible that is treated as a FAQ, it is also Christian doctrine. It is assumed that there are some questions that have been asked over the years, for instance, “What did the death of Jesus do?” There is a lot of Christian doctrine that attempts to answer this question. There are some very good responses to these questions. Doctrine is helpful and very informative, however doctrine is not an FAQ the the Christian faith.

Doctrine is a point of entry to the faith, not the point of arrival. Doctrine is a street that takes you to new places, not a cul de sac of certainty. It is a thought and responses to life’s questions using a Christian perspective, but the Christian perspective is not monolithic. There is no singular “Christian Perspective”. Do not let anyone tell you that this must mean that if there is not a singular Christian perceptive, then it must mean that ALL perspectives are Christian. This is a false choice because clearly there are many perspectives that are not Christian (colonialism, imperialism, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, patriarchal, consumerism, etc.).

I offer up one Christian perspective on doctrine - doctrine is not a FAQ and it is harmful to all to treat it as such.

Are We Crazy or Accusers of Crazy?

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?”… All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. (Acts 2)

Often when Christians read this story we tend to put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, when we feel really zealous, we might even think that we are Peter making bold declarations for Jesus Christ. We preach that we are to go into the world and proclaim this Good News, decry injustice and wage peace and when we do so people will accuse you of being crazy, mad, or even drunk.

Are we upset that eggs are being broke or are we upset at those who are upset that eggs are being broke?

However, if the Bible teaches us anything it is that it gives voice to those who are marginalized and not in power. In the case of Pentecost, it might not be that we are the disciples but are the ones in the crowd making accusations of public drunkenness.

The past several Pentecost Sundays I am reminded of one of the great lines from St. Antony the Great: “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.”

If we look around and think things like, “All these people are going crazy. They are so mad and upset. They disturb the peace and are saying things in ways that I do not respect or understand.” Maybe it is not they who are the crazy ones. Maybe we have in fact become the ones who hear the Spirit filled people of God and think, “they must be drunk for behaving the way they are behaving.”

Are we crazy like we so often want to believe or are we the accusers of crazy and sneering at those who “must” be filled with new wine?