Abrahamic Religions Reading Scripture

 Please do not let the opportunity to register for our March 25 workshop, A New Map: Navigating the Path of Scripture and Sexuality. You can find more information and register here.

 

Friends, 

 

As I begin today’s message, I am sitting in the parlor of the St. George House at Windsor Castle. The last two days have been quite interesting. In addition to sitting among buildings, walls, and crypts that are imbued with British royal history, Chris and I have met fascinating people as part of the Faith in Leadership program, which is housed here on the castle’s grounds. The participants are all clergy from the three Abrahamic religions, and all serve in England except for one who is from Singapore. In addition to fascinating presentations from psychologists, peacemakers, film producers, and a brigadier general, we have had many opportunities to discuss our personal experiences of being faith leaders in our cultural and religious contexts. It has been both informative and challenging. 

 

One particular exercise that I appreciated immensely was called Scriptural Reasoning. We read three scriptural texts, one from the Hebrew Bible, one from the New Testament, and one from the Koran. It began with a very brief overview of the context for each text, given by someone from the text’s tradition. Then we broke up into groups and spent an hour reading and discussing the texts together. It was quite structured. A Rabbi read the Hebrew text in Hebrew and a Muslim led us through the discussion of it. A Christian read the New Testament text in Greek and a Jew led the discussion. And a Muslim read the Koran text in Arabic and a Christian led the discussion. We were encouraged to keep out comments within the text itself, although each of us invariably spoke to the extra-biblical commentaries and traditions that shaped how we read the text. It was quite an experience to see, not only the different nuances in the translations that we read, but the different ways that our three faith traditions read texts. A child preparing for bar or bat mitzvah will learn to read Hebrew and many Jewish worship services are let in Hebrew. The Koran is only considered the Koran in Arabic, and a translation is considered a translation of the Koran, not the Koran itself, so scholars and religious Muslims learn Arabic. 

 

The Christian tradition is quite different in that regard. Pastors in the Presbyterian Church are required to study Greek and Hebrew as part of our seminary training, but, frankly, many pastors do not attend to the Greek and Hebrew texts beyond passing their ordination requirements. Even for those of us who do (full disclosure: I work often with Greek New Testament texts, but my Hebrew is practically nil anymore), we do so in a way that is different than Jews or Muslims. Greek was an imperial language, not a sacred or culturally meaningful language. I study Greek texts mostly to prevent me from simply taking the English translation into whatever direction I wish. It is a disciplinary tool of study, not some magical portal to understanding or a way of being a step closer to God. Importantly, on the Day of Pentecost, the Christian message was proclaimed in many languages. In a strange way, no particular language or culture is sacred for us, because every language and every culture can bear the sacred. Many people have tried to make Latin or certain aspects of European culture the “classic” or “standard” of Christian faithfulness, but I would protest that those efforts are unfaithful to the New Testament story. 

 

The relationship between faith and culture is both necessary and complex, so I cannot explore it as much as it deserves right now. But for now, let me express what an honor it has been for Chris and me to be part of this interfaith dialogue, and particularly to be able to express who we are as part of the body called “St. Mark.” We have spoken about our church, our commitments to the environment, to full and meaningful inclusion, to social justice, in ways that were different from the perception that many of our British friends have of churches in the US. So, thank you for being the kind of church that thrives from interfaith dialogue and cultivates a justice-orientation toward the world. 

 

As usual, but especially when abroad, I am honored to be,

Mark of St. Mark

The Church in the World

  

I have some exciting news to share – at least it’s exciting for me. When I was in Belfast last year during my sabbatical, I met a gentleman named Krish Raval, who is the head of an interfaith organization in England called Faith in Leadership. Krish and I became close immediately and spent a lot of time talking about interfaith issues. The Faith in Leadership program was initiated by Prince Philip and their offices and dormitories occupy about 25 rooms in the Windsor Castle complex. I received a note from Daniel Wehrenfennig, the director of CIEL, who led the trip to Belfast, that Krish had invited Daniel and his spouse Seanne, along with Larry and Dulcie Kugelman, and Chris and me to attend the March meeting of Faith in Leadership. We will be attending as participants and as small group leaders. So, Chris and I will be going to London from March 11-18, to participate in the conference and to see London (a first for both of us!) In my absence, SueJeanne Koh will be preaching here on the weekend of March 11-12, and Jennifer McCullough will be leading the Text Study with a Monday video and the Wednesday morning discussion on March 13 and 15. 

 

Through participating in this meeting, I hope to become better equipped for some of the roles that I hold as the pastor of St. Mark. Particularly, I am the chair of the Faith Leaders Council for United to End Homeless (which puts me on the Leadership Council and the Executive Council of U2EH as well). I am also a new Faith Leaders representative on the Friendship Shelter board, which operates mostly in south county. Each of these roles enables me to be a voice for St. Mark and for progressive Christians in Orange County, with relations to representatives of other faiths and to some leaders within the evangelical communities. In each case, I am learning (I think I’m learning; I’m trying to learn at any rate) to work cooperatively with persons who share good will, even if we don’t share the same faith perspectives. I honestly feel that the church’s voice in public/private endeavors is a critical one, and I try to represent it the best I can. 

 

When I am engaged in these works of grace, I am constantly thankful and honored to represent St. Mark and I am reminded of how effectively you are as the church. I cannot tell you the number of times that I’ve seen the dawning recognition of folks who say, “Oh, I know that church.” They will mention the Pacific Chorale and Choral Arts Initiative events on our campus, or they will name someone they know from the Hoag Board, the Orange County Community Foundation, the OASIS Board, or one of our Deacon outreach partners. And I smile and say, “Yes, that person is St. Mark alright.” It is delightful. I find myself happy to be St. Mark in the world because of how you are St. Mark in the world. 

 

So, thank you for being a church that reaches out within our walls and beyond our walls. And thank you especially for being the church that “joins Jesus at the margins.” Our Lenten theme this year is an opportunity for all of us to reflect deeply on what it means to follow the Christ, who is ever found among those whose “backs are against the wall,” as Howard Thurman puts it so powerfully in his book Jesus and the Disinherited. I hope you are taking advantage of our text studies of Luke’s gospel, our Great Decisions discussions, and our book study with New Hope throughout this season. They are great opportunities for us to grow spiritually and to be the church that joins Jesus at the margins. If you want to join the Wednesday evening discussions of Howard Thurman’s book, please jump in. You can get information about registering here. 

 

One final thought: Sometimes it is difficult to find the words that express how we are called to be a church that follows the Christ, when so many other expressions of the church seem to be representing Christ in ways that are exclusive and, to me, disheartening. I encourage you to take advantage of the workshop that we will host here at St. Mark, along with the congregation of Christ by the Sea, on March 25. We will hear a compelling presentation by Dr. David Lull and several panelists who will demonstrate ways that we can confidently live into our Christian calling to justice and inclusion. You can register for the workshop here. And thanks to Dr. SueJeanne Koh for all of her work in coordinating our Lenten season with New Hope Presbyterian Church and our workshop. 

 

It is a blessing to call myself, 

Mark of St. Mar