Enough of Sin, Let’s Talk Metanoia!

Metanoia means a transformative change of heart. It is a Greek word (we theologs who have studied dead languages love to toss these about) meaning to change one’s mind which is a better way of understanding the word repent; meta + noein  to think from nous  or mind.

I was born and raised in the 40’s and 50’s where tradition reigned, the American dream was believed and attainable, and we had few choices and a lot of connections. We lived in small rural communities and smaller towns, and our world was relatively small experientially. I graduated from high school in 1960. In the 60’s and 70’s much of our tradition came under scrutiny, and new visions and changes were afoot. Young folk were demonstrated what many saw as an unjust war, but they were also. More significantly I think, demonstrating against the status quo. Our parents raised us to have a better life and many were defining that better life in a way that upset those same parents. I likely identified more with the beat generation than the hippie movement, but it was all counter cultural.

Diana Bass in her book Christianity after Religion that I mentioned previously see this time as a time a American’s (and beyond America) 4^th Great Awakening; a time of spiritual renewal. William McLoughlin, who Bass quotes in her book describes it this way:

“Such a reorientation will most likely include a new sense of the mystical unity of all mankind and of the vital power of harmony between man and nature. The godhead will be defined in less dualistic terms, and its power will be understood less in terms of an absolutist, sin-hating, death-dealing ‘Almighty in Heaven’ and more in terms of a life-supporting, nurturing, empathetic, easygoing parental (Motherly as well as Fatherly) image. The nourishing spirit of mother earth, not the wrath of an angry father above, will dominate religious thought… Sacrifice of self will replace self-aggrandizement as the definition of virtue; helping others will replace competitiveness as a value; institutions will be organized for the fulfillment of individual needs by means of cooperative communal effort rather than through the isolated nuclear family.”

Wow! I love it but it didn’t work out exactly that way. When I was in seminary, which was a union of a Roman Catholic, a Lutheran (ELCA), and a Presbyterian seminary; Vatican II has just taken place and I was convinced that women would be playing far more important roles in the church, ordained offices; priests would be allowed to marry and women would become priests. Or, I was as off as McLoughflin.

When Bass was in college there were dorms that were vegetarian, one that dealt with climate change, dorms that were comprised of Evangelicals for social action and a feminist center dorm etc. When she returned 10 years later to teach they had all disappeared; the feminist center was now filled with video games. The religious right, Falwell, Robertson, Franklin Graham, James Dobson and the like were flexing the religious and political muscles. Bass has lunch with an evangelical historian that had been her graduate advisor as asked, “What happened?” He replied with two words, “Ronald Reagan.” Odd. The man said, Reagan represented a rejection of the experiments of the 60’s and 70’s to recreate a mythic past. [Which he did not do, just made it sound that way.] He dealt with people fear of change.

Remember he ran against Jimmy Carter who was emblematic of change and new visions of justice and equality, human right, dealing with poverty and the need of a worldview, and care for the planet. They stood in sharp contrast. In a tight election the majority of Americans sought to recapture the past. And then came the strength of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, the Moral Majority, and then Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Glen Beck, Ann Coulter and the Tea Party. Or, Give me that old time religion….  The followers of Falwell, Robertson, Bakker and the like were not leaders of the new Great Awakening. They railed against change much less embrace it and saw awakening consciousness, metanoia as wrong and even evil.

Bass believes, and I hope she is right that despite all that has taken place recently that the new Great Awakening, the metanoia, and change in spirituality among the people is still alive and well. What I would describe as what God always does, leave a faithful remnant emboldened by the Spirit, to get us back on path with God and God’s intent for us.

Bass describes the New Lights; those who emphasize spirituality, creation, restoration, shalom. They understand a fallen humanity (those distracted from the paths of faith) and seek a new world away from authoritarian churches and clergy and concepts of fall, rescue and salvation (promise of a good eternal life as a reward for acting “good.”)

When you watch the country beyond the negative reporting of the media and check the data, you do see folk seeking equity and justice, care for the environment. Folk wanting the redress the imbalance of wealth, and helping folk out of poverty; to respect and care for seniors who do not ask for entitlements but for they investments in this country returned. The New Lights see a society more open and inclusive, flexible and open to religious diversity. There may be only 20% of the population attending church regularity, but there is a high level of spirituality.

On a personal level I mentioned previously at age 19, beaten in a religious argument (I like the head stuff), I saw religion, Christianity anew. I felt a kinship and intimacy with God I had not learned growing up in the church or in its teachings. In simple terms I fell in love with a God who I knew loved me. My prayers following that frequently reflected this as I would pray, “Well, boss, what is on the agenda for today?” A kindly boss I saw who I was delighted to work for and deserved my respect and my love, and my devotion. (My next word study might be on “hesed”, so be warned, but it has to do with than feeling.)

For me it was a metanoia moment. I suspect many if not most of us have had such moments in our lives but we don’t share them well. In the first church I served I took the members of session (the governing leaders of the church) and their spouses on retreat. This was in a town of 600 where everybody knew everybody else, not at all, as I liked to phrase it. My church was small, about a 100 members. During that retreat I asked them to share spiritually impacting moments in their lives with each other if they were comfortable doing so. The stories that came forth were absolutely amazing; stories they had never shared with each other, personal and powerful stories of faith that had changed them. It created such a bond among those people, other members of the church observing them afterwards, envied. Or, as one woman said to me concerning her rather shy and reserved farmer son, “What did you do to him?” But she was pleased.

Though I have had a love hate relationship with the church my entire career, and have heard countless of these stories and been intimately involved in many of them, metanoia moments so to speak. And for this reason I remain optimistic and believe perhaps Bass is right that there is a new spiritual awakening afoot in the world.