Here are some rough notes I scribbled after Jan and I visited what is probably Australia’s largest theologically liberal congregation, St. Michael’s Uniting Church in Collins St, pastored by well-known pastor/author/counsellor/provocateur Dr Frances Macnab.

Their website introduces the congregation in these terms: ‘St Michael’s is a unique Christian presence in the city of Melbourne. It offers a wide variety of experiences for growth and change. It is a place which affirms and encourages the best expression of who you are and who you can be, through relevant theology, Sunday Service, numerous support programs and its commitment to counselling and psychotherapy.

Sunday Services with Dr Francis Macnab

Under the Executive Minister, Dr Francis Macnab, the large congregation has adopted a liberal and progressive theology that sits on the forefront of radical thought.’

We in John Mark Ministries spend our ministry-lives asking the question ‘What does a healthy church look like?’ That is not the same as another question, asked more frequently in the U.S. and among Australia’s Pentecostal groups in particular: ‘What makes a church grow?’ Here are some random comments on both questions.

St. Michael’s was comfortably full last (Easter) Sunday morning, as it is apparently every Sunday – with probably 600-700 worshippers: mostly 50s – 70s downstairs, 30s+ in the balcony). Why?

Clue [1]: The pastoral leader. Dr Macnab might be described as ‘everybody’s white-haired grandfather’ or as ‘Australia’s Bishop Spong’. He’s a good listener (I had his full attention for a minute in the greeting queue), softly spoken, highly intelligent, well-read, well-written (20-30 books), and a very good communicator. He led the whole service, read the lectionary Bible passages in one go (with ‘liberal/progressive’ comments tying them together – like ‘Paul’s fairly confused statement’ in 1 Corinthians 15), gave the ‘notices’, introduced the hymns, blessed the offering (mostly tens and twenties, a couple of envelopes but no fifties in our pew’s plate), and prayed and preached a sermon without mentioning the word ‘God’ – except, I think, once in a rhetorical question. The prayer (‘gathering thoughts’) did not address God, but comprised affirmations about ‘celebrating life-enhancing experiences’… and concluded with ‘This is our prayer. Amen’.

Clue [2]: Excellence. There was no mediocrity anywhere. The printed Order of Service had a touch of class about it and explained everything; all the hymns were included there; the musical offerings – bells, organ, ensemble, soloist (Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate: I would have included an English translation for ‘non-Latins’ to follow) – were first class; the autumn-coloured stained glass windows and general ambience/decor were soft and inviting…

Clue [3]: Dr. Macnab is ’eminently listenable’. The Sermon (‘Courage to Face the Real Meaning of the Resurrection’) was obviously (a) addressing a question many people are asking – viz. ‘Can we still believe the historic Christian dogma of Jesus’ physical resurrection/empty tomb?’ McNabb’s answer (of course): No. ‘St Paul – the earliest NT writer – didn’t think the idea of an empty tomb was worth mentioning, almost certainly because he too didn’t believe that. Probably no one did until Mark’s Gospel in the 80s – 40 years later’. John Dominic Crossan and Bishop Spong were quoted with approval. (b) Point of contact: ‘The Pope – and Cardinal Pell – believe condoms help rather than hinder the spread of AIDs. Next they’ll be saying wearing seat-belts causes more deaths…’ (c) Humour here and there (like ‘When I conduct a funeral I often wonder whether sometime a mobile phone might be heard from within the coffin!’). (d) Personal notes about his own spiritual/theological journey. (e) Call to commitment – ‘Discard the Old Faith and embrace the New Faith’. ‘See the idea of Resurrection as a challenge to give us strength and hope in difficult times, and an awakening to a new consciousness’. The Blessing at the end included ‘May your God go with you and bless you, now and always…’

Clue [4]: There was enough order to reassure the traditionalists: processing with the Bible, hymns with occasional churchy language (‘Lo the day of days is here’), standing for the reading of the Gospel, etc.

Frances Macnab probably never preaches, these days, without including what he’s against, or without using terms like ‘myth’, which can be very confusing to layfolk. I call this aggressive anti-conservative approach ‘liberal fundamentalism’. Lloyd Geering is in the same boat (but more strident) as is Bishop Spong, as – in a gentler way – is the popular study-DVD course ‘Living the Questions’. Elsewhere I’ll write a bit more about my affirmations/reservations about this theological stance (see, for example, under keywords Marcus Borg, Spong or theological liberalism on the John Mark Ministries website).

Suffice to say, at this point, I think I can understand a little better why hundreds of well-educated people are forsaking ‘corner-store’ mainline suburban churches and commuting every Sunday to St. Michael’s.

Comments anyone?

Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher

April 16, 2009

http://jmm.org.au/

Justice for Dawn Rowan – http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/

Postscript: October 2010: A Gentle Word to my Progressive/Liberal Ministry Colleagues

1. You have some special insights into the Christian Faith: but remember Schleiermacher’s contribution to the discussion: not all truth comprises ideas about ideas. Indeed (Jean Piaget) conservatives can be locked into a ‘concrete thinking’ mode of viewing reality – failing to appreciate the importance of ‘ideas about ideas’. It’s OK to critique conservatives’ ‘flat’ view of biblical hermeneutics; or their ‘binary thinking’ (this or that). Or to critique the theological Left’s majoring on relationships, or the cognitive rigidity of the Right…

2. Along the ideological spectrum radicals on the left through to traditionalists on the right are answering different questions. It’s hard for intellectuals anywhere along that spectrum to enter the Kingdom of God…

3. The notion that outdated theology is the reason people aren’t pouring into the church (eg. Spong) ain’t necessarily so. Growing churches are mostly conservative (McNab in this generation and Fosdick in another are rare)…

4. We who are pastors ought to affirm ‘all the way God has led us’ – and pray for wisdom and courage (both) to continue on the journey…

5. Mainline/liberal preachers (but not only those) often aren’t answering questions people are asking. For example, ‘Can we improve on the substitutionary theoy of the atonement?’…

6. The pulpit is not the place to knock away people’s props (or is it?)

7. Always – whether conservative or liberal – anchor your sermon in the biblical text

8. Pastorally, take initiatives to listen to the faith-stories of ordinary people – and not just in times of crisis. People who know they’re loved by their leader/s will follow them anywhere…

9. Back to authority for believing this or that: let’s beware having only a ‘rational rationale’ (Rohr says we should always allow for sensory, and transcendant/mystical dimensions as well). Rationalism is at the root of creationism, and anti-creationism; rationalism often rules out the miraculous, the efficacy of prayer, the possibility that the dead can rise, the ‘existence’ of a Deity who has personal attributes, and operates mainly from presuppositions associated with a ‘scientific worldview’…

10. And always remember: yesterday’s orthodoxy is often today’s heresy and vice versa…

Rowland Croucher

More on Theological Liberalism – http://jmm.org.au/articles/9090.htm