Am I Christian?

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu,
Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen. Not any religion
or cultural system. I am not from the East
or the West, not out of the ocean or up
from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not
composed of elements at all. . . . 

I belong to the beloved, have seen the two
worlds as one and that one call to and know,
first, last, outer, inner, only that
breath breathing human being.

-        Rumi

Warning: This post is a bit of a rant. It is intended for those who are willing and ready to read with ears and hearts tuned to empathy for themselves and for me.

I am weary of people invoking the name of ‘God’ to justify their fear, which often demonstrates as violence, whether it is expressed in speech, actions, public policy, institutional practices, or by any other means. I am dismayed and disheartened by people who profess to be “Christians,” but who choose to live lives of exclusion, condemnation, elitism, and separation, all the while professing to love Jesus.

Jesus taught and lived the law of love. He practiced inclusion of the marginalized, the outcast, and the so-called “sinners.” He ministered to the sick, the prisoners, the poor and the hungry. I cannot fathom how so many people believe that a profession of faith in Jesus as “Lord and Savior” denotes being a “Christian.” Jesus never said “worship me.”  He said “follow me,” in other words, observe what I am doing and do that.

I also cannot begin to understand how we have allowed conservative, right-wing fanatics to hijack the name “Christian” and continue to espouse discrimination against people of color, LGBTQ persons, women who simply want agency over their own bodies, religions other than their brand of “Christianity,” or people of other countries. This is not Christianity, it the most perverse form of tribalism, promulgated by heterosexual white men.

People who are new to Unity often ask, “Is Unity Christian?” I often hesitate when answering. What I want to say is, “If you mean that kind of Christianity, then NO!” If that is the way most of the world views Christianity, I want no part of that label. In fact, rather than attempting to redefine ‘Christianity’ in the minds and hearts of so many, I wonder if we in Unity might be better served to disassociate ourselves from the name. I know that statement might be shocking for some who are reading this post.

Harmony Pendant designed by Rev. Doris Hoskins - Harmonypendants.com

I realize there is a long history of Unity’s association with Christianity. However, even our cofounder, Charles Fillmore, understood Unity to be more in alignment with Christology, the study of the person of Jesus and the nature of the ‘Christ’ which we understand to be the inherent true nature for all humanity, than with the dogma of traditional Christianity.

Father Richard Rohr takes that even further in his book, The Universal Christ, by stating that ‘Christ’ is “another name for every thing,” meaning that the Christ is the perfect blueprint for all creation, not just for humanity. He further says that his definition of a “Christian” is “one who sees the Christ in everyone and in every thing.” Many traditional Christians believe he is a heretic and openly proclaim it. Thankfully, there are many others who resonate with his perspective and are open to his Christology.

I realize that this post has been stimulated by couple of recent experiences. I recently began watching the Hulu series, The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the dystopian novel by Margaret Attwood. It is the story of a society established by a group of white men who believed that by creating a culture founded on “God’s law,” according to their interpretation of it, they would make the world a better place. As the story unfolds, we learn about the horrific treatment of women, the “unworthy,” the “sinners,” and the marginalized. It is certainly a society based on the concept of a patriarchal, punishing God that seems to be the deity of many “Christians” today. I honestly don’t know if I can continue watching it, or even why I would.

While it would appear to be far from anything we could ever image happening, it also seems to be within the realm of possibility considering the discriminatory rhetoric and the nature of public policy currently being enacted in this country. Perhaps, that is why it is so difficult to watch.

Additionally, I have been reading Glennon Doyle’s book, Untamed, in which she shares authentically about her life experiences. Among other things, she is a woman who once belonged to a traditional Christian church, but who was excommunicated because she fell in love with and married another woman after divorcing her husband and the father of her three children. For many reasons, I highly recommend the book. Here is what she says about calling herself “Christian.”

I don’t know if I call myself a Christian anymore. That label suggests certainty, and I have none. It suggest the desire to convert others, and that’s the last thing I want to do. It suggests exclusive belonging, and I’m not sure I belong anywhere anymore. Part of me wants to peel that label off, set it down, and try to meet each person soul to soul, without any layers between us.

She goes on to say that she remains compelled by the Jesus story and talks about how she can relate to who he was and how he treated others. I must say that I agree. I would like to be able to separate the “Christian” label from Jesus, but they are inextricably linked, I fear. I believe that Jesus was the embodiment of Christ consciousness who taught eternal and universal Truth principles and showed us the way to live in union with them. Most conservative “Christians” are much more concerned with their beliefs about how Jesus was conceived and how and why he died than they are about how he lived, let alone trying to emulate it for themselves and others.

Yes, I am a Unity ordained minister who is grappling with our movement’s apparent attachment to calling ourselves “Christian” in today’s world. I have no intention of abandoning Jesus and his teaching, but I am not so sure about the religion that wants to claim him for themselves and use his name to promote fear and hate.

In the end, it matters not what label we assign to ourselves, if any. Our value is not determined by what we believe or don’t believe. We are all worthy of love and belonging. Just because we are!