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I. In the rotunda of the Nebraska State Capitol, there is a marvelous mosaic. It depicts a well-chronicled incident in Nebraska history. The mosaic shows a woman leading young children through a blinding snow storm. The woman is holding on to one child's hand. That child in turn is holding the hand of the next and he, the next, and so on. The storm must be blowing mightily against the small band for it is leaning hard into the wind to make even slow progress. 

According to the story, the storm came up suddenly. From years of pastoring in Lincoln, I know first hand that plains winter storms can be deadly. In no time, such blizzards can bury a one room schoolhouse, isolating it for days. The mosaic tells the story of a courageous young school teacher leading her students from a schoolhouse out on the edge of the prairie to the safety of a nearby town. The students look to be from six to sixteen and were naturally cold and scared. History credits the teacher for saving the lives of these youngsters.

In the aftermath of the election, I wonder if some of us don't feel a bit like that school teacher in the blizzard. We are more conscious now of a yawning cultural and religions divide facing our nation. Today's Washington Post editorial minimizes the divide, but few can deny that the U.S. faith community in particular is rent asunder. We of a more liberal or progressive approach to Christianity realize now more than ever that we are no longer mainline but, as some have joked, "sidelined" churches. While your congregation and ours,' with our just peace, open and affirming theologies, are vital and growing, most churches in our United Church of Christ are struggling. The current "God Is Still Speaking" campaign is a belated effort to increase our ranks by telling the story of a denomination that is open to all. Let us pray that the effort is not too little too late. 

In October of 2002, The Atlantic Monthly published an article based on a book by Penn State's Philip Jenkins called The Next Christendom (2002). It it, Jenkins profiles the rapid growth of Christian conservatism on all continents. As maturing mission churches in Africa and South America gain influence in major traditions such as the Anglican communion, Jenkins believes that this rapidly growing "third church" will soon overwhelm liberal Christian churches worldwide. 

It is evident that Biblical literalism is gaining favor. Churchgoers prefer packaged answers to "life's persistent questions" (Garrison Kellor). Few opt for the tough work of studying scripture and tradition with the historical/biblical approach. While Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossin and their Jesus Seminar colleagues intrigue and challenge many of us, our interest is not shared by the majority of Christians. And John Shelby Spong is anathema to nearly all. 

Until recently, we might have thought that it matters little how others view scripture. "They" have their way, we have ours. The recent U.S. election challenges that assumption. As the Evangelical Right moves into center stage, the results of literal interpretations of scripture become clear. It was relatively easy for Karl Rove to develop a Republican majority among "Bible believing Christians" who fear for the decay of "family values."

The sexual ethics crisis in the Catholic Church has further fueled fear driven Religious Right actions. Good, decent people are justifiably horrified by the rampant sexual misconduct of priests. In the UCC, we have tried to be vigilant on this issues with good success. But a growing group of religious scholars now believe that the Catholic Church's upheaval in the U.S. and abroad plus the rapid growth of the conservative and pentecostal churches around the world, are leading to a major schism in Christianity of no less importance that the Protestant Reformation of the 14th Century. Richard Sipe, is a former monk who worked on the sexual-disorders clinic at John's Hopkins and is now a psychotherapist based in California. Philip Jenkins quotes Sipe who, over the years, has spoken of "a new Reformation." 

"We are at 1515," Sipes has written, "between when Martin Luther went to
Rome in 1510 and 1517 when he nailed his 95 theses on the door in Wittenberg."

That act can reasonably be seen as a symbolic starting point of the Reformation, when a united Christendom was rent asunder. If this is so, what of our approach to the Christian faith, an approach firmly grounded in scripture and tradition, history and context and language study, using the best tools of scholarship, spirituality and prayer? Such an approach leads us to very different conclusions from the majority of our conservative counterparts about sexual ethics, interfaith dialog, global peacemaking and a host of other vital issues.

We are "leaning into the wind," to borrow a phrase from Nebraska's own Willa Cather.

II. A close reading of scripture reminds us that fissures in the Body of Christ are nothing new. Jesus himself has said that "I come not to bring peace but a sword" (Matt. 10:34). He knew that his preaching and teaching would create chaos among pious rabbis of the time. Even families would be divided. Not a happy prospect but one that we experience today. A family close to me agonizes over a daughter who has married a fundamentalist minister. As their daughter grows more critical of the church in which she was raised, the parents feel caught between love for their daughter and a visceral dislike for her new approach to Christianity. The family is torn apart.

Jesus challenged the people of his day to find solid theological ground. Like the prophets, Jesus was distraught over false teachers, rabbis who placed impossible burdens on the peasants, and tax collectors who betrayed their own people as agents of the occupying government. When he spoke about the temple in Jerusalem, he got the attention of the nation's leaders. The glittering temple was the seat of their religious and political power, their sacred space. The structure was opulent with its East wall made of gold, with green and white marble on the sides and back. Like the glittering cathedrals of Luther's day, it was extravagant in all respects. Jesus challenges the Temple's significance. >From Luke 21:

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful
stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see,
the days will come, when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be
thrown down..."

Then he adds,

"Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say,
'I am he!' and , 'The time is near!' Do not go after them."

Indeed, the temple was burned in C.E. 70. Jesus reminds his people to repent for, as Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest,

...The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind.

In his critique of false leaders, Jesus stands in the prophetic tradition of the Old Testament. Isaiah 65 contains words to "a nation that did not call on my name." (Is 65:1c) The people who had suffered exile as punishment for their unfaithfulness have returned to Jerusalem. Their sins forgiven, the people renew their covenant with the Lord and begin to rebuild their ruined city. Soon worn down by harsh conditions, the people begin to follow pagan gods, but finally regain their spiritual footing as foreign assistance pours in.

Writing to a non-Jewish congregation facing problems living in a Greek society, the Pauline writer urges shares the Thessalonians to keep living as Christ taught. No matter what the challenges from an alien world, hold onto truth! "Do not weary in doing what is right."

'Leaning into the wind of prevailing culture and religion is hard work.

III.
What will it take to be a liberal/progressive Church in the era of the "next Christendom"? Like Jesus, Isaiah and the writer of 2 Thessalonians, we must continue to preach and teach in the way we are called to do, always respecting others' views and seeking ways to be one in Christ. But it is clear that the nation and the world need what we have to offer. Without arrogance, we go forth to share the Good News of a Bible that is liberated from literalism that holy truths may be revealed. These truths lead us to expand the scope of morality. We are called to challenge the astonishingly rampant misconceptions about homosexuality, gay marriage and pro choice. We are called to share our reading of scripture which challenges wars fought without cause. We are called to share our a vision of peace with justice for both Israel and Palestinians. 

Prayerfully and humbly, we lean into the prevailing winds of our time. We look for allies wherever they can be found, beginning with Jim Wallis of the Sojourners' Movement who urges poverty reduction at home through a broad coalition of religious organizations. We seek common ground on family values by urging inclusion of women's health issues, job security, child care and more. We work with whomever we can to develop a vision of broad interfaith dialog that recognizes the face of God in all religions. We believe that the day of Christian triumphalism is over. As Abraham Joshua Heschel once said,

No religion is an island. We all are involved with one another. Spiritual
betrayal on the part of one affects the faith of all.

Or, in the words of Kathleen Norris,

We are all God's chosen now.
God help us because we are.

Leaning into the wind is hard work. We will need each other to hold onto, and as many others as we can encourage to join us- Christians of all kinds, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and all who work for a better world. Together we are called to lean into the winds of racism and fundamentalism and nationalism, and all of the other ism's of this 21st Century. 

'Holy work, essential work, this leaning into the wind! Amen.