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Knowledge & News
Thought provoking topics and series, necessary news and information.
This Sunday we finished the series of welcoming by ‘Welcoming the Self.’ We first posed the question of why it is so hard for members of a society that is identifiably narcissistic to love themselves. While Christianity teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves, the first obligation is often emphasized and the last is rejected. Who would we dare treat the way we treat ourselves?
To love ourselves unconditionally we cannot weigh our self-worth against the scars of our pasts. This puts conditions on the love we can give ourselves and even receive from others. “They would not love me if they only knew… about me.” This type of thinking is limiting and prevents one from truly welcoming his or her self.
We watched a video from the Dove Real Beauty Campaign that illustrated the choice that we face in valuing ourselves. Do we choose “beautiful” or “average” for ourselves? Through the lens of the role of the church, we should always be a space that allows people to choose beautiful for themselves. Brene Brown sees religion as a polarized environment that can either hurt or heal and has an obligation to “acknowledge the unholiness” of using shame to manipulate members of a congregation to reject aspects of themselves. Conditional love for ourselves is projected onto God, tempting us to ask if it is our fault when the God seems distant. We disagree with the notion that God chooses to love or not. Love is not an act of God’s agency, but an expression of God’s being. |
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We value highly the metaphor of journey. We’re different people from different places and backgrounds, representing an intergenerational community, and we’ve traveled different paths. So, we agree not to make assumptions about the person across from us, next to us, or in conversation with us. We challenge ourselves to be sensitive, knowing this community includes a diverse group of people from life-long followers of Jesus, to people who are just now open to the idea that God might exist. We strive to avoid offense, ask good questions, articulate and explain our responses. We don’t assume fluency in bible, spirituality, or Church language, because we believe the message of Jesus is not for Christianity, but for humanity. So, we do everything in the spirit of love and grace.
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