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  Arthur Rouner Ministries

ARTHUR ROUNER MINISTRIES

Identity

8/4/2020

1 Comment

 
Whether we like it or not we are living in an age of “identity politics.” It really is identity everything. Who are you? How do you want to be known? Are you a “Conservative” or a “Progressive” in politics. Or maybe just in life?
 
How do you want to be known? Charles Schultz, the cartoonist, coined the phrase: You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.” Many of us would settle for that.
 
With over 25 years of doing reconciliation work in Arica, following the Rwanda genocide, we were gratified to be thought of as “peace-makers.” That is both wonderfully Biblical and up to the minute modern. Two of us on the Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation staff had policemen sons who felt privileged to call themselves “peace officers.”
 
Jesus honored the “peace-makers.” What a good name for modern Christians. I served a church whose name was proudly “Colonial.” It harked back to a period of the settlement of America and referred to our “colonizing” period. But now, to some who don’t know their history very well, that name has some negative connotations. Recollections of taking land from Indian people, sometimes by force. Despite the 50 years of the Pilgrims living peacefully with the Indian people, many today lift up later periods of warfare.
 
Now, in the age of George Floyd and violent street clashes and calls to “Defund the police” some insist that a church name, like “Colonial” is a dark and menacing name. They call for a changing of the name.
 
Well, to what? Names like “Mount Olivet” are Biblical, “Westminster” is historical. “Hennepin Avenue Methodist” is geographical and denominational.
 
If your identity has been with a historic period, it will be hard to find a name without a dark side.
 
But, our personal identities have frequently to do with what we do, what our purpose is in the world, what kind of intentions do we have, good or bad?
 
Some friends and I sat recently over lunch with a dear friend, a retired Episcopal minister, an Ojibwe elder. We could hardly say anything but “George is a good and gracious man.” He has a loving heart. Despite many wounds, he is always positive. He laughs and jokes. He goes straight to the heart, in all his relationships.
 
So what of the people called “Colonial,” who for 75 years have nurtured love and help to the world around them, and have bravely gone into the inner city to meet needs, and persistently to Africa to bring healing to the horrendous hurts of genocide?
 
The earliest Christians were thought of as people of “The Way.” Could Christian companies today be simply THE WAY or, “Church of the Way”? Or maybe, “The Gathering” as classically a “gathered church, by the Spirit.” Or, “Company of the Way.”
 
How about “The Journey People”? Or just “Jesus People Church.” They’d love your answers. You could help them see themselves as people with hearts open, intending to help, like Jesus.
 
Identity. Identity. Being what we mean to be, and how we want to be known.
 
Thanks everyone.
Arthur

1 Comment
Michael Adamovich
8/5/2020 06:38:33 pm

Dear Arthur,
Thank you for your wise and thoughtful words. “America hath need of thee.”

There may be a time to change the name of Colonial Church but this is not the time. We will know that time has come, only if the vision and new name God has given us exceeds in clarity, beauty and luster what the church has already done under the name of Colonial Church. That is the biblical pattern when people and places were renamed: The new name comes with a new vision of greater beauty and clarity firmly anchored and reflected in the new name.

My objection to changing the name—especially now—is that we are doing this under pressure from the “spirit of the world” – – not the leading of the Holy Spirit. We can certainly try to deny this and say that we are being led by the Spirit to seek a new name that is more “sensitive”. However, what has spurred this current impetus to change the name now is the spirit of the world – – not only the spirit of the world but bad history.

To be completely accurate, the Pilgrims did not come to America to “colonize” America for Britain. They fled Britain for religious freedom and it was British colonialism which arrived later on and colonized the Pilgrims. The Pilgrim “colonials” were the ones who overcame colonization by the BRITs and found independence – – because their identity in Christ was foremost—not their identity as people of British lineage. They are a model for all people who would overcome colonization that is oppressive or any oppressive system—including alleged “systemic racism”. Those who have cast off the bonds of the colonial/royal/ systemic powers have rarely done so in a manner that puts Christ first. We have seen many nations (formerly colonized) descend into tribalism and chaos, because they did not put Christ first like the Pilgrims did.

We don’t need to be changing our name in a pandemic, when we are not even able to gather together as a people, when we are in our least inspired state of mind and have to wear masks of all kinds. If we were to change the name of Colonial Church to anything that would be faithful to our legacy, it would be: “Pilgrim Meeting House”. This states exactly what the building is and anchors the community firmly in its history while welcoming others who are Pilgrims of the Spirit in our time. However, this is not the time. This is not the time...

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    Arthur A Rouner, Jr -
    Minister, Author, Leader of Forgiveness and Reconciliation Retreats, Minister of "Presence"

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 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. . ."
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