God Unbound: On The Nontraditional Traditions

Last updated on: July 20, 2016 at 2:15 pm by Kerry Connelly

God Unbound: On The Nontraditional Traditions 2016-07-20T14:15:55-04:00 Kerry Connelly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

No one who knows me would ever accuse me of being a traditionalist. The Evangelical church I attend is fairly contemporary (and interestingly enough, it’s a church that the Willowcreek Association once said was the most diverse they’d ever seen, racially, gererationally, and socio-economically), but still I test the grace reserves of many. I’ve always been the questioner, the poker, the under-dog-sticker-upper-for, always asking questions and noticing the stuff other people might prefer to leave be.

I love my church with a passion that has overcome strife and the pain of broken friendships, trust, all that crap that we humans can get ourselves into. That’s God — let me tell you.

But here is how church — any church — often feels: it’s as if I have been shivering cold, lost in a desert, and have walked into a strange town, where a kind person unknown to me has thrown a large, soft, very comfortable yet ill-fitting coat around me. I am immensely grateful for the coat. I wrap its comfort and love around me, pulling it closer for its soft protection, and I bask in the kindness I find there. Yet it’s painfully obvious that I am an outsider to this coat, that the coat is not exactly mine, that it is a gift that has been bestowed upon me until I can get back home to where I really belong.

I don’t think this makes me strange. I think a lot of people feel this way, and I think it’s sort of the point of church. And it’s pretty beautiful.

In her new book, God Unbound, Elaine A. Heath seems to makes space for people like me — the lay person who might every once in a while have a good point about scripture, or might be someone God is using in a way the rest of us aren’t used to, who may be asking the questions God wants us to consider in a different way.

It’s true, I can be a thorn in the sides of some of my more traditional friends — a much loved thorn, but a thorn nonetheless. And I use the word traditional somewhat loosely. I hardly hang with a highly liturgical crowd. Still, I take my responsibility seriously, and just because I’m obnoxious, doesn’t mean I’m wrong.

Of course, it doesn’t mean I’m right, either.

The God Stuff

Previous Post

July 18, 2016

God Afoot: On Nice, Dead Cops, and Batman

Next Post

July 22, 2016 You Need To See This: Rachel Held Evans Speaks At the Gay Network Convention

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Guest Bloggers Justice The Feminist Stuff The God Stuff The other stuff. Uncategorized You Need To See This

Select a Month August 2019 July 2019 February 2019 January 2019 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 September 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 August 2014 July 2014 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 October 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many years between David's reign and the Babylonian exile?

Select your answer to see how you score.

300 years 500 years 450 years 400 years