ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Epiphany
An Outpost (by Josh)
I’m in the middle of pursuing ordination right now. I think most people assume that I already am ordained. I was licensed as soon as I began pastoring so that I could legally do weddings and funerals. As part of UBCs process candidates are required to go through something called a theological inquiry. I did mine this last Sunday. I was asked a question that forced me to articulate something I’ve been thinking for a while. It was an answer about UBC’s future, but also more generally about the future of the church. To frame my answer I began pointing out that America has always seems, at least to me, about 200 years behind Europe culturally. By culturally I do not mean trends, technology, or something like fashion. By cultural I mean as civic experiment. As part of this, we must confront that fact that someday America will not be the global superpower that it currently is. We will be usurped as the British Empire was, as Roman Empire before that, as the Macedonian Empire was before that, as was the Persian Empire before that, as was the Babylonian Empire was before that. You get the idea. You could supply your own list.
Because we are not the first culture to move through this civic cycle in modern history, I think there are certain predictions we can make. Take religion for example. I suspect that America will become increasingly secularized and that the church that survives will look like one of two entities. The first will be the church that serves as a chaplain to the empire. It will be the closest thing we have to a state church in an almost entirely agnostic society. The National Cathedral, as beautiful as it is, will become fully what it intends to be now, a government building that serves certain aesthetic needs of the state. There will be interesting figures, likely from the Episcopal church, that occasionally speak out against corruption and name the suspicious relationship between the church and the state, but for the most part, this state church will enjoy it’s comfortable and irrelevant position within society.
The second church will be the one I’m more interested in. I had a conversation with a friend a few weeks ago about the future of the American Church in light of the overwhelming reality of Christian Nationalism within Evangelicalism. “What is the response?” he asked. “I’m not sure there is one,” I replied. What I meant is that perhaps it might finally be too late for the church in America. I sometimes wonder if her witness has become so damaged it’s irrecoverable. And then I shared with my friend something that I’ve been thinking about. It’s a thought from Isaiah, but it shows up again in the prophets like Micah, Jeremiah, and Zephaniah. In those texts they discuss something called the “remnant”. I could use this space to do the exegetical work to unpack how that image is used in all those texts, but the Anchor Bible Dictionary offers a salient definition. It says the remnant is, “What is left of a community after it undergoes a catastrophe.” The American Church is in crisis. It is in catastrophe. And it could be that we are moving into a period when all we can do is faithfully wait to see what is left and how the Spirit might move us forward.
If my prognosticating has any merit then it seems to me that those of us still interested in the future of America’s religion will have to make a choice about what kind of church we will be. Will we take jobs as chaplains of the empire or will we be content to watch and wait? I should warn you about something if you decide to throw in your lot in with Isaiah. It’s not a winning tradition. Not at least by the world’s standards. It won’t be a future of church growth or building projects. It won’t be a church that gets factored in as a voting block in elections or that has the ears of presidents. It will be an outpost in a culture that no longer cares about her existence.
In college I read a book by Henri Nouwen called In The Name of Jesus. It was for a class on Christian leadership and while I have grown suspicious of books that combine “Christian” and “Leadership,” not because those are mutually exclusive, but because most of the time that means successful business principles packaged as Christian leadership, I was open to this book because well, it was Henri Nouwen. Nouwen's thesis is that we must overcome the temptation to be relevant. I imagine that the second church, the irrelevant one, will exist as a cultural outpost in a society that no longer cares what the church thinks. But there is good news for the remnant. The catastrophe presents an opportunity for the church to find herself again. Having been irrelevant, the church can again ask the questions like: What is our purpose? Who do we serve? Who belongs here? How is that belonging enacted? That church will be an exciting place to be again.
Meet the UBC(ers)
The Watsons
College Women’s Group
Hey College Women, are you looking for a place to get to know other UBC college women? College Women’s Group aims to be a safe space for college aged women to gather, ask hard questions, and find encouragement. We meet on Wednesdays at 6:30pm on Zoom for a casual time of fellowship and prayer. We would love for you to join us! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kathleen Post (kathleen_post1@baylor.edu) or Maddy Hayes. Peace, love, and blessings!
How to Fight Racism - Book of the Month in February
Hello UBC Family! Many of you know that in February we celebrate Black History Month at UBC in a variety of ways through our liturgy and the pulpit. This year we are also encouraging you to read a book with us: How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice. This is the latest book by Jemar TIsby, which “provides a practical framework for pursuing racial justice with hands-on suggestions bolstered by real-world examples of change.” We will read the book over the month of February, and then set up a time the first week of March to discuss the book together over zoom. We would love for you to join us in the important work of fighting against racism and injustice. If you want to participate, but can’t afford the book, let us know, we can get you a copy. If you would like to be a part of the group, or have any questions, please email toph@ubcwaco.org
Parishioner of the Week
The Trans for hosting youth group two weeks in a row.
Work is Worship
Greeters: No Greeters this week
Coffee Makers: no coffee makers this week
Mug Cleaners: no mug cleaners this week
Money Counter: no money counters this week
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair: Kerri Fisher: Kerri_Fisher@baylor.edu
Luci Hoppe: lhoppe@gmail.com
Jeremy Nance: Jeremy.J.Nance@L3T.com
Joanna Sowards: jo.sowards@gmail.com
Kathy Krey: kathykrey@gmail.com
Jose Zuniga: jzgrphix2002@yahoo.com
Taylor Torregrossa: Taylordtorregrossa@gmail.com
Student Position: Davis Misloski
Student Position: Maddy O’Shaughnessy
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
Catherine Ballas: catherine@refitrev.com
Jen Carron: jen.carron78@gmail.com
Mike Dodson: financeteammike@gmail.com
George Thornton: GeorgecCT1982@gmail.com
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Erin Albin: erin.albin1@gmail.com
Sam Goff: samuelgoff92@gmail.com
Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com
Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com
Craig Nash: Craig_Nash@baylor.edu