A Tribe Formerly Called Quest

A modest polemic in the continuing spirit of the "People formerly known as" thread by Bill Kinnon, John Frye, Jamie Arpin-Ricci, Grace, Boudicca, Lyn Hallewell and others.

This is going to come across strong. It is meant to stir discussion and debate, and is not meant to be hateful or mean. Many people I have found on my journey back to faith have turned out to be Christ Himself waiting on me hand and foot. But many have not. And those latter have caused me to worry whether I am at the right place and even caused me to back away from the church again for a while, wondering if it was even worth trying. But I will not be kept away! I am back home, and I plan to stay. So, with that said...

Hello, we are the prodigals.

We come in from long years in the wilderness, brought back to Christ's bride by whatever paths the Spirit chose for us, which are as individual as each of us. Our journeys were hard, and we are so glad they are over. Our pasts are shameful, and we are so glad they are gone. We are so happy to be back home, so brimming with Good News, so ready to serve. We have a joy that sometimes leads to happy tears streaming down our face, only to have to worry about being looked down upon by you more staid members of the church, who look on that sort of emotion as unseemly, as if saying, "The church is solemn business! No heartfelt tears or joyous laughter allowed!" Your joy is but a distant memory, while ours is still fresh.

We don't have your long background in the traditions of the church, so we are more likely to question, "Why?", and more likely to not understand your tried-and-true answers. We search through your responses for the biblical and sometimes come up wanting, yet we dare not ask again because we were given "the" answer. Because we were graciously led to faith instead of growing up feeling as if it is a birthright, we think everything is new! Wonderful! Exciting! Interesting! We don't want our boundless enthusiasm, hope, joy and love shoved into nice pat one-size-fits-all answers that have kept you in your box you call "church" all these years.

We are the prodigals.

We've come home to find the Bride's house in disarray. Full of infighting and politics. Worldliness and competitiveness. Taking up what is Caesar's at the expense of what is God's. You are dabbling in politics. You are suing each other over bitter schisms and who will get the Bride's belongings in the ensuing divorce settlements. You put down other denominations with a venom that drips from your lips as foul as any prejudiced slur. We shrink from all that and wonder where is our Lord in His house?

We are depressed and disheartened to find the people inside the church to be just like the people on the outside. We are hurt and angered to hear gossip, backbiting, prejudice and unbridled hatred from the mouths of long-time members, especially those of you who feel you are "in charge", that you own the church, when according to our readings, we are foolish enough to believe Christ owns it. Sure, we are all sinners, but that doesn't give us the excuse to not even try to live our Lord's teachings.

We are the prodigals.

We don't think pastors are the problem, or at least all of the problem. On our way back home to God, many pastors have helped and guided us, acting as teacher/rabbi/sensei/guide, supplying just the right lesson at just the right time. Yes, some pastors are egotistical. But many are Godly men doing the best they can. We do think elders and others in the congregation may be part of the problem. In many elder-led churches things are the way they are because the elders and the those others "condemned for life" there want it that way. They chastise their pastors for letting the service run too long. They resist new worship formats (or even, gasp! new hymnals!). And God forbid the pastor allowing a moment of silence in a service that might lapse into whole minutes - you act as if we're burning daylight and your day off and you have other more important places to go. As if you don't have enough sin on your ledger to have to spend more than a few seconds throwing it all down at the foot of the Cross.

We sorrow at congregations that fight pastors who want to lead the church into outward-focused mission only to be told to keep the programs turned inward, to only worry about the church-as-club programs and "church growth". Anyone or anything else in the community that needs help can take care of themselves. We are filled with disbelief over a church whose entire "mission" and "outreach" is aimed at sending envelopes of money to people in other countries around the world, but who do little or nothing for the local community's needs. Just as there are "C&E" Christians who only show up at Christmas and Easter, there are "C&E" churches that only do something for local needs around Christmas with an Angel Tree program. And no matter what, you want to make sure you never let "those people" into your church! It might spoil your smug complacency that all is well with the world and make you feel uncomfortable. Because after all, your Christianity is all about comfort, whereas ours is all about struggling to meet God.

When we read of the Pharisees, we think of you.

We are the prodigals.

We want it to be our church, too, and don't want to be told that our ideas don't count, that we must follow tradition, that "it's always been that way", that the only outlet for our thoughts and plans is in yearly member's meeting votes or by succumbing to playing the game and being sidelined into this committee or that program. We don't want to be shut up. We don't want to be crowded into the same chutes as everyone else. For many of us, it was those chutes we escaped from in the first place to begin our wandering. In outrage, we want to storm through the Temple, turning over your money changing tables.

We are self-educated, and look for our answers in a variety of sources. We consume books from ancient church figures as well as the latest contemporary writers. We are ecumenical. And we have the temerity to believe that our years of wandering towards God had a purpose, His purpose, and that those experiences and ideas we gained have value and are worthy of consideration because, after all, they brought us back to Christ Jesus. Your catechisms and other pat answers don't silence our questions, even though we may not ask them aloud again once we're given your standard answer, because we know it's a hopeless cause. Our silence is not consent.

We are the prodigals.

We want COMMUNITY. We want to make a difference. We want to show Christ's love for others because He has so blessed us with His. We want to serve. We want a mission. We come to services eager to make friends and share, only to find we're outsiders still and always will be, because we're not part of your clique that has always gone to your church, grew up together, went to parochial school together, were confirmed together and can reminisce about dear old Pastor So-and-So from back in the day together. While those conversations are going on, all we can feel is ALONE. ALIENATED. MINIMIZED. DISCOUNTED.

We are not just new numbers to add to your "church growth" statistics. In fact, we did not come because of anything you did. We came because the Spirit led us to you. We are a gift to you as much as you are to us, and yet you leave us unopened, unwrapped, unloved.

We are the prodigals.

We may be sitting in a pew next to you this Sunday. Maybe you'll notice us. Maybe you won't. Maybe we'll keep coming back. Maybe we'll move on where the Spirit leads us. We want to be there, we actually want to fall on our knees in front of you and tell you "I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." To be rejected at that moment will send us away again. You can help make sure we stay. When next you see us, won't you please gladly welcome us back home?

We are the prodigals. We are your prodigals. Where's the prodigal's welcome?