I'm not done with this book yet so I won't hazard a review, but there is so much inside that I'm going to have to write these thoughts down as they come. Weber is brilliant (you cannot read anything in the social sciences without coming across his name) and his thoughts come at you in waves. I've scribbled so furiously in the margins, some of the pages look like asylum cell walls. I have to unload these thoughts. So here's one:
Weber links the collective fear of admitting doubt to the presence of numerous self-confident "saints" of the church (quotation marks his). By self-confident "saints" he means people who believe it is their duty to acquire the "subjective certainty of predestination and justification" (66). The argument is this: the admission of fear and doubt is the same as an admission of a lack of faith, which is the same as an admission of the lack of God's grace in your life. This was especially important for Calvinists as they were (and are) always wondering deep down if they are members of "the elect" or not. For Calvin, your genuine faith was a sign of your being elect.
Even though Nazarenes don't believe in predestination and thus aren't as concerned with this election business, we still seek signs of salvation and (especially) sanctification. Sanctification, especially, is a doctrine very susceptible to being linked to good works and and outward signs. The presence of "self-confident saints" who must, on pain of having their sanctification questioned, always exhibit the utmost assurance and never be seen to question or doubt can be directly attributed to this felt pressure. As many young Nazarenes are uncomfortable with even the idea of sanctification, this maintenance of self-confident sainthood by older Nazarenes is repugnant to them. I think this is one of the reasons for the strong generational split within the Nazarene church. Nazarenes from the old guard equate doubt and questions with an admission that there is something lacking in their sanctification (and how can that be, if sanctification is thought to happen instantaneously and completely?), and so take pains to never express such fears. There can be no "dark night of the soul" for a sanctified Nazarene! The young ones, however, do not experience this heightened expectation of inward-outward perfection, and so find the renunciation of doubt, struggle, and questioning in matters of faith as very oppressive and contrived. The seniors can't doubt and the juniors don't know what it's like to be perfect (in the Wesleyan sense). Heck, I don't know what it's like to be perfect in the Wesleyan sense.
Excellent. But I feel that sanctification is not a moment (such as outer works) of perfection but it is the heart of moving towards perfection constantly and continually praying that God's will be our own. I think the younger generation is scared of the commitment to say yes I will constantly and continually seek the will of God.
ReplyDeleteFor the record - I tried to comment on your Good Friday/Black Saturday post but Blogger didn't post it. And ever since, I have not felt up to trying to recreate my comment because it was long, in depth, and rather soul searching. :)
ReplyDeleteOn to this post. This is a really interesting (and, I think, accurate) depiction of at least some of why the Nazarene church has become so divided (though, I no longer feel it is as divided as I used to think).
It certainly pinpoints my own struggle with the denomination and with what I felt were unyielding leaders, people unwilling to recognize that I had doubts while still having a valid faith.
As for sanctification - I really am not sure how I feel on that subject. It is a constant inward struggle for me whether to accept it or not. More doubt. Therefore, one more subject I choose not to broach with older-generation Nazarenes. Though, I like your term, "old-guard" Nazarenes.
-A
@Joy - Yes, Joy, I think you're right. I mean, even the Apostle Paul, who had an intense conversion moment on the road to Damascus, still wrote of being sanctified by the Spirit of Jesus as a process. It's probably a process punctuated (hopefully) by powerful experiences of God that let you know you're going in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think younger folks probably are scared to commit. We're taking longer to "grow up" than our parents or grandparents generation did. I read an article on the NY Times last year about that very things (like, Where did all these 25 year-olds with no life partners or careers come from?) We'll see how it plays out.
@Audra - So sad that you didn't comment on the Black Saturday post! Maybe blogger censored it because it was just too soul-searching for the Internet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I got some comments from my housemates about my use of "Black Saturday." There is no shopping involved, and it is actually used correctly. The more common term, though, is Holy Saturday.
One of the nicer Emergent church contributions is an emphasis on the spiritual life as mostly a process rather than a moment. If we take seriously that God cares about what we do beyond "being saved", then think how important spiritual formation becomes! Also, it allows us to use a looser language that opens up dialog that reflects our actual triumphs, experiences, and doubts, rather than trying to overlay our complicated faith existence (everyone's is, because life is) with an artificial mold that leaves out big parts of our life.
Eh, don't worry about what your housemates said. On your blog, you can call the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter whatever you want. We all knew what you meant.
ReplyDelete