Curious Christian

21 responses to “A testimony of sorts”

1. 

   Jarred

   2010-02-27

   Wow, you’re asking people to distill their story into a paragraph or two? Dude, that’s why I write a blog! 😛
   I grew up in a rather conservative Baptist church in rural Pennsylvania (PA). I attended Sunday services regularly and was even heavily involved in leadership roles. I even taught the junior high Sunday school class my junior and senior years.
   While attending a Lutheran-affiliated university, I attended and became involved in a “Full Gospel” (charismatic/pentecostal) church and was involved with an on-campus group that visited various churches to do alternative ministry services (clowning, skits, puppetry, mime, etc).
   After coming out to myself as a gay man towards the end of my senior year (and just barely finishing the projects I needed to complete in order to graduate), I returned to my hometown and found a job in a nearby larger town. I resumed attending and being involved in the church I grew up in. I took over the combined junior and senior high school Sunday school classes and became the superintendent of the children’s Sunday school program when my aunt stepped down shortly after my return.
   I spent the next two years trying to deal with personal issues and keep my commitments to the church. In July 1998, I handed in my resignation and left the church the following month.
   A few months later, I asked one of the Wiccan friends I had made my last year in college for advice on a book I might read in order to learn more about her faith. She recommended Scott Cunningham’s “Guide for the Solitary Practitioner,” which I purchased and read. After reading it, I became a Pagan.
   Over the next few years, I drifted around exploring various Pagan paths. I became involved with groups like Ar nDraiocht and the Troth. I also became friendly with the leadership of a couple of covens (one Alexandrian, the other Minoan), and explored the possibility of initiating into each of them. And I developed a relationship with the goddess Freyja and, to a lesser extent, the god Odin. I’m a founding member of a small, rather eclectic coven now.
   How’s that?

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2. 

   Chris Bryan

   2010-02-27

   Here goes…
   I grew up as a Catholic, feeling a lot of unspoken discrimination by others in my Christian school. When I was a young teen my parents started going to an evangelical church to learn more about the Bible. I tagged along, but never really felt at home there.
   By the time I was in high school, Christian faith seemed less and less relevant, just some meaningless dogma. I got interested in Wicca and other stuff.
   Then I discovered N.T. Wright, and for the first time I could imagine a Jesus-character who felt historically credible and at the same time (strangely enough!) relevant too. At the same time, I found that Christian ethics provided a really solid basis for opposing violence and war (this was at the time of the second Iraq invasion). Suddenly my faith was alive again, and fueling a new-found progressive political philosophy.
   The most recent chapter in my story started when I discovered Taoist philosophy about a year ago, which has been helping me try to find a healthy, balanced lifestyle and deepening my ethical/spiritual/rational/emotional awareness.
   I blog about all of this at cmbryan.com/blog for anyone who is interested 🙂
   Thanks, Matt, for all your thoughts.

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3. 

   Steve Hayes

   2010-02-27

   Grew up in an atheist/agnostic home, went to Christmas service at an Anglican church at age of 11 with a friend, then went to Merthodist church school where we read Bible aloud, beginning at Genesis, got fascinated by story and read ahead, puzzled parents by asking for Bible for birthday, read it. Evangelican school teacher came to schoopl, started Bible study group. I went to it, made commitment to Christ at age 13. Etc

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4. 

   Grace

   2010-02-27

   i grew up in a nominally Christian home, and was active in church for quite a while. but the basics of Christianity were pretty alien to me. i didn’t see why i only had to go through “one person” to get to God, or why other religions couldn’t be equally valid.
   i went on a search for truth. studies world religions, meditation, different mythologies, philosophies, and practices. learned a lot, but never found peace, or stability.
   then, i met a Christian family from India. for the first time in my life, i saw what Christianity would look like if people “did” it. these people prayed daily, read the Bible for pleasure, and sincerely loved others, attributing their peace and happiness to Jesus. i coulnd’t bring myself to believe that all Truth and Godliness was really wrpapped up in One Man like they claimed, but clearly they had a peace, joy, and a closeness to God that i did not, and had not seen in anyone else.
   so one night, i broke down and asked God if Christ really were His Son, and if He wanted me to follow Him. and the Lord Jesus Christ answered! He not only answered, but changed my heart, will, perspectives, and self, from the inside out. that is how Christ saved me, forgave me, and helped me to finally know Him, on His terms.

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5. 

   Matt Stone

   2010-02-27

   Minoan? Well Jarred, that’s a new one for me. Do tell more! Also, for the other readers here who’re not as familiar with Paganism it may help to share what you find meaningful about your path. I still think there’s a lot of misconceptions out there, due to sterotyping, urban legends, etc.

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6. 

   Jarred

   2010-02-27

   Well, it’s been several years since I talked with Sabazius (the Minoan high priest that would have been my teacher and initiator had I pursued that path), so my memory is a bit rusty. But basically, the Minoan Brotherhood was founded by Eddie Buczynski, who was a gay man and a Gardnerian initiate who was getting fed up with the homophobia in some parts of his tradition at the time. So he developed the Minoan Brotherhood to give gay and bisexual men a safe space to explore and practice witchcraft. (I’m told that heterosexual men are welcome too, though some aspects of the tradition might make most heterosexual men uncomfortable.)
   There’s also a Minoan Sisterhood, and initiates from both the Brotherhood and Sisterhood formed a mixed-sex group known as the Cult of Rhea. All three groups are collectively known as the Minoan tradition.
   For a bit more information, you might want to check out the Witchvox article on the tradition:
   http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=trads&id=3600

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7. 

   Andrew Park

   2010-03-01

   Its interesting that you refer to influences such as Catholic, Calvinism and Andibaptist teachings as having a more direct bearing on your formation.
   I am sure those influences were also there during my own 50 odd years of formation as a Christian.
   But my more direct awareness of theological influences such as Calvinism and Anibaptist-ism came much later – ie. moreso within the past 10 years.
   I really appreciate the historical content which is discussed on this site in relation to today’s dev elopments in mission and theology. Very helpful and thought provoking.
   That’s despite being a history-buff with 2 theological college stints under my belt, so to speak.
   It only comparatively recently (i.e. within the last 5 years) that I became engrossed in reading about people such as Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Melanchthon, Zwingli, Yodfer etc. That was all despite having studied Church History 1 in an ACT BTheol course and a B Theol at the Melbourne College of Divinity.
   I did study the early Church Fathers, Augustine, and a few others of the 1st 500 years of post NT history and people like Wesley, Brainard, Finney and a few later heroes of evangelicalism.
   I was influenced by theologians such as Moltmann, Dr M King, Paul Tillich, E Schillebeeckx, and various other seminal modernday writers.
   All these appeal strongly to evangelical conservatives today.
   But that lost historical studies gap between 500AD to 1600AD was a seismic one, in terms of my formation as an effective servant of the Gospel. It hindered a lot of my understanding of the Church, why it is like it is today, and how it is interpreting itself into its future.
   I’m only just now picking up on the amazing stories of faith development through that period.
   Probably there are many Christians of my age just like me today in that regard.
   For several generations there has been this overriding attitude among so many evangelical Christians that the past is the past – its not relevant to today – so lets leave it in the past.
   I need to say now that I believe that view is a quite wrong one to have.
   How can we really know who we are, where we came from as Church, and who we are now as Church without adequately educating ourselves about our faith ancestors from whom we were derived and formed successively over generations as their fruit?
   Anyway my point is that the stories and struggles of our Christian predecessors, their failings and successes all form part of our own collective faith story, history and journey.
   It is so sad that in so many `today’ churches there is scant mention in our sermons and teaching of the faith legacies passed down to us by our historical forebears
   whose faith so formidibly influenced ours. It is `need to know stuff’you generally only get in an theological college to pass Church History 101 in BTheol and not a part of the general curiculum for discipleship 101 – a thing that should really be taught as `basic spiritual formation 101′ for every new Christian over time.
   We all need to know this stuff, if only to critique it so we can move forwards in theology and mission into a future God is leading us into for today and beyond. To know who we were yesterday helps us to understand whom we are today and why.

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8. 

   Matt Stone

   2010-03-02

   Steve, but your spiritual journey hardly ended with conversion now! I’ve always been fascinated by your shift to Orthodoxy.

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9. 

   Matt Stone

   2010-03-02

   Chris, we’ve obviously got a few things in common there.

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10. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-02

    Grace, thanks for sharing that, wonderful story

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11. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-02

    Jarred, thanks that’s very informative. Just shows me I still don’t know all the traditions out there.

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12. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-02

    Andrew, my historical awareness speaks of my Catholic influence I think, though my exploration of Reformation history is more recent. I’ve long been fascinated by the question, if all these different branches of Christianity have arisen over the centuries, why not another?
    The anabaptists fascinate me, not just because their nonviolent teachings resonate with me, but also because in them is an early example of postChristendom Christianity that has stood the test of time, in the sense they are still with us hundreds of years later. In them we can glean hints of what is important to hang onto, if sustainability is a goal, as well as mistakes to avoid as we seek to move beyond Christendom style Christianity.
    I’m also partial to the medieval mystics, as the Foster reference may hint at.

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13. 

    Andrew Park

    2010-03-02

    Was reading last few nights about an overview of the early Anibaptists.
    Quite a divergent bunch which I find fascinating about the Anibaptists.
    Several groups were in fact quite violent in their original approaches, even creating paramilitary groups.
    Others weren’t.
    For instance, Zwingli fought and died in the battle of Kappel in 1531 weilding a battle axe and clad in armour.
    Muntzer created a paramilitary army called the League of the Elect which used violence against Catholics to make his theological point.
    Others like Bullinger, Zwingli’s successor was described as a caring and generous man of a more temperate nature.
    Hans Hut, the father of the Hutterites joined in the Peasant’s War because he interpreted it as the prelude to Jesus’ second coming.
    Michael Sattler was “clearly a man of peace”, who argued that “Christians should not resort to violence even in defence of the faith”. Despite his nonviolence, he suffered a most brutal and cruel execution for his faith at the hands of Catholic authorities. His wife was executed by drowning a short time later.
    Many of the Anibaptists were also apocypticists, which had dramatic influences on their interpretation of the socio-political/religious context they interfaced with – eg. Melchoir Hoffman preached apocalytic messages which interpreted plagues, famines, natural disasters, the Turks, economic problems as signs that the end of the world was at hand.
    Many, particularly those on the radical fringes of Anibaptist reformational thinking were also prone toward apocalyptical prophetical pronouncements: prophets of Zwickau, Hans Hut, the Uttenreuth Dreamers.
    Heinz says that two of the main movements which survived and have continued to this present day evolved into strongly pacifist groups: the Hutterites and the Mennonites.
    (Above gleaned from Heinz, Reform & Conflict, 2005).

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14. 

    Lucy J

    2010-03-02

    Just love reading all the people’s stories! How diverse we are…
    Despite my obvious human ordinariness, my life has been, from inception, profoundly affected by significant spiritual events and influences. From my very first conscious recollections, God is there. As with Hannah of old, my mother prayed for a living child whom she would dedicate to God’s service, and so I entered the world. Faith-filled, prayerful people presided at my infant baptism… my God-parents were a Lutheran pastor and his wife who continued to pray and spiritually oversee throughout my childhood and well into my teens. At about three years of age, at the little local church building, I had a vision of Christ in repose behind the altar. Years of Sunday School instruction, catechumenal training, bible reading etc, in some instances result in boredom or mechanical religious practice, BUT it was NEVER like that for me… Christ’s presence was always real and accessible in my daily life experience. I loved attending church, and I still do, except that these days I have much more understanding because of that wonderful (and continuing) “line upon line, precept upon precept” training in the things of God. Now I know that my Christian brothers and sisters ARE the church that Jesus Christ is building! Being born of migrant parents, I always had a heart for other cultures and from an early age knew that I would travel and teach in some capacity.
    A brief overview in 7-year stages:
    * 7 years old: made public declaration of being a Christ-follower under the ministry of Pastor Richard Wurmbrandt who was a prisoner ‘behind the iron curtain’ for his faith (his autobiographical writings describe how he danced in his prison cell as an act of praise despite impossible circumstances). I also began ballet classes that year!
    * 14 years old: after my mother was widowed, I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church and began Sunday School teaching
    * 21 years old: married with two children after dropping out of university and giving up my aspirations to join the Diplomatic Corps I began a journey of interdenominational experience and ever deeper faith walk
    * 28 years old: despite regular Christian fellowship and assistant ministry positions in the churches my husband and I attended wherever we were geographically located, divorce loomed large but Christ’s grace was sufficient. I had made the liberating discovery that dance could be a healing expression of life and faith
    * 35 years old: national leadership role in Christian Dance, graduated from Bible College with an Advanced Certificate in Creative Ministries despite solo-parenting status
    * 42 years old: international ministry role; 2nd marriage (to Andrew; learning more about living intercession through meditation on Scripture; Jesus is still centre of it all!
    * 49 years old: gained tertiary qualifications and remained active in creative and intercession ministries at local, state, national and international levels envisioning incarnational missions training involving creative arts.
    Am still enjoying how God artfully stokes up passions in my life to match the potentials that have been placed within me.
    Thanks for the opportunity to look back over life. Putting it down like that sounds more like a fairy story, but there’s been REAL pain and struggle threaded through the life living. Also I read the other blog thread about joy, imagination, and play, and I have to say those aspects have figured largely in my story too. I laugh a lot!
    Sometimes I feel like a bumbling, stumbling spiritual assistant detective discovering more about who God is and how the universe hangs together… journeyd through feminism, done a lot of personal study on writings spanning a wide range of theological and philosphical flavours, experienced close connection to Indigenous Australian spirituality, always been interested in the “mystical giftings”, dreams, visions, prophecy etc BUT how all that affects real life with real people… way too long, I know, but I’m not as good at distilling to a paragraph, like some of our esteemed colleagues!

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15. 

    Andrew Park

    2010-03-02

    Coming back to the influences on my theology, I first was exposed to the teachings of Dr Martin Luther King as an 8 year old. My parents, particularly my mother, were very enthusiastic about his teachings to do with nonviolent struggle for racial justice and fitered it down to their children over time.
    MLK’s speeches were both memorable and heart-rending, penetrating and spiritually formational not only for many African Americans, but also for so many Uniting Church Baby Boomer kids such as me. I am still a MLK fan. His words still live and are so spirited for me close on to 43 years since his death.
    I don’t have the same reaction from Billy Graham who has my deepest respect even so.
    Another preacher and theologian I think has had very strong influence upon my spiritual formation is John Smith of God Squad MC. That has been over 40 years – quite a long-standing seminal influence on my faith, through his fair dinkum, honest, passionate, deeply passionate and courageous leadership and friendship toward me and many others who’ve gotten to know him fairly well over the years. Alot of my theology now found its early seeds sitting outside a little old house in Lilydale with about 200 others listening to John and his mates share about Jesus in ways that were so relevant to our then youth cultural context, 40 odd years ago. He still speaks relevantly, truthfully and passionately and it gets even better with the deeper wisdom that only seems to come with ageing and amassed life experience.

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16. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-02

    Andrew, yes there was a lot of diversity early on, but Michael Sattler and Menno Simmons are probably the figures to most take note of. Note that Zwingli opposed the Anabaptists so he shouldn’t really be considered an Anabaptist himself. If you’re interested in the history from the Reformation to the present you might find this of help – http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/pdf/WhoweretheAnabaptistsbooklet.pdf
    As for Anabaptists having apocalyptic leanings, recall what I wrote on church-state relationships and eschatology. It’s there, yes, but sometimes it’s more subtle than just dire prophecy – http://mattstone.blogs.com/christian/2010/02/disentangling-some-competing-dualisms-in-the-church-state-conversation.html

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17. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-03

    Lucy and Andrew, thanks for those stories. Awesome. I treasure hearing accounts like this.

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18. 

    Steve Hayes

    2010-03-03

    Aye, but you don’t want your comment section filled with a book, do you?

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19. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-03

    Actually, you could probably just link where you have written of it elsewhere. I find it fascinating.

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20. 

    Andrew Park

    2010-03-03

    If we gathered a lot of the stuff on this website into basic topical subject groups I reckon we could have the makings of a fairly hefty book of some good theological substance.

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21. 

    Matt Stone

    2010-03-04

    That has occured to me, but I’m stretched as to how I’d approach it.

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