I knew my ultimate destination, and I knew the roads to get there, but as I came round the corner I saw the fluorescent 'DETOUR" sign that preceded a barricaded road, the only way I knew to get to my goal was closed! Momentary panic ensued - a decision needed to be made. I didn't know the roads that the detour arrows led me down and I was not comfortable with the change of scenery, let alone the change of roads.
My road trip experience has parallels for me in the spiritual dynamic of the church. I think that many people (Christians) want concrete direction, some want decisions made for them, many want the church to tell them what to do, to wear, to say, to work at and to think. They want to know not only the ultimate destination but what roads to take and a guarantee that they are safe, open and dependable.
These people, usually fundamentalists, can come unstuck when the dynamic, messy and undependable reality of society and relationship collide with their neat, controlled, predictable spiritual Rubik cube.
Life is full of unexpected detours which can throw us off track momentarily, or if we have no foundation upon which to negotiate our own re-alignment they can throw us off track permanently.
In cultural terms this could find some clarity in the idea that for a 'modern', spirituality is a series of decisions - controlled, predictable and rational, (like colour coded squares rotating on a rigid and unforgiving framework). For a 'post-modern', spirituality is a 'journey' which has a specific destination but a flexibility that finds detours not annoying and panic inducing, but exciting and possibly opportunities to learn.
Despite this 'clarity' it is impossible to label moderns as fundamentalists, and post-moderns as liberals - it's not a matter of culture, and it's not a static state that defines us for eternity. Perhaps it's a matter of personality, genetics or contextual necessity.
I have the privilege of interacting with people of numerous denominations, faiths and belief systems. I don't have the luxury of absolutes, in fact I have not found many to exist. What I need to know is my destination (and I know that) and the non-negotiables of the journey (love - for God and others).
What frustrates some people is that I refuse to give them concrete answers. (I can't do the cube!) I'll tell them what I believe God reveals, I'll share my own experience, and that of others I know and read and I'll love and accept them as best I can, as I believe Jesus would: but then the decision, the journey is up to them.
