History of the Church: Are We Still Revolutionaries?

A chronological review of the Epistles reveals a transition in the early Christian communities from a charismatic model to a more institutional model. These shifts are the result of many factors including; a growing and widely spread membership, an assembly that began to include more wealthy and socially powerful persons, the perception of Christianity as a threat to the order of society, the delay in the return of Christ and the need to address the challenge of sustaining of a community in the absence of it’s original leaders. The early Pauline letters reflect a dynamic and exuberant character. These letters, present a sense of urgency and excitement, whether discussing the joy of faith and salvation or anger and disappointment. The authentic letters of Paul reflect the dynamism of the early Christian communities. In this context “faith” is an action word. The later pseudonymous letters present a less spirited dialogue with the community. The character of these letters is more static. Faith becomes a definition or description of belief. Smith states that, “Ephesians reads like a legal document detailing a corporate merger of two major bodies”. Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:28 that, “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for you are all one in Christ”, captures the character of the early communities and manifests the power of the original message. This message of liberation and equality in Christ was received and embraced by those who had been marginalized by society; slaves, women, and the poor. In his commentary on Romans, Hoyt notes that “’saints’” is Paul’s favorite way of referring to members of the Christian community… It means those set apart.” This would appear to say that being apart from the general community was a positive thing in early Christianity. . Smith states that Paul’s “use of apocalyptic traditions incorporated political diction and presupposed a ‘critique of this age and it’s values,’ including those of the Roman imperial order” These statements indicate that originally that Christian community was resistant to the influence of and assimilation into the society of the Roman Empire. Tamez confirms that Paul, “ by affirming that ‘there is no longer Greek or Jew, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female for all of you are one in Chris’ (Gal. 3:28) Christians professed the values that contradicted those of the reigning society “ What began as a small group of believers with a message of salvation, liberation and equality gradually spread and grew and attracted new adherents. By the end of the first century being assimilated into society becomes a positive thing. It would be difficult to maintain an organic, revolutionary, charismatic type of religion on a large scale and the Christian community was growing. The church and its message were attracting members of means. When a significant segment of the community included the wealthy and socially powerful, their presence had an effect on the character of the community. These wealthy members had a different investment in the status quo compared to the marginalized of that system. There was an advantage to having the church include all levels of society but the inclusion of the powerful changed the focus. The impact of a powerful constituency influenced the essence and practices of the communities. Towards the end of the first century the pseudonymous writings show us a different approach to the prevailing culture of the time. For example, the household codes reinforce the status quo and the standards of Greco Roman society. The adherence to these codes by the Christian community became a part of the practice of the faith. Non-compliant behavior of women and slaves was looked upon with suspicion in the general culture. The Greco Roman world believed that the household was the foundation for the city, which was the foundation for the country, which was the foundation for the empire. All of this society rested on the observance of the household codes. The Christians at the end of the first century began to integrate the observance of these concepts into the message. This was a way to protect the community from suspicion and also to accommodate the increasing number of wealthier and more influential members of the communities. There were additional challenges to the early church. Initially, it was expected that Christ would return soon, probably within the lifetime of his contemporaries. Tamez notes that the early church “ began institutionalizing itself and faced challenges when it realized that the second coming of the reign of God was not imminent” As time passed there was the need to develop a way for the early Christians to be sustained and allow them to continue strong and unified until the return of Christ, whenever that may be. Challenges due to the growth of the community created the necessity to provide a more formal understanding of Christian theology. Additionally, threats from heresies and misinterpretation of the message provided impetus to create a more institutional type of faith. This transition has positives and negatives. It would be ideal if the church could maintain that sense of freedom and exuberance experienced in the small communities of the early church without restrictions on the understanding of faith or interference from a hierarchy. But in order to survive and in order to maintain unity with the Christian communities spreading throughout the Roman empire it was necessary to provide a vision of faith which was more codified and static. It appears that the early church is treading on treacherous ground here. On one hand, there was the need to preserve the charismatic expression of redemption and salvation for all and, at the same time, to preserve the message and protect the community from societal oppression and persecution. By the end of the first century the Epistles reflect an institution that is more “organized “. With organization comes a tendency towards uniformity and the increased influence of predominant cultural understandings of organization. The new “organization” of the church was not created of whole cloth. It reflected a model of the cultural organization of its time. This organizational model was well known, understood and accepted by the larger community. Church leadership was also changing. Tamez notes that in the earlier church, “leadership had to do with the gift of the Holy Spirit and not an institutional assignment, persons of any social class or gender could become leaders…. before the institutionalization of the church of responsibility for leadership in the community was seen as a gift of the holy spirit.” Later, this condition for leadership was amended because of concern the “community would be in danger if the supervisor did not follow the rules the values of the society in which they lived.“ Tamez notes that the author of Timothy is “transferring the values of the patriarchal household to the church “ There is recognition in these writings that a change is taking place regarding administration. As the wealthy began to increase their membership with in the churches the author of Timothy is concerned that the members of the early Christian community have values consistent with the Greco Roman world in which they lived. He did not want them to be perceived as dangerous or threatening. In speaking about the household codes, Tamez comments that the author of Timothy believes that “conduct within the church must be the same as the conduct of the patriarchal household.”. The author of Timothy is suggesting the model of household as a model for the church to emulate. These later Christian communities were living in a hostile context with regards to the community. Hill notes that in the Pauline churches the ministries and offices had not been formalized. By the end of the first century the identity of the church is transitioning into a community that is more reflective of the hierarchy and culture of the Roman Empire. The traditionally marginalized; slaves, women and the poor are being repositioned from equals to a place that reflects the standards of the society at that time. The church begins to mirror the character and the dynamics of the culture where it exists. It is becoming less of an assembly of people “set apart” and more of a congregation of members of the general population and culture. This move towards assimilation was meant to provide safety and security for the Christian communities. While these changes do reflect some loss of the dynamism and revolutionary characteristics of the earlier church, as Professor Ringe reminds us in her lecture on “Building on Paul”, the Holy Spirit provides regular powerful eruptions of grace to keep the church vibrant and focused on the original liberating message of Jesus Christ.

Bibliography Hays, Richard B. “Interpretation Commentary on I Corinthians.” p245-249. Hill, Craig C. “Paul and Power, Revisited”. The 10th Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies. Philadelphia: The Fortress Press, 1980. Hoyt, Thomas. L, Jr. “Romans.” True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Ed. Brian K. Blount. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Nave, Guy. “2 Corinthians.” True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Ed. Brian K. Blount. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Ringe, Sharon H. “Building on Paul.” Introduction to the New Testament: Epistles. Wesley Theological Seminary. Washington, DC. Feb. 2010. Lecture. Smith, Abraham. “Paul and African American Biblical Interpretation.” True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Ed. Brian K. Blount. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Smith, Mitzi J. “Ephesians. ” True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Ed. Brian K. Blount. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Smith, Mitzi J. “Slavery in the Early Church. ” True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary. Ed. Brian K. Blount. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. Tamez, Elsa. Struggles for Power in Early Christianity. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2007

Pastoral Care and Grief

The months of fall 1968 were the halcyon days of my life. I was 17, a senior in high school and ready to begin my new adventure as one of the “top dogs” at my high school. I attended a catholic boarding school in central Minnesota. It was located on the campus of a small Benedictine women’s college and convent mother house. I was president of my senior class and had the lead in my school play. I had a wonderful best friend, Peggy, who was the school’s star basketball forward and soprano soloist. We developed that intimate, close relationship common among adolescent girls and amplified by the boarding school setting. I was 1200 miles from my family and went home to visit once a year. In boarding schools you eat, sleep, study and live together with your best friend. Peggy and I spent hours riding a tandem bicycle we borrowed from the Benedictine monastery. We rode this bicycle built-for-two all over the campus singing show tunes and hymns in harmony and at the top of our lungs. On weekends we would hike out in the woods to a retreat center for the nuns that had been closed up for the winter. We were intoxicated by the glorious Minnesota fall. We had found a private place to “play”, swinging and singing on an old porch swing and trampling the piles of fallen leaves. Our futures were bright and we shared how we planned to change the world. Anything seemed possible. One night in late October I was shaken awake by Peggy. She was terrified. She told me that she had a dream where I had died. She held my hand is so tightly it hurt. None of my reassurances comforted her. She would not let go of my hand. She even had to hold on to me when she used the bathroom. So, I took the bed next to me in the dorm room and pushed it next to my bed. I reassured her that I was all right. I promised that I would hold her hand all night long. Eventually we fell to sleep. At 7am the next morning the bell rang to wake us for the day. We got up and started to get ready for the walk to breakfast. Without warning, Peggy fell back on the bed and seemed to be coughing. I spoke to her and I got no response. I gently slapped her face to wake her and told her to get up. There still was no response. I began to get frightened. What was the matter? I went to her and bent over and tried mouth to mouth resuscitation. It was the only thing I could think of doing. I tried this several times but there was still no response. I ran down to the room of the sister on duty and knocked and knocked. I called through the door for the sister to come quickly that something was wrong with Peggy. Then I ran back to my room. Again, I tried mouth to mouth. There was no change in her condition. I just heard a hollow return of my breath and a gurgling sound. Several minutes later the sister arrived. She took in the situation and said, “I didn't know it was this bad.”The Dean of Students arrived and the ambulance and I was removed from the room and sent to the school. The clamor and the level of the intensity of anxiety within the school felt like chaos. I pleaded with the school Principal to let me go with Peggy and the paramedics. I had been there when Peggy collapsed and I felt that I could be helpful as they took care of her. She told me that it wouldn't be necessary. Many minutes later the Dean of Students got on the loudspeaker at the school and made the announcement, “Peggy has died." No intro and no follow-up. It felt as though the wind was knocked out of me. I was in my body and yet out of it. I could hear the cries of all those around me but they seemed muffled and far away. I simply knelt down and observed the chaos silently as though I were watching a movie. Of course, this couldn’t be real. This is not how I learn that the one person most important to me is gone forever. The nuns ordered everyone to calm down and go to class. I went to class but I just sat there. In a short period of time, the Dean of Students came and removed me from the class. She told me that I was going to accompany her and the Principal of the school to Northern Minnesota. Since I had been with Peggy when she died, it was necessary that I meet with Peggy’s parents and tell them how it happened. I had never met them. I got into the car with the Dean and the Principal and rode 5 hours to meet with Peggy’s family to tell the story and answer their questions. I have absolutely no memory of that visit. Yet, I vividly remember driving back to campus that night in a dark car with two nuns. It was silent. There was the glow of the dashboard lights. We were surrounded with miles and miles of darkened farmland. The next weekend the entire school took the trip up to Grand Rapids, Minnesota for the funeral. School buses were filled with young women on their way to sing the hallelujah chorus for their classmate’s funeral. For me, reality shifted. I called home to my parents but they were 1200 miles away and living in a different world from me. Where there had not been great communication at home in the first place, this situation provided additional obstacles. My classmates and I were told to continue our studies and get back to a normal schedule. I kept my emotions inside. One Saturday, I walked down to the old retreat house by myself. It was coming towards winter and the leaves were no longer brilliant, the sky was overcast, and it was cold. I sat on the porch swing and sang the songs that we had sung together, but solo. On the hike back to the dorm it began to snow. It is difficult to describe my emotions and state of mind during this time. After a few months some of my classmates reminded me that it was several months ago that this happened and it was time to move on. In my English class we were required to keep a journal. I filled pages of that journal where I wrote over and over again, "I can’t stand this loneliness." We were required to turn them in to be graded every few weeks and I was hoping to get a response or an acknowledgement of my grief. When the journal was returned the teacher had written in the margin, “This is so sad.” There was no follow-up or additional response. I felt pretty much on my own in dealing with my grief. I did not believe that anyone could understand how I felt. The proverbial straw the broke the camel’s back occurred one evening in March. While brushing my teeth I accidentally dropped my toothbrush on the floor. This incident seemed so terrible that I began to cry and I could not stop. I cried for hours until I was exhausted. It is interesting to me that during that time until graduation many of my classmates would single me out and ask to meet privately. I hadn’t had a close relationship with them and yet they needed to speak with me. They shared their overwhelming grief and response to this death. I was surprised that even though their relationship with Peggy seemed less intense than mine, this experience had a profound effect on them. That that winter one of our classmates attempted suicide by jumping from the second balcony and in a nearby theater. I couldn't simply replace my best friend. Although I developed close relationships with other classmates subsequent to Peggy’s death, I was a changed person. My senior year was colored by this experience. The emotional distance between my family and me was widened. Reflecting back on this experience I can see things with a different perspective. 40 years later my experience and interaction with death have changed my understanding of grief. I have lost my parents, a brother, a young niece and several friends and family members. I chose this experience because it was my introduction to the reality of mortality. It is also complicated by what appears to be Peggy’s premonition of death. But it is also interesting to me that when it came time for me to write this assignment I still had such resistance even 40 years later. Looking back and considering how this could have been handled differently I believe that several skillful grief counselors should have been made available to us and we should have been compelled to attend. I should not have learned of my friend's death via the loudspeaker at the school. The trip to Peggy’s parent’s home ignored the significance of my loss and my grief experience at that time. I do not condemn the way the nuns handled this experience. However, this high school was on the campus of the Benedictine mother house and a Benedictine women's college. I cannot believe that there were not resources available or people knowledgeable enough to address the needs of the students. My family was distant and out of the picture. The sisters were uncomfortable, unskilled or unwilling to address our grief. The prevailing attitude was, “Out of sight, out of mind.” My English teacher dropped the ball and when she read my journal and didn’t speak to me. I was literally begging for help and this was an opening for someone to hear my cry. It would have been helpful to all of us if the school had allowed us to acknowledge and learn to live with our loss. If we had been able to plan our own grief service at the school and develop a personal memorial to our friend it could have helped us come to terms with this loss as a community. It would have been wonderful if we could have included something at our graduation to note Peggy’s absence. My ministry is affected by the total of my life experiences. I believe I bring a wealth of life knowledge to my encounter with my patients. I pray that I listen with a loving heart to those suffering from a loss. I do not need to share my experiences with them. I want to listen to their feelings and concerns with empathy and understanding. I remember my anger when my grandfather told me that he lost a friend so he knew how I felt. I thought it was impossible for him to understand what I was experiencing. I know that it is necessary to recognize the unique grief of each individual person. I am also aware that the death of a person and the grief and the impact of a person’s death cannot be measured by the closeness of the relationship. Attentive listening is the best gift at this time. It is also important to remember that the introduction to death and grief felt by the young person can be intense even if the deceased is an acquaintance. This encounter strikes at the core of the young person's understanding of reality. I also have learned that time will not eliminate the grieving process. It is interesting to me that couple of years ago one of my classmates wrote me to tell me that she had obtained a copy of Peggy’s autopsy. She emailed a copy to me. It amazed me that more 40 years later she took the effort to obtain this document and that it was that important to her. It also amazed me that I was so angry at her for doing it. I deleted the message.

Here I am, Lord.

I don't think that i have ever been happier in my life. I still have worries and bad days and fears and feelings of failure. However, I have never had joy residing so firmly and so comfortably in my soul. I have a purpose. I have finally found my call. I know what I am going to be when I grow up.
I am called to priesthood.
At age 58 I started attending seminary and found my home.