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How religion is shaping this summer of our discontent

What’s religion for?

Climate change, racism, gun violence, economic inequality and marriage equality: These are just a few of the hot topics of a hot summer. Should religion turn up the heat or cool things down?

Some churches (including other religious communities such as synagogues and mosques) are silent about these things, preferring to keep a high wall between the spiritual and the secular. Others eagerly offer views about the state of the world in the light of their spiritual worldview. Responses fall predictably along lines of conservative-traditional versus liberal-progressive. Things are not, however, always that neat.

A few thoughts

One, all religions are historically rooted in traditions that make them conservative to some degree. They try to conserve what they believe is enduring in the face of a changing world. They value stability and order, because they sense that God has made the world to work in certain ways and that violating those patterns will bring consequences of deeper pain and brokenness. Even progressives who look to an ideal future more than an ideal past do so on the basis of a vision that once was and still is formative. What to keep and what to let go of is always the question.

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or other-worldly end, and whether it includes all or only some.

Three, religions always struggle with the tension of how much to be “in the world but not of the world.” Does our spirituality engage the world in all of its messiness or does it invite us to find refuge beyond it? Some churches (and politicians) like it when the Pope speaks against abortion, but they think he ought to stick to religion when speaking about climate change. Others think exactly the opposite. Should the church weigh in on social and public policy? Most agree we must speak to these things as part of our mandate to bear witness to the character of God, but it’s also clear when we do that we don’t view God in the same way.

Do we want to win at the expense of others, or can we tolerate differences and let God do the sorting?

Four, is religion primarily about absolute truth that can be perfectly known and never compromised or about absolute love that is unconditional and unbounded? Well, it’s about truth and love both, but truth with humility and love with boundaries.

Two, all religions operate with a vision of what is yet to come. What future they envision is where differences lie. Progressives believe that God’s work in creation is ongoing and that we can share in it positively to build a better, more just and peaceful world. Conservatives tend to see change through a paradigm of decline that will result in final judgment on wickedness and the rescue of those who faithfully opposed evil. Either way, we all operate out of a vision of the End, whether it’s a this-worldly

Finally, religion can be a force for unity or division. We tend to think of our own approach to the faith as unifying and the other side as divisive. But we ought to ask ourselves first about our own motivation. Do we want to win at the expense of others, or can we tolerate differences and let God do the sorting?

Religion enlists God into public debates, one way or another. So, in the name of God, we’d better take care how we speak and live.

Baptist

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Catholic

UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS MINISTRY CONFERENCE / udallas.edu/udmc

October 22-24, 2015 / Sponsored by Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Sessions on Faith, Scripture, & Ministry / Exhibitors / Music / Mass

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel 10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Lane

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

RIDGEWOOD PARK UMC / 6445 E. Lovers Lane / 214.369.9259

Sunday Worship: 9:30 am Traditional and 11:35 am Contemporary

Sunday School: 10:30 am / Rev. Ann Willet / ridgewoodparkchurch.org

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

Presbyterian

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

Summer Worship: May 24 - Sept. 6 / 10:00am / Childcare provided.

ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN / Skillman & Monticello

Rev. Rob Leischner. / www.standrewsdallas.org

214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am

Unity

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

10:30 am Sunday - Celebration Worship Service

UNITY ON GREENVILLE / Your soul is welcome here!

3425 Greenville Ave. / 214.826.5683 / www.dallasunity.org

Sunday Service 11:00 am and Book Study 9:30 am

Cleaning crew

About 50 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, their siblings and parents cleaned up White Rock Lake with For the Love of the Lake. Recent flooding has deposited unprecedented amounts of trash on the lakeshores. The Scouts are from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church and University Park