Crafting Through Life
Crafting a way of life…crafting honors the work of those who have created the world as we know it now…Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Dr. Diana Butler Bass was hosted by St. Alban’s the weekend of February 2nd.
Three Paradoxical Trends in Religion were the subject of her presentations. It was a full house including congregants and others from the greater Tucson and Arizona Diocese church community. The information presented in colorful graphs and charts was eye opening, broken down by generations, ethnicities, and spiritual affiliations. The ensuing conversation and questions were rich in insight and revealed a growing awareness of how changes in our communities pose challenges to the traditional structure of religious organizations.
The Paradoxes
The United States is more religiously diverse and less religious than in the past.
White Christianity is declining while Christianity of color is growing.
American culture is both more secular and more shaped by religious extremism than in previous generations.
The sobering news is that demographic shifts in the population have affected the Shape of Faith as it is practiced in society today. Faith based practices are impacted by greater ethnic and cultural diversity. The conventional church is losing ground to groups exploring spirituality in experiential faith. Structured religious practices are becoming less common as many members of society seek personal and profound experiences of connection and understanding. This concept is explored more fully in three books authored by Dr. Butler Bass written to make sense of these changes.
Her book Grounded traces a paradigm shift in BELONGING. Explained is how the concept of “being a member” gives way to the need for participation based on relationships.
In the book Gratitude she explores the concept of BEHAVING. Many are no longer content to just follow the rules or seek guidance from traditional religious authority. Learning “how to do” is giving way to discovering “what to do” in the presence of love, compassion, and grace in our midst. Giving thanks is a powerful tool in seeking the presence of God.
In the book Freeing Jesus Dr. Bass follows a journey in BELIEVING. The importance of dogma and doctrine in organizing religious groups is losing its importance. Lived experiences provide some guidance. Those seeking a spiritual home are trading “what” to believe for “how” to believe. We all have a story to tell about how we discovered Christ. There are multiple forms of ‘knowing’. It is shifting out of the hands of experts into a world of social media and an ever expanding source of people sharing their stories.
Every story matters…every story counts
The trends are concerning. Even so, she shared some of her major sources of hope to include her family, persistence, stories of ancestry, and her own renewed reading of the Bible in the context of our changing social construct.
This message comes at an opportune time in the life of St. Alban’s. Armed with new understanding of changing demographics and new insights into shifting spiritual practices we can be better prepared in our search for a new Rector. The many conversations and stories prompted by this presentation are sure to bring us closer as a community providing clarity for the work ahead; even as we pray for continued guidance in successfully completing the spiritual work set before the St. Alban’s search committee, vestry and parish.
