If you are vaguely familiar with Stephen King's book, Under the Dome, which also became an awful TV series; you know about this idea of a town trapped by a dome. It's impenetrable and cuts the town off from the outside world. Now, I have not gotten to finishing the book, so I don't really know where the dome came from. (Part of the reason for that is I got tired of reading the book, so didn't really care.)
I imagine this is similar to Christian sub-culture. By having Christian schools, bookstores, universities, movies, music, etc, we have created a culture in which we can live out our days and never really get a sense of the real world. Please notice I didn't put the word world in quotes because the effect of this dome is to actually cut ourselves off from the actual, real world. I remember this was something I was becoming sensitive to even as I attended a Christian high school. Some friends and I talked about never being a part of this sub-culture. However, through life events, I find myself having completed about 25 years of teaching, all within Christian education.
Hindsight tells me it stemmed from the bullying I was a victim of during my years in the public system. For me, Christian high school was my escape. It was positive in that the bullying stopped and also positive in that I had some very wise teachers who did not let me shy away from "controversial" subjects such as evolution. In that Christian high school was planted the seeds of the constant questioning that is swirling in my thoughts day and night. I can't get away from it. The downside was that the idea of teaching in the public system scares me to this day, probably because I associate it with being bullied.
Beginning with evolution and the origins of life, I became a follower of Christ who was constantly kicking against the dome. I became open to the fact that the downside of all this "Christian" as an adjective, was that we were cutting ourselves off from becoming part of the world. We have so misused the verse about "not being of the world" that we have created a complete world for ourselves. This world is artificial and not based on reality. It is also a world that is under threat as more and more people wake up to the distortions of truth and misapplications of the Bible that are used to justify scientific ignorance, homophobia, contempt of women, immigrants, and the poor.
(In order to preserve this world and maintain it's power, because, let's face it, the Evangelical Church = the Religious Right = Conservative Political Parties in many Western countries. This is why the "church" is so quick to back Donald Trump. Truth is secondary to maintaining power. It's a truth in all religious fundamental movements, too.)
Where am I at, personally? I struggle with going to a church that I have lost faith in. Meanwhile, I am becoming stronger in my faith. Sometimes the most stressful part of the week is going to church, so I skip it. It's difficult because my family is so involved in the church that I'm not sure what to say. I think and believe differently than most of my co-workers at the Christian school I work at, even though I believe there are very good things happening. I think and believe differently that my wife and daughters, even though I love them fiercely. What to do with that?
Blessed are the peacemakers. Maybe that's my mantra. I just finished reading Peter Enns' book, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read it. All scripture should be seen through the lens of Jesus' life and teachings. I think that's where I need to start. Begin examining the life and example of someone else who kicked against the dome.
