There is increasing unrest in parts of the Christian church these days.
Scarborough minister Gretta Vosper, described by some as a heretic and by others
as refreshing hope, is leading the way through the unrest in Toronto. In her
experience, many people are thirsting for a new way of approaching a religion
that for them has lost its viability and credibility.
Vosper observed a significant disparity between what she and her colleagues
preached from the pulpit along with the depth of knowledge and scholarship they
accessed during their training, and what was actually lived in daily life.
Clergy and parishioners alike experienced the dissatisfaction of living in
pretence when their personal lives did not reflect the principles proclaimed in
church.
Many people feel marginalized when churches refuse to face their heartfelt
questions and doubts about life and spirituality. People feel cut from spiritual
life when there is no space for exploring fundamental questions of life; many
are blocked by notions of an interventionist, personal God. Vosper realized that
beyond rituals and inaccessible symbols, people feel a need to practise values
in their daily lives – at work, at home and in public. There is a need to live
meaningfully and truthfully, no matter the beliefs about God.
Vosper urges people to examine their beliefs and assumptions, to clarify their
values, and to build their lives around what they understand to be sacred and
holy. There is much to be said for returning to the origins in order to build
meaningful and deeply satisfying lives.
Beyond religion, a classical philosophical approach to life does just that:
holding wisdom as the cornerstone, understanding that we are beings within a
vast universe, we are urged to wrangle with our uncertainties and doubts. As
importantly, we must also clarify the truths around which we will build our
lives and the values through which we will cultivate ourselves, our
relationships and our place on this planet.
